The parcel is tracked, the box is sealed, and the money doesn't move until you say so.
Every shipped order on Bastion travels on a prepaid, tracked label issued by the platform, requires a signature on delivery, and is documented at both ends. Payment remains in escrow for the duration and is released only when the buyer confirms the item in hand.
How a shipped order actually goes
Your payment goes to Escrow.com — a licensed escrow service, not Bastion's bank account. The seller can see it's secured. They can't touch it.
The delivery address is copied onto the order and frozen. It can't be edited afterwards — not by you, not by anyone who gets into your account later. Changing it means cancelling and starting again.
We generate a prepaid, tracked label bound to this exact order. Sellers never type in their own tracking number, because a typed-in number can point at any parcel going anywhere.
Above a certain value the seller must record one continuous, unedited video: the item, going into the box, the box being sealed, the label going on. That video is filed against the order and can't be deleted.
Your order only moves to "shipped" when the carrier physically scans the package — not when the seller clicks a button. Every scan after that lands on your order page and in your notifications.
Signature on delivery is mandatory on every Bastion shipment. Nothing is left on a doorstep. Above $1,000, it's adult signature — the carrier is required to hand it to a person.
Your inspection window opens on delivery. Film yourself opening the sealed box. If it's right, confirm receipt and the seller gets paid. If it isn't, report the problem and the money stays exactly where it is.
Protection scales with what's at stake
A $200 pair of sneakers and a $40,000 watch should not travel the same way. Your order is placed into one of three tiers automatically, based on its price. You don't pick it and neither does the seller.
- Signature on delivery
- Prepaid tracked label
- Packing photos
- 2-day inspection window
- Ship within 72 hours
- Adult signature required
- Continuous packing video
- Double-boxing required
- 3-day inspection window
- Ship within 48 hours
- Carrier pickup hold available
- Adult signature required
- Continuous packing video
- Double-boxing required
- Express service only
- 5-day inspection window
- Ship within 48 hours
- Carrier pickup hold available
Why the box looks boring
Every Bastion parcel goes out in a plain, unbranded outer box. The sender name on the label is a neutral company identifier — not "Bastion" and not the brand of what's inside.
This is deliberate. A box that announces it contains a luxury watch is a box that tells everyone who handles it exactly what's worth taking. The most effective anti-theft measure in shipping is making the parcel uninteresting.
If you're the seller
Your job is to make the package impossible to argue about. Do these and a dispute becomes a formality:
- Don't ship before escrow says funded. Your label won't even generate until the buyer's payment is confirmed. If someone pressures you to ship early, that's the scam.
- Record the packing video in one take. Start recording before the item goes in the box. Show the item clearly, show it going in, show the seal, show the label. Don't stop and don't edit — an edited video proves nothing.
- Double-box anything over $1,000. Item in an inner box, inner box in a plain sturdy outer box. Void fill so nothing shifts.
- Use clear packing tape over every seam. Clear tape makes it obvious if a box has been slit open and resealed in transit. Opaque or paper tape hides exactly the evidence you'd need.
- Record the serial number when you list it. If the item has one, put it in. It stays private — buyers never see it — and it's what settles a swap-fraud claim if a buyer tries to return a different item.
- Drop it off and get the receipt. Hand it to the counter and keep the acceptance receipt. Your ship-by clock stops at the carrier's first scan, not when you print the label.
Miss your ship-by deadline and the buyer can cancel for a full refund, and it counts against your shipping record. The deadline exists because a seller sitting on a funded order is the most common way a good trade goes bad.
If you're the buyer
- Be there for the delivery. Signature is mandatory, so nobody is leaving it on your step. Arrange to be in, or use a carrier pickup hold on Protected and Vault orders.
- Film the unboxing in one continuous take. Start before you touch the seal. Show the sealed box from all sides, show the label, then open it. If you ever need to claim the box was empty or the item was swapped, this video is the entire claim.
- Check it properly before confirming. Condition, accessories, serial number, everything the listing promised. Once you confirm receipt, the funds are gone to the seller and that is final.
- Report a problem instead of confirming. If anything is off, use "Report an issue" on your order page. The money freezes in escrow while it's reviewed. Confirming first and complaining after leaves you with nothing to hold.
What happens when there's a dispute
The moment either side reports a problem, the funds freeze in escrow. Nothing releases while it's open.
Bastion then assembles the complete record automatically: the listing, escrow status, label, every carrier scan and its location, the signature, packing and unboxing footage, and the messages exchanged between the parties. That record is reviewed by a member of the Bastion team.
Bastion does not authenticate merchandise. The platform provides the marketplace, identity verification, escrow, logistics and the evidence record. It does not assess whether an item is genuine. Where a dispute turns on authenticity, Bastion will say so and direct both parties to independent third-party authentication.
What Bastion does adjudicate is documented fact: whether the order shipped within its deadline, whether it arrived, who signed for it, whether the seal was intact, and which party holds continuous unedited footage supporting their account. In practice this resolves the substantial majority of cases.
Shipping cost
Shipping is priced at the standard carrier retail rate for the service you choose — what that service would cost you at a post office or carrier counter. Rates are calculated live against your real delivery address and the actual package dimensions the seller entered, so you are never quoted a flat guess. You see the full breakdown at checkout — item price, protection fee, shipping — before you commit, and nothing is added afterwards.
The carrier's declared value is set to match the item price. A declared value is the carrier's record of what a parcel is worth; it is not an insurance policy, and Bastion neither sells nor provides one. Protection on Bastion is provided by escrow: funds do not leave it until the buyer confirms receipt.
Shipping coverage
Bastion ships within the United States. We don't ship to PO boxes, general delivery, or freight-forwarding addresses at any value — those destinations cannot produce a signature from an identifiable recipient, which is precisely where high-value parcels are lost.
Still prefer to meet in person? Nothing has changed there — see the Safety Center for meetup guidance, or the FAQ for anything else.