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Policies
Every trade on TrustForge is covered by Escrow Shield — our umbrella protection programme. It combines eight specific mechanisms into a single, transparent rulebook. This page tells you exactly what's covered, what isn't, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Last updated: 14 November 2026
Eight layers, active on every order without opt-in.
When you pay, the money is held by our payment processor — not by the seller. It only releases when delivery is confirmed, after the auto-release window passes without dispute, or by admin decision following a dispute.
Once the seller marks the order as delivered, a 72-hour window opens for the buyer to confirm or open a dispute. If neither happens, funds release automatically. This protects sellers from buyers going silent indefinitely.
Every buyer completes an identity check before their first order. Sellers go through an application + Stripe Connect onboarding. Both halves of a trade are real, accountable people — not anonymous accounts.
Sellers must upload a screenshot or evidence when they mark an order as delivered. If a dispute opens later, admins have a primary source of truth — not just claims from both sides.
Disputes are reviewed by a real person — not an algorithm. The reviewer has full access to the chat log, delivery proof, and order timeline. Target resolution: 72 hours from a complete evidence package.
Every chat message runs through a real-time scanner that flags extortion attempts, fake-dispute threats, and off-platform payment requests. Flagged orders display an under-review banner; admins act on the flag within hours, not days.
Once a review is published, the reviewer can't be coerced into deleting it. Sellers can flag content that violates the review rules (personal data, threats), but cannot make legitimate negative reviews vanish.
Both buyers and sellers carry a 0–100 reputation score derived from real trade outcomes — not just star ratings. Lost disputes, late cancellations, and abusive behaviour show. Repeated misconduct triggers auto-suspension with an appeal path.
When something goes wrong, here's exactly what happens — start to resolution.
Either side can open a dispute from the order page while the order is active. The opener writes a short reason. Funds in escrow are paused immediately — they don't release while a dispute is open.
The other side receives an email + in-app notification within minutes. The order page shows both parties a clear dispute banner with the stated reason.
Each party can post additional context, screenshots, or files in the order chat. Anything posted in chat — before or after the dispute — is part of the record.
A TrustForge admin reads the chat history, examines the delivery proof, and weighs each side's submission. Target turnaround: 72 hours from when evidence is complete.
The admin selects one outcome (refund / release / partial / dismissed) with a written rationale. Both parties receive the decision by email with the reasoning. Funds move accordingly.
Being honest about the limits is part of the protection. These situations are explicitly outside the Shield:
Any trade where payment didn't flow through TrustForge — DMs on Discord, PayPal sent directly, bank transfers outside the platform — is outside the Shield. We can't enforce protection on a trade we never saw.
If the seller delivered what was described and the buyer simply changed their mind afterwards, that's not a Escrow Shield case. Buyers should verify before clicking confirm; once confirmed (or auto-released), funds are with the seller.
If a listing involves something the game publisher explicitly forbids (account selling on titles where it's prohibited, real-money trading on games that ban it, etc.), TrustForge can't shield the trade from consequences imposed by the publisher. Both parties accept that risk by listing or buying.
A dispute can only be raised while an order is in progress or awaiting your confirmation. Once you confirm delivery — or the auto-release window passes — the order is completed and final: the funds are with the seller and the trade can no longer be disputed or reversed. Check the delivery before you confirm.
If the listing was delivered as described but the buyer feels it could have been faster, friendlier, or more polished, that's a review-system matter — not a Escrow Shield refund case. Reviews capture the qualitative outcome; the Shield protects only the trade integrity.
Escrow Shield runs on a small set of fixed clocks. Knowing them prevents surprises.
| Deadline | Duration | What happens at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Seller accepts the order | 10 min | Auto-cancel + full refund to buyer. |
| Seller delivers the order | Per listing | Seller's own commitment — late delivery may lead to cancel-request or dispute. |
| Buyer confirms delivery (after seller marks delivered) | 72 h | Auto-release of escrow to seller. Dispute possible at any point in the window. |
| Admin dispute resolution | Target 72 h | Resolution emailed to both parties. Funds move per the outcome. |
| Order completed (confirmed or auto-released) | Final | The trade is closed and can't be disputed or reversed — raise any issue before you confirm. |
If a trade went wrong and the existing mechanisms didn't help, open a support ticket. We read every one personally — the rules above can be sharpened.
Open a support ticket