Comparison of domain name escrow services — A price

Here’s a comparison of domain name escrow services based on price – but price shouldn’t be the only thing you consider.

There are a lot of options when it comes to domain name escrow. Naturally, price is a variable when selecting an escrow service. So I put together a simple chart that compares prices of 7 escrow services at different transaction values.

The prices make a few assumptions:

1. You’re in the U.S. and the transaction is in U.S. Dollars.
2. You accept the cheapest option for funding the transaction and the cheapest for receiving your funds, but receive the funds in a single payment.
3. Your bank doesn’t charge you a wire fee.

I’m a bit hesitant to publish this price list since I truly believe price isn’t the only thing you ought to consider for an escrow transaction. In fact, it’s not the first thing. You need to consider all of the firm’s policies, how it will resolve disputes, licensing, client service, ease of use, privacy…the list goes on and on.

Here’s the list in alphabetical order:

Here are details on each provider:

Afternic
Transaction fee: 3% of sales price.
Funding charges: checks are free, credit card or PayPal are 4%, US wire $15, international wire $25
Withdrawal charges: ACH, Check, and PayPal are free, $35 for international wire.

Agreed.com
Transaction fee: 3% of sales price up to $5,000, $150 plus 0.25% of the amount over $5,000 for transactions up to $25,000, and flat 0.85% for transactions over $25,000.
Funding charges: all funding options are free except for credit card. Credit card fee is 3% with $5,000 limit.
Withdrawal charges: no charge for U.S. mail check, mailing fees for expedited mail, $20 for domestic wire ($25 international) and $10 fee for first ACH; free following that.

eCop.com
Transaction fee: 2% of sales price plus $5 for each additional domain. Also handles “domain swaps” for $20.
Funding charges: $35 wire fee. Credit cards up to $1,000 ($3,000 for verified members) with 4% fee.
Withdrawal charges: $40 wire fee. Withdrawals up to $1,500 via PayPal for free, but if you pay yourself out over time for a sale there’s an additional $5 fee per withdrawal.

Escrow.com
Transaction fee: 3.25% of sales price up to $5,000 (with $25 minimum), $162.50 plus 0.26% of amount over $5000 for transactions up to $25,000, and flat 0.89% for transactions over $25,000.
Funding charges: Wires are free, credit card and PayPal up to $5,000 accepted on Premier Service level at additional charge, check/money order accepted on some transactions with $2,000 limit.
Withdrawal charges: Checks are free, mailing fees for expedited mail, $20 domestic wires and $40 international, and $10 fee for first ACH; free following that.

EscrowHill
Transaction fee: 2.5% of sales price up to $5,000 (with $50 minimum), $125 plus 0.25% of amount over $5k for transactions up to $25,000, and flat 0.70% for sales over $25,000. Premium escrow, which includes holding of domain, is $50 extra.
Funding charges: Free wires. Will accept additional funding options, counting PayPal and credit card, in the future.
Withdrawal charges: Free wire.

(as a fresh service, it is still evaluating its funding/withdrawal charges)

Moniker

Transaction fee: Flat rates dependent on dollar tranche up to $50,000, 0.93% on transactions over $50,000.
Funding charges: Free check and ACH payments. $25 bank wire fee. PayPal payments must add to cover fees.
Withdrawal charges: Free withdraws via check, expedited mailing for a fee, $5 fee for PayPal payment (maximum $10k), $15 domestic wire fee, $45 international wire fee. Sellers can also deposit funds in their Moniker or SnapNames account.

Sedo
Transaction fee: 3% of sales price. If the domain is listed with Sedo, you have to pay full commission.
Funding charges: No fee on wires, credit card up to $500 with no charge, PayPal up to $5,000 with 3% fee if amount is over $500.
Withdrawal charges: Free wires, PayPal for up to $10,000 with no fee, ACH to US/CAN residents up to $20,000 with no fee, check for any amount to US/CAN residents with no fee.

Transpact.com
Transaction fee: £2.99/€3.49/$9.99 per party per transaction. Note ancillary fees.
Funding charges: No charges for funding. Most payments must be made direct by bank transfer.
Withdrawal charges: It’s complicated. There are fees based on value ranges, plus an additional $15 charge for U.S. payments.