Escrow Policy

What escrow means

When a buyer pays for a lyric, the money is not sent straight to the writer. Instead it is held by VerseTrade in a secure escrow account until the transaction is fully completed - verified ownership, signed deed, and confirmed rights transfer. This protects the buyer's money and guarantees the writer is paid once they deliver.

How the flow works

1. Buyer pays - the licence fee is captured at checkout.
2. Funds held in escrow - money is held safely, not released to the writer yet.
3. Legal deed signed - both parties sign a binding deed of transfer specifying the rights being sold.
4. Rights transfer - ownership or licence of the lyric passes to the buyer.
5. Writer paid - escrow releases the funds in full.

When funds are released

Funds are released to the writer only after the deed of transfer is signed by both parties and the rights have been delivered to the buyer. Until that point, the payment remains protected in escrow.

Disputes & refunds

If a transaction cannot be completed - for example, ownership cannot be verified or the deed is not signed - the held funds are returned to the buyer in full. Where a dispute arises, our team reviews the deal record, the deed, and the listing before any funds are released or refunded.

Fees

VerseTrade charges a platform fee on completed transactions, which covers escrow handling, ownership verification and deed generation. Fees are shown clearly before checkout and are only charged on successful sales.