Questions, answered before the money moves

We sit between buyer and seller as a neutral third party. The buyer's funds are secured with our regulated payment partner, the goods are inspected within an agreed window, and payment is released only when the deal conditions are met — or adjusted by agreement.

Client funds are held in segregated client accounts with a regulated payment institution, separate from TrustDeal's operating funds. Neither the buyer nor the seller can move the money unilaterally once a deal is funded.

After the inspection window closes and the buyer confirms the item as described — or immediately after an agreed variation. Standard payouts leave the same business day and typically land within one to two business days.

Do not release. Send your findings and evidence in the deal room. We can pause the deal, arrange a return or negotiate a price adjustment. Funds stay secured until both sides agree or the dispute desk issues a written decision.

Either side, or both by even split — it is agreed before the deal opens. The fee is calculated from the deal value on a published sliding scale, with a €95 minimum.

No. A deal room and identity verification are created once terms are agreed — usually from a single WhatsApp conversation. There is no dashboard to learn and no subscription.

No. The sale contract is between buyer and seller. TrustDeal administers funding, inspection, release and dispute handling, and records the agreed terms in a deal room both sides can rely on.

The buyer receives segregated-account payment instructions after both sides accept the written deal terms. A deal is only marked funded once cleared funds are visible to our desk.

Yes. If the buyer is satisfied before the inspection window ends, they can release early. The seller is notified immediately.

The desk chases both sides. If the buyer does not confirm or dispute within the agreed window, the deal moves to auto-release under the terms accepted at opening. Inspection extensions are always recorded in writing.

We pause the payout and collect evidence from both sides — photographs, authentication reports, courier records, the original listing. Most disputes resolve as a partial adjustment. If not, the dispute desk issues a written determination and releases accordingly.

EUR, USD, GBP and CHF. The settlement currency is fixed in the deal terms. FX conversion, where required, is quoted before funding and shown separately.

We do not authenticate in-house. We coordinate independent authentication with an approved watchmaker or brand service centre and hold the funds until the report is delivered to the deal room.

Either side may ship, but the method must be agreed in the deal terms. For watches, jewellery and handbags above €10,000 we require fully insured, signature-on-delivery transit and a tracked handover record.

Real property, motor vehicles, financial instruments, cryptocurrency, services-only engagements and goods with unresolved title. We will tell you quickly if a proposed item sits outside scope.

The online calculator covers €500 to €2,000,000. Above that, the private office desk quotes individually and may use staged funding.

Both sides pass KYC before funds move: government photo ID, proof of address and a liveness check. Companies provide registration and beneficial-ownership details. Source-of-funds checks apply where required.

Title warranties are part of the deal terms. For high-risk categories we run serial and stolen-property checks before release. If a title defect emerges during the inspection window, the deal can be reversed before funds leave escrow.

Only the two parties, their nominated authenticators and the assigned TrustDeal desk. Data is encrypted at rest and handled under GDPR. We never publish sale prices without permission.

Only your name, verified status and the details needed to complete the deal. Full ID documents sit with TrustDeal and our regulated payment partner.