- Why would someone be willing to pay more for an item because escrow is used?
The same reason anyone pays a premium - for protection against fraud.
This protection is already there if you trust the person you are dealing with to send first to them.
The risk of the other person running away with the coins is
exactly the same if you are sending first or if they are acting as an escrow agent.[/list]
I don't know who are trying to convince, us or yourself.
Trades come with risk and escrow mitigates the risk. And you always pay a bit extra for less risk
whether you're talking insurance, investing, gambling, trading, business, whatever.
If the price plus escrow fees is greater than the value threshold, and someone is unwilling to pay
the premium, then they shouldn't take the trade. But it's their choice.
While it is true that sending first is the same risk as sending to the same person who says they are an escrow, that doesn't change the fact that you aren't a neutral party, that you used deception, and the other party didn't truly get the risk mitigation they thought they were getting. I'm shocked you're even still arguing about this.