kapri81 wrote:So I send the item,
buyer sends back a brick.
Question 1:
Does escrow.com (or any escrow system) can prevent / detect this misuse by the buyer?
I think the only way that this can happen would be if there was an additional step (and subsequently cost) where you would send the MERCHANDISE to the escrow company. They would actually open the item up, verify it, then repack and send along to the buyer. As you could imagine this would dramatically increase the TIME for conclusion of the transaction as well as increase the overall cost and overhead. I don't believe escrow.com does this nor do I believe any other company does this as it's probably cost prohibitive if you consider the shipping cost of some of these high dollar (and heavy) items.
kapri81 wrote:Question 2:
If it goes to arbitration since escrow.com cannot solve it,
what happens with the money during that period (which I guess can take some time)?
It's still held in escrow until resolution is found. Better held in the escrow company (assuming they are legit as escrow.com is) then in the other parties hands especially if you are claiming they sent back a brick (or something along those lines)