What does paying into escrow mean, and when is my money taken?

Escrow means EVVA holds your payment while the creator works. The creator cannot spend it and it is not returned to you either; it is released only when the delivery is accepted.

Your money is taken when you complete the payment, which is a separate step from placing the order. It is released when you press Accept and release $X, or when automatic acceptance accepts on your behalf.

The moments money moves

You place the order — nothing is charged

Placing the order records the terms and your brief. The order reads Awaiting payment and the amount is not held.

You complete the payment — the money is taken and held

Your chosen payment is submitted. Once it settles, the order’s amount reads In escrow, and the footer says “$X is held in escrow until you accept the delivery.”

The creator delivers — the money is still held

Nothing about the delivery moves money. The order reads Delivered and “Accepting releases $X to the creator.”

You accept — the money is released

The amount then reads Sent to the creator, and the order reads Completed.

What escrow protects, and what it does not

It means the creator cannot take the money before you have seen the work, and that you cannot take the work back once you have accepted it. While the amount is held, neither side can spend it.

While an amount is in escrow it is not in your balance either: you cannot spend it or move it while the order is open, and neither can the creator. It moves only when the delivery is accepted or a refund is issued.

What you pay

You pay the total you agreed and nothing else. There is no buyer service fee and no marketplace surcharge — the platform’s share is taken from the creator’s side of the sale, so the figure on the order is the figure charged.

While your money is held

What you do	What happens to the money
Ask for changes	”$X stays in escrow until the creator answers.”
Ask to cancel	Stays frozen in escrow. Nothing is refunded by asking.
Open a dispute	”$X stays in escrow while EVVA decides.”
Accept the delivery	Released to the creator.

While a change request, a cancellation request or a dispute stands on your order, the delivery cannot be accepted — not by you and not automatically. That is deliberate: it stops an escrow release while the thing you contested is still open. Withdraw the request if you change your mind, and the order goes back to where it was.

After a refund

If a payment is returned to you, the order’s screen says so — “ $X is on its way back to your balance. It usually lands within a few minutes." A payment your bank reversed is different: "Your bank reversed this payment, so$ X has already left the platform. Nothing more is owed on this order.”

A refunded delivery’s files stop being yours to open: “This commission was refunded, so these files are no longer yours to open. The delivery stays on the record.”

The terms behind a marketplace order are in the Standard Contract Between Fan and Creator.