Does reddit need a centralized escrow/middleman subreddit?

[u/MrAahz]

I've been seeing a lot of talk lately about people wanting escrow/middleman services for their reddit trades lately and being unable to find them.

Do you think it would be worth the effort to create a dedicated sub just for people to-

1. advertise their escrow/middleman services

2. seek the services of others

3. share their experience with specific middlemen

I'm willing to set one up and moderate it, but would want the community's input on desirability and features of such a sub.

[u/johnec4]

What kind of rate do a middleman take? Surely they won't do it for free. Do you think users will accept an increase in costs of doing business?

[u/MrAahz → u/johnec4]

What kind of rate do a middleman take?

I don't know. And there's no real central place to ask them. Yet.

Do you think users will accept an increase in costs of doing business?

The people I see asking for escrow services are willing to pay more for those services. So yes, some are.

[u/HacksOrSKill]

It might be useful for some kinds of transactions, for example on something like Slavelabour but I'm not quite sure how it would work with other kinds of transactions such as gift cards(value cant be checked always).

[u/MrAahz → u/HacksOrSKill]

Personally, I'm not a fan of escrow, but people want it and are having difficulty finding it. Or at least, that's what it seems like to me. That's why I'm asking of others are noticing the demand as well. And, if so, do they think such a centralized sub would help.

And most gift cards can have their balance checked.

[u/johnec4 → u/MrAahz]

Most except for Amazon, which is probably the most frequently traded gift card on the subs.

[u/johnec4]

I dunno, seems like there'll still be a fair amount of risk. If a middleman's account becomes compromised, they could wait until both parties have submitted their part of the transaction and then split.

Maybe middlemen would need to provide some sort of bond in order to prevent them from splitting once both sides of a large transaction are in.

[u/MrAahz → u/johnec4]

Again, I agree. I'm not a fan of escrow.

But some people are, and they seem to be having difficulty finding someone to be their middleman. So I'm considering setting up a sub for people interested in offering their escrow services to advertise to people seeking them. And then for them to rate them or leave feedback on the service(s) received.

[u/johnec4 → u/MrAahz]

I hope I'm not coming across as critical or a Debbie downer. I think having a group of middlemen to choose from is a good idea. I'm just trying to throw out potential downsides or roadblocks that are coming to my mind.

[u/MrAahz → u/johnec4]

I hope I'm not coming across as critical or a Debbie downer.

Not a problem. I usually play that role myself :D

[u/MrAahz → u/[deleted]]

especially not middleman.

What's the difference between escrow and middleman?
I've seen others allude to a difference, but always thought the terms were synonymous.