Understand profiles and ratings
Buyers and sellers can submit a public trader profile for moderation. Public details are separate from account email and private messages. A profile review does not guarantee the business, goods or payment. Reference directory entries describe real companies using official sources. Registered company profiles and administrator verification are shown separately.
Ratings require a completed MetalSite order with administrator-reviewed completion evidence and a recorded external settlement. Only the other participant can leave a review, once per order. Reviews require moderation before contributing to a public average. No reviews means “No ratings yet”, not a perfect score. These are platform order reviews, not a guarantee of future performance.
Choose protection that fits the trade
| Arrangement | When to consider it | What to establish first |
|---|---|---|
| Independent regulated escrow | Eligible physical-goods orders where inspection and acceptance can be defined. | Provider approval of the metal, amount, entities and countries; who holds the funds; release and refund rules; inspection deadline; dispute procedure and fees. |
| Bank documentary letter of credit | Larger cross-border shipments requiring agreed documentary conditions. | Issuing bank acceptability, confirmation if needed, document wording, expiry and discrepancy rules. Banks examine documents; separate material inspection is still needed. |
| Documentary collection | Established relationships with a suitable risk assessment. | Banks facilitate documents and collection but do not provide the same payment undertaking as a letter of credit. |
| Open account or advance payment | Only where the exposed party accepts and manages the counterparty risk. | Credit limits, insurance/guarantees if applicable, beneficiary verification and a signed contract. |
Source: International Trade Administration Trade Finance Guide.
The path to independent escrow on MetalSite
Escrow.com offers an integration API and is one candidate to assess. Availability is subject to its supported countries and merchandise restrictions. No approval for MetalSite, bullion, scrap or any particular corridor is implied.
- Confirm the operating legal entity, launch countries, material classes, order values and expected volume with the provider.
- Agree who holds safeguarded funds, onboarding and sanctions checks, dispute responsibilities, refunds and release rules.
- Put specifications, assay tolerances, inspection provider, shipping evidence and acceptance deadlines into the order contract.
- Integrate provider-hosted payment and onboarding in sandbox. Verify every event and reconcile status against the provider API.
- Test fraud, duplicate events, payment failure, partial delivery, rejection, disputes, refunds and payout failure before a controlled launch.
Controls buyers and sellers should expect
- Legal business and beneficial-owner checks, with clear verification scope and review date.
- Bank beneficiary matching and a separate verification step for changed payment instructions.
- Independent inspection and chain-of-title evidence proportionate to the material and value.
- Explicit delivery, shortage, assay and quality tolerances with an agreed claims period.
- A documented dispute process, evidence retention and an independent resolution route.
- Accurate service status and a clear distinction between platform fees, provider fees, freight, insurance and taxes.
No provider can make every payment or shipment risk-free. A credible service makes its safeguards, responsibilities and limits inspectable and reports only protection that is actually in force.