TLD escrow, run as a checklist.
The handover is the one moment a careful deal can still go wrong. Hush Partners closes every file through TLD escrow, on the Freename aftermarket by default or on OpenSea if you prefer, checks each item in a fixed order, and declares nothing closed until the new holder shows onchain.
The TLD and the money move as one, or neither moves.
- 1Neither side sends first. The registry's escrow holds the sequence.
- 2No private key or seed phrase is ever requested, from anyone.
- 3The file closes only after the transfer is confirmed onchain.
Onchain TLD transfer, checked in order
Three phases, each item ticked before the next one opens. Here is the checklist on a closing of the placeholder .yourbrand, paused at the moment the escrow is funded.
1Before escrow
- Registry record matches the termsPartner
- No subnames issued since terms were signedPartner
- Holding wallet matched to the public registry recordSeller
- Receiving wallet confirmed in writingBuyer, named signatory
- Terms and validity date countersignedBoth sides
2In escrow
- Sale set up on the Freename aftermarketSeller, with the partner
- Escrow fundedBuyer
- TLD transferred to the receiving walletEscrow
- Funds released to the sellerEscrow
3After transfer
- New holder verified on the registryPartner
- Transaction references sent to both sidesPartner
- Referral split settled onchainshaka.deal, if applicable
- Closing file delivered, file sealedPartner
What each party walks away with
A clean close leaves everyone holding something they can verify without asking us.
The buyer
The TLD in a wallet its own organization controls, with a public transaction anyone can check. Every name under it becomes theirs to issue, with no renewal to track.
The seller
Released funds, an anonymous exit and a sealed file. Nothing about the sale is retained or published afterward.
Both legal teams
One closing file holding the terms, the NDA and the transaction references. Enough for compliance, nothing more.
Referral partners
Their agreed share of our fee, split onchain through shaka.deal. Our fee never touches the sale price.
Inside the escrow, on Freename by default
The registry that records the TLD also runs its resale escrow. That ties the release of funds to the transfer itself, so neither side has to trust the other, or us.
Preparing the receiving wallet
The buyer should receive into a wallet the organization controls, ideally a multisig with named signers. Set it up and test it well before closing day. A token sent to a wrong address does not come back.
Settling on OpenSea instead
If you prefer OpenSea, the sale settles there through a private listing reserved for the buyer's wallet: the TLD and the payment still change hands in one transaction. A listing can be seen on the marketplace while it is open, so we open it only once both sides are ready to sign, and it lives for minutes, not weeks.
Who pays the escrow fees
That is part of the terms, agreed privately before closing and written into the countersigned document. Nobody discovers a fee on the day.
How long it takes
Once terms are countersigned and both wallets are ready, the escrow itself moves in minutes to days. Most of the waiting sits upstream, in internal sign-offs on the buyer's side.
What you risk
- Sending to an untested wallet. The checklist exists to stop it.
- Paying or transferring outside escrow. We refuse to close that way.
Questions about TLD escrow
Why use TLD escrow at all?
Because otherwise someone has to go first. With marketplace escrow, the buyer's funds and the seller's TLD change hands as one operation, so neither side carries the other's risk.
Can we settle somewhere other than Freename?
Yes. The Freename aftermarket is our default because the registry runs it, but the venue is a choice made with both sides. OpenSea or another marketplace works too, as long as funds and TLD move in the same transaction.
Does Hush Partners hold the funds?
No. The marketplace's escrow holds the sequence. We prepare the closing, run the checklist and confirm the result onchain.
What must the buyer have ready before closing?
A wallet the organization controls, able to receive the TLD, and a named person who confirms that address in writing. Testing that wallet beforehand with a small, unrelated transaction is worth the few minutes.
When is the file considered closed?
Only once the new holder is verified on the registry and both sides have the transaction references. A transfer in progress is not a closing.