Public beta on the Base Sepolia test network. Payments use test USDC with no real value: do not send real funds. The escrow contract has not had its external security audit yet, and the terms are drafts pending legal review. What the beta means
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Short, exact answers about escrow, payment windows, delivery, fees and disputes. Search them all at once, or browse by topic below.
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What OpenVPT is, how escrow works and what you need to begin.
OpenVPT is a marketplace for digital products: source code and software, e-books, courses, games, design assets and services. Every payment is held in an on-chain escrow contract until the order settles, instead of going straight to the seller.
OpenVPT is in public beta on the Base Sepolia test network. Orders are paid with test USDC that has no real value, so no real money is at stake; never send real USDC to an order. OpenVPT moves to Base mainnet only after the escrow contract's external security audit and the legal review of the terms are done, and this page will say so when it happens.
You pay USDC into the escrow contract. The seller delivers and you inspect. Funds are released only when two of the three parties (buyer, seller, platform) sign the same settlement, and an order that is not delivered in time is refunded.
See how it worksBrowsing is open to everyone. To buy or sell you need a OpenVPT account (an email and a password of at least 12 characters) and a wallet linked by signing a message. Selling also requires a verified account.
Create an accountOrders are priced and paid in USDC on the Base network. During the public beta that is the Base Sepolia test network with test USDC. To pay, your wallet needs the USDC for the price plus a little ETH on the same network for network fees.
Paying, inspecting, cancelling and late deliveries.
Open a listing and choose Buy. This creates an order with a 24-hour payment window. In your wallet you approve the USDC and then pay into escrow; once the payment is confirmed on chain, the seller is asked to deliver.
Browse listings24 hours from creating the order; unpaid orders are cancelled automatically. The payment authorisation in your order is valid for only 15 minutes and is renewed whenever you open the order, so reload the order right before paying.
Go to my ordersYou receive the delivery (a download link, a licence key or a checklist) and the inspection window starts: the listing's inspection days, 3 by default. Confirm to release the payment, or open a dispute within the window. If you do neither, the order completes when the window ends.
Only before you pay. A cancellation becomes final about 15 minutes later, once any payment authorisation you still hold has expired. If your payment is confirmed in the meantime, the payment wins and the order goes ahead. A payment that still arrives after cancellation is refunded in full.
The seller must deliver within the listing's delivery days after your payment (3 by default). If the deadline passes without a delivery, the order is refunded: the platform signs the refund and you add the second signature from your wallet.
Listings, fees, delivering and getting paid.
Link a wallet, then create a listing with a title, description, category, USDC price, delivery method, delivery days (1–60, default 3) and inspection days (1–30, default 3). Every new listing is reviewed before it goes live.
Create a listingBuyers pay the listed price. The platform fee, 5% by default, comes out of your share when the order settles, rounded down. If the buyer gets a partial refund, the fee is charged only pro rata on the part paid out to you.
See pricingOpen the paid order and submit the delivery before its deadline: upload a file (its SHA-256 fingerprint is recorded), enter a licence key, or complete a checklist, depending on the listing. The buyer's inspection window starts at delivery.
Go to my ordersWhen the buyer confirms, or the inspection window ends without a dispute, the settlement is signed by two of the three parties and sent to the chain. The escrow contract pays the USDC straight to your wallet. If your payout wallet was linked less than 24 hours before the inspection window ends, the automatic release waits until those hours have passed; a buyer's confirmation is not held.
Linking a wallet, network fees and what you sign.
Go to Wallet, connect your wallet and sign the Sign-In with Ethereum message. The signature proves the address is yours; it does not move funds or cost network fees.
Go to WalletAs a buyer you pay the network fees for approving the USDC and paying into escrow. Settlements are signed off chain and the platform relays the final settlement transaction, so signing one costs you nothing.
A settlement is EIP-712 typed data that names the order and the exact USDC amounts for the seller, the buyer and the platform. Check those amounts in your wallet before you sign: a settlement signature cannot be withdrawn later.
No. The escrow contract has no function that lets the platform move funds alone. Every release needs signatures from two different parties among buyer, seller and platform, and the contract owner cannot settle orders or withdraw funds.
See how it worksWhen to open one, evidence and how rulings work.
As the buyer, after delivery and before the inspection window ends. Open it from the order page with a reason of at least 10 characters. While a dispute is open, the order does not complete automatically.
Go to my ordersFirst comes a negotiation period of 72 hours: both sides can add evidence, write in the order chat and propose a split to each other. If it ends without an agreement and the seller never responded, the platform proposes a full refund to the buyer; if the seller responded but the buyer never did, it proposes releasing the payment to the seller; if both responded, an arbitrator decides. Opening the dispute alone does not count as a response. Either way the platform only signs its side: nothing is paid until the party the proposal favours signs too.
Both parties can add text, links (http or https only) and files to the dispute; files are fingerprinted with SHA-256. The arbitrator reviews what both sides submit.
An arbitrator reviews the case and rules how the escrowed amount is split between seller and buyer, with a written reason. The platform signs that split, the buyer or seller adds the second signature, and the settlement is relayed. The fee applies only to the seller's part. If the platform signature has to be retried by hand for an order above 1,000 USDC, a second staff member must approve the retry first, which can add some time.
Two-factor sign-in, staying safe and reporting issues.
In Settings → Security, scan the QR code with an authenticator app (or enter the key by hand) and confirm with a 6-digit code. From then on, signing in also asks for a code from the app.
Open security settingsEscrow protects only orders paid through OpenVPT. Order chat warns you when a message contains contact details; treat requests to pay or talk somewhere else with caution.
No. OpenVPT only asks your wallet for signatures and transactions. Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone, including people who claim to be OpenVPT staff.
Use the contact form and choose the Security or Legal topic. Security reports are flagged for the team.
Report a security issueDidn’t find your answer?
Send us a message with your order number if you have one. For legal questions, choose the Legal topic.