Vendors that have been around a very long time sometimes will join Direct deal markets, or have FE status granted to them on an escrow market. Typically these vendors are considered more “trustworthy”
Most markets now have rules in place that forbid vendors from requesting you FE them if they have not been granted that status. If you get a message asking you to FE from a vendor this should be a big red flag for you. Do not do it.
If you finalize early you basically give all your money to the vendor you make your order with. So as soon as you give up your order the vendor receives the money for it. It is like giving your street dealer your money and letting him run around the block to get the stuff.
As you can see this is extremely risky because it is easy to scam. Especially if you have a buyer account with little history (few orders). Few people would believe you, and if you do get scammed using FE, you never get your money back. Sometimes vendors offer a lower price for the same item if you FE for it (because it is more convenient if they get their money instantly), but it is usually not worth the risk. It is also strongly discouraged to FE for new vendors since the risk that they scam you is even higher.
When it is okay to FE:
When you are okay with possibly never seeing your money or product again. Example: I see a new vendor who is offering an eighth of medical bud for $15 as an introductory offer. I have extra money left in my account, I’m not gonna be in a bind if the vendor doesn’t come through, so I FE per his requirements. Whether the product comes or not, the worst thing is that I lose $15.
When you are confident, absolutely positive that the vendor will still ship the product. I have to put an asterisk beside this one because even upstanding, well-known vendors have made FE a requirement and then split it with the money. Does anyone remember LucyDrop from SR? Most popular LSD vendor in his time. Required FE. Three months went by without a single complaint. Then BOOM! The vendor stopped shipping and walked away with over a million in BTC. Point is that even if a vendor is “trusted”, there’s still a chance that they will steal your BTC; but 99% of the time, trusted vendors will be honest and send your product.
When it is not okay to FE:
When you cannot afford to lose the money. This seems so common sense to me, but I continue to be amazed at the number of people who FE, get scammed, and lose money that either wasn’t theirs to begin with or money that they just couldn’t afford to lose. Example: If you’re a dealer and you borrow money from either customers or someone higher in the chain to make a purchase on a QP of some dank, you should NOT FE. If the vendor doesn’t send your product, you now owe money to many people. It doesn’t matter how good the deal looks or how reputable the vendor is, DO NOT FE.
When the vendor is shady or there are reports of scamming. Someone posted a couple of days ago, angry that the vendor RCI had not sent his product. He had FE’d on one of the markets and therefore could do nothing about it except get upset and post here. Why FE in this situation? His order was placed after there were bad reviews coming in for RCI. Another example is the vendor Heisenberg. He’s a known selective scammer who loves when you go ahead and FE for him. You’re already taking a chance by ordering from him anyway, why increase that chance by FE’ing?
