Buyer protection
Your money does not move until you have yours
When you pay on Bernuvia, the USDC never reaches our account: it goes into an escrow contract on the Polygon network. Neither we nor the seller can take it out early. That contract is public and anyone can read it.
24 hours
to review before the payment releases on its own
3.8%
fee: on a 100 USDC sale the seller gets 96.20
100%
security for your money and your transaction
100%
of the movements are written on the blockchain
Your money’s journey, step by step
Five moments between you pressing “buy” and the seller getting paid. In none of them does the money pass through an account of ours.
- 01
You pay from your wallet
The money enters escrowThe USDC leaves your wallet and goes straight into the escrow contract. It never passes through us.
- 02
The contract locks it
Locked for everyoneFrom here the money has only two possible ways out: it is released to the seller or it comes back to you. Protecting your money.
- 03
You get your template
Immediate downloadThe download is enabled in “My purchases” as soon as the payment is confirmed. You do not have to wait for anything else or ask anyone for the file.
- 04
You have 24 hours to review
24 hours windowThat is your window to download for the first time, try the code and decide. If you are happy with your download and have not filed a dispute, we automatically release the money to the seller in 24 hours. If something is off, you open a dispute and the money stays put while it is reviewed.
- 05
It is released to the seller
Automatic, no middlemenIf you said nothing, once the deadline passes the contract pays the seller by itself, deducting the 3.8% fee. Nobody has to press a button: the contract does it.
What exactly is an escrow?
It is the automatic version of something very old: leaving the money with a neutral third party until both sides deliver. The difference is that here the third party is not a company that can go bust, change its mind or run off with the till. It is a program published on the Polygon blockchain, with fixed rules we cannot rewrite mid-deal.
It is not an account of ours
The escrowed balance does not show up in Bernuvia’s bank. It lives at a contract address anyone can check.
The rules are written first
How much, to whom and when is decided at purchase time and signed. No conditions appear later.
We are not a party to it
Bernuvia cannot keep your money or the seller’s. Our fee is deducted on its own at the moment of release.
What state your purchase is in
Every purchase has a state visible in “My purchases”. These are all the ones that exist and where each can move to.
Your USDC is already in the contract. The download is enabled and the clock starts.
The seller confirmed delivery. You are still inside your review window.
You asked for a review. The money freezes: it is neither released nor refunded until it is resolved.
The seller got paid. The operation closed and was recorded on the blockchain.
The money went back to your wallet, in full or in part, according to the resolution.
What cannot happen
Not because we promise to behave, but because the contract does not allow it.
That we take the money and vanish
We do not hold your money. Even if Bernuvia shut down tomorrow, the contract would still be on Polygon and the release rules would still be the same.
That the seller gets paid without delivering
The payment is only released once your review window passes without a dispute. If you open one, the money stays put.
That you get overcharged
The amount is signed in the quote. The contract rejects any payment that does not match that signature exactly.
That we change the rules midway
The terms of your purchase are fixed when you buy. A later change of fee or deadlines does not affect operations already open.
And you can check it yourself
You do not have to take our word for it. Every purchase leaves a public trail on Polygon: the payment going in, the release going out and the fee being deducted. From “My wallet” you get a direct link to the explorer to see your own movements, with the same information we see. No more, no less.
- The payment that entered escrow, with date and time
- The release to the seller or the refund to your wallet
- The exact fee that was deducted
- The resolution of a dispute, if there was one
Frequently asked questions
What if I do not review anything within the deadline?
Once the 24 hours deadline passes, the contract releases the payment to the seller by itself. That is why it is worth downloading and taking a look the same day: it is your window to speak up if there is a problem.
Can I cancel a purchase I already paid for?
Once the money is in escrow it is not simply cancelled: you open a dispute. If the reason is reasonable, the resolution can refund you in full.
Who pays the network fees?
We do. The Polygon gas to release the payment, resolve a dispute or withdraw your balance is on Bernuvia. You only move USDC.
Where does my money go if I win a dispute?
Into your balance inside the platform, ready to withdraw to your wallet whenever you want. The minimum withdrawal is 0.01 USDC.
Can Bernuvia keep the money in escrow?
No. The contract only has two programmed ways out: to the seller or back to the buyer. Our fee is deducted at the moment of release, and only if it is released.
What happens if I lose access to my account?
Your wallet is identified by your email address, so recovering access to the email recovers the wallet and the balance. There are no seed phrases to write down or lose.
Buy without gambling anything
Every template in the catalogue is paid for with this same protection. No exceptions and no small print.