# Escrow MIDNIGHT will sometimes act as an escrow provider between parties during commerce. For example, when two independent parties transact in a sale, but the seller has the physical counterpart in possession. Once the buyer makes payment, the authority of ownership of the digital counterpart is held in custody by MIDNIGHT. The custody is released upon successful delivery to the buyer. Alternatively, if the shipment is rejected, the seller will retain custody upon return. If a physical counterpart is stored in the vault, there is no need for escrow during trading. Similarly, if there is no physical counterpart, escrow is not necessary. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.midnight.art/escrow.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.