How your money is protected on every order
You approve the work before the seller is paid. Here is exactly what happens to your money from checkout to delivery — and what to do if something goes wrong.
What happens to a $100 order
You pay into escrow
Checkout is handled by Lemon Squeezy. Your card is charged 103 on a $100 order (a 3% service fee is added) and the money is held by Gigwyn — not sent to the seller yet.
The seller does the work
Your seller delivers to the agreed scope and timeline. Message them in the order thread, request revisions if something is off, or split large jobs into milestones you approve one at a time.
You review and approve
Nothing is released until you are happy. Approve the delivery in one click when it matches the brief — that single action triggers the release of funds.
The seller gets paid
On approval, the seller's balance is credited $88 (the price minus a flat 12% commission). They can withdraw from their dashboard once the balance reaches $5.
Four guarantees behind every order
Escrow-style holding
Payments are captured up front but held by Gigwyn. Sellers cannot withdraw until the work is approved, so there is no risk of paying for nothing.
No fee on refunds
If an order is cancelled before work is approved, or a dispute results in a refund, the buyer is made whole and Gigwyn keeps no commission.
Disputes with a human
If you and the seller cannot agree, open a dispute from the order page. An administrator reviews the delivery, the messages and the brief, then can issue a full refund where eligible.
Verified sellers
Seller identities and portfolios can be verified. Reviews are gated to completed orders, so the ratings and order counts you see come from real transactions.
See the full breakdown of what each side pays on the fees page, or read the help center for step-by-step guidance, or see what the Verified and Established badges mean.
A clear path to a refund
- 1Ask for a revision or raise the issue in the order thread. Most problems are solved by clarifying scope or requesting a redo.
- 2Open a dispute from the order page if you cannot agree. The order is flagged and an administrator reviews the delivery, brief and messages.
- 3Get refunded where eligible. If the work was never approved, the buyer is refunded in full and Gigwyn keeps no commission.
Never pay a seller outside Gigwyn. Off-platform payments are not covered by the protections on this page.
Payment protection questions
Where is my money while the order is in progress?+
Your payment is collected at checkout but held by Gigwyn. The seller only receives funds after you approve the delivery, so your money is protected for the whole project.
What happens if the seller misses the deadline?+
Message the seller first. If they cannot deliver, you can request a cancellation or open a dispute from the order page. If the work was never approved, you are refunded and no commission is charged.
How do refunds work?+
If a cancellation is agreed before any delivery is approved, the buyer is refunded in full — including the 3% service fee. If a dispute is resolved in the buyer's favour, an administrator issues the refund and the seller is not paid.
Can I split a large project into stages?+
Yes. Sellers can offer milestones. Each milestone is funded separately, delivered, and approved one at a time, so you only release the next payment once the previous stage is done.
Is my payment information secure?+
Gigwyn never stores your full card details. All payments are processed by Lemon Squeezy, a PCI-compliant payment provider, and card data stays with them.
When can a seller withdraw their earnings?+
After you approve delivery, the seller's balance is credited and they can request a payout from their dashboard once the available balance is at least $5. Payout requests are reviewed by an administrator before they are sent.
Order with confidence
Browse vetted freelancers and pay only when you approve the work.