Escrow, explained without the jargon
You have seen the phrase two-of-three multisig a hundred times. Here is what it actually does, why it matters, and how Osiris reaches the same goal by a different road. Read it once and the whole index makes more sense.
Escrow is the structural feature that separates a marketplace you can use with some confidence from one where the operator can vanish with your money. It is the single most important thing to understand before you fund an account, and it is the reason this index lists the three marketplaces it does. Anubis and Nexus settle through two-of-three multisig escrow as the default. Osiris reaches the same protective goal through walletless direct escrow. The shape differs; the intent is identical.
What two-of-three multisig means
Every order has three keys: yours, the vendor's, and the platform's. The coins leave escrow only when any two of the three sign the release. In the normal case you sign on receipt, the vendor counter-signs, and the platform stays out of it entirely. In a dispute, the platform's key arbitrates and signs alongside whichever side the desk rules for. No single party can move the funds alone, which is the whole point.
The protective property follows directly: a platform that wanted to run would have to convince most vendors to co-sign their own losses, which is not a thing that happens at scale. Compare that to single-signature escrow, where the platform holds the only key. There, an exit is a single decision by the operator, and the history of this space is largely a history of operators making that decision. Multisig removes the option.
How Osiris differs
Osiris does not pool buyer funds in a central wallet at all. Its walletless model settles buyer to vendor directly, so there is no large operator-held balance to walk away with in the first place. Combined with a Monero-first flow, onion mirror rotation, an active dispute desk, and a vendor reputation system, it reaches a similar safety posture from the opposite direction. The important nuance: Osiris is not multisig. It is a genuinely different design with the same goal, which is why the Osiris page is worth reading before you assume the familiar multisig mental model applies.
What changes for you
Almost nothing in the interface. You order the same way and the escrow sits in the background. The one place it shows is in a dispute, where the platform's involvement makes the ruling binding. On Anubis and Nexus that is the third multisig key signing alongside the side that prevailed; on Osiris it is the dispute desk arbitrating a direct settlement between buyer and vendor. Either way, you leave funds in escrow until the goods arrive and release only when you are satisfied.
The funding flow in plain terms
You deposit Monero into the account, you place an order, and the funds sit in escrow rather than going straight to the vendor. The vendor ships knowing the money exists but cannot yet take it. You release on receipt, or you open a dispute if something is wrong. That gap between payment and release is the protection. Both models on this index preserve it; they simply build the gap differently.
Frequently asked
Is multisig safer than walletless direct escrow?
Neither is strictly safer; they solve the same problem differently. Multisig removes the operator's ability to move funds alone. Walletless removes the pooled balance entirely. Both close the exit risk that single-signature escrow leaves open.
Can the platform still rule against me unfairly?
The dispute desk arbitrates, so a ruling can go either way. That is what the vendor reputation record is for: read it before you order so you are dealing with sellers who have clean dispute histories.
Should I ever use single-signature escrow?
On the marketplaces here it is at most an opt-in fallback, and there is rarely a reason to choose it over the multisig default. Leave the default in place.