I'd say: "Rule One: Never change the deal."
Agree. We would not see these mess at the end.
If the delivery is in-person you don't need escrow.
True. But did not hit me until you stated it. Damn!
I disagree. It was MJ's responsibility to ensure a safe transaction and being a presumably experienced trader and escrow he should have been able to see the red flags. Granted we're looking at this with the benefit of hindsight but it's a lot of money to be so careless about.
Man! It's over $50k worth of deal. Yeah MJ should have done more to ensure that the deal goes smooth. It really is messed up.
Let's get back to the topic.
I would agree with LoyceV in this
This is what I would have expected:
Buyer and seller provide payment and shipping details to escrow.
If all agree on all terms, buyer pays escrow and seller sends product to escrow.
Escrow verifies product.
Escrow releases product and payment only if everything is okay.
Other than this, it's always very risky to perform an escrow service.