Why overhaul the escrow system
In the previous generation of DRUGHUB, escrow worked reliably but lacked granular visibility. Orders were either “in progress” or “completed”, and disputes often required manual clarification of what exactly had happened along the way.
As transaction volume and order complexity increased, this binary model became a bottleneck. Users wanted to know not just whether funds were locked, but where in the lifecycle their order currently sat and what would happen next.
How the new engine works
Each order now progresses through a defined set of states tied to specific actions: funding escrow, vendor shipment, buyer confirmation or dispute initiation. The platform records transitions between these states and exposes them directly in the interface.
From a user perspective this looks like a simple status rail under every order: you can see when funds were locked, when the vendor marked the shipment, when a dispute was opened and when a final decision was applied.
What this changes for buyers
Buyers gain clearer expectations and fewer surprises. If a shipment is late, the path to dispute is explicit and time‑bounded. If everything goes smoothly, releasing escrow feels less like a blind leap and more like the final step in a transparent flow.
What this changes for vendors
Vendors benefit from tighter alignment between shipment actions and fund availability. Status changes are no longer hidden behind support tickets — they are part of the same state machine that drives escrow, which reduces misunderstandings and repeated questions from buyers.