[rdl]

Assuming bitcoinstore hasn't ripped off their previous N customers, I'm fairly confident being purchaser N+1, especially if my transaction isn't "special" in any way.

They would have a lot to lose by ripping off customers, vs. a random seller on silkroad, so I'd feel comfortable up to a few thousand dollars.

I think I've actually bought something from Memorydealers before. I'm not sure of the relationship between bitcoinstore and Memorydealers. If they're the same entity, then I'd be fine up to $100k or so -- it's a real business.

[mikeash]

That makes escrow less likely to be useful, but the chance doesn't go to zero, so it hardly has "no point at all".

[rdl]

Escrow has its own risk and cost. The hilarious thing with previous online currencies (E-Gold, OSGold, Pecunix, ...) was that the escrow providers themselves were often the weak link.

[mikeash]

Well sure, but it's still useful, just not something you might automatically want.

My credit card issuer effectively acts as an escrow agent, and I love that fact when ordering from companies. It has saved me more than once, too.