What Is a Refundable Buyer Deposit?
Written by Christopher Krassnig - Founder - Kairos Exchange and ZenoX Media.
Reviewed
- Checks in every memo8
- Automatic on day one3 of 8
- Read by handad spend and processor payouts
- Tracked ecom salesEUR 200M+ZenoX ad-management figures, not Kairos deal volume - Kairos hasn't closed a deal yet.
A refundable buyer deposit is money held when you submit an offer, not a fee to look at a listing. On Kairos it is EUR 250. It comes back if the offer is withdrawn, declined, or loses, and it comes off the price at close. The full financials open for free once you verify your funds and sign an NDA.
Looking to buy one? Join the buyer waitlist
Why a Deposit, and Not Just an NDA
An NDA stops a leak. It does nothing about a buyer who signs one, reads a seller's real financials, and never makes an offer. The deposit is how an offer becomes real: money is held so a bid means something. Lookers still have to verify funds and sign the NDA, which is free, before they see exact numbers. The hold itself waits until they actually bid.
What Happens to the Money
EUR 250 is held when you submit the offer. Withdraw, get declined, or lose to another buyer, and it refunds in full. Close the purchase, and it credits straight toward the price, so a serious buyer never actually pays it out of pocket. Stripe holds the deposit. The purchase price itself sits with Escrow.com, the licensed escrow provider, once the deal is funded.
Why It Sits on the Offer
Charging to peek gated the first real look behind a payment, at the widest part of the funnel. That filtered out people who were still deciding, and it told a funds-verified buyer to pay for something they already qualified to see. The look is free once funds are verified. The deposit moved to the offer, where it signals real intent - and it comes straight back if you walk away.
Buying a Store Somewhere Else?
Kairos Due Diligence works on any deal - Flippa, a broker, a private sale. A person reads the store's raw numbers and writes you a report. If the deal is bad, the report says walk away. From EUR 1.5K, no account needed.
Answered. Now Get in Line for the First Store
When the doors open, verified stores go to the waitlist first. You have done the reading part. The list is the part with a queue.