# StakeMarket Stakes are mechanisms of trust through which two or more parties in a transaction would lock funds in escrow and each defines specific terms under which they would agree to the release of the funds in escrow. For the funds to be released, all parties have to either agree to: * a **cancellation of the transaction**: in which case each party gets a refund of what he/she had previously deposited in escrow * or a **completion of the transaction**: in which case each party is paid its due. In case of a disagreement, the stake is submitted to a vote by the stakes' community. The voting process lasts for a week. Stakes can be used in an infinity of situations where parties involved in a transaction do not completely trust each other: e-commerce, ride-hailing, delivery, construction projects, etc. [Get further support from the community here.](https://paychat.payswap.org/#/room/%23paycom%3Amatrix.org?via=matrix.org) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.payswap.org/products/stakemarket.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.