Ask Can you use a freelance platform escrow to secure payment for work done outside the platform?

[Edward22]

Escrow systems on freelance platforms exist to protect both sides during a transaction, and they are genuinely one of the better features these platforms offer. But using that system for work that happened outside the platform is a different situation entirely, and it is not something most platforms seem to encourage or even allow. There are terms of service that specifically cover how escrow can be used. Has anyone here tried to use platform escrow this way and seen how it turned out?