Is there a way to buy a domain safely from someone, without them just running with your money?

You can buy your domain name from godaddy.com or any trusted domain registrar and they won't run with your money :)

Buy from a big company like 1and1 that isn't just going to disappear overnight
1and 1 are fine unless you have to talk to their support people...

I'm sorry. I should have specified. I meant buying a domain name that has already been bought by someone else. ..If they're willing to sell it of course.

If the value is high enough, you could always use an escrow service (eg. Escrow.com). In fact, it's recommended to do it that way if the money involved is substantial.

I would do that and make sure that the value of the domain is true and that u buy the domain at the right price and from the right person. there are a lot of things that you should look for before buying from a stranger.

If the domain is over a few hundred dollars try escrow

Escrow.com is a good service and everything works smooth with them. Alternatively have a look at sedo.com

Is there a way to buy a domain safely from someone, without them just running with your money?

Escrow.com is by far the saftest and is also very efficient.

I have used this great system 4 times in the past week - great service and kind staff.

Fed

Most companies re-sellers accept credit cards or PayPal, both methods offer disputes in case of fraud. Just my 2c.

Most companies re-sellers accept credit cards or PayPal, both methods offer disputes in case of fraud. Just my 2c.

How helpful does PayPal tend to be in domain name disputes? Do they treat the transaction as a typical non-tangible item transaction?

-mike

Buy a domain name at authorized ICANN registrar and when buying from other people check there trader ratings and pay by paypal if you are really unsure..because you can always recover your domain name if they refuse to push/transfer the domain name to you.