Bitcoin has grown to be one of the most popular payment options around the globe.
Currently, there are already multiple online marketplaces where you
can buy, sell, or even auction anything using Bitcoin. This is quite
amazing since these places allow Bitcoin holders to use cryptos to pay
for goods and services while also giving those who want to get Bitcoins
the chance of exchanging physical and digital goods and services for
Bitcoins.
And besides being able to do business better using multiple different
cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin can also be a great investment opportunity
for sellers as its price has been on claiming steadily every year. So
there is a good chance if one gets some Bitcoins now, tomorrow they
would be worth more than their value is today.
That being said, you should still be careful when choosing a
marketplace to do business with Bitcoin. As the peer to peer world can
never be as regulated as the regular markets, so there is a good chance
scammers are also active whenever there is money to be made.
Below are the three best Bitcoin marketplaces and auction sites that
you can use today to buy and sell almost anything directly from other
people using cryptocurrencies:
1. OpenBazaar
OpenBazaar is the first truly decentralized peer to peer online
marketplace that charges no platform fees nor has any restrictions. Here
you can create an online store to sell whatever you like ranging from
Clothes, Jewelry, Games, Music, Videos, Art, to local foods and
beverages among other things, and get paid in Bitcoin and other
cryptocurrencies.
OpenBazaar is decentralized open-source software meaning it’s not
controlled by a single entity, as it’s not an organization or company
and therefore there is no data collection or gatekeepers restricting
transactions for absolutely anyone.
OpenBazaar users can enjoy the most secure, private, and liberating
experience of doing e-commerce using a marketplace that gives users
total freedom and control over their data, and activities when doing
business online.
Here’s a list of some of the main features within OpenBazaar.
- No Platform Fees
- No Monthly Fees
- No Listing Fees
- No Bank / CC Required
- Live Chat with Customers
- Customize Your Store
- Peer to Peer (no middleman)
And these are just tip of the iceberg, as sellers managing their
stores have loads of different options as well, such as choosing
different product variants, inventory management, shipping options, live
chat, order management, and much more.
The platform is not just fully customizable but its also easy to get
started and set up, as it comes with a built-in Bitcoin wallet that the
user is fully in control, and can be used to transact and earn Bitcoins
when selling products on the marketplace.
To get started using OpenBzaar and transacting on the network, you
simply download the peer to peer application on your desktop and follow
it’s instructions on whether you want to create a store or purchase
products from other people.
2. Bitify
Bitify is a reputable long-standing and largest Bitcoin marketplace and auction site.
The Bitify platform started as CryptoThrift back in 2013 and has
since grown to become one of the most unique escrow service providers in
the cryptocurrency industry.
The platform offers escrow services like no other allowing secure and
safe transactions, where people can buy items using Bitcoin and
Litecoin, or list items and earn Bitcoin once items are sold. And
because of it’s unique 30 days of buyer protection and money-back
features, a listing of both physical and digital products becomes
possible.
Bitify is based in Australia but has a large recognition as a
worldwide service provider with a majority of customers in the European
Union and in the United States.
To get started using the Bitify platform, users are required to
register and create an account that can then be used to post items for
sale or buy items using cryptocurrencies.
Note that the platform charges sellers a $0.50 fee on items under
$10, a $1 fee on items worth between $10 and $20, and a 2.5% fee with a
minimum of $1.5 on items valued over $20.
As a centralized service provider, the platform also of course bans
people from buying and selling copyright material drugs, weapons, and
child pornography.
3. Toffee
Toffee is another Bitcoin marketplace and auction site that allows
people to sell and buy digital products inducing educational products,
art, gaming, accounts, software, and digital-related services.
Currently, the available payment option on Toffee includes Bitcoin,
PayPal, and Stripe. The platform offers exchanges of products through
escrow services where buyers place their money ready for release once
they receive the product they ordered.
To become a seller on the platform, you are required to register an
account. After registering, the seller can create a store where they can
list their digital products. The platform also allows sellers to link
their social chat handles like Skype and Discord so that customers can
get in touch with them.
The toffee platform has a slightly different monetarization model, as
the starter plan is free to use with no monthly fees, but sellers
looking to open professional stores that would allow them to get
advanced notifications and integrations, or offer discounted listing
promotion prices, and to create multiple customizations on store groups
will have to pay $19.99 per month.
For buyers, Toffee is free to use and it doesn’t even require account
creation, as the platform allows a simple check out on products using
their email addresses.
Start trading digital goods on Toffee!
Conclusion
If you are a person with unwanted digital products or you produce
some services worth selling and are looking to create a successful
business, without having to deal with middlemen, then peer to peer
marketplaces are the perfect fit, and these are the services you should
be looking into.
Not only can you find plenty of regular products such as clothes and
educational material, but because of the nature of peer to peer markets,
you can also find more rare craftsman art and other products that no
mainstream shops would ever include.
This also means if you are a seller of art, for example, you have a
much better chance of being recognized for your talents and then
actually getting proper value and home that appreciates your work.
That being said, don’t forget if you are interested in selling your own products, you can also accept bitcoin as a business directly from your own website!
And if the concept of peer to peer marketplaces is new to you, then
maybe you might find some of our other articles interesting as well:
- How to Buy Bitcoin with Gift Cards in 2020 – Simplified Guide
- How to Pay Bills with Bitcoin When Someone Doesn’t Accept It