Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin => Hardware => Topic started by: donch on September 19, 2013, 10:39:22 AM



Title: [POLL] Should mining hardware co's open up their order books like the exchanges?
Post by: donch on September 19, 2013, 10:39:22 AM
Perfect markets require perfect information. Given all the variables of mining:

  • Exchange rate
  • Cost of electricity
  • Time of equipment delivery
  • Equipment efficiency
  • Equipment capacity
  • Difficulty today
  • Difficulty in the future

If mining manufacturers opened up their order books for inspection (in aggregate per product, not individual orders) then the last point in the above list would be more easily estimated. The current furore with BFL revolves around the fact that speculative customers were unaware of the BFL order book size and couldn't estimate the future effect of the orders before their own, and therefore were unable to make informed decisions on the potential difficulty contribution of their own purchase.

Bitcoin exchanges open up their order books so that buyers and sellers can make decisions in full transparency. Obviously dark pools exist on some exchanges, but this is not the norm. Let's take the vitriol out of the mining business by creating an efficient market.


Title: Re: [POLL] Should mining hardware co's open up their order books like the exchanges?
Post by: frankenmint on September 19, 2013, 11:15:17 AM
No way - that's almost a step towards communism if you ask me...lol kidding aside, it would be a nice gesture and would likely earn a mining hardware manufacturer respect if they shown an anonymous order book that gives ETA and also a list of orders in queue - but that would DEFINITELY work against the vendor as shit like BFL and 4+ week backorder books will be a de-motivator to order from those folks as you will be aware that you can't seem to get hardware off the shelf and immediately.

I am curious as to whether or not there will EVER be an off the shelf device that can be priced to achieve ROI - my feels are no, never, as it would be in the interest of a certain YIFU type to simply mine with the hardware until the difficulty makes it just slightly unprofitable at 10X the hardware fiat cost of goods sold.


Title: Re: [POLL] Should mining hardware co's open up their order books like the exchanges?
Post by: donch on September 19, 2013, 11:35:18 AM
I imagine a situation where one manufacturer does it and then every customer chooses them because of it. Can you imagine buying/selling on a new exchange where they didn't expose their order book? You'd stick with one that does, because the assumption would be that they are hiding something.

KNC have been by far the most professional, courteous and open manufacturer on the market to date. If they adopted this transparent approach I'm sure they could force the rest of the market to do the same in everyone's interest :-)