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Title: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: Ian Maxwell on March 24, 2011, 04:23:21 PM Suppose that tomorrow, or next week, or sometime soon, some really big merchant were to announce that they accept payment in Bitcoin. For the sake of concreteness, I'll say Amazon.
What effect would this have on our economy? It seems to me that, right now, Amazon could effectively dictate exchange rates, since their "vote" would far outweigh the rest of our tiny community. In fact, it would probably be in their interest to manipulate the price of BTC, in something like the following scenario:
I understand that markets are supposed to be efficient, so there may be some counterforce that would keep this scheme from working. What is it? Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: jgarzik on March 24, 2011, 04:41:34 PM If Amazon made that announcement, there would be a sudden increase in demand, vastly outstripping by supply available from miners, in the short term.
Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: kiba on March 24, 2011, 04:43:30 PM Don't forget other companies might react too. So once Amazon adopt Bitcoin, others will follow.
Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: hugolp on March 24, 2011, 04:45:54 PM Suppose that tomorrow, or next week, or sometime soon, some really big merchant were to announce that they accept payment in Bitcoin. For the sake of concreteness, I'll say Amazon. What effect would this have on our economy? It seems to me that, right now, Amazon could effectively dictate exchange rates, since their "vote" would far outweigh the rest of our tiny community. In fact, it would probably be in their interest to manipulate the price of BTC, in something like the following scenario:
I understand that markets are supposed to be efficient, so there may be some counterforce that would keep this scheme from working. What is it? Amazon is not that stupid. Right now the price of bitcoins go for under 1 dollar. Why would Amazon start accepting bitcoins at 2 dollars? But hey, lets suppose they do because I guess you mean they want to raise the price. Two things could happen: 1) Everybody starts selling (or using) their bitcoins to Amazon since they are paying more than double their present price. Now Amazon has all the bitcoins. Now the Bitcoin community starts a new bitcoin chain and the Amazon bitcoins are worth nothing. Amazon has lost a lot of money (and if I remember correcly the value of the bitcoin economy is over 4 million dollars, thats a lot of money) and has given us a free ride. 2) Not everybody sells (or uses) their bitcoins to Amazon, but Amazon setting that price affects the market pushing the exchange rates towards those 2 dollars. Now amazon has a lot of bitcoins because its buying them to keep that rate. You explain that Amazon could start selling them, but what would happen is that as Amazon stops buying at 2 dollars/bitcoin and starts selling the price would drop abruptly. Amazon would have buyed a lot of bitcoins at 2 dollars and would have to sell way under that price. Amazon loses a lot of money again, and gives a free ride to some of us. There is no way Amazon (or anyone) is that stupid. Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: astnbomb on March 24, 2011, 05:49:39 PM What about if a major band or artists ONLY accepted bitcoin? Imagine the spike in demand this would cause for bitcoins!
Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: dissipate on March 24, 2011, 11:15:51 PM Won't happen. If major vendor X was in the U.S. (e.g Amazon.com), they would get slammed by the IRS, Department of Justice, FBI and Homeland Security. The politicians and feds would be on them so fast they wouldn't even know what hit them. Either that or their executives start getting calls from high up government officials telling them to not even think about putting Bitcoin on their site.
Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: CryptikEnigma on March 25, 2011, 12:37:19 AM Won't happen. If major vendor X was in the U.S. (e.g Amazon.com), they would get slammed by the IRS, Department of Justice, FBI and Homeland Security. The politicians and feds would be on them so fast they wouldn't even know what hit them. Either that or their executives start getting calls from high up government officials telling them to not even think about putting Bitcoin on their site. As unfortunate as it is.....this sounds about right :( Title: Re: "Major Vendor X now accepts bitcoin!" Post by: Anonymous on March 25, 2011, 01:40:44 AM Amazon not accepting bitcoin provides an opportunity for a bitcoin to amazon exchange . :)
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