Bitcoin Forum

I'm just curious what your experiences have been and if you get much business. I know there are several websites where people who want to sell BTC for cash can register and people who want to buy can type in a zip code and get a local trader. I was thinking of doing it, but really for the hassle of interrupting my day and going to meet someone somewhere, I'd want at least $40 and then a commission on top of that. With bitinstant being pretty much everywhere now, it seems to me like there would not be room for local face to face exchanges.

Is anyone actively doing it now? Share some stories/experiences/how it usually goes/how often you get called to make a deal/what sort of fees you charge.

Was anyone actively doing it way back in the day before bitinstant? Tell some war stories about the good old days.

I do it to avoid fees and avoid banks - that makes it profitable for me. I do not charge commissions. I do it to provide local liquidity for myself and others while bypassing the banking system entirely. There's nothing wrong with charging fees but I think you'd have to meet or beat BitInstant's fees to get any interest. What is important, in my opinion, is to have a local network of traders in place before a possible future banking blockade.

Here is a discussion we had on this topic just recently:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=83565.0

See: http://blog.bitinstant.com/blog/2012/6/27/porcfest-2012-bitinstant-and-the-bernanke-bitcoin-exchange.html (http://blog.bitinstant.com/blog/2012/6/27/porcfest-2012-bitinstant-and-the-bernanke-bitcoin-exchange.html)

I'm on localbitcoins.com. I trade all the time. I potentially charge a commission and convenience fee (I come to you any time, anywhere in the valley). Being in Vegas with lots of out of town visits from everywhere in the world, it works pretty well and is fun to meet new bitcoiners face to face.

will be nice to see some location based services on bitcoincard