Bitcoin Forum

This has probably been discussed thousands of times, but I finally sat down and mapped out some typical transactions and I can't come up with a reason to use bitcoin as a currency.  Sure you can buy stuff with bitcoin, but you can buy it with dollars also.  Most of the posts I see for people wanting to buy bitcoin is for investing/speculation or to buy mining hardware.

The coinbase & bitpays just convert btc to $ and back.  What will be the driving force for people to need bitcoins?  We will always take the path of least resistance, and fiat is still least resistant.

Bitcoin's glory will never be found soley in applicational usage as a currency, but rather will be seen in its impact as a technology that completely obliterates the necessity for a traditional trusted third party in transactions where trust is required.  Developing / implementing the technology into operational usage for all potential applications will take time, so be patient.

Do any amount of research into the costs / overhead of involving traditional "trust" and you will see very, very quickly just how disruptive / ingenious Bitcoin is.

This topic has been discussed a million times. Basically, the answer is that Bitcoin is cheaper and/or faster in some cases.

For example, if I want to buy gold online with a credit card or a wire transfer, it is fast but it is more expensive. If I buy with a check, it is cheap but it takes three weeks. If I buy with bitcoins, it is fast and cheap.

This is point many people forget. Bitcoin is the payment of choice for merchants who begin using it.

From what I can see, it's not necessarily the payment method that's causing people to not use bitcoin, but the amount of places to spend them in. If we compare traditional payment methods w/ btc, the underlying amount of effort needed to set it up on buyer's end is comparable to that of btc.

People just need time to adjust to it. A learning curve, however steep can be overcome by practice.

People can get this practice by using btc to buy at stores - more stores, more places to buy and practice using btc.

Hi,
It will be very difficult to provoke the average consumer to use Bitcoins with the time. This process will be slow and nobody knows if it is going to last for ever. The main reason to make people use BTC will be explaining how fast and secure it is to use it.  When it gets enough popularity someone can open a store for example which only accepts bitcoins as payment and nothing else, that can be in some famous resort so a lot of clients try out what is it . The owner can put an BTC ATM at the enter and this way to make people convert thier money in BTC. Hope this happens soon.
BR

You can make sport bets without the need of a credit card and you can receive the winings without the need to send your passport and bank details and wait 1 week for verification.

Anonymous services, like a virtual private network.

Nothing can only be bought with bitcoin. That is not the purpose of bitcoin.

The selling point behind bitcoin is the fact that it can send money around the world instantly (0/unconfirmed) virtually free and you don't need to trust anyone in the process.

I'll stop accepting cash for my hoard (and only accept BTC) if people actually buy it. See the first line of my sig.

Bitcoin is useful to send money instantly and nearly free.

For example, if I want to buy some software key, I can send the payment and get the key instantly and free.
With credit card or any other way, it's slower and more expensive.

In the future, this will be applied to the normal life too.
We'll be able to take a taxi and pay using Bitcoins, without worrying about carrying CC or cash.

I expect more people will see Bitcoin as currency and less as an investment in the future when it's more widespread.

This is exactly the point of bitcoin. IDK why the OP thinks that anything needs to only be legal if it were purchased with bitcoin. People use the "barter system" all the time

The "instant" feature is useful only if you do long distance purchase.

Yeah that is where the logic kind of breaks down for me as well. Adoption isn't about exclusivity but about bit coin reaching its potential as a superior currency. Soon it will be easier and cheaper to use bit coin. That is the tipping point.   

We sell Real Estate, Luxury Cars, Camera and Video Equipment and many other items for bitcoin and litecoin @ www.statelesstrade.com

I think the OP should rephrase his question to be something to the effect of "what is easier to buy using BTC verses using fiat to buy the same item"

Before the use of bitcoin is ubiquitous, fiat notes and credit cards are just as easy to use. Therefore, the focus will be on trades where bitcoin makes the largest difference. Anonymity, cross border, bankless people, trades that some people refer to as illegal, and tax avoidance. Later, these things will mean nothing.

You can now buy pc and gadget from newegg.

OMG! Check out newegg's homepage http://www.newegg.com/  WHERE HAVE I BEEN? Finally my favorite hardware retailer accepts it!