Recently a new GBC - one whom I didn't personally vet and someone who isn't even a client of mine - overstepped his bounds of our coach/student relationship and added my name on a site where he used my name & rep to endorse price fixing of the price of Group Buy shares among other GBCs. I have asked this GBC to remove my name immediately because I specifically told him I could be affiliated with him but I cannot be seen as someone who endorses price fixing, yet credibly say I represent buyers too, since that sort of behavior on the part of Sellers always turns out to hurt customers in every market it's used.

While this type of behavior is not illegal in this nascent market, I refuse to be involved with any cabal or group that reeks of price fixing and attempts to set prices on something that can change on a daily basis (thereby removing a lot of customer choice vis-à-vis price).

If you see my name endorsing a GB Coordinator or a price fixing scheme ANYWHERE on the 'net, please know that I don't endorse any sort of price fixing which I think reeks of the centralization of communism.

As an advocate for both Group Buyers and Group Sellers, I am NOT and CANNOT be associated with any price fixing scheme and the new GBC did *NOT* have my permission to endorse his price fixing plan.

Please state your opinions below about price fixing in general & how well economies planned around price fixing turn out, since someone didn't do their homework on Price Fixing & Competition Laws. I'm of the opinion that the market figures out what the price should be and we don't need a committee for that.

Hi Kimi,

You sound sincere so I'll give you a heads up as a newbie: no one will trust an expensive miner to be hosted by a stranger...unless that stranger has been vetted by one of the limited number of busy Escrow Agents here, or by an Escrow Affiliate like myself, who does Group Buy Escrow Coordinator Services and Miner Host Matchmaking and vetting.

I offer this vetting service of miner hosts & Group Buy Coordinators for free to the Group Buys forum, as a community service. For our miner hosting we charge a flat 2.5% Hosting/Management fee, the world's lowest. Please let me know if you're interested as you're unfortunately not going to make any headway without being vetted. In my index I currently have miner host coverage in multiple US states, Europe, and the Middle East depending on where a customer is located. If you are interested in joining this international mesh network of ultra low costs miner hosts, you'd be my first miner host in my index in Asia & you'd have first crack at any ASIC miners hosted in Asia if someone approaches me as a potential client.

Please PM me if you'd like more details or please see post 6 of my Services page.
P.S. Your post is actually a better fit in the Services or Group Buys forum.

Thanks!
DZ

Hehehe, we're talking marketing speak here AussieHash. It's like a whole new lingo where you make up your own meanings and take small (or giant) liberties:

"New & Improved!"
"4 out of 5 dentists prefer our gum!"
"More clowns prefer our Big red noses over our competitors lousy red noses!"

The whole thing reeks of PR fluff instead of an article.

Cara,

I keep asking for this but: Can we please get an update to Case Number 235 / Order 991? We're coming up on three weeks without a resolution to our order (our order was the one where Blockchain somehow didn't send almost 2 BTC even though we had it available in the wallet address; this was rectified a while ago).

I'm told our place in the Q is secure, but it'd be nice to finally see our order as part of the official order chain. Thanks,DZ

Awesome! Thanks for the vote philip.

I don't see how this is out of the realm of possibility as long as enough voltage/current is supplied to a properly cooled PCIe card. Have you looked at an Nvidia Titan card lately? Those things are beastly & they only consume about 250W. Now granted, BFL ain't Nvidia or ATI/AMD by a long shot but the point is, it's technologically possible.

With that said: with their track record, just like Xian01, I'd be like caveat f'n emptor about BFL & their chameleon-like delivery dates.

Well technically...you're the 1001th post.   

I agree with everything you said. I still have no idea why willphase took that bet when I was just joking/thinking aloud. 

By my maths & using your figures, BFL needs to average a little over 1 months worth of Jallys every 5 days for me to lose my bet with will.

It could still happen. Anything's possible I guess.

According to one of the GBCs I advocate for, ultibit, I understand that John K. has been tied up lately and very busy. They've been waiting days for service IIRC. I noticed recently that the GB forum needed escrow service redundancy and more prompt attention (IMHO), which is which I started my GB services. I offer a response time of 12-24 hours for official transactions, but usually around 4-6 hours. My niche is the Group Buys forum and pre-planning GBs so I guarantee I'll give you much more prompt and detailed support then any normal Escrow Service can possibly provide (since they have to serve the whole BTC economy/marketplace). I provide world class customer service support, education skills, and access to my 30 years of IT and advanced sales experience (I once sold and taught close up magic tricks as a teenager).

I would like to offer my escrow coordination services as well; I'm not an Escrow Repository but I can set up semi-automated sales for your fundraising at BTCrow for a 2% total fee. BTCrow offers low fees, Escrow Repository services as you build up your funding, refunds, manual release of funds by buying parties at the end of the fundraising effort, and even professional 3rd party dispute resolution for up to 120 days post-sales, which is something that could be important to potential backers.

I run a small miner co-op & I vet new Group Buy Coordinators and amateur miner hosts on the GB forum for free as a community service. I also advocate for both buyers and sellers. I've passed on 9.3 BTC on behalf of 3 different miners for HashFast Group Buy shares via John K.. In only about two weeks of my services being available: I have vetted (or am in the process of vetting) 5 different new or aspiring Group Buy Coordinators so far and multiple amateur miner hosts in several different states in my matchmaking index with super cheap electricty,

Bumpity bump n stuff.

2 more days to vote if you have an opinion. Cheers!

BTW, the latest news is that HashFast is just about guaranteed to be giving us chips! This was straight from cypherdoc ahead of John's announcement. We're gonna need homes for these chips. Let me know if you guys want to split costs on some rigs to get more HashRate from our purchase if this plan solidifies on their end. That or we could vote to sell the chips.

Let me know what you guys think about what to do with extra chips, if you don't mind.

Great point! In our case, HashFast priced their unit in USD, so trout had a valid point that the GBC can profit unfairly just from a rise in BTC over the course of the GB.

Hey Barntech,

As you know, I'm a fan of your work. I can help out with this project, I just can't take the lead because of prior commitments/promises. I am willing to help with sourcing some parts and soliciting quotes along with others, marketing, sales, customer service & minimal tech support. I love helping others, esp. if they're customers, so you can focus on doing what you do best.

I can also offer Escrow protected sales via BTCrow any time anyone wants, even if the Group Buy originally didn't have escrow protection. Some people just like the safety and dispute resolution process of Escrow, even if they pay a little more for it.

Perhaps we can use this thread to coalesce the first solid barebone rig attempt(s) for Cointerra and/or HashFast and gather together interested co-sellers, developers, and buyers wanting to make a reservation.

EDIT: Updated title thread to widen project scope/possibilities.

Oh? Do tell! Well, privately at least.

We could still use some help trying to automate Escrowed Group Buys. As it stands now, it's all manual from the seller's POV with the semi-automated aspects - such as manual release of funds at the end of a successful Group Buy - showing on the customer's end.

Reserving the first 4 bare rigs to whoever's the first vetted or experienced GBC to step up to the plate.

Reserve your HashFast DIY bare rigs below to show GBCs that there's interest. At 3 months, that's about a month after expected delivery & those chips, all 4 of 'em are gonna each need a mommyboard. They're also going to need a PSU to keep it warm at night, fans to keep 'em cold at times, some RAM so it doesn't forget what it was doing...what else...

BTW, FWIW: I'd tie prices to US currency at whatever BTC value it is that day and/or time of the sale.

EDIT: Added Cointerra as an option.
9/11 Edit: Added Bitmine as discussion for possible Project Work/Group Buy.

I promised my co-op I won't take on any more Group Buys of my own at the moment.

Doesn't mean I can't help out someone or a small group that's interested in putting together a HashFast (or Cointerra) Bare Rig Group Buy, however.  

According to cypherdoc, HashFast *is* planning to ship 4X chips to customers (Woohoo for HF customers!): https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=270363.msg3085264#msg3085264

These chips are going to need a home to live. That's where these bare rigs come in. I *knew* this was coming and tried to get system builders or GBCs interested previously. Please contact me if you're a Group Buy Coordinator or a new Group Buy Coordinator that's interested in pre-planning this Group Buy with me. We need more variety on this GB forum and if you're a new GBC this is a perfect opportunity for the right person(s) to make their mark here.

Besides Coaching, Mentoring, and Pre-sales planning, I'll also provide Escrow Protected Group Buy shares for your Group Buy at half of my usual fee of 1% (BTCrow 1% fees still apply), for a total of 1.5% Escrow Coordination fees. I'll also waive my usual 0.1% Pre-Planning fee.

Please send me a PM if you're a smart, handsome, and forward looking individual that's interested in an obvious upcoming opportunity that will add value and variety to the forum. This opportunity may take a few months to coalesce, but the first mover advantages could be tremendous (ask waldohoover and Coca-Cola how well that's working out.)  

Ah! So I *was* right that some enterprising group or person could make a dent in the Group Buys forum (and add needed variety) by putting together a GB for bare rigs for HF units.

Told you mofos Uncle DZ had a good plan. SMH, I'd do it myself if I wasn't up to my eyeballs trying to start this GBEC cooperative. Anyway: I'll help provide escrow protected GB shares at half of my usual 1% fee to anyone smart enough & forward looking enough to be vetted as a GBC & do the groundwork on these HF bare rigs I was telling system builders & GBCs to prepare for (1% BTCrow escrow fees would still apply).

Aren't you going to mention what overvoltage conditions can do to electronics that run this way?

Do you even know?   If you do: you could at least warn him, in case he doesn't have the background to understand the implications.

Do tell.  

BTW, John or Cara: me & 14 other miners who co-own a HashFast rig are still waiting for an update to the order list from well over 2 weeks ago. I know you folks are busy but: Can we please get an update to this?

Getting in over your head can happen to anyone. Even entire countries.