[ANN] BitcoinStore.com (Beta) - Electronics super store with over 500K items!

[MemoryDealers]

I'm proud to announce the beta launch of BitcoinStore.com
BitcoinStore.com is the world's first, Bitcoin only, super store.
We currently have more than 500,000 products available for immediate shipment, including PCs, Laptops, Hard Drives, Printers, Digital Cameras, Monitors, TVs, Software and more!
Our prices are often lower than other major retailers like Amazon.com, NewEgg.com and Buy.com
This is possible because we have partnered with the worlds largest wholesale technology distributor, and avoid traditional merchant fees because we accept Bitcoin only.
In the very near future, content from other partners will be added so we will have more than 1,000,000 products and full international shipping support.

Some current examples of great deals from BitcoinStore are:

LG 55" 120HZ LED TV

BitcoinStore $1,163.17
Amazon $1,303.13
Newegg $1,249.99


HP 17.3" LED Notebook - Core i7 i7-2640M 2.8GHz

BitcoinStore $1,985.51
Amazon $2,266.66
NewEgg $2,317.00


Dell 2350D Laser Printer

BitcoinStore $175.66
Amazon $202.01
NewEgg $204.99

and much much more!

Domesting shipping is FREE on all orders over $100 USD.
$4.99 shipping for all domestic orders under $100
International FedEx and USPS shipping options are now available.
There is currently a $1,000 order minium during our beta launch.  (This will be removed soon)

In order to maintain these competitive prices, I will need to sell more than $800K USD worth of goods per quarter,  so please place your orders and help spread the word!

Please post your questions,  bug reports, and feature requests in the thread below.

[1680232162]

1680232162

[evoorhees]

YES!!

[BitPay Business Solutions]

Excellent!!!

[mc_lovin]

quite the selection there. 

[Coinabul]

Trusted company, great prices, what could be better? This is a KILLER app for Bitcoin.

[Daily Anarchist]

I just splooged in my pants!

[cunicula]

I entered a foreign shipping address. This returned: No shipping option available.

I then tried to enter a US shipping address. The system hung up, not allowing me to alter the shipping information.

You might want to get that fixed.

I was not actually going to buy anything, but wanted to know about your payment options. (Still don't know)

I would suggest three prices:
1) Low bitcoin price
2) Middle price for cash deposit with Bitinstant at physical location. Bitinstant can then transfer the USD to you.
3) Highest price for payment with credit card. (If you are allowed to do this by the card companies. If not, then no card payments)

The hope is that people looking for a cheaper USD price will do step 2. Because 2 is inconvenient and slightly expensive, return customers may try out step 1.

Also, if you can get your low, pure bitcoin USD prices indexed on search engines as USD prices, that will help drive traffic.

Right now, you will not be able to support this business with pure bitcoin traffic alone.



 

[Daily Anarchist]

Yeah, I can't progress past part one when trying to order.

Any chance of just putting all prices in terms of Bitcoin as well as dollars?

[MemoryDealers]

Yeah, I can't progress past part one when trying to order.

Do you have more than $1,000 in your basket?  (This is the current order minimum durring beta)

Any chance of just putting all prices in terms of Bitcoin as well as dollars?

This should be live by tomorrow.

[Daily Anarchist]

Yeah, I can't progress past part one when trying to order.

Do you have more than $1,000 in your basket?  (This is the current order minimum durring beta)

Any chance of just putting all prices in terms of Bitcoin as well as dollars?

This should be live by tomorrow.

Yes, I added a computer just to get above the $1k mark. I wasn't going to buy anything yet. I just wanted to see the checkout total with Bitcoin. =)

[MemoryDealers]

Yes, I added a computer just to get above the $1k mark. I wasn't going to buy anything yet. I just wanted to see the checkout total with Bitcoin. =)

So the problem was solved as soon as you had the $1000 in your cart?

[Daily Anarchist]

Yes, I added a computer just to get above the $1k mark. I wasn't going to buy anything yet. I just wanted to see the checkout total with Bitcoin. =)

So the problem was solved as soon as you had the $1000 in your cart?

It let me proceed to checkout, but not get past the first or second step.

[Daily Anarchist]

I decided to create an actual account. First I tried to create account as I was walking through the checkout process, but that wouldn't work. So, I went to the sign up button and that allowed me to create an account. Then I went to checkout and there were only 5 steps instead of 7 or something. Anyways, that let me get all the way down to step five where it says "place order." But I didn't press the place order button. It should give me the price in bitcoin before I hit the place order button.

[BitPay Business Solutions]

Yes if you have > $1000 it will let you checkout.  As of now, the bitcoin rate is not pulled until you get all the way down to the bottom of the form (Step 6) and click Place Order.

Hopefully soon the entire bitcoin payment section will be embedded in Section 6, eliminating a couple clicks to the checkout process.

We have this working now on http://stompromp.com if you'd like to pretend to buy some guitar strings, get down to step 6 and see how it works!  or just look at this screencap, you get the idea.  The BitcoinStore should have this same functionality very soon.

[thebaron]

Would like to see brand names in the links on the browse pages. Hard to navigate things that are just generically named like "20 inch monitor...".

[LightRider]

Price range links don't seem to work. In fact, categorization in general doesn't seem to be correct at all.

[cunicula]

Yes if you have > $1000 it will let you checkout.  As of now, the bitcoin rate is not pulled until you get all the way down to the bottom of the form (Step 6) and click Place Order.

This does not apply to the address correction issue. I had more than 1k in cart, but could not edit the shipping address to somewhere they ship to and thus could not progress to checkout.

You should enable some option to clear everything, so the user does not get stuck with invalid information that there is no straightforward way to correct.

[Seal]

Nice work Roger, looking very slick.

[teknohog]

Would like to see brand names in the links on the browse pages. Hard to navigate things that are just generically named like "20 inch monitor...".

Seconded. There is a (related?) problem with search, for example no hits for "thinkpad" or "lenovo" even though such machines are clearly available after some tedious browsing around.

Edit: search seems to work now, thanks!

[Diablo]

Haha I recognize this magento theme.
Might have to buy some stuff, still browsing

[Zangelbert Bingledack]

This looks awesome! It'd give anyone checking it out a real incentive to buy if you fetched competitor prices and posted them alongside the BitcoinStore price. Also, misspelled "Greater than" and "Less than" in the price categorizations (which don't seem to work, by the way).

[alexanderanon]

Meh. How about we just get that bitcoin debit card already and then buy direct from Amazon.

- Restless bitcoin mob

[hazek]

YES!!

OMFG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLnWf1sQkjY

[sharky112065]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

This is exactly what Bitcoin needs IMO.

The site seems a bit slow on responses, but I'm hoping that will be fixed soon.

[Technomage]

The main menu goes all over the place for me. Very difficult to browse the site

[BitPay Business Solutions]

Meh. How about we just get that bitcoin debit card already and then buy direct from Amazon.

- Restless bitcoin mob

If you want bitcoin to become really popular and valuable, it needs big merchants like Amazon to accept it directly.  If Amazon starts getting undercut on sales, they will notice, and they will look at ways to reduce their risk and cost of collecting payments online.  Bitcoin solves that problem, as Roger is about to demonstrate to the world.

[CoinDiver]

Find something hot, that you can undercut the rest of the web on, and get it posted on SlickDeals.net.

[crazy_rabbit]

Oh lord thank you, finally!

[bbit]

I'm crying!!! with joy!

[jwzguy]

I got an error trying to access this page: http://www.bitcoinstore.com/pcslaptops/portable-computers.html

But after refreshing it a few times it came up.

Additionally - I would just call the category Laptops&Tablets, not "portable computers."

[Spekulatius]

Nice thing Roger, hope it works!

Comparative advertising is legal in the USA right? I think you can put more weight on that. Make price comparisons of feautured products on your front page, like you did in this OP.

Also, I was trying to find "iphone 5" and was not able to. I dont know whether you have that on shelf or not but to grind through 31k results is impossible, even organizing according to price is no better if you have pages of 50k+ USD and under 5 USD results it would take forever to get to the iphone 5 price segment. If you try the same thing on amazon its also a bit of a hassle, but there you have more categories to narrow your search down to, like showing only Apple products for example. Maybe you could improve on that before going out of beta.

One more thing, when I selected "show all results" on the upper left bar it froze. I presume the server tried to create a page for me with all 31k results on it. You could solve that problem (I think) if you only showed all the results one currently views on screen, like in google picture search.

Cheers

[jimbobway]

In order to maintain these competitive prices, I will need to sell more than $800K USD worth of goods per quarter,  so please place your orders and help spread the word!

If a user buys $1000 worth of computer supplies every three months then:

$800,000 / $1000 = 800

It would only take 800 orders per quarter.  Seems doable in the long run.  Hopefully sooner than later.

[ArticMine]

I'm actually getting pretty close to launching my newegg.com competitor.
It will be Bitcoin only,  and competitive with newegg on just about everything.
It will have over 500,000 items available with real time inventory checks.

Here is a sneak preview:

This looked really exciting to me until I visited the shipping methods page of Memory Dealers http://memorydealers.com/shipping-rates/ when it becomes a clear no deal for me. The reason is you do not offer and advertise the US Postal Service as a shipping option to your customers. Let me explain:

When it comes to international and residential package delivery the private shipping companies simply do not get it here in Canada. I have seen UPS charge a $50 brokerage fee to broker a $3.50 GST charge at the border on an Item that cost $50. This got so bad the there was a class action lawsuit in Canada against UPS over this. http://www.classaction.ca/actions/Consumer-Protection/Current-Actions/United-Parcel-Service-Canada-Ltd-%28-UPS-%29.aspx. They have now changed their fees somewhat after the litigation but they are sill far to high. Canada Post charges a flat fee of $8.50 for brokerage. http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGcustoms-e.asp#1382719. That is it

Then there is the issue of delivery to a residential address especially in the smaller centers. With Canada Post if I am not home I get a notice in my mailbox and I can go to a retail outlet in my neighborhood to pick up my package. This is simple and very convenient as these outlets are typically open evenings and weekends.  With private couriers I may get a phone call or in some cases I have to contact them using the tracking information provided by the shipper. Then to arrange for delivery I have to either spend all day waiting of the courier to arrive or drive to some office in the outskirts of town, or in some cases in another community a few hundred miles away, open only from 8:30 to 4:30 on weekdays to pick up my package. Private couriers are very good at delivering documents to a business that has a reception. They fail very badly with delivering packages to residential addresses, and are even worse with international shipments.

This may sound like a real hearsay to many in this community, but it must be said: When it comes to shipping items purchased with Bitcoin to residential customers the "State Postal Monopoly"  here in Canada http://www.canadapost.ca does an excellent job, while the private sector fails miserably.

For me as a customer purchasing online it is very simple: Deliver using the Post Office or no sale.

Here are some examples regarding residential deliveries by private sector companies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Sb_r7BKTc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikanns26nDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APqvq0Kn55o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qUd9na_PQ

The store and pricing is actually very good, but as I suspected the deal killer for a customer in Canada is shipping. I include my post from earlier this year on the subject.

When it comes to shipping products from the United States to Canada there are basically 3 options

1) Private Courier by Air with prepaid brokerage. This can be good for certain customers but very expensive. It only really makes sense when one needs the item right away, and for shipment to a business address. For a $20.71 item the most economical shipping is $95.91 to Prince George BC and $87.30  to Vancouver BC. This is the only option offered at this point.

2) Private Courier by Ground with brokerage extra. On the surface this will appear cheap however the customer is charged expensive "brokerage" "bond" and "handling" fees as I noted in my previous post above. This is by far the worst and no self respecting merchant should offer this option. To Memory Dealers credit it is not offered.

3) USPS with various options regarding cost vs delivery time. This is by far the best option for residential customers and also for many small businesses. Unfortunately it is not offered at this time.

The bottom line is that to be competitive in the international mail order business a US based merchant needs to offer USPS as a shipping option.
  

[Mushroomized]

Neato

[enmaku]

It's redirecting to the Magento Install script now:
http://www.bitcoinstore.com/index.php/install/

Which I'm fairly certain is something I should not have access to 

[Mushroomized]

It's redirecting to the Magento Install script now:
http://www.bitcoinstore.com/index.php/install/

Which I'm fairly certain is something I should not have access to 

Maybe you can install your blog on the site now 

[enmaku]

It's redirecting to the Magento Install script now:
http://www.bitcoinstore.com/index.php/install/

Which I'm fairly certain is something I should not have access to 

Appears to have been fixed now

[Tril]

Just trying to load the main page results in:

There has been an error processing your request

Exception printing is disabled by default for security reasons.

Error log record number: (random)

[lucb1e]

Great initiative! Can't wait till the beta ends; the $1000 minimum and $110 shipping costs are absurd. Also the site is slow, randomly empties your cart, and displays USD. All beta issues I hope...

[Raoul Duke]

I don't know where are you getting your international shipping prices from, but someone is stealing, if not you, the shipping company.
$300 to ship a laptop to Europe, really?
A flat rate USPS box that can fit a laptop costs $55...

[WikileaksDude]

Hope thhis is a game changer to bitcoin .

[adamstgBit]

There is currently a $1,000 order minium during our beta launch.  (This will be removed soon)

I will buy some stuff once this is removed.

will you ship to Canada?

[ArticMine]

There is currently a $1,000 order minium during our beta launch.  (This will be removed soon)

I will buy some stuff once this is removed.

will you ship to Canada?

I checked and they do. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $90 for shipping minimum. They are using Federal Express and private couriers are just awful for shipping internationally. They really need to use USPS for international orders to deal with these outrageous shipping costs.

[Lip]

Congrat for the HackerNews frontpage! Wow! http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4737356

[BitSyncom]

International shipping is still being worked on, disregard all the numbers currently.

For now we are focusing the test on User Experience. this includes graphics user interface, search, categories, photos, product description and sorts, in addition to gather some stats on the site in general, keep them bug reports coming guys! bonus for screenshots.

[lucb1e]

Congrat for the HackerNews frontpage! Wow! http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4737356

Got here via HN too

International shipping is still being worked on, disregard all the numbers currently.

Phew, okay!

[chris200x9]

Why is your stuff so old? Especially laptops I only find intel 2xxx stuff

[Akka]

Wow, that's really cool.

The list of things that I need Fiat for is really getting thin. Basically only my groceries and clothings are left.

[fornit]

great news indeed! 

the shop though.. feels rather alpha right now. stuff like filters not working etc. should be obvious at first glance. i think i will check again in a few weeks.
800k$ per quarter seems like a lot for such a small economy. i hope it works out.

[BitcoinStore]

great news indeed! 

the shop though.. feels rather alpha right now. stuff like filters not working etc. should be obvious at first glance. i think i will check again in a few weeks.
800k$ per quarter seems like a lot for such a small economy. i hope it works out.

We should have the kinks worked out in a couple of weeks. If you see anything that's broken though, please report it here!

Thanks,
-Jon

[ArticMine]

International shipping is still being worked on, disregard all the numbers currently.

For now we are focusing the test on User Experience. this includes graphics user interface, search, categories, photos, product description and sorts, in addition to gather some stats on the site in general, keep them bug reports coming guys! bonus for screenshots.

Are you planning to offer shipping via USPS for international orders yes or no?

By the way the first thing I look at when considering an online retailer is shipping options, and I really do appreciate finding this out without having to load up a shopping cart and going to the checkout. So as far as I am concerned this is critical to the User Experience.

[alexanderanon]

Meh. How about we just get that bitcoin debit card already and then buy direct from Amazon.

- Restless bitcoin mob

If you want bitcoin to become really popular and valuable, it needs big merchants like Amazon to accept it directly.  If Amazon starts getting undercut on sales, they will notice, and they will look at ways to reduce their risk and cost of collecting payments online.  Bitcoin solves that problem, as Roger is about to demonstrate to the world.

Reputable sites like amazon have absolutely no incentive to accept a currency that has maybe a few thousand users regularly purchasing physical (and legal) goods with it, and furthermore, to provide sanction to such a legally-uncertain and scam-ridden project. I think that digital currency will ultimately succeed, but this libertarian-utopianist approach with which bitcoin innovators on this forum expect bitcoin to grow makes me want to dump all my holdings and wait a year or two. Isn't this the same guy who bet $10k that bitcoin would outperform gold/silver by 100x by august of next year? According to bitcoin's market potential, it would have to grow many, many factors of 10 to reach real-world currency status, but it won't ever get there by trying to defy and ignore the world economy. Instead, our innovators create this insular, oftentimes hostile, community that wants nothing to do with the 'banker-controlled, fiat toilet paper money'.

Bitcoin will never achieve these wild utopia fantasies until our community's innovators realize that merely replicating institutions of the fiat-economy and then slapping on a "BITCOIN ACCEPTED HERE" logo is very much undervaluing and ignoring bitcoin's unique markets. Amazon has nearly 70,000 employees --- if Roger Ver expects this to grow into more than a novelty shop, he will need investors. And what to tell these investors when the flagship accepted currency has as few users as it does today?

A bitcoin debit card, where one can keep holdings in bitcoins and then instantly convert to dollars for a sale is a rational, step-by-step approach to bitcoin growth that allows it to display its unique features (ease of supplying, no banks) within the context of the already established world economy. Other examples of "piggybacking" bitcoin's use-value onto the world economy include superior competition to moneygram and other international send-money operations, micro-transactions (finally achieve goal of monetizing e-content?), and of course, black markets and other privacy-conscious transactions (VPN's). Once these connections to the world economy are in place, bitcoin will have attained sufficient popularity for such e-stores as BitcoinStore to succeed.

[Jan]

This is great Roger.

[MemoryDealers]

Isn't this the same guy who bet $10k that bitcoin would outperform gold/silver by 100x by august of next year?

Yes, that is me,  and at the half way mark, Bitcoin HAS outperformed Gold and Silver by more than 100x.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxC0dIBPzZg
I look forward to watching things progress over the next year.

Amazon has nearly 70,000 employees --- if Roger Ver expects this to grow into more than a novelty shop, he will need investors.

There are already more than 15,000 employees ready to ship every single order that comes through Bitcoinstore.com
I don't need any investors,  just some diligent people to polish off the site.

Bitcoin is currently in a chicken & egg problem, but Bitcoinstore.com is one more step to bring the needed infrastructure into place to make bitcoins easy for everyone to use.

[kwoody]

I'm not seeing any SSDs for sale via your site. Do you sell them? If not, can you add them to your inventory?

[jimbobway]

I want to buy a Microsoft Surface with bitcoins.  Will you guys stock this item?

[ArticMine]

I want to buy a Microsoft Surface with bitcoins.  Will you guys stock this item?

Are you aware of the fact that you will not be able to use Bitcoin with this device without first obtaining permission from Microsoft?

[2112]

Are you aware of the fact that you will not be able to use Bitcoin with this device without first obtaining permission from Microsoft?

Ultimately you are probably right. But the current situation is that anyone can get a developers license for free together with Visual Studio 2012. So for the moment this would be an actual test of open-source-ness.

[ArticMine]

Are you aware of the fact that you will not be able to use Bitcoin with this device without first obtaining permission from Microsoft?

Ultimately you are probably right. But the current situation is that anyone can get a developers license for free together with Visual Studio 2012. So for the moment this would be an actual test of open-source-ness.

It is a Windows RT device, which means that all software for this device must be distributed via the Microsoft store. It is a closed censored ecosystem like Apple iPhone / iPad.

[2112]

It is a Windows RT device, which means that all software for this device must be distributed via the Microsoft store. It is a closed censored ecosystem like Apple iPhone / iPad.

Well, I don't have an actual device itself, but my coworker has some evaluation unit from Korea. He is saying that it works exactly like Apple iOS devices except that the cost of development license is zero. On your own device, with your own developer license, you can run whatever you like.

This is why I said it would be a good test of open-source-ness: Satoshi Bitcoin client that anyone can build using free development tools (free as in free beer: Visual Studio 2012 Express). It would be a great experiment in portability and resilience of Bitcoin.

[ArticMine]

It is a Windows RT device, which means that all software for this device must be distributed via the Microsoft store. It is a closed censored ecosystem like Apple iPhone / iPad.

Well, I don't have an actual device itself, but my coworker has some evaluation unit from Korea. He is saying that it works exactly like Apple iOS devices except that the cost of development license is zero. On your own device, with your own developer license, you can run whatever you like.

This is why I said it would be a good test of open-source-ness: Satoshi Bitcoin client that anyone can build using free development tools (free as in free beer: Visual Studio 2012 Express). It would be a great experiment in portability and resilience of Bitcoin.

So one distributes the source code under a FLOSS license, provides instructions on downloading the free as in free beer Visual Studio 2012 Express and compiling the software and bingo the censorship is effectively bypassed. In other words one can have software freedom, but only if one compiles the software oneself. A very interesting idea.

[MemoryDealers]

I'm not seeing any SSDs for sale via your site. Do you sell them? If not, can you add them to your inventory?

There are several hundred SSD drives:

http://www.bitcoinstore.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=SSD

I think on Monday I will be ready to lower the order minimum.

[2112]

So one distributes the source code under a FLOSS license, provides instructions on downloading the free as in free beer Visual Studio 2012 Express and compiling the software and bingo the censorship is effectively bypassed. In other words one can have software freedom, but only if one compiles the software oneself. A very interesting idea.

Yes, exactly. Thank you for extending the effort to understand this. I was afraid that my explanations are too convoluted or assume some advanced knowledge.

It would be also good for the Bitcoin itself if more users could actually build the Bitcoin application themselves and not rely on the high priesthood to provide them with a pre-made build.

[ArticMine]

I'm not seeing any SSDs for sale via your site. Do you sell them? If not, can you add them to your inventory?

There are several hundred SSD drives:

http://www.bitcoinstore.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=SSD

I think on Monday I will be ready to lower the order minimum.

Any timeline on the international shipping issue?

[cunicula]

When you are ready with a fully-functional, attractive site. I have a marketing scheme idea for you.

1) Partner with TangibleCryptography, Bitinstant or another one of these cash deposit direct to bitcoin outlets.
2) Ask them to issue a coupon code for your store (say $100 off $1000). Coupons go to people who purchase $1000 worth of btc from them and who are first-time customers (I assume they do KYC to check this).
3) Eliminate coupon code sharing by requiring that the bitcoins used to make the purchase match the bitcoins purchased from the cash to bitcoin outlet
4) Identify a few popular items that you can offer competitive prices for.
5) Post the item and detailed bitcoin purchase, download, and coupon acquisition instructions on "slickdeals.net" Also post a price comparison vs. Amazon, newegg, etc.

Expect to lose some money off this. The goal is to get name recognition for the bitcoinstore + bitcoin acquisition methods in a very widely used deal forum.  
Ideally you can get the absolute cheapskates who populate slickdeals.net to regularly scan your site for new offers and post about them autonomously.

Presumably the name recognition will help your partner as well.

[I don't think you should do this until the site has been substantially upgraded. It looks a bit like a low-price scam site right now. (I mean that in the nicest possible way.)
Scam sites often involve purchasing hardware from foreign companies. These companies also ask for wire transfer, etc. less reversible methods of payment than credit cards.
Thus you have to improve your image]

[niooron]

When you are ready with a fully-functional, attractive site. I have a marketing scheme idea for you.

1) Partner with TangibleCryptography, Bitinstant or another one of these cash deposit direct to bitcoin outlets.
2) Ask them to issue a coupon code for your store (say $100 off $1000). Coupons go to people who purchase $1000 worth of btc from them and who are first-time customers (I assume they do KYC to check this).
3) Eliminate coupon code sharing by requiring that the bitcoins used to make the purchase match the bitcoins purchased from the cash to bitcoin outlet
4) Identify a few popular items that you can offer competitive prices for.
5) Post the item and detailed bitcoin purchase, download, and coupon acquisition instructions on "slickdeals.net" Also post a price comparison vs. Amazon, newegg, etc.

Expect to lose some money off this. The goal is to get name recognition for the bitcoinstore + bitcoin acquisition methods in a very widely used deal forum.  
Ideally you can get the absolute cheapskates who populate slickdeals.net to regularly scan your site for new offers and post about them autonomously.

Presumably the name recognition will help your partner as well.

[I don't think you should do this until the site has been substantially upgraded. It looks a bit like a low-price scam site right now. (I mean that in the nicest possible way.)
Scam sites often involve purchasing hardware from foreign companies. These companies also ask for wire transfer, etc. less reversible methods of payment than credit cards.
Thus you have to improve your image]

It doesn't look that bad, the sites that came before this looked far worse.

[ArticMine]

When you are ready with a fully-functional, attractive site. I have a marketing scheme idea for you.

1) Partner with TangibleCryptography, Bitinstant or another one of these cash deposit direct to bitcoin outlets.
2) Ask them to issue a coupon code for your store (say $100 off $1000). Coupons go to people who purchase $1000 worth of btc from them and who are first-time customers (I assume they do KYC to check this).
3) Eliminate coupon code sharing by requiring that the bitcoins used to make the purchase match the bitcoins purchased from the cash to bitcoin outlet
4) Identify a few popular items that you can offer competitive prices for.
5) Post the item and detailed bitcoin purchase, download, and coupon acquisition instructions on "slickdeals.net" Also post a price comparison vs. Amazon, newegg, etc.

Expect to lose some money off this. The goal is to get name recognition for the bitcoinstore + bitcoin acquisition methods in a very widely used deal forum.  
Ideally you can get the absolute cheapskates who populate slickdeals.net to regularly scan your site for new offers and post about them autonomously.

Presumably the name recognition will help your partner as well.

[I don't think you should do this until the site has been substantially upgraded. It looks a bit like a low-price scam site right now. (I mean that in the nicest possible way.)
Scam sites often involve purchasing hardware from foreign companies. These companies also ask for wire transfer, etc. less reversible methods of payment than credit cards.
Thus you have to improve your image]

So we are using coin taint to attempt to track customer discounts across multiple merchants? I suspect this will lead to all sorts of customer complaints and ruin the reputation of all the merchants involved rather than generate sales. Anyone actually consider a high degree of privacy to be a useful feature of Bitcoin?

[Isokivi]

Welcome and thank you, Im loving the site and the quantity of articles available.

[teste]

When you are ready with a fully-functional, attractive site. I have a marketing scheme idea for you.

1) Partner with TangibleCryptography, Bitinstant or another one of these cash deposit direct to bitcoin outlets.
2) Ask them to issue a coupon code for your store (say $100 off $1000). Coupons go to people who purchase $1000 worth of btc from them and who are first-time customers (I assume they do KYC to check this).
3) Eliminate coupon code sharing by requiring that the bitcoins used to make the purchase match the bitcoins purchased from the cash to bitcoin outlet
4) Identify a few popular items that you can offer competitive prices for.
5) Post the item and detailed bitcoin purchase, download, and coupon acquisition instructions on "slickdeals.net" Also post a price comparison vs. Amazon, newegg, etc.

Expect to lose some money off this. The goal is to get name recognition for the bitcoinstore + bitcoin acquisition methods in a very widely used deal forum.  
Ideally you can get the absolute cheapskates who populate slickdeals.net to regularly scan your site for new offers and post about them autonomously.

Presumably the name recognition will help your partner as well.

[I don't think you should do this until the site has been substantially upgraded. It looks a bit like a low-price scam site right now. (I mean that in the nicest possible way.)
Scam sites often involve purchasing hardware from foreign companies. These companies also ask for wire transfer, etc. less reversible methods of payment than credit cards.
Thus you have to improve your image]

+1

[giszmo]

For a Bitcoin only store it would be cool to implement some mouse-over effect to display the Ƀ-price of items or even better the $ on mouse-over.

(I'm eager to read about first people reporting their orders being processed with no problems and for shipping to Chile.)

[ArticMine]

For a Bitcoin only store it would be cool to implement some mouse-over effect to display the Ƀ-price of items or even better the $ on mouse-over.

(I'm eager to read about first people reporting their orders being processed with no problems and for shipping to Chile.)

Shipping a laptop to Chile (Santiago) their lowest cost is $453.57 as they only offer Federal Express. I raised the shipping issue over three months ago because of my poor experience in Canada with international shipments via private courier. If there is one thing this store needs to address it is international shipping, and I also strongly believe the best solution is the post office however antiquated and old fashioned this may seem for a Bitcoin store.

On a related note you may wish to take places such as Cuba, North Korea, Iran etc. out of your country list if you do not wish to run afoul of legislation in the United States. Seriously.

[Grix]

First of all, this is amazing. Exactly what bitcoin needed!

The main menu on the left is very buggy, though. Might want to fix that before beta period ends. For example, submenus will start popping in and out in an endless loop sometimes, even when the mouse has left the menu area.

[Daily Anarchist]

Any plans on selling food on BitcoinStore? That would be awesome!

[joecooin]

BitcoinStore.com is the world's first, Bitcoin only, super store.

Unfortunately it is not.

There was a Bitcoin superstore before, bitcoinz.ca, run by a fucker named awozny here on the forum, who delivered the first test-orders and ran off with our money when he got proper orders prepaid.

His real name is Anthony Wozny from Canada, has anyone ever heard from him again or could let me know where I could find him so I could physically let him experience what I think about scum like him?

Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your thread but CNR .

I am happy that you made this store and am looking forward to buying from you!

Joe

[FreeMoney]

BitcoinStore.com is the world's first, Bitcoin only, super store.

Unfortunately it is not.

There was a Bitcoin superstore before, bitcoinz.ca, run by a fucker named awozny here on the forum, who delivered the first test-orders and ran off with our money when he got proper orders prepaid.

His real name is Anthony Wozny from Canada, has anyone ever heard from him again or could let me know where I could find him so I could physically let him experience what I think about scum like him?

Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your thread but CNR .

I am happy that you made this store and am looking forward to buying from you!

Joe

bitcoinz.ca doesn't sound like a very super store to me.

[MemoryDealers]

They really need to use USPS for international orders to deal with these outrageous shipping costs.

USPS will be an international shipping method very soon.  I already applied for the account and am just waiting to receive the API credentials from USPS. Hopefully it can be online within this week!

I want to buy a Microsoft Surface with bitcoins.  Will you guys stock this item?

Yes,  this will be stocked soon.

For a Bitcoin only store it would be cool to implement some mouse-over effect to display the Ƀ-price of items or even better the $ on mouse-over.

Now prices for all items are displayed in BTC and USD

On a related note you may wish to take places such as Cuba, North Korea, Iran etc. out of your country list if you do not wish to run afoul of legislation in the United States. Seriously.

Done.  Thank you for the advice.

Any plans on selling food on BitcoinStore? That would be awesome!

This is an interesting idea that I will look into,  but it wont be in the immediate future.

Would like to see brand names in the links on the browse pages. Hard to navigate things that are just generically named like "20 inch monitor...".

Still working on this,  but it will happen very soon.

Price range links don't seem to work. In fact, categorization in general doesn't seem to be correct at all.

Price range links are fixed.  If you have other categorization suggestions,  please post them here.

Meh. How about we just get that bitcoin debit card already and then buy direct from Amazon.

Because Bitcoinstore.com is cheaper than Amazon for lots of things,  and especially so after you consider the fees that will be involved in loading the card.


Thank you to everyone who has already placed an order!

[ArticMine]

They really need to use USPS for international orders to deal with these outrageous shipping costs.

USPS will be an international shipping method very soon.  I already applied for the account and am just waiting to receive the API credentials from USPS. Hopefully it can be online within this week!

I want to buy a Microsoft Surface with bitcoins.  Will you guys stock this item?

Yes,  this will be stocked soon.

For a Bitcoin only store it would be cool to implement some mouse-over effect to display the Ƀ-price of items or even better the $ on mouse-over.

Now prices for all items are displayed in BTC and USD

On a related note you may wish to take places such as Cuba, North Korea, Iran etc. out of your country list if you do not wish to run afoul of legislation in the United States. Seriously.

Done.  Thank you for the advice.

Any plans on selling food on BitcoinStore? That would be awesome!

This is an interesting idea that I will look into,  but it wont be in the immediate future.

Would like to see brand names in the links on the browse pages. Hard to navigate things that are just generically named like "20 inch monitor...".

Still working on this,  but it will happen very soon.

Price range links don't seem to work. In fact, categorization in general doesn't seem to be correct at all.

Price range links are fixed.  If you have other categorization suggestions,  please post them here.

Meh. How about we just get that bitcoin debit card already and then buy direct from Amazon.

Because Bitcoinstore.com is cheaper than Amazon for lots of things,  and especially so after you consider the fees that will be involved in loading the card.


Thank you to everyone who has already placed an order!

Excellent!

[sharky112065]

Any plans to speed the site up? When I click on links, it takes a really long time before each page comes up.

[MemoryDealers]

Any plans to speed the site up? When I click on links, it takes a really long time before each page comes up.

Currently all the caching is turned off while we make site improvements. 
It will be turned back on soon and will speed things up a lot.

[flower1024]

searching for trim-slice (http://trimslice.com) or cubox (http://solid-run.com/) - but found nothing

and a nice hdd case like "Sharkoon 5-Bay RAID Box";

do you delievery to germany?
btw if you search for a product and found some results it would be nice to see in which categoriy the results where. would be much easier to continue your search.

regards & best luck
flower

[kjlimo]

This is frickin amazing! 

I hope you get some USB hubs soon. I'll need them for when my ASIC units show up in December.

[DobZombie]

Samsung 60" 120HZ LED TV

BitcoinStore $1,367.48

Please post your questions,  bug reports, and feature requests in the thread below.

That link gives me a 404.

Also why is it when you go to shipping it says there in a $1000 order minimum?

Also, when is shipping gonna get cheaper for International?  I'm keen

[sturle]

I'm looking for a laptop without Windows included.  I haven't used Windows since 1989, and don't want to pay for something I have no intention of using.  Why don't you sell any laptops without Windows?

[kjlimo]

Samsung 60" 120HZ LED TV

BitcoinStore $1,367.48

Please post your questions,  bug reports, and feature requests in the thread below.

That link gives me a 404.

Also why is it when you go to shipping it says there in a $1000 order minimum?

Also, when is shipping gonna get cheaper for International?  I'm keen

Right now there's a $1,000 minimum order I think.  It should be removed soon.

[MemoryDealers]

USPS International shipping options are now available.

For smaller shipments the rates appear to be about half that of FedEx.

[ArticMine]

USPS International shipping options are now available.

For smaller shipments the rates appear to be about half that of FedEx.

It depends on the item. For example for a motherboard to Canada

International Economy $44.88 (FedEx)

Priority Mail International Small Flat Rate Box $12.95 (USPS)
 
The main point is that the customer can now choose which makes the BitcoinStore very attractive to customers in Canada and many other international destinations. I will go as far as to say that this can impact the overall BTC / USD exchange rate.

[Lethn]

Finally! A normal looking store that doesn't immediately look like a scam or a ponzi scheme!

[jgarzik]

+1 keep it up!

[Piper67]

You just got yourself bookmarked 

[DobZombie]

USPS International shipping options are now available.

I just got a quote for a $350 laptop

Federal Express
 International Priority $350.90
 International Economy $356.02

Those were the only options available

[kjlimo]

I'm looking forward to comparing Cyber Monday deals and Black Friday deals to bitcoinstore deals.

I keep my purchases to that time of year, so this will affect my purchase habits.

However, I've done some compares of my own against Amazon & agree that this is cutting into Amazon margins!

Definitely will be discussing at the Thanksgiving table.

[MemoryDealers]

USPS International shipping options are now available.

I just got a quote for a $350 laptop

Federal Express
 International Priority $350.90
 International Economy $356.02

Those were the only options available

Can you provide the country and postal code along with the part numbers you were trying to order?
I am not currently able to reproduce your issue.
USPS currently shows as a shipping option.

[DobZombie]

USPS International shipping options are now available.

I just got a quote for a $350 laptop

Federal Express
 International Priority $350.90
 International Economy $356.02

Those were the only options available

Can you provide the country and postal code along with the part numbers you were trying to order?
I am not currently able to reproduce your issue.
USPS currently shows as a shipping option.

It seems to be fixed now, it's comming up $38 to ship a laptop to Australia

HAPPY DAYS

get ya post boxes ready Mr memorydealers, cuz I'm gonna buy a lot of stuff (soon)

[Liquid]

Yes cheap Shipping to Australia  

btw can you ship a laptop via Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope ?

[arklan]

Yes cheap Shipping to Australia  

btw can you ship a laptop via Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope ?

there is no way under known laws of physics that a packaged, new laptop would fit in one of those envelopes. unless someone invented a TARDIS and i missed it.

[MemoryDealers]

Yes cheap Shipping to Australia  

btw can you ship a laptop via Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope ?

there is no way under known laws of physics that a packaged, new laptop would fit in one of those envelopes. unless someone invented a TARDIS and i missed it.

We are still working on having the checkout automatically limit wich items are allowed with which shipping options.
There are 3 people actively working on improving the site so hopefully this can be resolved soon.

[MemoryDealers]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

http://www.bitcoinstore.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=3&limit=30&q=%22windows+8%22


You can now easily see the brand of each product in the thumb nails as well.

[cunicula]

I think you should default to list view and make the images of the products smaller. Also fill out the text descriptions.

If you look at Newegg, for example, product images are small relative to text descriptions. Also list view is the default.

Copy them. Presumably they know what they are doing. Even if they don't similarity to Newegg will make your store seem more trustworthy.

Finally, if you could pull up comparison prices from Newegg and list them side by side with yours, it might drive home the fact that you have lower prices on many products. This should be something I can pull up with a click or by running my mouse over something.

Are you going to get Windows 8 tablets? That is what I want for Christmas.

[Portnoy]

Are you going to get Windows 8 tablets? That is what I want for Christmas.

And what about the 32GB Nexus 7?   

[giszmo]

Any happy-customer-stories yet?

[kjlimo]

any deals for cyber monday or black friday or thanksgiving?  Do you have access to the same promotions that best buy, tigerdirect get?  or are you not in that realm at this point?

I'd love to be able to pass along links to amazing deals to others and help them get bicoins to buy them!

[MemoryDealers]

any deals for cyber monday or black friday or thanksgiving?  Do you have access to the same promotions that best buy, tigerdirect get?  or are you not in that realm at this point?

I'd love to be able to pass along links to amazing deals to others and help them get bicoins to buy them!

We are still in Beta,  so I don't think we will have any black friday deals or cyber monday deals until next year.

[kjlimo]

no worries.  I wasn't sure who was taking the cut when discounts were offered.  I'll hold off on pushing bitcoinstore until a week or two from now, b/c I think the everyday low prices  will be much more appealing after the craziness of the next few days is past us.

[MemoryDealers]

no worries.  I wasn't sure who was taking the cut when discounts were offered.  I'll hold off on pushing bitcoinstore until a week or two from now, b/c I think the everyday low prices  will be much more appealing after the craziness of the next few days is past us.

Within a week or two the $1,000 limit will be removed and the site will be much more user friendly in general.

[giszmo]

Any happy-customer-stories yet?

Sad there isn't any happy customer yet

[ingrownpocket]

Can you also add the option to see prices in Euros (€)?

[sturle]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

[Daily Anarchist]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

http://system76.com

[Vitalik Buterin]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

http://system76.com

I once bought a laptop from Zareason. Turned out to be a bad idea; got charged like $200 extra taxes when the laptop arrived. I think BitcoinStore would be in a perfect position to get the paperwork behind the international shipping properly sorted out so stuff like that wouldn't happen, and if they start selling Linux (or no-OS) laptops I would gladly buy my next one from them.

[Raoul Duke]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

http://system76.com

I once bought a laptop from Zareason. Turned out to be a bad idea; got charged like $200 extra taxes when the laptop arrived. I think BitcoinStore would be in a perfect position to get the paperwork behind the international shipping properly sorted out so stuff like that wouldn't happen, and if they start selling Linux (or no-OS) laptops I would gladly buy my next one from them.

No. No international store is responsible for the taxes due when packages arrive at your country. You're the one responsible for paying them. The only way they have to help you is if they lie on the value of the order(yeah, not happening).

[ArticMine]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

http://system76.com

I once bought a laptop from Zareason. Turned out to be a bad idea; got charged like $200 extra taxes when the laptop arrived. I think BitcoinStore would be in a perfect position to get the paperwork behind the international shipping properly sorted out so stuff like that wouldn't happen, and if they start selling Linux (or no-OS) laptops I would gladly buy my next one from them.

No. No international store is responsible for the taxes due when packages arrive at your country. You're the one responsible for paying them. The only way they have to help you is if they lie on the value of the order(yeah, not happening).

The key question in my mind here is who was the shipping company? If it was UPS I would not be surprised if the $200 in "taxes" consisted of $20 in actual taxes and $180 in "brokerage" charged by the shipping company the merchant selected. So while the store should not be held responsible for the $20 they must certainly be held responsible for the $180 because the merchant selected the shipping company.

In Canada avoiding this problem is very simple.  Avoid shipments by private couriers UPS, FedEx etc and only use USPS for US based shippers. This limits the "brokerage" and "bond" charges to CAD 8.50. I would check with the postal authorities in your country first to find out what the charge is; however I suspect it will be very reasonable since it is set by international postal regulations.

I visited the Zareason site and they no longer ship internationally since they were having many "fraudulent" orders. I suspect more often than not the customers where refusing the shipment and a making a chargeback on their credit cards when UPS or some other private courier pulled their "brokerage" scam.

For Canada I can say one thing Bitcoin + USPS is a killer combination.

[Fjordbit]

I think I don't understand how to select shipping. I put a laptop in my cart, and it gives me all of the below options. I'm pretty sure a laptop won't fit in a "Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope", but how am I to know on the other ones. And what's the deal with "Flat Rate"? IMO, this part needs to be more clear for a non-beta site.


United States Postal Service

        Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope $xx.xx
        Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box $xx.xx
        Library Mail $xx.xx
        Media Mail $xx.xx
        Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box $xx.xx
        Parcel Post $xx.xx
        Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box $xx.xx
        Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope Hold For Pickup $xx.xx
        Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope $xx.xx
        Priority Mail $xx.xx
        Express Mail $xx.xx
        Express Mail Hold For Pickup $xx.xx

Federal Express

        Express Saver $xx.xx
        2 Day $xx.xx
        2 Day AM $xx.xx
        Standard Overnight $xx.xx
        Priority Overnight $xx.xx
        First Overnight $xx.xx

Flat Rate

        Fixed $xx.xx

[phillipsjk]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

I have similar problems. I think less of any store that sells products that impose conditions on the user after sale. That includes proprietary software that you are not allowed to return (after finally being allowed to read the EULA), as well as computers bundled with Microsoft Windows or MacOS. However, it is not limited to that.

The world is moving from Copyright-based EULAs to Patent-based EULAs. These are stronger than copyright based EULAs because independent development is no longer a defence when selling a competing product. In fact, when you buy an Android phone, you are actually paying for a Windows Phone license. With Windows 7, the Pre-amble in the ELUA was changed from "By clicking 'Agree', you agreee..." to "By using the computer you agree...". Windows is further tied to the compter by a separate manufacturer EULA that claims  that Windows is an Integral component; and that you must return the entire computer if you do not agree to the Windows EULA.

I was tempted by the printer in the OP, because I have been trying unsuccessfully to buy a Laser printer for nearly two years. However, my experience with Lexmark and HP tell me it is no longer possible to buy a new printer with no strings attached. PCL 5 fonts and Cartridge recylcing program slip sounds to me like they may be using the Lexmark (Printing is a patented proccess) method.

I am not sure it is possible to sell half a million consumer electronic items while still respecting your customers. I fear things will get worse before they get better.

[kjlimo]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

I have similar problems. I think less of any store that sells products that impose conditions on the user after sale. That includes proprietary software that you are not allowed to return (after finally being allowed to read the EULA), as well as computers bundled with Microsoft Windows or MacOS. However, it is not limited to that.

The world is moving from Copyright-based EULAs to Patent-based EULAs. These are stronger than copyright based EULAs because independent development is no longer a defence when selling a competing product. In fact, when you buy an Android phone, you are actually paying for a Windows Phone license. With Windows 7, the Pre-amble in the ELUA was changed from "By clicking 'Agree', you agreee..." to "By using the computer you agree...". Windows is further tied to the compter by a separate manufacturer EULA that claims  that Windows is an Integral component; and that you must return the entire computer if you do not agree to the Windows EULA.

I was tempted by the printer in the OP, because I have been trying unsuccessfully to buy a Laser printer for nearly two years. However, my experience with Lexmark and HP tell me it is no longer possible to buy a new printer with no strings attached. PCL 5 fonts and Cartridge recylcing program slip sounds to me like they may be using the Lexmark (Printing is a patented proccess) method.

I am not sure it is possible to sell half a million consumer electronic items while still respecting your customers. I fear things will get worse before they get better.

Very interesting info, but does any of this have to do with Bitcoinstore.com?  I'm assuming you could say the same thing about ANY computer store, yes?

[phillipsjk]

...

I am not sure it is possible to sell half a million consumer electronic items while still respecting your customers. I fear things will get worse before they get better.

Very interesting info, but does any of this have to do with Bitcoinstore.com?  I'm assuming you could say the same thing about ANY computer store, yes?

Essentially. I think I was pointing out in a round-about way that no electronic super store can reasonably vet all of the products they sell against the whims of eccentrics like me. If you want Freedom, you will have trouble growing past the boutique level. Unfortunately, you lose economies of scale that way, since the free market assumes omnicient consumers in order to work. Put a different way, the marketplace rarely explains why good A has a lower price than good B.

[BitcoinStore]

...

I am not sure it is possible to sell half a million consumer electronic items while still respecting your customers. I fear things will get worse before they get better.

Very interesting info, but does any of this have to do with Bitcoinstore.com?  I'm assuming you could say the same thing about ANY computer store, yes?

Essentially. I think I was pointing out in a round-about way that no electronic super store can reasonably vet all of the products they sell against the whims of eccentrics like me. If you want Freedom, you will have trouble growing past the boutique level. Unfortunately, you lose economies of scale that way, since the free market assumes omnicient consumers in order to work. Put a different way, the marketplace rarely explains why good A has a lower price than good B.

We respect you by giving you as many choices as we can. That's one form of freedom right there. I think the point you make about selecting boutique quality products is a good one as well. Perhaps we can incorporate a heavily curated "featured" selection. If you have any suggestions about which products should go in that selection, please let us know!

... In other news, Linux thin client here: http://www.bitcoinstore.com/wyse-desktop-slimline-thin-client-amd-t52r-1-50-ghz.html - I couldn't find a Linux laptop unfortunately. We are currently restricted in selection by our suppliers. I'm sure in a couple months time we will include more suppliers and more varied products.

I apologize about the lack of "free" laptops. I'm assuming you're a FSF member?

Thanks,
-Jon

[BitcoinStore]

Windows 8 Laptops and desktops are now on sale!

I'll try my question again: How about laptops without Windows?  Windows is an expensive piece malware I don't need, and I certainly don't want to pay for it.

Hi!

We don't have Linux, or no-os, laptops yet. We do have some Linux thin clients though. I personally get a sort of vindictive pleasure when erasing Windows from computers... But I do understand your hesitation at purchasing laptops with Windows. I'll see what we can do to increase our selection!

Thanks,
-Jon

[phillipsjk]

We respect you by giving you as many choices as we can. That's one form of freedom right there. I think the point you make about selecting boutique quality products is a good one as well. Perhaps we can incorporate a heavily curated "featured" selection. If you have any suggestions about which products should go in that selection, please let us know!

... In other news, Linux thin client here: http://www.bitcoinstore.com/wyse-desktop-slimline-thin-client-amd-t52r-1-50-ghz.html - I couldn't find a Linux laptop unfortunately. We are currently restricted in selection by our suppliers. I'm sure in a couple months time we will include more suppliers and more varied products.

I apologize about the lack of "free" laptops. I'm assuming you're a FSF member?

Thanks,
-Jon

I have always wondered where to get those: I see them in use, but they are not sold at local retailers. They are used on the floor at local retailers, but not available for sale

I guess what promped my mini-rant is that as I said, I am tempted by the Dell printer, but don't know if it tries to impose conditions on the user after sale. Does Dell try to claim ownership of the print cartridges? Are the print cartridges region-coded? Does the printer explicitly support PCL5? I have to ask these questions because I failed to during previous printer purchases: which resulted in returns. From a bad experience with a Canadian online retailer I otherwise like, I learned that they are not able to correct misleading or vague copy from the manufacturer. I assume this is also the case with your store.

I don't think I am formally a FSF member, but I do share their ideals. I have a "Free" laptop (Lemote YeeLoong). I have not gotten around to implementing 2D video accelaration yet. The drivers bundled with X.org assume a VESA BIOS
I managed to break the keyboard connector trying to take the thing appart, but I doubt the SMT component can be purchased in lots of less than 10,000.

[BitcoinStore]

We respect you by giving you as many choices as we can. That's one form of freedom right there. I think the point you make about selecting boutique quality products is a good one as well. Perhaps we can incorporate a heavily curated "featured" selection. If you have any suggestions about which products should go in that selection, please let us know!

... In other news, Linux thin client here: http://www.bitcoinstore.com/wyse-desktop-slimline-thin-client-amd-t52r-1-50-ghz.html - I couldn't find a Linux laptop unfortunately. We are currently restricted in selection by our suppliers. I'm sure in a couple months time we will include more suppliers and more varied products.

I apologize about the lack of "free" laptops. I'm assuming you're a FSF member?

Thanks,
-Jon

I have always wondered where to get those: I see them in use, but they are not sold at local retailers. They are used on the floor at local retailers, but not available for sale

I guess what promped my mini-rant is that as I said, I am tempted by the Dell printer, but don't know if it tries to impose conditions on the user after sale. Does Dell try to claim ownership of the print cartridges? Are the print cartridges region-coded? Does the printer explicitly support PCL5? I have to ask these questions because I failed to during previous printer purchases: which resulted in returns. From a bad experience with a Canadian online retailer I otherwise like, I learned that they are not able to correct misleading or vague copy from the manufacturer. I assume this is also the case with your store.

I don't think I am formally a FSF member, but I do share their ideals. I have a "Free" laptop (Lemote YeeLoong). I have not gotten around to implementing 2D video accelaration yet. The drivers bundled with X.org assume a VESA BIOS
I managed to break the keyboard connector trying to take the thing appart, but I doubt the SMT component can be purchased in lots of less than 10,000.

I would love to go through and fact check the copy we get sent. But that'd be 500,000 products to check, with an estimated researching time of 10 minutes per product; we're talking about 3472.22 days of researching/updating. Obviously impractical. Can you paste the link to the specific printer you have your eye on?

We're still a small operation, but I can assure you that we'll do our best to do right by our customers.

I'm not a FSF member either, but I have friends who believe strongly in their ideals. I think they, like Bitcoin, still have a long way to go both internally and externally. Both groups see a future which is more efficient and even idealistic. Change is always a struggle though.

Thanks,
-Jon

[kjlimo]

We respect you by giving you as many choices as we can. That's one form of freedom right there. I think the point you make about selecting boutique quality products is a good one as well. Perhaps we can incorporate a heavily curated "featured" selection. If you have any suggestions about which products should go in that selection, please let us know!

... In other news, Linux thin client here: http://www.bitcoinstore.com/wyse-desktop-slimline-thin-client-amd-t52r-1-50-ghz.html - I couldn't find a Linux laptop unfortunately. We are currently restricted in selection by our suppliers. I'm sure in a couple months time we will include more suppliers and more varied products.

I apologize about the lack of "free" laptops. I'm assuming you're a FSF member?

Thanks,
-Jon

I have always wondered where to get those: I see them in use, but they are not sold at local retailers. They are used on the floor at local retailers, but not available for sale

I guess what promped my mini-rant is that as I said, I am tempted by the Dell printer, but don't know if it tries to impose conditions on the user after sale. Does Dell try to claim ownership of the print cartridges? Are the print cartridges region-coded? Does the printer explicitly support PCL5? I have to ask these questions because I failed to during previous printer purchases: which resulted in returns. From a bad experience with a Canadian online retailer I otherwise like, I learned that they are not able to correct misleading or vague copy from the manufacturer. I assume this is also the case with your store.

I don't think I am formally a FSF member, but I do share their ideals. I have a "Free" laptop (Lemote YeeLoong). I have not gotten around to implementing 2D video accelaration yet. The drivers bundled with X.org assume a VESA BIOS
I managed to break the keyboard connector trying to take the thing appart, but I doubt the SMT component can be purchased in lots of less than 10,000.

I would love to go through and fact check the copy we get sent. But that'd be 500,000 products to check, with an estimated researching time of 10 minutes per product; we're talking about 3472.22 days of researching/updating. Obviously impractical. Can you paste the link to the specific printer you have your eye on?

We're still a small operation, but I can assure you that we'll do our best to do right by our customers.

I'm not a FSF member either, but I have friends who believe strongly in their ideals. I think they, like Bitcoin, still have a long way to go both internally and externally. Both groups see a future which is more efficient and even idealistic. Change is always a struggle though.

Thanks,
-Jon

Jon, I appreciate you reaching out to this guy, but it sounds like as I suspected, this is not a bitcoin issue.  Perhaps the value you are providing this guy will keep him as a customer, but I'm guessing every Best Buy/Amazon deals this this same issue and doesn't offer that service to their clients of reviewing copy, etc. 

Feel free to knock out this one situation/customer, but I'd prefer if you get back to focusing on selling the same electronic goods as Amazon, etc. for cheaper for bitcoin.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that's your business model and should be your priority number 1.  There's nothing wrong with you focusing on that. 

If for some reason I run into a second person in this world looking for that boutique level of service (even tho this guy said those units are setup, but not for sale), then, perhaps this can be added to your company's mission statement. 

At this time, I'd recommend a separate website/service that is a natural extension of another boutique store that offers this service so you can get back to being the cheapest provider of the exact same electronic goods as what everyone else is selling.

Just my two satoshis!

Happy bitcoin halving day! (depending on your country)

[BitcoinStore]

We respect you by giving you as many choices as we can. That's one form of freedom right there. I think the point you make about selecting boutique quality products is a good one as well. Perhaps we can incorporate a heavily curated "featured" selection. If you have any suggestions about which products should go in that selection, please let us know!

... In other news, Linux thin client here: http://www.bitcoinstore.com/wyse-desktop-slimline-thin-client-amd-t52r-1-50-ghz.html - I couldn't find a Linux laptop unfortunately. We are currently restricted in selection by our suppliers. I'm sure in a couple months time we will include more suppliers and more varied products.

I apologize about the lack of "free" laptops. I'm assuming you're a FSF member?

Thanks,
-Jon

I have always wondered where to get those: I see them in use, but they are not sold at local retailers. They are used on the floor at local retailers, but not available for sale

I guess what promped my mini-rant is that as I said, I am tempted by the Dell printer, but don't know if it tries to impose conditions on the user after sale. Does Dell try to claim ownership of the print cartridges? Are the print cartridges region-coded? Does the printer explicitly support PCL5? I have to ask these questions because I failed to during previous printer purchases: which resulted in returns. From a bad experience with a Canadian online retailer I otherwise like, I learned that they are not able to correct misleading or vague copy from the manufacturer. I assume this is also the case with your store.

I don't think I am formally a FSF member, but I do share their ideals. I have a "Free" laptop (Lemote YeeLoong). I have not gotten around to implementing 2D video accelaration yet. The drivers bundled with X.org assume a VESA BIOS
I managed to break the keyboard connector trying to take the thing appart, but I doubt the SMT component can be purchased in lots of less than 10,000.

I would love to go through and fact check the copy we get sent. But that'd be 500,000 products to check, with an estimated researching time of 10 minutes per product; we're talking about 3472.22 days of researching/updating. Obviously impractical. Can you paste the link to the specific printer you have your eye on?

We're still a small operation, but I can assure you that we'll do our best to do right by our customers.

I'm not a FSF member either, but I have friends who believe strongly in their ideals. I think they, like Bitcoin, still have a long way to go both internally and externally. Both groups see a future which is more efficient and even idealistic. Change is always a struggle though.

Thanks,
-Jon

Jon, I appreciate you reaching out to this guy, but it sounds like as I suspected, this is not a bitcoin issue.  Perhaps the value you are providing this guy will keep him as a customer, but I'm guessing every Best Buy/Amazon deals this this same issue and doesn't offer that service to their clients of reviewing copy, etc. 

Feel free to knock out this one situation/customer, but I'd prefer if you get back to focusing on selling the same electronic goods as Amazon, etc. for cheaper for bitcoin.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that's your business model and should be your priority number 1.  There's nothing wrong with you focusing on that. 

If for some reason I run into a second person in this world looking for that boutique level of service (even tho this guy said those units are setup, but not for sale), then, perhaps this can be added to your company's mission statement. 

At this time, I'd recommend a separate website/service that is a natural extension of another boutique store that offers this service so you can get back to being the cheapest provider of the exact same electronic goods as what everyone else is selling.

Just my two satoshis!

Happy bitcoin halving day! (depending on your country)

I reached the same conclusion! The end goal of this store is to provide a service to the Bitcoin community and, at the same time, a challenge to Amazon and NewEgg to beat our pricing. That is the priority. But if we don't fulfill our customer need, that goal will not be reached. We need to hit quarterly sales numbers. So while low pricing is high priority, retaining customers will be necessary to do so.

I was going to review the item this fellow mentioned and see how misleading the copy we provide is. I think that in general we don't provide too much copy so perhaps an informational page with links to assist customers in researching products could help.

Thank you both for continuing to help polish the store!

-Jon

[damnek]

First of all, this is amazing. Exactly what bitcoin needed!

The main menu on the left is very buggy, though. Might want to fix that before beta period ends. For example, submenus will start popping in and out in an endless loop sometimes, even when the mouse has left the menu area.

I agree. Although the idea of the menu is kinda cool, I think it's better if it somehow flipped out to the right. Sometimes the menu doesn't fit on my screen, and then I have to scroll..
Another tiny issue I have is that the default quantity is set to 0, which is misleading because when I press add to cart it does add that item once.

[phillipsjk]

Jon, I appreciate you reaching out to this guy, but it sounds like as I suspected, this is not a bitcoin issue.  Perhaps the value you are providing this guy will keep him as a customer, but I'm guessing every Best Buy/Amazon deals this this same issue and doesn't offer that service to their clients of reviewing copy, etc.  

Feel free to knock out this one situation/customer, but I'd prefer if you get back to focusing on selling the same electronic goods as Amazon, etc. for cheaper for bitcoin.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that's your business model and should be your priority number 1.  There's nothing wrong with you focusing on that.  

I came to the same conclusion as well. One of my reasons for my posts was to explain to the guy asking for Windows-free laptops why he is not likely to get them from an online superstore. I am also hinting that if this store is successfull, it may leave room for more specialzed boutique stores. My arguments apply to non-electronic goods like fair-trade coffee as well.

I was also cautioning Bitcoinstore staff that this new business venture is not the same as Memorydealers (in case they did not know that already). My posts are all over the map, so perhaps I did not make myself clear.

For specifics, discussion should be moved to PM. I was talking about the Printer featured in the Original post of this tread. The Dell website really does not have any additional information. For more information, I would probably have to contact Dell directly. Tangent: even that does not work sometimes; I asked HP about what protocol one of their wireless keyboards uses. They did not know. The rep told me "Verbatim." Verbatim could not answer the same question about their similar keyboard likely made by the same nameless manufacturer. The misleading copy was a $10 product I purchased from another online store. The vague copy was a simlar product, but that is all I know (I did not want to spend another $10 shipping a $10 product back).

[BitcoinStore]

Jon, I appreciate you reaching out to this guy, but it sounds like as I suspected, this is not a bitcoin issue.  Perhaps the value you are providing this guy will keep him as a customer, but I'm guessing every Best Buy/Amazon deals this this same issue and doesn't offer that service to their clients of reviewing copy, etc.  

Feel free to knock out this one situation/customer, but I'd prefer if you get back to focusing on selling the same electronic goods as Amazon, etc. for cheaper for bitcoin.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that's your business model and should be your priority number 1.  There's nothing wrong with you focusing on that.  

I came to the same conclusion as well. One of my reasons for my posts was to explain to the guy asking for Windows-free laptops why he is not likely to get them from an online superstore. I am also hinting that if this store is successfull, it may leave room for more specialzed boutique stores. My arguments apply to non-electronic goods like fair-trade coffee as well.

I was also cautioning Bitcoinstore staff that this new business venture is not the same as Memorydealers (in case they did not know that already). My posts are all over the map, so perhaps I did not make myself clear.

For specifics, discussion should be moved to PM. I was talking about the Printer featured in the Original post of this tread. The Dell website really does not have any additional information. For more information, I would probably have to contact Dell directly. Tangent: even that does not work sometimes; I asked HP about what protocol one of their wireless keyboards uses. They did not know. The rep told me "Verbatim." Verbatim could not answer the same question about their similar keyboard likely made by the same nameless manufacturer. The misleading copy was a $10 product I purchased from another online store. The vague copy was a simlar product, but that is all I know (I did not want to spend another $10 shipping a $10 product back).

Here's the best information I can find on the product: http://www.dell.com/downloads/emea/products/printer/datasheets/2350d_dn%204pg%20emea%20broch_a4%20final%20hr.pdf

Cheers,
-Jon

[BitcoinStore]

First of all, this is amazing. Exactly what bitcoin needed!

The main menu on the left is very buggy, though. Might want to fix that before beta period ends. For example, submenus will start popping in and out in an endless loop sometimes, even when the mouse has left the menu area.

I agree. Although the idea of the menu is kinda cool, I think it's better if it somehow flipped out to the right. Sometimes the menu doesn't fit on my screen, and then I have to scroll..
Another tiny issue I have is that the default quantity is set to 0, which is misleading because when I press add to cart it does add that item once.

Thanks! I added both suggestions to our list of requested features.

Keep the suggestions coming!

-Jon

[Fjordbit]

It seems to only offer Flat Rate now. Is that right?

I think I don't understand how to select shipping. I put a laptop in my cart, and it gives me all of the below options. I'm pretty sure a laptop won't fit in a "Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope", but how am I to know on the other ones. And what's the deal with "Flat Rate"? IMO, this part needs to be more clear for a non-beta site.

[BitcoinStore]

It seems to only offer Flat Rate now. Is that right?

I think I don't understand how to select shipping. I put a laptop in my cart, and it gives me all of the below options. I'm pretty sure a laptop won't fit in a "Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope", but how am I to know on the other ones. And what's the deal with "Flat Rate"? IMO, this part needs to be more clear for a non-beta site.

We're currently fixing the shipping module. We'll be offering as many shipping options that make feasible sense for the dimensions of products you are purchasing.

Cheers,
-Jon

[Technomage]

The menu on the site is outright unusable. Worst menu on any store I've used recently. It flickers all over the place and is extremely difficult to navigate with any kind of precision.

I'm using the newest Opera browser by the way. When you fix the menu and take the $1000 limit off, I'll be happy. The site is extremely promising but certain things can really be a problem if not addressed.

[MemoryDealers]

The menu on the site is outright unusable. Worst menu on any store I've used recently.

This will be fixed shortly,  and the $1,000 minimum will be removed soon too.

One of the issues causing the delay is properly calculating the sales tax for the various states, and counties within each state.
Just one more example of politicians making the world a poorer place than it otherwise would be.

 

[irritant]

do you have http://www.bitcoinstore.com/belkin-gigabit-powerline-hd-starter-kit.html with EU plug?   

[kjlimo]

Paypal just sent me this:

Good tidings come in threes.
Mr. ABC,

This holiday season, check out with PayPal to receive:

•   Price Matching

•   Return Shipping on Us*

•   Give Now, Pay Later

I'm curious if we can use BitcoinStore as a credible source for price matching...

I know you want the business, but perhaps this is another way to work bitcoinstore.com into conversations with people.

In case it doesn't go without saying, feel free to explain (give ammunition) why bitcoinstore.com is better than any site accepting Paypal.

[BitcoinStore]

Paypal just sent me this:

Good tidings come in threes.
Mr. ABC,

This holiday season, check out with PayPal to receive:

•   Price Matching

•   Return Shipping on Us*

•   Give Now, Pay Later

I'm curious if we can use BitcoinStore as a credible source for price matching...

I know you want the business, but perhaps this is another way to work bitcoinstore.com into conversations with people.

In case it doesn't go without saying, feel free to explain (give ammunition) why bitcoinstore.com is better than any site accepting Paypal.

Try it out and report back!

[MemoryDealers]

One of the main goals of Bitcoinstore.com is to put pressure on existing merchants to accept Bitcoin in order to be able to match our prices.

By using Bitcoinstore.com as a reference for this paypal offer,  it will help put additional pressure.
We will do whatever we can to assist in the claim process with paypal as well.

[Remember remember the 5th of November]

One of the main goals of Bitcoinstore.com is to put pressure on existing merchants to accept Bitcoin in order to be able to match our prices.

By using Bitcoinstore.com as a reference for this paypal offer,  it will help put additional pressure.
We will do whatever we can to assist in the claim process with paypal as well.

Has it reaped success? I would hate to see a good site like that get closed cause no one used it.

[MemoryDealers]

Has it reaped success? I would hate to see a good site like that get closed cause no one used it.

Don't worry.
It won't be closed.   There are basically 3 full time people working on it each day to improve it.
The $1,000 minimum order should be removed very very soon as well.

[kjlimo]

Rock on.  Is there anything else we can be doing to support you?

Other than recommending people check you out.

Using you for a price guarantee.

If I had a personal need, I'd try shopping there, but right now I don't really need anything.

I'm certainly spreading the good word though.

Anything else?

[kjlimo]

My father-in-law just bought this:


http://www.bitcoinstore.com/netgear-r6200-wireless-router-ieee-802-11ac.html

$196.42

Netgear R6200 11AC DUAL BAND WIFI

Sorry, he didn't ask me before buying it at Best Buy, so I'll see if I can convince him to try the price matching...

Will report back, but he may not do it for 2-3 dollars.  We'll see how much we're talking about.

Quick question:

Subtotal    $196.42
Shipping & Handling (Flat Rate - Fixed)   $4.99
Grand Total    $201.41

This is what I get when I add shipping & tax estimate... is there no tax b/c you're shipping across state lines?

I suppose that's the online loophole where any online site isn't paying sales taxes for out of state sales?

Thanks in advance for any confirmation!

[MemoryDealers]

This is what I get when I add shipping & tax estimate... is there no tax b/c you're shipping across state lines?

Until the law changes,  we are only required to charge tax in CA, TN, and MA.

I may be able to move the business outside of CA at some point and eliminate the need for Sales tax in CA as well.

[Grix]

Is the website loading very slowly for anyone else? It takes like 5-10 seconds to load for me.

[kjlimo]

This is what I get when I add shipping & tax estimate... is there no tax b/c you're shipping across state lines?

Until the law changes,  we are only required to charge tax in CA, TN, and MA.

I may be able to move the business outside of CA at some point and eliminate the need for Sales tax in CA as well.

Rock on, I'll pass that info along to my Father-in-Law

[Dusty]

Is the website loading very slowly for anyone else? It takes like 5-10 seconds to load for me.

Yes, it's painfully slow for me too, almost to the point to be unusable.

[thebaron]

Is the website loading very slowly for anyone else? It takes like 5-10 seconds to load for me.

Yes, it's painfully slow for me too, almost to the point to be unusable.

I would assume the reason for that is that the site is on a very simple server setup just to beta test things with the public. Would also explain why there aren't any live development changes.

[thebaron]

But, really, I'm going to order some computer hardware soon and I'd rather spend it here then elsewhere. Just not a grand worth...

[meebs]

Is the website loading very slowly for anyone else? It takes like 5-10 seconds to load for me.

Yes, it's painfully slow for me too, almost to the point to be unusable.

I was just using it a few minutes ago and it seemed about as fast as amazon/newegg.

[Coinabul]

But, really, I'm going to order some computer hardware soon and I'd rather spend it here then elsewhere. Just not a grand worth...

I would suggest working with other community members to consolidate multiple orders into one order worth $1000+. Just make sure the person it gets sent to is trustworthy enough to ship it out to everyone else!

You could even ask your friends irl if anyone needs hardware and consolidate an order that way.

[kjlimo]

They should be removing the $1,000 minimum soon.

[Fjordbit]

They should be removing the $1,000 minimum soon.

In 4-6 weeks?

[kjlimo]

They should be removing the $1,000 minimum soon.

In 4-6 weeks?

haha, while it make be starting off looking that way, I'd give a little slack.  Hopefully out of BETA by 2013?  Seems like a reasonable goal.

I don't work for them, but support their motives!

[thebaron]

But, really, I'm going to order some computer hardware soon and I'd rather spend it here then elsewhere. Just not a grand worth...

I would suggest working with other community members to consolidate multiple orders into one order worth $1000+. Just make sure the person it gets sent to is trustworthy enough to ship it out to everyone else!

You could even ask your friends irl if anyone needs hardware and consolidate an order that way.

Oh comon, I'm not going to go through that much trouble in reality.

[kjlimo]

Ok, so I didn't by a tv on Black Friday.

Any chance you'll have some Super Bowl specials?  We'll be revisiting our TV purchasing decision at the end of January.

We're looking for a 40 inch for the bed room & a 55 to 65 inch LED smart TV for the family room.

[gabbynot]

500,000 items but no Apple products?!?

Regardless, great store...I wish you the best of luck.

[MemoryDealers]

500,000 items but no Apple products?!?

Apple isn't currently accepting any new resellers,  so no Apple products.

[MemoryDealers]

The $1000 minimum has been removed.

You may now place orders for any amount.

Free shipping on orders over $100

Please give us a try and provide your feedback.

www.bitcoinstore.com

[Tacticat]

The $1000 minimum has been removed.

You may now place orders for any amount.

Free shipping on orders over $100

Please give us a try and provide your feedback.

www.bitcoinstore.com

Awesome! Looking forward to it.

[fornit]

how can you search inside a category?

btw: still very slow

[BitcoinStore]

Do you ship to Canada?

Yes, you should see international shipping options on checkout.

[Fjordbit]

When I placed my order, it gave me the option of Free Shipping for $0 and Flat Shipping for $4.99. I went with the Free, but I was wondering what the difference was. If Flat is faster, it may be good to state that there.

[MemoryDealers]

When I placed my order, it gave me the option of Free Shipping for $0 and Flat Shipping for $4.99. I went with the Free, but I was wondering what the difference was. If Flat is faster, it may be good to state that there.

I made it a little bit clearer.
The text currently reads:

Standard Shipping
 FREE for orders over $100


Standard Shipping
 $4.99 for orders under $100

[Kupsi]

The exchange rate when calculating prices in USD seems a little low?

[etotheipi]

You should add a "message" or "label" to the "Click to Pay" URL.  Perhaps something like "Bitcoinstore.com order# 18272542".  Then you are autodocumenting the transactions for the users, and you'll appreciate them having easy access to the order number when they contact you for various reasons.

Technically it should go in the "message" field, but I think Bitcoin-Qt doesn't really use that field, so I think it has to go under "label."  I've talked to them about making the "message" field useful (marking the transaction, instead of the address), but they don't do it, yet.

[MemoryDealers]

The exchange rate when calculating prices in USD seems a little low?

This displayed exchange rate has been fixed.
The exchange rate at checkout is always calculated by Bitpay via their formula: https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-exchange-rates
This way the customer is always guaranteed to get the very best rate possible for their Bitcoins.

[MemoryDealers]

You should add a "message" or "label" to the "Click to Pay" URL.  Perhaps something like "Bitcoinstore.com order# 18272542".  Then you are autodocumenting the transactions for the users, and you'll appreciate them having easy access to the order number when they contact you for various reasons.

Technically it should go in the "message" field, but I think Bitcoin-Qt doesn't really use that field, so I think it has to go under "label."  I've talked to them about making the "message" field useful (marking the transaction, instead of the address), but they don't do it, yet.

This sounds like more of a comment for Bitpay.com since the checkout is handled by them.
I don't see it as much of a problem currently since all the information is emailed to the customer as soon as they place their order.

In other good news,  the new side menu should be online within the next 24 hours.

Please keep the suggestions and requests coming!

[etotheipi]

You should add a "message" or "label" to the "Click to Pay" URL.  Perhaps something like "Bitcoinstore.com order# 18272542".  Then you are autodocumenting the transactions for the users, and you'll appreciate them having easy access to the order number when they contact you for various reasons.

Technically it should go in the "message" field, but I think Bitcoin-Qt doesn't really use that field, so I think it has to go under "label."  I've talked to them about making the "message" field useful (marking the transaction, instead of the address), but they don't do it, yet.

This sounds like more of a comment for Bitpay.com since the checkout is handled by them.
I don't see it as much of a problem currently since all the information is emailed to the customer as soon as they place their order.

The issue is not that the user needs the information in their Bitcoin client, but they can't just leave the label blank or else they'll never know what any of their addresses  or transactions were used for.  Some are too lazy to type in their own description, and if they don't, they'll have fun trying to find old emails at a later time to cross-reference against their BTC transaction history.  Most importantly, when the merchant does it, they get a nice uniform labeling that clusters all their purchases together when they sort their tx history by label.  

On top of that, it's stupid simple to implement, and it makes shopping with BTC literally a few clicks (plus maybe an encryption passphrase).  I'd hate to see something so simple and useful go unused.

I can email BitPay about it, but I'm not a customer of theirs.  I figured I'd persuade you to see the value and request it yourself

[MemoryDealers]

.

[MemoryDealers]

@SlickTheNick


Please keep it in the other threads.

Thanks!

[mccorvic]

Just made my first purchase on bitcoinstore.com and will update here with my experience:

Store: Very nice presentation for a BTC based website   Also had a lot more items than I was expecting!  I noticed some slow down at times when doing searches for items.

Purchasing:  Completely painless. Checkout process similar to those of any other online retailer.

Delivery: Got my product in less than 5 days! The order was processed and shipped within a few hours of putting in my order

Actual Product: Product was brand new and in perfect condition. 

[DannyHamilton]

. . . Please keep it in the other threads . . .

You locked your other thread.

I can not recommend bitcoinstore.com to anybody.  I understand that they are frustrated with the loss of the bitcoins that they accidentally sent, and I realize that the "right thing to do" for the person who received those bitcoins was to return them.  However, that does not make your abuse of special access to blockchain.info allowed you as an employee any less inappropriate.  As far as I'm concerned the abuse of this access was at least as inappropriate as the failure of the person receiving the extra bitcoin to return them.

EDIT: blockchain.info has acted in a responsible way and removed from MemoryDealers all future access to personal information.  As such this post has been edited to make it clear that blockchain.info is not responsible for the actions of this particular ex-employee.

[piuk]

I cannot in good faith (and will not) recommend blockchain.info to anybody ever again unless they do one of the following:

I posted my response here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=131608.msg1409489#msg1409489

[DannyHamilton]

I cannot in good faith (and will not) recommend blockchain.info to anybody ever again unless they do one of the following:

I posted my response here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=131608.msg1409489#msg1409489

And I have responded. Thank you for confirming that bitcoinstore.com no longer has the ability to access any of the personal information of blockchain.info's users in any way.  I'll take you at your word, please don't violate this trust.

EDIT: blockchain.info has acted in a responsible way and removed from MemoryDealers all future access to personal information.  They could not know in advance that MemoryDealers would abuse the access allowed them as an employee.  As such this post has been edited to make it clear that blockchain.info is not responsible for the actions of this particular ex-employee.

[nimda]

I am nimda and I approve this message

[MemoryDealers]

Recent updates include:

1.  New and improved side menu.
2. Greatly improved site performance.  (much less waiting)

More updates are coming soon.

[HostFat]

I just did a check.

All these items are still showed on the store, but if I click it says that there aren't. (and there are more with this problem)
I think that you should find a way to automatic filter for items no more available.

http://www.bitcoinstore.com/samsung-830-mz-7pc512b-ww-512-gb-2-5-quot-internal-solid-state-drive.html
http://www.bitcoinstore.com/samsung-galaxy-note-gt-n8013-10-1-quot-16-gb-tablet-wi-fi-1-40-ghz-white.html
http://www.bitcoinstore.com/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-quot-16-gb-tablet-1-40-ghz-metallic-gray.html

[chriswilmer]

I figured someone else would have mentioned this by now (sorry if someone did and I missed it), but the price category defaults are a little strange. My choices are often "$0 - $9999" and then "$10,000 - "19,999" when I am looking at something like printers or computer monitors. When I go to other electronic store websites, I often pick a price category and then browse for something I might want, but I can't do that easily here.
(bonus: add a custom price range)

[nimda]

I'd advise you improve the search functionality. Right now, if I want a 64 GB flash drive, and I search for it, I get flash drives from 2gb on up. In fact, it seems to ignore numbers altogether, though the number is often the most important thing when searching for electronics.

[MemoryDealers]

I figured someone else would have mentioned this by now (sorry if someone did and I missed it), but the price category defaults are a little strange. My choices are often "$0 - $9999" and then "$10,000 - "19,999" when I am looking at something like printers or computer monitors. When I go to other electronic store websites, I often pick a price category and then browse for something I might want, but I can't do that easily here.
(bonus: add a custom price range)

This issue has been fixed.
The current price ranges are now:
$0.00 - $49.99
$50.00 - $99.99
$100.00 - $249.99
$250.00 - $499.99
$500.00 - $999.99
$1,000.00 - $2,999.99
$3,000.00 - $4,999.99
$5,000.00 - $7,999.99
$8,000.00 and above

and the customer will be able to choose custom price ranges soon.

The other issues people mentioned will be fixed soon as well.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

I figured someone else would have mentioned this by now (sorry if someone did and I missed it), but the price category defaults are a little strange. My choices are often "$0 - $9999" and then "$10,000 - "19,999" when I am looking at something like printers or computer monitors. When I go to other electronic store websites, I often pick a price category and then browse for something I might want, but I can't do that easily here.
(bonus: add a custom price range)

This issue has been fixed.
The current price ranges are now:
$0.00 - $49.99
$50.00 - $99.99
$100.00 - $249.99
$250.00 - $499.99
$500.00 - $999.99
$1,000.00 - $2,999.99
$3,000.00 - $4,999.99
$5,000.00 - $7,999.99
$8,000.00 and above

and the customer will be able to choose custom price ranges soon.

The other issues people mentioned will be fixed soon as well.

Any tweak to make the customer's experience more pleasant is a plus in my book. Sometimes a business doesn't know there's an issue unless it's brought to their attention, this being a fine example.

Keep up the good work, Roger.

~Bruno K~

[btcinstant]

Any tweak to make the customer's experience more pleasant is a plus in my book. Sometimes a business doesn't know there's an issue unless it's brought to their attention, this being a fine example.

Keep up the good work, Roger.

~Bruno K~

I agree w/ Bruno keep up the good work Roger!

[BkkCoins]

Recent updates include:

1.  New and improved side menu.
2. Greatly improved site performance.  (much less waiting)

More updates are coming soon.

Really? I just hit the site for the first time yesterday and it's been very slow for me. Maybe you're experiencing more traffic than expected, which is good, but just letting you know when I search for an item it takes a long time before I see results. I mean like more than 15 seconds. I find myself wanting to head over to Amazon even though I do want to use bitcoins.

I congratulate you on a wide assortment as well. In reality 500k items must not be enough as I still find that I hesitate to place an order because I'd have to split between multiple vendors. eg. I want a battery charger, and your price is great, but to offset the $5 shipping I'd want to add ear buds, batteries, and a silicone case. And none of the ones I want there are available so again I find myself going back to Amazon. I know you're working on improving this so I'm just expressing my opinion about why I haven't yet managed to place an order, despite wanting to. To your advantage is that I don't think you charge WA state tax since you have no offices here (well, I'm assuming this).

Items I wanted but couldn't find: JLabs J3 ear buds, Eneloop 4xAAA batteries, any no-name silicone case for Sansa Fuze.

[MemoryDealers]

Items I wanted but couldn't find: JLabs J3 ear buds, Eneloop 4xAAA batteries, any no-name silicone case for Sansa Fuze.

1. The Eneloop batteries should be listed on the site (but aren't)
I will look into what is causing them not to show up,  and should have the problem fixed soon.

2. Unfortunately Jlabs is not one of the brands carried by our current distributor, and they also don't have cases for the Sansa Fuze.
In the future we will add additional distributors but this is still at least a month or two out, and adds a significant amount of complexity to the import system.

The good news is that if you are in the market for the Sansa Fuze itself we are MUCH cheaper than Amazon!

SanDisk 8GB SANSA FUZE+ MP3 PLAYER:
Bitcoin store $76.99 
Amazon $122.72 

[cypherdoc]

do you sell ubuntu laptops?  i get nothing when i search for "linux or ubuntu laptop".

[MemoryDealers]

do you sell ubuntu laptops?  i get nothing when i search for "linux or ubuntu laptop".

Unfortunately none of the major manufacturers seem to support this kind of thing.
I think the best I can do at this point is recommend asking someone like www.system76.com to accept bitcoins,
or buy a standard laptop from bitcoinstore.com and install ubuntu on it once you receive it.

[BkkCoins]

Items I wanted but couldn't find: JLabs J3 ear buds, Eneloop 4xAAA batteries, any no-name silicone case for Sansa Fuze.

1. The Eneloop batteries should be listed on the site (but aren't)
I will look into what is causing them not to show up,  and should have the problem fixed soon.

2. Unfortunately Jlabs is not one of the brands carried by our current distributor, and they also don't have cases for the Sansa Fuze.
In the future we will add additional distributors but this is still at least a month or two out, and adds a significant amount of complexity to the import system.

The good news is that if you are in the market for the Sansa Fuze itself we are MUCH cheaper than Amazon!

SanDisk 8GB SANSA FUZE+ MP3 PLAYER:
Bitcoin store $76.99 
Amazon $122.72 

Thanks for your response. I'll check back later as if you have the Eneloops that, together with the charger would be enough to make an order.

As for the Fuze, I already have 2 and love them but wouldn't be looking for more now, especially at the price they seem to be going at now. I got mine for < $50 a few years back. I'm guessing this is because the newer models aren't as good as the old ones and are still in demand. I picked up some replacement batteries on ebay and when my current ones start to crap out I'll do surgery to keep them going.

As for JLabs - I think they may be worth contacting directly as it seems like they're the kind of small mfr. that can make deals. I know they also sell direct on Amazon. The off-colour J3 is a steal right now on Amazon at <$9 including a very nice case normally sold for $10 alone.

Thx again.

[Rygon]

First, this is a great website, and has the potential to be huge by leveraging the wholesaler discounts and bitcoins low transaction fees.

But (and I realize it has only been up and running for a month now), it really needs a more refined user interface. Several people have already pointed it out, but I think it's worth repeating. I think it's about 90% of the way there, but that last little bit of programming work would really make this website stand out and compare to the big boys (Newegg, Amazon, etc). With over 500K products, the search (or advanced search) interface could really use some improvement. Plus, for the life of me, I can't find a section with special deals or sales going on. I see some items are tagged as "Sale", but how does one look at only those products?

[Isokivi]

Im having trouble finding/figuring out how dynamic/up to date the pricing on the site is. The items I am looking at dont work out anywhere near the mtgox 24h average which I suspected to be the yardstick there. How and when do prices change in accordance to bitcoins exchange rate ?

[Kupsi]

Im having trouble finding/figuring out how dynamic/up to date the pricing on the site is. The items I am looking at dont work out anywhere near the mtgox 24h average which I suspected to be the yardstick there. How and when do prices change in accordance to bitcoins exchange rate ?

The exchange rate when calculating prices in USD seems a little low?

This displayed exchange rate has been fixed.
The exchange rate at checkout is always calculated by Bitpay via their formula: https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-exchange-rates
This way the customer is always guaranteed to get the very best rate possible for their Bitcoins.

Do you get lower prices in BTC when you get to the checkout?

[Isokivi]

Im having trouble finding/figuring out how dynamic/up to date the pricing on the site is. The items I am looking at dont work out anywhere near the mtgox 24h average which I suspected to be the yardstick there. How and when do prices change in accordance to bitcoins exchange rate ?

The exchange rate when calculating prices in USD seems a little low?

This displayed exchange rate has been fixed.
The exchange rate at checkout is always calculated by Bitpay via their formula: https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-exchange-rates
This way the customer is always guaranteed to get the very best rate possible for their Bitcoins.

Do you get lower prices in BTC when you get to the checkout?

Yes I do, much better.

[Spaceman_Spiff]

2 remarks, don't know if they have been addressed before:

1) I can't find the "comparison list" (easily, and it should be easy).  Does it exist already?  If so, you might want to make 'comparison list' clickable in the message you get after you click "Add to compare"

2) I believe you only accept payments in bitcoin.  While I think your website is great for the bitcoin community and its advancement of legal businesses, why not accept alternative (meaning the traditional) means of payment too, but give like a 5% reduction for using bitcoins.  That way your target audience grows substantially, and you'll have a better shot at becoming profitable, or am I overlooking some effects?

[kjlimo]

2 remarks, don't know if they have been addressed before:

1) I can't find the "comparison list" (easily, and it should be easy).  Does it exist already?  If so, you might want to make 'comparison list' clickable in the message you get after you click "Add to compare"

2) I believe you only accept payments in bitcoin.  While I think your website is great for the bitcoin community and its advancement of legal businesses, why not accept alternative (meaning the traditional) means of payment too, but give like a 5% reduction for using bitcoins.  That way your target audience grows substantially, and you'll have a better shot at becoming profitable, or am I overlooking some effects?

Put another way, you could have a "Credit card fee" but I think that goes against the credit card companies TOS, so that's probably why.  Not sure if Dwolla would let you include a surcharge (probably somewhere in their TOS that doesn't allow it), but then we'd be promoting Dwolla and not bitcoin...
 
Might just be easier to leave it the way it is...

[Isokivi]

I made an order of ~400$, shipping to europe was very reasonable 1.112btc for two ssd hard drives. Im fairly certain that the delivery time will work out to be roughly a month, there were several different delivery options available, I would of have guesstimated the fastest ones to reach me in two weeks at most vie FedEx, but I was not in a hurry so I went with the cheapest one. i know I'll be paying 24% ontop of that in import taxes, the bottom line is that the service in it's current state works for Eu customers... but we do need a bitcoin retailer within the Eu.

[Benatar]

Stop lying about amazon prices.

[giszmo]

I would like to buy a raspberry pi for bitcoins

[Benatar]

SanDisk 8GB SANSA FUZE+ MP3 PLAYER:
Bitcoin store $76.99 
Amazon $122.72 

Amazon Price: $62.99

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-Fuze-Player-White/dp/B0041G62V0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358469318&sr=1-2&keywords=SDMX20R-008GW-A57

[kjlimo]

SanDisk 8GB SANSA FUZE+ MP3 PLAYER:
Bitcoin store $76.99 
Amazon $122.72 

Amazon Price: $62.99

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-Fuze-Player-White/dp/B0041G62V0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358469318&sr=1-2&keywords=SDMX20R-008GW-A57

A) amazon prices change daily, possibly by the minute.

B) Amazon prices change by IP address/ location.  - tried to find a link to the Wallstreet Journal article I read a couple weeks ago, but failed.  Sorry.

[Benatar]

They don't change vastly enough for his earlier claim to be true.  He wasn't even quoting the actual amazon price, just one of the third party dealers that go through amazon, and the most expensive of those third party dealers at that.

[kjlimo]

They don't change vastly enough for his earlier claim to be true.  He wasn't even quoting the actual amazon price, just one of the third party dealers that go through amazon, and the most expensive of those third party dealers at that.

That's fair, I'm ok with just expecting my 3% discount on the site (credit card transaction fee eliminated).

I agree that trying to be more aggressive on price competition doesn't really seem valid or possible since I don't understand where the money would be coming from.

[Benatar]

http://camelcamelcamel.com/SanDisk-Sansa-Fuze-Player-White/product/B0041G62V0

The highest it's been in the last 6 months on  Amazon (as in being sold directly by amazon and not a 3rd party vendor) was $69.99 btw.

If you want to buy/sell directly in BTC, yeah, hype up the reasons for doing that.

Lying about easily checkable Amazon prices just makes it look shady.

[Herodes]

You may have your dev to look into validation of your web form. Seems like they take all kinds of input.

Apart from that, a great great idea, and I wish you the best of luck!

[twix]

I would really love to buy SD cards or CPU coolers, but I've checked the shipping costs for France, and they are equal or more expensive than the product, so I can't buy them...

Have you planned a solution to this ?

[MemoryDealers]

Stop lying about amazon prices.

Bentar,

Stop spreading FUD.

Here are some current examples as of Jan 18th 2013 in which Bitcoinstore.com is clearly cheaper than Amazon.com

Adtran Bluesocket 1840 - Wireless access point 
BitcoinStore $454
Amazon  $471


HP LASERJET PRO 400 M451DN CLR
BitcoinStore $494
Amazon  $509


Wine Enthusiast Silent 12 Bottle Wine Refrigerator
BitcoinStore $124
Amazon  $145


Mitsubishi DLP Projector - 1080p - HDTV - 16:10 (UD8350U)
BitcoinStore $9,022
Amazon  $11,719



Bitcoin store is not cheaper than Amazon for every item,  but it certainly is for at least tens of thousands of items,  and possibly for more than one hundred thousand items.
For just about everything else, Bitcoinstore will certainly be competitive with Amazon.
You also seem to be forgetting the very best part,  you can pay with Bitcoin!
Three people are working on the site full time,  and it will only get better with time.

[fornit]

Stop lying about amazon prices.

Bentar,

Stop spreading FUD.

Here are some current examples as of Jan 18th 2013

to be fair, your initial example didnt compare the exact same products and all your new example compare your prices with prices from a 3rd party selling on amazon, not amazon itself. that might not be lying but it leaves enough room for a little of the U and D in FUD.

[Isokivi]

I had a problem with my order and hence needed their support. I got the first reply within an hour and everything went smoothly, certainly more and better than I have come to expect from amazon and likes.

[siesatsu]

Awesome!! Definitly going to make a few purchases

[Benatar]

HP LASERJET PRO 400 M451DN CLR
BitcoinStore $494
Amazon  $509

Amazon.com $422, with $449 being the 1st party price when in stock.

3/4 though this time, so there's really no reason to throw in a 4th example that happens to be a dishonest one unless you just have a problem making an entire post without some sort of lie in it.

EDIT: Fixed typo in price.

[kjlimo]

HP LASERJET PRO 400 M451DN CLR
BitcoinStore $494
Amazon  $509

Amazon.com $422, with $499 being the 1st party price when in stock.

3/4 though this time, so there's really no reason to throw in a 4th example that happens to be a dishonest one unless you just have a problem making an entire post without some sort of lie in it.

You are aware that these change based on your location and the time in which you click refresh, yes?  So why don't you think before you post something stupid?  Or do you not like to think before you post?

[Benatar]

HP LASERJET PRO 400 M451DN CLR
BitcoinStore $494
Amazon  $509

Amazon.com $422, with $499 being the 1st party price when in stock.

3/4 though this time, so there's really no reason to throw in a 4th example that happens to be a dishonest one unless you just have a problem making an entire post without some sort of lie in it.

You are aware that these change based on your location and the time in which you click refresh, yes?  So why don't you think before you post something stupid?  Or do you not like to think before you post?

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Hewlett-Packard-M451DN-Laserjet-Enterprise/product/B006X2FE1O

Tracking amazon prices is trivial.  It has been $449 first party when in stock steadily and unchanging for over the last 6 months, and when not in stock first party, have always had it available for under $460 through a third party stocker over the same period.

[kjlimo]

OK, thanks for the helpful comment.  I guess bitcoinstore.com should be aware that misleading or posting price comparisons may affect some potential customers.

However, it doesn't change the fact that bitcoinstore.com will have a competitive advantage vs Amazon due to no credit card transaction fees.

Let's move on to the next thing that can help bitcoinstore.com and assume they will take this feedback and learn from it (I assume they will).

Pointing out additional inaccuracies will not accomplish anything.  And, I still think it's the easiest way to promote bitcoinstore.com by giving people a use case that explains how they will save money.  Try not to focus too much on the examples unless you've printed them on paper, b/c online numbers will be dynamic.

[Herodes]

The store is a great thing, I wish them great success!!!

[jgarzik]

Wanting to support an Amazon-that-takes-bitcoin, I placed an order with BitcoinStore.com.  Here is my capsule review (permalink):

• Order placed successfully.  Largely shopped in the "home and appliances" section, as hardware and software generally flow freely to me
• Nice, clean, minimalistic interface.  Not as fancy as Amazon.com by a long stretch, but certainly usable and apparently well stocked.
• Bitcoin payment, apparently via BitPay's engine, was successful.  A standard bitcoin address was presented on the page, and the reference client sent coins to the address without a problem.
• Did not bother to compare prices with Amazon.com.  Main goals were to stimulate the bitcoin economy, reward businesses going a good job representing bitcoin, and provide a real-money review of the store.

Major criticisms:

• I checked out as a guest, not creating an account.  It was disappointing that there is no order URL at which I may track my order, e.g. https://orders.bitcoinstore.com/#1099000000  Almost all other online retailers offer this logical, basic feature:  watch the status of an order on the retailer's website, even if you did not create an account.

Minor criticisms:

• The store sells 128GB flash drives, but the search string "128gb flash drive" does not return useful results.
• Shipping was simply described as "standard shipping", without additional information about shipping methods.  USPS?  UPS?  FedEx?  Who knows?
• Two shipping methods were offered to me:  "standard shipping" for free, or "standard shipping" for some amount of money.  Seems pointless to offer the same method twice, with two different prices.
• Sending bitcoin payment before clicking "place order" is quite awkward and backwards from standard user expectations, I would think.
• Nevertheless, as instructed, I sent bitcoin payment to the network before I clicked place order.  The user interface displayed an error.  I waited a few more seconds, then clicked "place order" again.  This time, it succeeded.
• Order email, received after placing and paying for the order, simply says "Once your package ships we will send an email with a link to track your order." -- again failing to describe how my order will be shipped
• Order email is 100% USD, with no mention of BTC at all.  Payment was in bitcoins, of course (the only payment method available).

Conclusion:  Rough around the edges, but good selection and they take bitcoins.  Would buy from again... assuming that my current order arrives!

[jgarzik]

Oh, and an I-dare-you-to-add-this product, that I think might have a niche bitcoin market:  solar panels.

Promise to buy at least one

[ewibit]

Oh, and an I-dare-you-to-add-this product, that I think might have a niche bitcoin market:  solar panels.
Promise to buy at least one

+1 

[John (John K.)]

Damn, I never knew you sold Victorinoxes. I just bought one from eBay. 

You really need to give your site's navigation some reworking....

[hazek]

I give the store 5/5 starts from me. I ordered an item 1. 9. 2013 and got it today, shipped here to EU. I got what I ordered and it works as advertised and I'm very happy.