localbitcoin.com how to????

[howtoforall]

hi there,

I just visited localbitcoin.com and i saw that you can buy and sell bitcoins for different prices.
While browsing here i saw some safety tips for trading if you meet the buyer/seller in person.
Now i have this super newbie question?

How does bitcoin trading works?
Can it handled by a site like localbitcoins.com or is this just an advertisement list and do you really need to pick up
the bitcoin in person, what sounds strange to me.

On the other hand , is it really that simple that you buy with a few mouse clicks on a cheap offer and sell it for more by just choosing a better offer.
All behind your laptop, can't imaging that either.

So how does trading basicly works? and how fast are the transfers

I am getting really curios here, please help me out

[OmegaStarScream]

How fast is it depends on what are the payment methods used on the transaction .
You can never be safe , some people even buy Localbitcoins accounts with a lot of positive feedback and a lot of BTC traded in so it looks legit , then they scam people using it .
Also note that trading with Paypal isn't really the best idea ever because Paypal is reversible , So if you are selling your BTC for paypal it may not be the best choice or best decision to do .

Logically you will be much safer if you meet the user face to face , which makes the risks of getting scammed and stolen lower. But in some cases you just can't do that if traders are from different countries.

I personally prefer trading here on Bitcointalk {Currency Exchange} section , and I choose the traders carefully based on the trust rating . Most of high quality members here and with a lot (I mean a lot ) of green positive feedback don't sell their accounts .

[howtoforall]

aahhhhh... that's where the trust rate and the who-goes-first discussion is all about
I was hoping that localbitcoins had a sort of in between third party wallet function.
For a small fee holding both positions money/btc until the both persons have payed.

So there is a big change you get scammed if you sell first and wait in good trust for the money/btc
Starting to understand, thanks for the fast reply