Buying Bitcoins via cash deposit in the US

[Lina.V]

Does anything like SpendBitcoins (https://www.spendbitcoins.com/buy/) cash deposit option exist in the states? It seems that with this service you simply go to the bank and deposit cash directly into SpendBitcoins bank account, no ID required.

I know BitInstant has a similar service, but via a third party that asks for ID, ya?

Is there any service in the states similar to spendbitcoins.com/buy/ that does not require showing an ID?

Thanks!

[Mike Christ]

I know localbitcoins.com doesn't require an ID, but it does require you to meet up with someone in some fashion.

[deadweasel]

Does anything like SpendBitcoins (https://www.spendbitcoins.com/buy/) cash deposit option exist in the states? It seems that with this service you simply go to the bank and deposit cash directly into SpendBitcoins bank account, no ID required.

I know BitInstant has a similar service, but via a third party that asks for ID, ya?

Is there any service in the states similar to spendbitcoins.com/buy/ that does not require showing an ID?

Thanks!

I have never had to show an id for putting money through bank of america to bitinstant.  But I haven't used them in a while.

try btcquick.com

[sve9mark]

I use Dwolla.com to transfer USD from your bank account into CampBX.com. While it does take some time (bank transfers are slow by nature), it has the lowest fees that I have seen, which is the most important factor.

Here is a rundown of the fees and time involved:
Sign up with Dwolla.com (No photo ID required, just your SSN) [Instant, free]
Dwolla sends small deposits to your bank account for you to verify [3-4 days, free]
Send USD to Dwolla - [4 days, free]
Once you have money in your Dwolla account, send the money to CampBX (or MT Gox) [3.5 hours, 25 cents ]
Buy bitcoins with USD on CampBX [a few minutes, 0.55%]

Trading fees: CampBX = 0.55%, MT Gox= 0.60%

[Lina.V]

Thanks guys, these look like good options but they all require ID of some sort, credit card, SSN, etc.

If there is an option in the states that does not involve ID or meeting a stranger somewhere I’d love to know about it!

Has anyone used BitInstant’s cash deposit service lately that can tell me if they got ID’d?

[sve9mark]

Comparison of fees:

BitInstant = 1.29% for $20-$99, 0.89% $100+ 

Dwolla = FREE for >$9, $0.25 for $9+ 

[sve9mark]

Thanks guys, these look like good options but they all require ID of some sort, credit card, SSN, etc.

If there is an option in the states that does not involve ID or meeting a stranger somewhere I’d love to know about it!

Has anyone used BitInstant’s cash deposit service lately that can tell me if they got ID’d?

Kevin Roose from The New Yorker just wrote an article "I Bought a Bitcoin: How I Joined a Virtual Currency Megabubble" in which he uses BitInstant to buy a bitcoin with cash. He doesn't mention having to use an ID so I am not sure. The fees involved are quite high 3.99% plus $3.95

[gurvy]

2nd the localbitcoins e-transfer use escrow

[sve9mark]

I'm in the U.S.  I was asked for ID when using bitinstant for a small cash deposit to mtgox recently.  The clerk even took a photocopy of my ID.  Bitinstant has you use moneygram to send a payment to zip zap inc, then the funds are deposited into mtgox.  It seemed like a very complicated way to ultimately get bitcoins, and costly in terms of fees, but the money was in my mtgox acct in less than 15 minutes.

 A side note- to get more people to adopt and use bitcoin, there needs to be a much easier and less costly way for the average person to buy bitcoins with local currency anonymously.

I don't understand why everyone is so worried about remaining anonymous when entering the bitcoin market.

[Blueberry408]

I'm in the U.S.  I was asked for ID when using bitinstant for a small cash deposit to mtgox recently.  The clerk even took a photocopy of my ID.  Bitinstant has you use moneygram to send a payment to zip zap inc, then the funds are deposited into mtgox.  It seemed like a very complicated way to ultimately get bitcoins, and costly in terms of fees, but the money was in my mtgox acct in less than 15 minutes.

 A side note- to get more people to adopt and use bitcoin, there needs to be a much easier and less costly way for the average person to buy bitcoins with local currency anonymously.

I don't understand why everyone is so worried about remaining anonymous when entering the bitcoin market.

Yankee Turpitude

[WearsMyLiberty]

I'm in the U.S.  I was asked for ID when using bitinstant for a small cash deposit to mtgox recently.  The clerk even took a photocopy of my ID.  Bitinstant has you use moneygram to send a payment to zip zap inc, then the funds are deposited into mtgox.  It seemed like a very complicated way to ultimately get bitcoins, and costly in terms of fees, but the money was in my mtgox acct in less than 15 minutes.

 A side note- to get more people to adopt and use bitcoin, there needs to be a much easier and less costly way for the average person to buy bitcoins with local currency anonymously.

I'm not too worried with being anonymous right now, but it would be nice.  And I definitely agree that an easy, cheap and fast way to convert between cash and bitcoin is needed to get more people to both buy and accept bitcoin.

I'm hopeful that the Bitcoin ATM works out and helps in that area...

http://www.bitcoinatm.com/

[Lina.V]

What about these Mt. Gox codes? Is that just a code that represents a certain amount of USD credit at Mt. Gox?

It would be great if you could just purchase that at CVS, Walgreens, etc. but I doubt it.

[Riffed]

I read some posts discussing the fact that BitInstant is somewhat overwhelmed at the moment, and if you have an issue, it can take several days to get a response. Has anyone had a good/bad experience with them recently?

[sve9mark]

I'm in the U.S.  I was asked for ID when using bitinstant for a small cash deposit to mtgox recently.  The clerk even took a photocopy of my ID.  Bitinstant has you use moneygram to send a payment to zip zap inc, then the funds are deposited into mtgox.  It seemed like a very complicated way to ultimately get bitcoins, and costly in terms of fees, but the money was in my mtgox acct in less than 15 minutes.

 A side note- to get more people to adopt and use bitcoin, there needs to be a much easier and less costly way for the average person to buy bitcoins with local currency anonymously.

I don't understand why everyone is so worried about remaining anonymous when entering the bitcoin market.

I am not as concerned with anonymity as I am with having an easier and less costly way to exchange local currency for bitcoin.

Give me a bank like platform where I get an ATM card with a PIN number that allows me to deposit, transfer, trade or withdraw local currency or bitcoin(like a printed paper wallet) without excessive fees, and without having to deal with 4 different companies (bitinstant, moneygram, zip zap inc, and mtgox) and without a clerk wanting to photocopy my ID every time I make a deposit, and I will gladly allow them to fully identify me.

I got you. Yes, I would love that too. One day hopefully! As of right now I would say the easiest and less costly way to exchange local currency for Bitcoins is through Dwolla.com (only US Residents) and CampBX.com. It takes about a week for everything to go through but the best part is that it only costs 0.55% to buy bitcoins on CampBX and 25 cents to transfer USD through Dwolla. All you need is a bank account and your SSN. No photo ID.

I have heard that Dwolla has just changed there policy to not allow withdrawals from accounts opened less than 30 days (to prevent fraud?). My account has been open almost 20 days so I am not too concerned. If there is one thing I've learned since hearing about bitcoins, and beginning to invest in them is that patients pays off!

[ofr]

Does anything like SpendBitcoins (https://www.spendbitcoins.com/buy/) cash deposit option exist in the states? It seems that with this service you simply go to the bank and deposit cash directly into SpendBitcoins bank account, no ID required.

I know BitInstant has a similar service, but via a third party that asks for ID, ya?

Is there any service in the states similar to spendbitcoins.com/buy/ that does not require showing an ID?

Thanks!

mtgox.com is the best service provide from my own experience.

[sve9mark]

Does anything like SpendBitcoins (https://www.spendbitcoins.com/buy/) cash deposit option exist in the states? It seems that with this service you simply go to the bank and deposit cash directly into SpendBitcoins bank account, no ID required.

I know BitInstant has a similar service, but via a third party that asks for ID, ya?

Is there any service in the states similar to spendbitcoins.com/buy/ that does not require showing an ID?

Thanks!

mtgox.com is the best service provide from my own experience.

I would highly recommend spreading out your bitcoins among several exchanges to reduce your risk of losing your bitcoins through being hacked, or the service being shutdown.

[Gabrics]

Just hoping that the BTC ATMs (both way) will finally really show up...
That would the best.

[babcoccl]

Check out coinbase.com, you can deposit directly from checking or savings.

[sayulita]

This is exactly what www.Bitcoin-Brokers.org does

Here is a 10,000 view thread discussing the service:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=237164.0