I wrote an LNP2PBOT guide in Russian:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5452798.0Let me translate it here.
The platform consists of two parts: a Telegram bot and Telegram channels. First, you need to start the bot. To do this, go to
https://t.me/lnp2pbot and click the "Start" button. After that, everything else will become accessible.
A Few Words About Telegram ChannelsIn the channels, you can:
- view advertisements,
- click the button to start a deal based on the selected advertisement (this function is available if you have already started the bot).
Everything else is managed within the bot.
The main global channel is
https://t.me/p2plightning. It publishes the most advertisements. The fee for deals made through advertisements placed in this channel is 0.6%. It's always paid by the seller. Meaning, the seller sends 0.6% more satoshis than the amount specified in the deal. Additionally, the seller pays the LN fee for routing the payment. The buyer receives exactly the amount specified in the deal into their wallet.
Apart from the main channel, there are channels for local communities. In these, the fee for deals might be lower. For instance, I've created the channel
https://t.me/lnp2pbat for exchanges in Batumi, and the fee for deals there is 0.42%. This is the minimum fee allowed by the bot.
How to Create an AdvertisementFirst, you need to select a channel to publish your advertisement. To do this, in the bot, enter the command /findcomms followed by the currency (for example, for Russian rubles, the command would be "/findcomms rub"). You'll receive a list of local channels accepting advertisements with your currency. Click on any of them, then click the "Use by default" button. By default, the advertisement will be published in the main global channel.
To create an advertisement for buying satoshis, you need to enter the command /buy in the bot, and for selling, the command is /sell. Then just follow the prompts, nothing complicated there.
How to Conduct a DealWhen you respond to an advertisement, or when someone responds to your advertisement, the interaction moves to the bot:
- the bot issues an invoice to the seller, and the seller must transfer satoshis to the bot using this invoice within 15 minutes;
- the bot asks the buyer to send an invoice, which will be used by the bot to transfer satoshis to the buyer upon completion of the deal;
- after that, the bot provides the seller with a link to the buyer's Telegram account, and to the buyer - a link to the seller's Telegram account.
The next steps are taken not in the bot, but in the private conversation between the seller and the buyer:
- the seller informs the buyer where to transfer the fiat currency,
- additionally, the seller and the buyer can agree on the transfer of fiat money in person.
The buyer hands over or transfers fiat money to the seller, after which you need to return to the bot:
- the buyer enters the command /fiatsent in the bot (they have two hours from the moment of creating the deal for this),
- the bot notifies the seller that the fiat money has been transferred,
- the seller enters the command /release in the bot, and the bot sends the coins to the buyer.
If the seller doesn't issue the command /release, the buyer can enter the command /dispute in the bot and involve an arbitrator in the deal. The buyer has 46 hours and 40 minutes from the moment of creating the deal to initiate a dispute. The arbitrator has the authority to send locked coins to either party in the deal.
Important NoticeI want to draw attention to one detail that developers somehow don't mention.
The discussion of the deal and the exchange of details occur in the private conversation between the seller and the buyer in Telegram. The content of such conversation is inaccessible to anyone except the participants themselves. If one of them acts dishonestly, it can lead to problems.
The seller can provide details for the transfer of fiat money, and then claim that they provided completely different details. Moreover, they can edit their message with the details, and no one can verify what was written there before.
The buyer can later claim that they know nothing about any deal, transferred the money by mistake, and demand a refund of the sent amount. They can delete the entire conversation, and there will be no evidence of the deal.
I came up with a solution: to save the conversation before sending fiat currency or cryptocurrency.
How to Save the Conversation
1. Select all messages and click the "Forward" button.
2. In the chat list, select "Saved Messages".
After that, even if your partner changes or deletes the messages, the original version will be stored in your "Saved Messages", which you can forward to the arbitrator or law enforcement authorities.
Just make sure that along with the messages, the link to the partner's account is saved. If you receive a notification "Account hidden by the user" when clicking on the circle next to the saved message, the dishonest partner can later claim that they didn't send that message. There's no way to verify who actually sent the message in this case. So, when receiving the notification "Account hidden by the user", ask the partner to change the privacy settings:
1. In Telegram settings, go to "Privacy".
2. Go to "Forwarded messages".
3. Either select "Everyone" or add you to the exceptions list.
When your partner does this, save the entire conversation again and make sure that clicking on the circle next to the saved message takes you to your partner's account. Only after that, send fiat currency or cryptocurrency.
After the deal is completed, your partner can return to their original settings.
If the partner refuses, I advise refraining from online deals. The maximum I would agree to in such a case is a face-to-face exchange.
