Who can you trust?

[xeerog]

Granted you can't trust anyone, especially when bitcoins are involved..

But what sort of things make you trust someone who you are dealing with anonymously?

Other people you trust vouching for em? A long history?

I am curious what ideas people have. And I want to get out of this noob post status and the other threads look boring.

[1715160481]

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[someone703]

Pretty much what you.

People vouching for them and a good history of paying back loans or making successful transactions.

Even with this though you can always get screwed over and you have to be careful and only work with what you're willing/able to lose.

Other than that, I tend to take a look at a person's post history too to see what kind of posts they make and if it's quality versus quantity.  Combined with other feedback like heatware or bitcoin-otc you can try glean more into a person's trustworthiness.

Best you can hope to do is attempt to minimize risk as best you can.

[TheHeroMember]

Someone you knew better, a neighbor, schoolmate, or friend.

[bitsforcoins.com]

In addition to what's been stated, try to see your transaction from the other person's standpoint.  What do they have to gain?  Is it just a couple of bucks, or perhaps a big trade secret that could make them rich?  The person who has the most to gain is the one likely to exert the most greed.  Try to see things from their perspective.

[max in montreal]

I do not have that many bitcoins to lose, so when making deals I trust no one. I have had a few successful trades, and I estimate the most I was trusted with was about 400$...In other words people sent me cash becore I sent out the coins.

The last few trades that were not successful, people asked if i would accept paypal. I do not accept paypal ecause I do not trust paypal. I only send the coins after I receive payment. If they did the deal with paypal thats fine. Its when they lie to paypal saying they did not receive the coins and paypal believes them...thats where the problem is...so I trust the buyer, but the weak link is paypal, so no to paypal.

I am surprised but happy that the people trust me!

[TheHeroMember]

One thing i know is that trust can be gained not asked.

[redviper]

well, I've trusted getbitcoin.com and the postal service with a little cash and it worked just fine 

[silver52961]

I trust people with a good history of being honest and close friends.

[PatrickHarnett]

Depends on how much you are trusting them with. Any amount of trust comes with the possibility you will get burned. The higher the value, the less trust you should have.

Anonymous:

$5 - Most people.
$50 - People that seem honest, have some short history of being honest.
$500 - People that have a well established history of being honest. (Last stop for anonymous transactions.)

Edited out the bits I didn't want, but the sentiment is spot on.  For anonymous transactions, how do you feel about it if it was a gift or donation where you don't get the money back.

If I give $5 to someone on the street I wouldn't expect it back - especially if they need it for food or a place to sleep.
$50 is more donation territory for a lot of people, but getting it back eventually or some other way is nice.
$500 or around 100 bitcoin - never hurts to ask and there is some small beginnings of a trust network/grading system evolving. 

It also depends on how much you can afford to lose.  As I've gotten older, the amount increases.