[ANN] LocalBitcoins.com - a location-based bitcoin to cash marketplace

[TheButterZone]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but how do you leave a rating for someone who hasn't used the LocalBitcoins escrow? I just sent directly to a cash-in-hand buyer's address, but see no option for feedback, just a cancel deal button and send message box.

There is not currently a way to leave feedback without using escrow.

that really sucks.
really, really.

Also not getting notified by email when ads are replied to.

[1713938228]

1713938228

[1713938228]

1713938228

[chrisrico]

Also not getting notified by email when ads are replied to.

Are you sure your email is properly configured? I get an email for every contact, and every message for that contact. I can also reply to the email to reply to the contact.

[TheButterZone]

Change email address [to my proper email]

    Email address already in use!

Checked spam folder (I do this at regular intervals anyway to catch anything before it gets purged automatically). 2 messages from communication@localbitcoins.com, which I just marked as not spam. The first and only two I've ever received. However, they were both from the same user regarding a single ad yesterday, and I still have another response to another ad from another user that's showing on the site created yesterday, that hasn't been received by email at all, not even in the spam folder.

[kangasbros]

We will try to switch to SendGrid or some other email provider to combat the dropping email problem. We'll research it.

For leaving feedback without using the transaction service we recommend using bitcoin-otc - you can integrate your profile from there. While we would like to be able to develop things faster, the support is generating lots of work currently. So I can't promise any new features any time soon.

[kangasbros]

And additionally for all our users, be very careful when using bank transfers. Localbitcoins.com hasn't been designed with bank transfers in mind in the first place, so we don't have infrastructure for it. Bank transfers can also be chargebacked/accounts frozen like with paypal or credit cards. There are some people using stolen bank accounts to purchase bitcoins from sellers.

Please also check the profile/feedback before selling.

[TheButterZone]

I checked the buyer on WoT and he's not in there yet.

Thanks for the site regardless.

[Evolvex]

I'd advise everyone to not to accept bank transfers in the UK, I got a call this morning from my bank account saying the £340 deposit from the night before was fraudulent - I stupidly said it was for bitcoins (I hadnt had my morning coffee), she said she'd need to go away and speak to her manager. Shall see if I end up out of pocket (more than likely will ).

so yeah, everyone be very careful with bank transfers.

For the record the user that got me was "cooperjoe1" - I made such an error of judgement with that one, dont do the same!

[Progresso]

Suggestion1: Make a page where you explain your fee structure. At the mopment it is a little bit hidden. I even could not find it for your new Escrow service

Suggestion 2: For the escrow service you have the following terms:

Terms
Buyer must complete the payment within an hour.

I believe it is impossible for a buyer to make a payment within an hour. The SEPA system does have an express payment option, meaning transfer within 24 hours, but as far as I know no guarantee it will be on the sellers account within an hour.

I would suggest you change this term to at least 24 hour or even better 48 hour.

Btw: I believe the new escrow service is a potential killer app.

[kangasbros]

Suggestion1: Make a page where you explain your fee structure. At the mopment it is a little bit hidden. I even could not find it for your new Escrow service

Suggestion 2: For the escrow service you have the following terms:

Terms
Buyer must complete the payment within an hour.

I believe it is impossible for a buyer to make a payment within an hour. The SEPA system does have an express payment option, meaning transfer within 24 hours, but as far as I know no guarantee it will be on the sellers account within an hour.

I would suggest you change this term to at least 24 hour or even better 48 hour.

Btw: I believe the new escrow service is a potential killer app.

Thanks for the suggestion -  I will add the notification about fees etc. The fees are the same as for the transaction service, 1%.

For the term, I tried to mean that the buyer has to initiate the payment within 1 hour. Of course it would be impossible to seller see the payment within an hour. The banking system doesn't work that fast. Thanks for the tip, I will try to clarify these in the terms.

[Stephen Gornick]

Needed feature:

Since LocalBitcoins holds a wallet, then anyone with my username and password has access to my funds.    Until LocalBitcoins supports a two-factor authentication (2FA, e.g., Google Authenticator) I won't be using the site for any funds except for a trivial amount.

If you do add 2FA. also any withdrawal (send) would require an OTP to be entered.   Others might want to see 2FA required on login as well, but at a minimum if I have 2FA enabled for my account then each withdrawal (send) should require an OTP.

[kangasbros]

Needed feature:

Since LocalBitcoins holds a wallet, then anyone with my username and password has access to my funds.    Until LocalBitcoins supports a two-factor authentication (2FA, e.g., Google Authenticator) I won't be using the site for any funds except for a trivial amount.

If you do add 2FA. also any withdrawal (send) would require an OTP to be entered.   Others might want to see 2FA required on login as well, but at a minimum if I have 2FA enabled for my account then each withdrawal (send) should require an OTP.

I'm working on it right now.

[theymos]

I did my first successful trade on LocalBitcoins. It went pretty well.

Suggestions:
- I have a very cheap cell phone that doesn't support SMS very well. I'd like to have the option of calling some number and entering a numeric code to release the funds.
- For pricing, I would like to be able to have a fixed extra fee per transaction. So my fee would be "5% above the MtGox price per BTC plus $3" or something like that.

[TheButterZone]

Just got my first SMS notification of an active contact this morning. Sweet.

I did my first successful trade on LocalBitcoins. It went pretty well.

Suggestions:
- I have a very cheap cell phone that doesn't support SMS very well. I'd like to have the option of calling some number and entering a numeric code to release the funds.
- For pricing, I would like to be able to have a fixed extra fee per transaction. So my fee would be "5% above the MtGox price per BTC plus $3" or something like that.

Would 3+mtgoxusd_close*1.05 or mtgoxusd_close*1.05+3 do it (leave commission field blank)?

[kangasbros]

Would 3+mtgoxusd_close*1.05 or mtgoxusd_close*1.05+3 do it (leave commission field blank)?

That doesn't work, the equation equals exchange rate.

The equation improvement actually be pretty cumbersome change, since we should modify many different things in the site if the equation worked that way. Now we display exchange rate everywhere, but if exchange rate varies per amount, it becomes harder to compare.

Now we just recommend adding different advertisements on some scale (for example 5-50 USD rate mtgoxUSD*1.1, 50-500 rate mtgoxUSD*1.05)

Our current focus is 2-factor authentication.

[Progresso]

Hi there:

1. Small typo: Allow contact-conly requests at this page.

2. Sending and receiving mails through the mailsystem provided gives some problems with special characters, like in below quote:

u cancelo esse transa=C3=A7=C3=A3o? Eu nao tive nemhum res=
ponse mais.

Sim, pode cancelar. J=C3=A1 resolvi, obrigado!
=EF=A3=BF Fl=C3=A1vio

3. Might have been mentioned in one of the previous pages> Need two-factor authentification, preferable the Google Authenticator

[AlexNeto]

Escrow for UK bank transfers still not available?

[kneim]

My suggestion for selling:
mtgoxUSD_ask * 0.54 + mtgoxUSD_high * 0.50

or Buying:
mtgoxUSD_bid * 0.45 + mtgoxUSD_low * 0.50

Same for Euro:
(mtgoxUSD_ask * 0.54 + mtgoxUSD_high * 0.50 ) * EUR_24h / USD_24h
(mtgoxUSD_bid * 0.45 + mtgoxUSD_low * 0.50 ) * EUR_24h / USD_24h

You can play a little bit with the positions after the decimal point. Since mtgoxUSD_high and mtgoxUSD_low are reset at midnight (I believe), there is a small singularity. Works well for me since months.

[kangasbros]

Escrow for UK bank transfers still not available?

It is available, we haven't just advertised it much yet. Only for sellers, and works currently in a way where you have to have bitcoins in your wallet before you can sell them, which doesn't suit everybody.

But we will first implement the 2-factor auth using google authenticator, after that we will start to fine-tune the escrow feature.

[AlexNeto]

Escrow for UK bank transfers still not available?

It is available, we haven't just advertised it much yet. Only for sellers, and works currently in a way where you have to have bitcoins in your wallet before you can sell them, which doesn't suit everybody.

But we will first implement the 2-factor auth using google authenticator, after that we will start to fine-tune the escrow feature.

I think not many sellers wants to hold coins on LB without offers from buyers.
I would better fund the transaction when I have offer and use escrow.

[kangasbros]

Finally updated the 2-factor authentication to production. Works with google authenticator.

Also updated the wallet - now it auto-generates new bitcoin addresses, for privacy.

I think not many sellers wants to hold coins on LB without offers from buyers.
I would better fund the transaction when I have offer and use escrow.

On the other hand buyers are frustrated with unresponsive sellers. Either way, the feature is still under development and we'll see what the final model will be.