I'm ready to buy with bitcoins

[acoindr]

Okay, so I've posted before about how bitcoin would really take off if used in a localized economy. The current economy is too disjointed to produce synergy and growth which feeds upon itself. Sure you can convert bitcoins to Amazon.com with spendbitcoins.com, or buy web related services, or other gadgets and gizmos but these are likely one-off purchases which lack continuity.

I finally got around to looking in on SilkRoad. Now that's an actual small bitcoin economy. Regardless of my feelings toward drugs it was impressive to see walls of products listed with BTC. Not a $ in sight.

So this post is a bit of a rant, and tossing the idea out, along with a request for service possibly added in. [rant]

I just bought some chocolate chip cookies from the supermarket, chewy chip's ahoy. This is probably my 5th bag in a few weeks. Aside from being addicted to such cookies I have problems with this purchase. First, the price $3.29 with club member saving is ridiculous. But that's no worse than the $1.20 7-eleven charges me for a regular size snickers candy bar. Inflation is pretty apparent nowadays regardless what the govt. says. Second is all the crap I'm sure that's added in with the cookies so that they stay perfect for weeks during transit and then on a store shelf.

The same thing goes for bread. Pricing is not so bad (yet) but I'm not happy eating additives I can hardly pronounce. Bread and cookies are a recurring purchase for me and I would love to buy them homemade locally for bitcoins. (bread is a staple for many people)

Another thing: the other (hot!) day I was squeegy-ing my car windows at the gas station. They were really dirty and afterward I said "phew!" Quite a little job. I would love to have paid some labor seeking person instead for the job. I could just use my phone to SMS coinapult them over the payment to an email address.

These are low tech goods and services I would happily pay for not to support bitcoins, but because I need/want them! Almost anyone could become "employed" in bitcoins by serving enough local clients. Add in the ability to pay with bitcoins at direct to farm vendors such as at localharvest.org and suddenly a person could actually begin supporting themselves without the dollar based economy.

So the idea I'm sort of tossing out is a website focused on identifying local bitcoin goods and services, things like baked goods, car washes, haircuts etc. The cash exchange site localbitcoins.com shows there are definitely bitcoiners around me, even if sporadically. I think any major metropolitan area would have a shot at the beginnings of an economy coalescing.  [/rant]




(vendors accepted bitcoins at PorcFest)

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[benjamindees]

The question is, would you relocate in order to do so?

I guess, in order to be more clear, what I'm saying is I don't think any large city has a real potential to produce a Bitcoin economy at this point.

[casascius]

It would be nice if the low tech way to transfer bitcoins were as follows:

1. Be your own bank.  Instead of visiting an ATM and paying a fee to do so, use your bitcoin client to print some CASH.  (Said cash would have private keys as QR codes)  It would look like this: File -> Print -> Print Money -> how much to withdraw? I'd like 10 1BTC bills please... and they are deducted from your wallet balance as your printer spits them out, maybe four to six to a page.  You fold them or cut them out and put them in your wallet.
2. Spend that Bitcoin CASH just like you spend fiat CASH.
3. Someone with a smartphone app or a POS system would scan your cash when you present it to him, immediately transferring all the bitcoins into his wallet as digital BTC.  If change needs to be given, it could be returned on the same or on another bill.

[Bitcoin Oz]

The question is, would you relocate in order to do so?

I guess, in order to be more clear, what I'm saying is I don't think any large city has a real potential to produce a Bitcoin economy at this point.

Fuck yeah.

One day I hope to move to New Hampshire or at least have a porcfest holiday for a few weeks.

Edit: once suppliers and farmers start accepting bitcoin things will be golden.

[acoindr]

The question is, would you relocate in order to do so?

I guess, in order to be more clear, what I'm saying is I don't think any large city has a real potential to produce a Bitcoin economy at this point.

No, but I shouldn't have to. There are loads of people around me. There are also unemployed people around me. I have money and want to spend it on things as mentioned. I'm sure there are people willing to provide such things, they just don't know what bitcoins are or that I (and possibly many others) want to give them bitcoins for different things.

In other words, some large cities already have a good supply of bitcoiners I'm estimating (and growing), so if local goods and services could be promoted a possible economy could begin to coalesce.

[acoindr]

It would be nice if the low tech way to transfer bitcoins were as follows:

1. Be your own bank.  Instead of visiting an ATM and paying a fee to do so, use your bitcoin client to print some CASH.  (Said cash would have private keys as QR codes)  It would look like this: File -> Print -> Print Money -> how much to withdraw? I'd like 10 1BTC bills please... and they are deducted from your wallet balance as your printer spits them out, maybe four to six to a page.  You fold them or cut them out and put them in your wallet.
2. Spend that Bitcoin CASH just like you spend fiat CASH.
3. Someone with a smartphone app or a POS system would scan your cash when you present it to him, immediately transferring all the bitcoins into his wallet as digital BTC.  If change needs to be given, it could be returned on the same or on another bill.

That's not what I call completely low tech as the person I'm paying needs a smartphone or similar.

Now, handing over a Casascius physical bitcoin which only needed to be looked at to verify the intact hologram is the same level of tech as looking at current fiat bills. Super low tech would be something like that but hopefully more cost effective, without much markup.

[Bitcoin Oz]

A good thing to have would be a place that sells marketing packs for bitcoin. A large cardboard sign,some business cards flyers and plastic holders etc.

Allow anyone to be a bank teller.

[benjamindees]

I mean, sure, there are cities with several hundred Bitcoiners perhaps.  But they are the absolute worst places in the US to try to build a small economy:  Boston and San Francisco.

[acoindr]

I mean, sure, there are cities with several hundred Bitcoiners perhaps.  But they are the absolute worst places in the US to try to build a small economy:  Boston and San Francisco.

Why so? I think there is a growing separation of classes of people, and some might love the chance to jump into a new economy.

Keep in mind Stockton, California, 84 miles from San Francisco, just became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy.

[REF]

The question is, would you relocate in order to do so?

I guess, in order to be more clear, what I'm saying is I don't think any large city has a real potential to produce a Bitcoin economy at this point.

Fuck yeah.

One day I hope to move to New Hampshire or at least have a porcfest holiday for a few weeks.

Edit: once suppliers and farmers start accepting bitcoin things will be golden.

yup. stores accepting BTC are nice but they still need to pay suppliers to do so they need to convert the BTC->cash. If bitcoin is to succeed Im sure it will slowly make its way up the chain.

[MaxSan]

www.bitcoindeals.com has an amazinga rray of products, including things in bulk

I tried to order but sadly its US only so it kinda screwed on that. everything you require and more there.

[Littleshop]

Come to my store:

http://cryptoanarchy.com/store

It is priced in USD but you pay in BTC.  Batteries, shirts, magnets, stickers, magazines and more.