Why should we have to wait for online stores to accept Bitcoin before we can actually use it? ⚡
Millions of people shop online every day, yet most e-commerce stores still don't accept Bitcoin.
But what if the solution isn't convincing merchants to accept Bitcoin, but changing the way we shop?
That's the idea behind Bitpost.
We've built a peer-to-peer marketplace that connects two types of people:
🟠 People who want to spend Bitcoin to buy products online.
🟠 People who want to stack Bitcoin by purchasing those products on someone else's behalf using traditional payment methods, and receiving BTC in return.
No merchant integrations required. No need for online stores to accept Bitcoin directly.
We started with Amazon to validate the concept, but our vision goes much further.
Our goal is to make Bitcoin spendable across any e-commerce store, without depending on merchants to adopt it.
Bitpost is already live in its first version.
We've seen strong interest from people who want to stack sats through this model.
Now we're looking for the other side: people who actually want to spend Bitcoin.
Because we believe Bitcoin shouldn't just be something you hold. It should also be something you have the freedom to use.
So here's our question for the Bitcoin community:
If you could shop at any online store using Bitcoin, even when that store doesn't accept BTC, would you?
And more importantly, what would make you trust and try a service like this?
We're genuinely interested in your ideas, concerns, and honest criticism.
The future of shopping with Bitcoin shouldn't have to wait for merchants to catch up.⚡
I've seen projects like this come and go over the years.
I think the reason this never goes mainstream is because its essentially a regression of money back to a barter economy (coincidence of wants). It's not inherently bad, just takes additional work, coordination and complexity to get what you want (which defeats the whole point of using a shared money system)
I think this time could be different. Because we have agents that can buy things for us, they can handle the coordination, complexity, and work of finding a buyer for your sats and finding a buyer for your bullshit on amazon.
You could look into offering an agent buying service on top of your infrastructure and charge users a small fee to use the agent or charge a fee when the agent buys something. That way you're providing a service, not just a platform for people with coincidental wants to find one another.
This looks very cool! At first I didn't see how to switch to be a bitworker, but then j noticed the menu options on the bottom of the screen (I'm on mobile). Just an example of how a dumb user like myself manages not to see stuff, if it's helpful to hear.
I like the idea a lot! I'd love to see a FAQ question like: "How do I know the buyer will send me sats?" Or "How do I know the bitworker will send me my stuff?"
It seems like you all have thought this through a fair bit, but on first pass I didn't see an explanation of this. I see that maybe it involves an escrow (if needed?) Or maybe a multisig?
If you have a quick non video explainer of this, I'd love to read it.
Thank you very much for your comment and for sharing your observations!
First of all, I would like to apologize in advance for including a video anyway, but from our experience, we have learned that there is often no better way to understand something than by seeing how it actually works.
Unfortunately, in most cases, people are not willing to read pages and pages of explanations just to understand how a service works. Of course, there are exceptions, and you are probably one of them!
In any case, to find detailed answers to all your questions, you can always refer to the Terms and Conditions of our service, available on our website, where we explain the various mechanisms in detail. You can also find additional information in our FAQ section.
So, I am sending you our company presentation as well, and I hope you will forgive me for including the video! It illustrates how Bitpost works and the solutions we have developed in a simple, clear, and intuitive way.
I can assure you that we have thought very carefully about all these issues. In fact, it took us a year and a half of development to find concrete solutions to the main limitations and challenges that traditional peer-to-peer exchanges can present.
One of the fundamental issues is payment security and management. We have developed a specific solution to address this, which I will explain in more detail through the presentation, where the entire process is illustrated in a simple and intuitive way.
However, there is another equally important problem that we wanted to solve: how to ensure that an exchange actually takes place and, above all, how to obtain objective evidence of the actions carried out by the parties involved.
Today, there are already numerous peer-to-peer services that essentially offer very similar features, often changing only the format without truly addressing the underlying problems. We wanted to do something different by focusing directly on the mechanisms that make an exchange secure, verifiable, and reliable.
For this reason, we decided to leverage the communications generated by e-commerce platforms themselves. When an online purchase is made, e-commerce platforms typically send emails confirming the order, the shipment of the product, and finally its delivery.
These communications are fundamental to our approach. Through their automated notifications, and without being directly involved in our system, e-commerce platforms allow us to obtain objective evidence of the different stages of a transaction.
In other words, we have transformed an existing process into a verification mechanism, without having to rely exclusively on the statements of the two users involved in the exchange.
As for payments, I can already tell you that we have developed an in-house 2-of-3 multisignature wallet with an experience directly integrated with the Lightning Network. This is an innovative solution designed and developed by our team and introduced for the first time within Bitpost, specifically to meet the unique requirements of our system.
Furthermore, considering some of the issues that have emerged with infrastructures such as Liquid, the Lightning Network, and Boltz, which I am sure you are very familiar with, we decided to integrate what we consider to be the most robust fallback solution in the Bitcoin ecosystem: Bitcoin on-chain.
We have therefore implemented an emergency mechanism that allows us to rely directly on the Bitcoin blockchain, providing an additional layer of security and an alternative path should the other infrastructures encounter problems.
However, I want to emphasize one fundamental point: Bitcoin on-chain is not part of our standard operating model. It is a last-resort solution, intended to be used exclusively in emergency situations.
From the very beginning, our goal was not simply to create another peer-to-peer platform, but to build an infrastructure capable of addressing its underlying challenges in a concrete way, with security, verifiability, ease of use, and reliability at its core.
I hope the presentation will help you better understand the architecture we have developed and, most importantly, the reasoning behind every single decision.
I believe that once you see the project as a whole, you will gain a clearer understanding of what we have set out to achieve with Bitpost and why we have dedicated so much time to developing this solution.
How do you deal with the privacy of the buyers address?
Great question!
At the moment, since we are still in the process of validating our idea, we are focusing on Amazon, which allows customers to have their orders delivered to Amazon Lockers. This gives users an additional level of privacy, as they can receive their products without having them delivered to ther home address. Of course, anyone who prefers home delivery is free to choose that option as well.
Looking ahead, we have already considered how to address this issue with other e-commerce platforms that do not offer locker delivery.
Our long-term vision is to develop our own network of proprietary lockers, specifically designed to provide greater privacy during the delivery process. Once the project has gained sufficient traction, we plan to start deploying these lockers across Europe and, hopefully, eventually expand internationally.
In the meantime, we intend to leverage existing services such as InPost, which already operates an extensive network of parcel lockers and pickup points across Europe.
This will allow us to explore alternative delivery solutions for purchases made through other e-commerce platforms, wherever InPost delivery is supported.
I have personally been using InPost for the past three years, so I am already very familiar with how the service works and the advantages it offers.
Ultimately, our approach is to start with an existing, proven infrastructure to validate the concept, while gradually building a more independent and privacy-focused delivery ecosystem as the project grows.
Also, I am curious how much info can be gleaned from the Amazon bar codes. If I am a bitworker, can someone look up info about my Amazon account from the data included on shipping labels?
By using Amazon Lockers, users can receive their products without having to share any personal delivery information with the other party involved in the exchange.
In fact, when a user starts an exchange on Bitpost, we guide them step by step, explaining how to use Amazon to achieve the highest possible level of privacy.
These are mechanisms I personally discovered after spending several years studying how Amazon works. Through this experience, I learned about certain features and procedures that allow users to modify the information associated with their orders, including the details displayed on shipping labels. We decided to integrate this knowledge into Bitpost and share it directly with our users, giving them access to privacy techniques that most people are probably not even aware of.
We have also integrated video tutorials linked directly to YouTube, which users can access throughout the different stages of the exchange. Our goal is to support users every step of the way, making sure they always feel guided and have the best possible experience on Bitpost.
Of course, I don't want to pretend that this is an extremely simple service from the very first interaction. When you try to solve complex problems, you inevitably face challenges. And just like with any new technology, something that initially seems complicated becomes much easier once you actually start using it.
Sometimes all it takes is a little experimentation, exploring the features, and getting familiar with how the system works. Once you understand the process, everything becomes much more intuitive.
To give you a real example, we have a user who has already completed over 50 exchanges on Bitpost. Today, that same person can create a listing or accept an existing offer in less than two minutes, without encountering any difficulties.
And this is exactly the result we have managed to achieve. We have worked incredibly hard to provide a user experience that, on the surface, feels relatively simple and intuitive, as long as users follow the instructions and take a little time to read the explanations we provide.
What users see is a guided and relatively straightforward process, but behind the scenes lies an extremely complex development effort, involving countless challenges, technical obstacles, and carefully designed solutions.
Ultimately, this is one of the greatest challenges when developing new technology. Making all the technical complexity invisible to the end user while maintaining the security, privacy, and reliability of the entire system.
And that is exactly what we set out to achieve with Bitpost. Looking at the results we have obtained so far, we believe we have successfully turned that vision into reality.
This has been done before by others. Site is very confusing
Cool! Are you associated with purse? I went and visited them https://purse.io/ and it looks like they've shutdown.
Absolutely not! When I started developing this service, I wasn't even aware that Purse existed.
It was Giacomo Zucco, who is also a close friend of mine, who first told me about it.
However, our goal was never to analyze or replicate other services, but rather to address and solve the fundamental challenges that have always existed in peer-to-peer exchanges.
There are already many platforms doing a great job, but most of them, despite presenting themselves differently, rely on essentially similar mechanisms and leave some critical issues unresolved.
These are precisely the challenges that pushed us to our limits throughout years of development, forcing us to find concrete solutions, including from a technical perspective, to overcome the limitations of traditional systems.
And this is what we believe truly makes the difference. We haven't simply created another peer-to-peer service. We have rethought the underlying mechanisms of the exchange itself, with the goal of making it more secure, verifiable, and reliable.
Today, we believe we have successfully taken the concept of peer-to-peer exchange to the next level, thanks to the solutions we have developed to address problems that other services have yet to solve.
Thanks for your interest! ⚡
No, we're not affiliated with Purse.io, but we're very familiar with the project and the concept they introduced years ago.
You could say that Bitpost is the next evolution of that idea, built with a significantly more advanced architecture designed to address some of the challenges faced by earlier P2P marketplaces.
The biggest difference is how Bitcoin payments are handled.
We've developed a non-custodial system built around multisig technology, with direct Lightning Network integration, designed to provide greater security, faster transactions, and a smoother user experience.
Another major focus has been fraud prevention and dispute management.
We've carefully designed the entire dispute resolution process, anticipating potential issues between buyers and Bitworkers and implementing mechanisms to minimize scams and protect participants.
This required 18 months of development, because our goal wasn't simply to recreate an existing concept, but to build a more robust, secure
I used to use gift cards from bitrefill when I got 5% back with Strike, but it's a lot of friction to deal with if there is no incentive.
It's easier just to use a credit card and pay the bill off with Bitcoin at the end of the month.
To use this service, it needs to be easier than using a credit card or give me more cash back than my credit card.
To trust it, I just need it to work. Most of my online purchases are not that big. If people get rugged, they'll complain online and everyone will stop using it.
Thank you for sharing your perspective! 🧡⚡
When it comes to simplicity, I can assure you that we've put a tremendous amount of work into this aspect.
However, there's one important thing to consider, making a peer-to-peer exchange secure at every stage isn't as simple as making a payment with a single click. There are several aspects to manage, and we've worked hard to create an experience that guides users step by step, without leaving anything to chance.
I'm convinced that if you gave Bitpost a try and carefully followed the process, you'd realize that everything is much more intuitive than it might initially seem. And after just a couple of exchanges, most of the steps would start to feel completely natural.
Today, we have around 200 registered users, several of whom have already completed their first purchases. And if you take a look at our reviews, you'll see that the feedback we've received so far has been extremely positive. 💪
When it comes to the financial benefits, this is where things get interesting!
On Bitpost, you can find users who are willing to offer discounts of up to 13% on your purchases simply because they want to accumulate more satoshis.
So we're not just talking about traditional cashback, but real, immediate savings that can be significantly higher than what many credit cards offer.
And I'd like to finish with one thought.
Even Bitcoin seems complicated at first. But often, it's not that the technology is too difficult, it's simply something new that we haven't fully understood yet.
Once you understand how it works, everything becomes much easier.
With Bitpost, that's exactly what we've tried to achieve, making a new way to shop, save money, and use Bitcoin through peer-to-peer exchanges accessible to everyone.
Sometimes, all it takes is trying something new to realize just how simple it can actually be.
Give it a try and see for yourself! 🧡⚡
@Scoresby
As of today, the real obstacle is not how Bitpost works or the way we have built the platform. In fact, Bitpost has proven in practice that it works exactly as intended and is fully capable of handling exchanges as we originally designed.
The main challenge lies elsewhere, and it has much more to do with people's habits. There are plenty of people who want to accumulate Bitcoin, but very few who are actually willing to spend it.
And that is precisely the imbalance we are experiencing at this stage.
Right now, we are not earning a single satoshi. We have deliberately decided to offer the service completely free of charge because our goal at this stage is not to generate profits, but to attract new users to Bitpost and allow them to experience firsthand the validity, effectiveness, and potential of the platform.
There is also something I believe deserves particular attention. On Bitpost, there are already users willing to purchase products on behalf of others while offering discounts of up to 13%.
Essentially, we are trying to introduce people to a service that allows them to purchase products at significantly reduced prices, while offering those who want to accumulate Bitcoin a practical opportunity to do so.
To summarize, we currently have a large number of people interested in accumulating Bitcoin, but far too few willing to spend it.
There is another important aspect to understand regarding how our order book works.
If you visit Bitpost and look for purchase requests posted by buyers, you won't find any, because there simply aren't any at the moment. However, this does not mean that there are no users interested in making purchases.
The reason is quite simple. People who want to buy a product often don't need to create their own purchase request because they can already find offers published by other users on the platform, with attractive discounts and good reputations.
As a result, instead of posting a new request and waiting for someone to accept it, they prefer to select an existing offer and proceed directly with the exchange.
A buyer would have more incentive to create a purchase request if they couldn't find an existing offer with a discount they considered satisfactory. In that case, they could post the product they want to purchase, specify the discount they would like to receive, and wait for someone to accept their proposal.
But when there are already users on the platform offering very generous discounts, it is only natural that buyers prefer to take advantage of those opportunities directly.
This also explains why the absence of visible purchase requests in the order book does not necessarily indicate a lack of interest in the service. It is also a consequence of how users choose to interact with the platform.
Ultimately, the challenge we face today is no longer proving that Bitpost works. Through the exchanges already completed, we believe we have successfully demonstrated that.
The real challenge now is raising awareness of the service, bringing new users onto the platform, and, most importantly, finding the right balance between those who want to accumulate Bitcoin and those who are willing to spend it.
We knew from the very beginning that this would be one of our biggest challenges. Developing technology capable of solving complex problems is difficult, but changing people's habits and convincing them to try something new is probably an even greater challenge.
Great! Proxy shoppers on bitcoin rails. That was missing!
We where just talking about here in the ~AGORA marketplace #1584530
Bookmarked this for our next TM7 newsletter ;)
Thanks, that's fantastic! 🙏
I can't wait for people to try Bitpost and experience firsthand just how innovative it really is. Years of hard work have gone into building something this refined and carefully designed, down to the smallest detail, in the P2P space.
And this is just the beginning!
🚀 As soon as our user base starts gaining traction, we'll expand the same model across multiple e-commerce platforms, with the ultimate goal of creating a truly decentralized P2P ecosystem for all online stores, powered by Bitcoin.
Really appreciate your support! ⚡
Neat concept.