Post
Topic
Board Economics
Re: Limited coins and hoarding
by
DeathAndTaxes
on 04/11/2011, 20:28:15 UTC
I'm regularly amused by members who do no comprehend Praxeology or Economics telling me how consumers should act.
Since you're obviously an expert in both, what do you think will motivate a consumer to use an irreversible method like Bitcoins to buy something online instead of their Visa card? 

Hopefully (eventually) lower prices.  CC fees are expensive, and merchants routinely lose even more via fraud.  Those aren't "free" and get wrapped into the cost of doing business.  If Bitcoin gets popular enough hopefully merchants will offer discounts for using Bitcoin.  The true cost of doing business with CC is easily 5% when you combine the fraud, charge back fee costs, merchant account costs, and the "vig".  For some high chageback businesses it is north of 10%.

Of course it is a chicken or the egg scenario and it won't be solved overnight but CC aren't free and that offers an oppertunity for Bitcoin to be "better".