Saw my $2k investment reach $4.8k and then down to under $1k (I was very new to trading and didn't sell a single coin during the massive "China bans bitcoin" crash of Dec 2013) and a year later I'm cashing out at $1.1k. I had fun on the rollercoaster but I got greedy and paid for it. Lesson learned.

Just seeing what other people's are. I'm in the south bay area near San Francisco, and I should be in a good area for Bitcoin right? I'll start off by summarizing my experiences so far: Curry up now: Today I visited this Indian restaurant in Palo Alto. It was listed on coinmap. When I tried to pay with Bitcoin, the person at the register flips the POS terminal to me and displays what looked like a coinbase.com login screen and she says I have to "sign onto bitcoin" to pay them. I started to explain that Bitcoin is a peer to peer network with no "login", and maybe it was asking them to login. Then she says that if that is the case, she doesn't know how to do it, so I just paid with a credit card. Later I used the feedback thing on their website to say what happened, in case the owners care. If I were them I would either figure out how to do Bitcoin correctly, or just remove it as an option. I think it's safe to assume that nobody has even tried to pay with Bitcoin in a long time. Clear Vision Optometry: Sept 2014: I went in for an exam, and luckily the owner happened to be there, and they were able to ring me up. They said I was the first person to use Bitcoin with them. Mac's coins and collectibles: Nov 2014, I bought a few silver eagles and paid with Bitcoin just for the experience. The guy charged a 15% (yes, FIFTEEN) markup for using Bitcoin. WTF? He said others have paid in Bitcoin before, but I didn't press for about how many. Luckily I called ahead of time, the "guy that does bitcoin" had to come down to the store to meet me. Memorydealers.com: Oct 2013, I emailed them and they said they only accept bitcoins online and not in-store. I checked for them now, and I see they're not listed on coinmap.org anymore, so at least there's that.

So I've heard a few friends say they've started to bitcoin mine and I was wondering if I should even bother with my computer. I was thinking of joining a pool to get more consistent results. I've got an Nvidia 750, if that matters

I ordered $475.13 AUD worth of bitcoins (1.25 BTC) and accidentally forgot to mark the contact as paid (even though I did deposit the sum into his bank account) due to leaving the house during the time window. Fair enough, my mistake. So I messaged the seller (discobean, [profile here](https://localbitcoins.com/accounts/profile/discobean/)) the day of when I realised my mistake and asked for him to reopen the contact. There was no response. I have since messaged him four times over the four days since the contact was first opened. He has still not responded. Please note that he sent me a message when the contact was first opened stating that the money would generally be in his account within a day if sent from my bank (in case anyone is going to try and play the "he might not know how to handle messaging correctly" card). I gave him some benefit of doubt by assuming he may not visit the site on fridays & weekends, however that is incorrect - he is incredibly active on the site throughout the day so there is not really a reason he hasn't responded to my messages, as far as I can see. I contacted Localbitcoin's support team about this through the official methods and was handed a generic copy&pasted message about contacting the seller even though I had outlined in my support ticket that he was not responding. I looked recently at the seller's profile and some of the latest feedback tells a story similar to mine. So now I'm really nervous I've been scammed out of $475 even though this seller comes highly recommended and is one of the main sellers featured on the home page for Australians. I'm really lost for what to do next. Does anyone have some suggestions?

You can currently purchase gift cards, electronics, local food, and the list goes on. What's missing or poorly implemented? Is there anything you wish you could buy using Bitcoin, but can't?

1. More advanced and more secured algorithm (SCRIPT) 2. Smaller denomination makes coin more usable (2.1 bn coins) . Bitcoin reached upto 1200 usd, which made it inaccessible for many people and not practical as a currency 3. Onecoin exchange provides due to its centralization higher liquidity and less volatility, unlike multiple bitcoin exchanges all selling at different rates... 4. Dedication management team responsible for strategy , attracting merchants and building the Onecoin brands vs decentralized approach bitcoin. 5. Onecoin is mined in mining pools ( or teams ) keeping individual investments in hardware.. etc , minimal 6. Onecoin uses KYC procedures and can not be abused for illegal purposes like bitcoin was ( Bitcoin was used for buying drugs and weapon on the internet ) KYC procedures = KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS procedures 7. Onecoin is still in an early stage and therefore interesting for investors, while Bitcoin is already very mature please sign up http://onecoin.eu/signup/amoisexy

[Found this comic over at /r/Bitcoin.](http://i.imgur.com/zMTpVfh.jpg) Also found [this in their FAQ](http://imgur.com/WTwRaTj). So which reality are they living in now?

I know the smart thing to do (and what I will likely do) is just buy all the way down, but I'm curious how low it might go before people shit themselves and start dumping. That will be when the buy volume scoops in and HODLs. Anyway, ten coins strong here. Looking to own more.

We are in the "panic" phase, where price goes well below the mean. The bad news is, we have to look at a lot of red. The good news is, the correction is likely nearing its end. When we return to the mean, or where we were to start the bubble, it can be a turning point. If, however, you believe that none of the positive development in bitcoin services and merchants means anything and the fundamentals are no longer as good as they were this time last year, the idea that it will go to zero or something is plausible. I just don't happen to agree. This is a redistribution of wealth. The top addresses are in flux. Weak hands are being shaken out, strong hands are accumulating. If the order books had nobody buying, we would have a problem...but people ARE buying. They're just buying cheap. It isn't a very fun way to ring in the new year, but I think there's a good chance we are nearing the end of the correction... and if someone starts loading up, the leveraged shorts are going to feel an epic squeeze that will send it into a bull market. Here's hoping. In five years, I doubt anyone will be upset that they bought at $275 and not $200 but right now, it looks like a big deal. As always, I say be a long and don't look for short term gains. If you need the money, don't put it in crypto.

That's all I can offer.