OpenBazaar

OpenBazaar is a new way to buy and sell goods and services online. By running a program on your computer, you can connect directly to other users in the OpenBazaar network and trade with them. The network isn't controlled by a company or organisation. OpenBazaar is a decentralised peer-to-peer network, which means there are no listing fees and the marketplace is censorship-resistant.

Goods and services are bought and sold on OpenBazaar using Bitcoin, a digital cryptocurrency that is decentralised and censorship-resistant. Transaction fees on the Bitcoin network are very cheap.

Bitcoin and OpenBazaar together make online commerce cheaper and more free than ever before.

Right now, online commerce means using centralized services. eBay, Amazon, Alibaba and others have restrictive policies and charge fees for listing and selling goods. They only accept forms of payment that cost both buyers and sellers money, such as credit cards or PayPal/Alipay. They require personal information, which can lead to it being stolen or even sold to others for advertising or worse. Buyers and sellers aren’t always free to exchange goods and services with each other, as companies and governments censor entire categories of trade.

OpenBazaar is a different approach to online commerce. It puts the power back in the users’ hands. Instead of buyers and sellers going through a centralized service, OpenBazaar connects them directly. Because there is no one in the middle of the transactions, there are no fees, no one can censor transactions, and you only reveal the personal information that you choose.

This project is open source, which means the code is publicly available for people to review or audit, as well as contribute code to make it better.