Bitcoin Wiki - User contributions [en]

Template:Exchanges

2015-03-13T12:54:25Z

WalletBit:

{{Navbox_default
|title=[[Exchanges]]
|image=[[File:BitcoinChartsExample.png|180px]]
|header=[[Comparison of real-time trading exchanges|Real-time engines]] • [[Comparison of fixed rate trading exchanges|Fixed rate engines]]
|group1=[[Comparison of real-time trading exchanges|Live]]
|group2=[[Comparison of fixed rate trading exchanges|Fixed]]
|group3=Defunct
|list1=[[1Bse]] • '''[[Asia Nexgen Bitcoin Exchange|ANX]]''' • [[BitBargain]] • [[Bitcoin-24]] • [[bitcoin.de]] • '''[[Bitfinex]]''' • [[BitSource]] • '''[[Bitstamp]]''' • '''[[BTC-e]]''' • '''[[BTC China]]''' • [[CampBX]] • [[CEX.IO]] • [[Crxzone]] • '''[[itBit]]''' • '''[[Kraken]]''' • '''[[Localbitcoins.com]]''' • [[PS Coin]] • [[CleverCoin]]
|list2=[[247exchange]] • [[Anycoin Direct]] • [[Coinify]] • [[BitSimple.]] • [[Bittylicious]] • '''[[Coinbase (business)|Coinbase]]''' • [[CoinMama]] • [[SuperChange]]
|list3=[[Bitcoin Market]] • [[Mt. Gox]] • [[TradeHill]]
|footer=
}}

Delete1

2015-03-13T12:52:49Z

WalletBit:

{{exchange}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: smaller; "
! style="width: 1;" | Service
! style="width: 1;" | USD?
! style="width: 1;" | EUR?
! style="width: 1;" | GBP?
! style="width: 1;" | AUD?
! style="width: 1;" | Other
! style="width: 1;" | Holds BTC?
! style="width: 1;" | Holds fiat?
! style="width: 1;" | Trading fee
! Notes
|-
| [[247exchange]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| CHF, PLN, RON, ZAR
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Varies
| Licensed service, 24/7 support. Bank wire, SEPA, Sofort Banking, Local Bank Transfers (Australia, UK & Europe), Cash Deposits (Australia), e-wallets (OKPay, etc), altcoins (Litecoin, Peercoin, Namecoin), credit and debit cards (for both buying & selling)
|-
| [[Anycoin Direct]]
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Buy: 0.3% Sell: 1%
| Support: toll free telephone number, live chat, email Payment methods: SEPA, Giropay, Sofort Banking, iDEAL, Bancontact / Mister Cash, Mybank, Online Bank Transfer
|-

|
|
|
| To and from any listed country
|-
| [[Bit4coin]]
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|
|
| Gift vouchers for euros
|-
| [[Bitcoil]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| ILS
|
|
|
| Israeli bank transfers
|-
| [[Coin Loft]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
| Australian cash deposit
|-
| getbitcoin.com.au
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
| Australian cash deposit
|-
| [[Bitcoins Now]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
| Australian cash deposit
|-
| [[Bits of Gold]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| ILS
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[BitServiceX]]
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|
|
| iDEAL, Sofortüberweisung, Giropay, MisterCash
|-
| [[BitSimple.]]
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|-
| [[Bittylicious]]
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|
|
| FP, SEPA, PAYM, debit
|-
| [[BitXoin]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
| Promo code: YES5
|-
| [[Btc2Day]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| btcx.se
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| SEK
|
|
|
| Local bank transfer
|-
| [[Coinbase (business)|Coinbase]]
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| [[CoinMama]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
| Credit Card, Cash, EgoPay, Perfect Money, Western Union, MoneyGram
|-
| [http://coinpoly.com/ Coinpoly]
| {{yes|PayPal}}
| {{yes|PayPal}}
| {{yes|PayPal}}
| {{yes|PayPal}}
| Whatever PayPal does
|
|
|
| PayPal
|-
| [[Cryptopay]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|
|
| SEPA, FP, Sofort
|-
| [[Igot.com|Igot]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Lots
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Lilion Transfer]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Lots
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Nanaimo Gold]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| CAD
|
|
|
|
|}
{{exchanges}}
<!--
* [[File:BXlogoSM.jpeg|24px|link=http://bitXoin.com]] [http://bitXoin.com bitXoin] ([[bitXoin|info]]) Buy bitcoin via online ordering and bank deposit, cash over the counter at most banks throughout Australia. Fast processing, low reference rate, low commissions.
* [https://bitcoinnordic.com Bitcoin Nordic] ([[Bitcoin Nordic|info]]), Pay using EUR and DKK bank transfer, by mail using cash or check (EUR, USD, GBP or DKK), or with cashU prepaid cards available across the Middle East and North Africa.
* [https://btc2day.cz Btc2Day] ([[Btc2Day|info]]), Buy and sell bitcoin at live rates with local deposits in Australia, Europe or bank transfers.
* [http://siriusmoney.com Sirius Money], Buy and sell bitcoins with European bank transfers or cash. Paper wallets with unique design are also sold. Large purchases possible.
* [http://coinbase.com Coinbase] ([[Coinbase|info]]), Buy and sell bitcoins (U.S.) with a linked bank account. Instant verification available with new accounts.
* [http://lakebtc.com LakeBTC] ([[LakeBTC|info]]), Buy and sell bitcoins for CNY and USD with bank transfers.
* [http://Spectrocoin.com SpectroCoin] ([[SpectroCoin|info]]), Buy and sell bitcoins in Europe with local bank transfers.
* [[OKPay]] accepts bitcoins as a deposit method ([https://www.okpay.com/en/company/news/okpay-bitcoin.html source])
* [http://btcchina.com BTC China] ([[BTC China|info]]), Add funds using ???. Withdraw CNY (Tencent and Alipay)).
* [http://www.ecurrencyzone.com/sell.php ECurrencyZone] ([[ECurrencyZone|info]]), Buy and sell bitcoins in India (INR), Bangladesh (BDT), Nepal (NPR), Malaysia (MYR), and Singapore (SGD). Purchase with cash deposit at a bank.
* [http://www.canadianbitcoins.com Canadian Bitcoins] ([[Canadian Bitcoins|info]]), Buy/Sell Bitcoins with Canadian Funds ($CAD). Cash deposit methods. Cash out to cash in-the-mail, cheque, bank transfer (TD Personal Pay), and Interac.
* [https://www.therocktrading.com/rock/currency_exchange The Rock Currency Exchange], Buy or sell Bitcoins with Lindens Dollars, USD and EUR. ATM for BTC and Lindens available.
* [https://dgtmkt.com dgtmkt] Digital market in Malaysia. Buy Bitcoin instantly with MYR (Malaysian Ringgit).
* [http://www.bitcoinmalaysia.com/ BitcoinMalaysia] Bitcoin Consultancy and Trading Site. Buy Bitcoin with MYR (Malaysian Ringgit). Maybank, GIRO, MEPS.
* [http://www.bitcoin-otc.com/ #bitcoin-otc] ([[Bitcoin-otc|info]]), reputation based peer exchange.
* [https://www.bitcoinary.com/ Bitcoinary], another reputation based peer exchange. ([http://www.thebitcointrader.com/2012/06/bitcoinary-launches-feature-rich-peer.html source])
* [http://centraw.com/ Centraw] -- global wide socially driven Bitcoin withdraw/funding/exchange point. Service provided peer to peer with escrow (no reputation needed). No exchange fee except that particular peer may (or may not) charge.
* [http://bitcoin.in.th/ Bitcoin.in.th] buy or sell Bitcoins in Thailand with cash (Thai Baht, THB) via local bank deposits or transfers.
* [http://bahtcoin.com/ Bahtcoin] ([[Bahtcoin|info]]), buy or sell Bitcoins in Thailand with cash (Thai Baht, THB), as well sell financial means online (Thai mobile phone top ups, gaming/VoIP cards, etc.)
* [http://btc2usd4u.yolasite.com/ btc2usd], Buys BTC for USD through various methods (at avg bid price). NON-INSTANTANEOUS, usually takes 12 hrs to confirm and finalize. Also sells BTC if you request it (at avg ask price).
* [https://www.cointouch.com/ CoinTouch] finds friends of friends that trade crypto currency. Direct, P2P trading, fee-free. Google+ and/or Facebook
* [https://coinrepublic.com/buy-sell-bitcoins-singapore/ Coin Republic] buy or sell Bitcoins in Singapore (SGD) via local bank deposits- iBanking. Instant buying available.
* [http://londonbitcoinexchange.wordpress.com/ London Bitcoin Exchange], Buy/Sell BTC with cash in London. Accepts cash, Moneybookers, Pokerstars USD, Liqpay, Alertpay, Perfect Money and more.
* [http://schweinehaus.de/2011/01/08/die-bitcoin-p2p-krypto-wahrung/ Schweinehaus.de], exchange between [[Rheingold]] and bitcoin
* [https://bitpiggy.herokuapp.com/ BitPiggy] ([[BitPiggy|info]]), Simple Australian dollar <-> bitcoin currency exchange.
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=88320.0 Mang Sweeney] ([[Mang Sweeney|info]]), Send PHP remittance using bitcoins to Philippines. Local in-person trade or cash-out deposited to your bank or recipient's bank in Philippines, or withdrawn from various remittance centers.
* [http://bitcoin.hu/ bitcoin.hu] buy or sell bitcoins with others in Hungary using cash (Hungarian Forint, HUF)
* [http://BitcoinsInBerlin.com BitcoinsInBerlin.com] ([[Bitcoins In Berlin|info]]), buy and sell bitcoins for cash (EUR) in-the-mail, cash in-person trade (Berlin), Western Union, Moneygram (cash-out), and SEPA bank transfer.
* [http://www.mercaBit.eu mercaBit.eu] ([[Mercabit.eu|info]]), buy bitcoins using (EUR) Ukash, Neosurf and HalCash (Hal-Cash).
* [http://tl.gd/igqt0i Intrade Tx], Intrade Bitcoin Transaction eXchange offers Bitcoin to [http://intrade.com Intrade](USD) deposits for predictions market betting.
* [http://valutapay.com ValutaPay Corporation], flexible payment solutions for online store checkout and donations based on Bitcoin digital currency with Exchange Bitcoin->USD/EUR. Free online Bitcoin wallet for registered members. Withdraw/Payout via credit card (Visa/Mastercard) deposit, bank transfer or Bitcoin transaction.
* [http://liliontransfer.org/ Lilion Transfer] Buy/Sell (Accepts BTC), 15 world currencies, 12 payment processors, the biggest exchanger in Central Europe
* [http://bitcoinplus.mx/ Bitcoin Plus Mexico] ([[BitcoinPlus.mx|info]]), buy and sell bitcoins for cash in Mexican Pesos (MXN)
* [http://www.bitaurum.eu BitAurum.eu] Gold Merchant also selling bitcoins for Euro SEPA Bank transfers or cash (located in Bayreuth, northern Bavaria, Germany).
* [http://www.ArtaBit.com artaBit] ([[ArtaBit|info]]), Buy and sell bitcoins using Indonesian Rupiah (IDR).
* [https://www.itbit.com itBit] ([[itbit.com|info]]), Sophisticated bitcoin trading platform built on today's trading technology standards. Buy and sell Bitcoins in USD/EUR/SGD.
* [[File:IgotLogo.png|20px|link=https://www.igot.com/]] [https://www.igot.com/ Igot] ([[Igot.com|info]]), a Bitcoin exchange with eWallet functions that allows you to securely buy, sell, send, and receive Bitcoin. It operates a BTC/USD market with support for various currencies for deposit and withdrawal, like USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, INR, SGD, NZD, AED
* [https://www.asmoney.com asmoney] ([[asmoney|info]]), A payment processor based on cryptographic currencies, Provide merchants and masspayment for Bitcoin
* [https://www.247exchange.com/ 247exchange], international bitcoin exchanger (buy, sell, exchange BTC) offering licensed service and 24/7 support. Bank wire (SWIFT) transfer, SEPA transfer, Sofort Banking, local payments are available.
{{Exchanges}}

Merchant Howto

2014-12-31T09:19:54Z

WalletBit:

{{merge|How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses}}

Accepting Bitcoins is easy, and there are several ways to do it.

==Manually==
# Download a bitcoin client
# When a customer wants to buy something, send them a Bitcoin address where their payment should be sent.
#* You can do this by clicking "New.." next to your address in the Bitcoin client and sending that address to the customer.
# When payment comes in to that address, send the goods to your customer. Depending on the value of what you're selling, you may wish to wait until the payment shows Confirmed.
# To issue a refund, obtain from the customer the [[Address|bitcoin address]] where the refund payment should be sent. The refund address will likely be different from the address used when the customer sent payment, especially if an [[EWallet]] was used by the customer.

==Automated==
===Pre-generating Bitcoin addresses===
You can accept Bitcoins on your website without needing to use Bitcoin APIs or third party services if you pre-generate a large number of receiving Bitcoin addresses and store them in a database on your web server, and dispense them one-by-one to customers when they are ready to pay. This way, your web server never actually handles the bitcoins - it simply gives out addresses belonging to a wallet you maintain elsewhere. By using a unique address per order, you will always know which payment belongs to which order. [https://www.casascius.com Example of website using this method]

To pre-generate addresses, use a tool such as [[Pywallet]] (which can generate a wallet.dat file) or [[Bitcoin Address Utility]] (which can generate a CSV file). In both cases, you will be generating a list of [[Address|Bitcoin address]]es along with their corresponding [[private key]]s. Only the Bitcoin addresses (not the private keys) should be loaded on the web server.

If you are shipping goods manually, you can use the Bitcoin software to check for incoming payments, or alternately consider using [[Block Explorer]] or [[Abe]] to verify payment when you're about to ship. To make this easy, make your website provide you a full hyperlink that includes the proper receiving address: ht<nowiki>tp://www</nowiki>.blockexplorer.com/address/ADDRESSGOESHERE.

If you are delivering digital goods or services and want to be able to deliver instantly upon payment and/or confirmation, you can use a third-party service such as [[Bitcoin Notify]] to tell your website when a payment has been received. This sort of service requires no significant API implementation - they will simply make a POST to your website or send you an e-mail when a payment has been received on one of your addresses.

If you keep Bitcoins off your web server, this ensures your wallet cannot be stolen if your web server experiences a security intrusion. Your risk becomes limited to the possibility that a successful intruder could add his own addresses to your address pool and steal funds from a few incoming orders until you detect the problem, however, this is a relatively controllable risk.

===Using offchain payment networks===

[[Off-Chain_Transactions|Off chain]] networks provides various benefits to Bitcoin, such as instant confirmations and protection against double spending.

===Using a third-party plugin===
You can use an existing [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|shopping cart interface]] from a 3rd party to automatically handle all Bitcoin payments on your website. If you want to develop the system yourself, you can utilize the Bitcoin client's [[API tutorial (JSON-RPC)|JSON-RPC API]] to automatically accept payments.

Things to note if you build it yourself:
# When a customer orders something on your website it records:
#* Bitcoin address that payment should be sent to
#* Order details (delivery address etc.)
#* Customer's refund address (optional - if you wish you can ask for this later, only in cases a refund is required)
#* Payment amount
# When payment arrives, checks that they have paid the correct amount or not, and informs you
#* You dispatch the goods to the customer and mark the order as fulfilled
#* If you cannot dispatch the goods you mark the order as denied and ask the customer for a refund address (unless you already have it from earlier) to send a refund.
# Forwards the funds to bitcoin address of your choice

===If You have a retail business and do not have internet or smart phone===
You can still accept Bitcoin. [https://easybitz.com/merchant] EasyBitz.com has a very simple way to accept bitcoin with just a print out and a phone that gets sms text messages.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment. However it is possible to create automated invoices by using known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup.

==Common Errors==
It has been observed on occasion that a business funnels all its orders through the same Bitcoin address, and asks people to send some BTC, then send email describing the timing and the amount of the transaction to 'claim' it. This is '''not''' secure, since anyone can see the transaction details using a tool such as [[Block Explorer]], and then try to claim someone else's transaction as theirs.

Do not do this. Give each customer a unique Bitcoin address.

==Listing your business on the Bitcoin Trade page==

Anyone can add and update a listing on the [[Trade|trade]] page. Just register if you haven't and add to the appropriate category. If you'ld like assistance, perhaps someone in the [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#bitcoin-marketing #bitcoin-marketing] IRC channel would be willing to assist. If you have a brick and mortar business that accepts bitcoin you can add it to the bitcoin directories. [https://easybitz.com] [http://coinmap.org]

==Services==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail worldwide. ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Global Map. No fees.
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://cryptopay.me/ Cryptopay] Bitcoin merchant payment processing. UK-based, serving UK and EU clients.
* [http://www.dcpos.com DC POS] A Bitcoin browser-based Point-of-Sale app. It is hardware, OS, wallet, and browser agnostic. 0.5% transaction fee.
* [[Coinify]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
* [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Merchant solution for Bitcoin specialized in Middle Europe (Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech republic)
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. No fee. The Netherlands.
* [[BitPay]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
* [https://gourl.io Gourl.io] Bitcoin Payment Gateway with ready to use php scripts - Pay-Per-Download, Pay-Per-Product, Pay-Per-Registration.
*[[BTCMerch]] - Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [[BitMerch]] Bitcoin payment processor with 0.5% transaction fee.
* [http://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Payments Gateway for Latin America
* [https://coinbase.com/merchants Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, pages, iframes, shopping cart integration, subscription/recurring billing, micro-transactions, and cash out to your local currency for 1%.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [http://paysius.com Paysius] Allows merchants to easily and securely accept Bitcoin payments on their website
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [[GoCoin]] International Payment Processing for Bitcoin
* [http://www.fraudlabspro.com/ FraudLabs Pro] Fraud screening service for online merchants. Support transactions using Bitcoin as payment method.

==See Also==
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[Bitcoin Evolution]] handles sales tracking and order forms; requires Bitcoin client for actual payment
* [[Bitcoin API Services]] an easy solution for securely accepting Bitcoins and updating BTC prices
* [[Converter|Bitcoin Javascript Converter]] displays a price in BTCs after converting from USDs.
* [[How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses]]
* [[:Category:Marketing|Marketing]]
* [[URI Scheme]]
* [[Promotional graphics]], buttons and logos
* [https://github.com/cryptoapi/Payment-Gateway GoUrl Bitcoin Payment API] open source php payment api on Github.com
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
[[Category:ECommerce]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-12-31T09:17:04Z

WalletBit:

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|Coinify Mobile Checkout|link=https://coinify.com]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your cash register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign). For a more convenient solution you can use a dedicated app or webapp that generates a QR code on the fly including the amount.

==== Examples ====
Solutions for smart phones and tablets:
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]] [https://easybitz.com/merchant EasyBitz] Simplest Merchant POS + Live Transaction Map
* [https://coinify.com Coinify] Bitcoin Point Of Sale
* [https://bitcoin.co.th/merchants/ bitcoin.co.th] mobile Bitcoin Point of Sale for Thailand
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], Mobile payment terminal with EUR, USD, PLN and CZK settlements.
* [[File:BitKassa_favicon.png|20px|link=https://www.BitKassa.nl]] [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] accept Bitcoin on mobile phone, tablet, computer; converts to Euro/Bitcoin (any percentage)
* [https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-for-retail BitPay] Mobile Checkout
* [https://bitpos.me/demo.html BitPOS] Merchant POS solution for Australia
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.blockchain.merchant Blockchain] Merchant for Android
* [http://www.btcxpos.com/ BTCX] POS for Sweden
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase] Point Of Sale for Android
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin point of sale for Android
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Android
* [https://cryptopay.me/products/ Cryptopay] HTML5-based bitcoin POS
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, with exchange integration
* [https://gourl.io/ GoUrl] Bitcoin Mobile Checkout

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal], [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [https://coinify.com/checkout/invoice/cb/bb Coinify]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute. Merchants can also use the IP address geolocation to understand the close proximity of users. There is automated solution such as [https://www.fraudlabspro.com FraudLabs Pro] that automates the screening of Bitcoin transactions to determine risk level.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [https://coinify.com Coinify], [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [https://coinify.com Coinify], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin] Bitcoin payment processing platform with solutions for the financial sector
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.
* [https://coinify.com Coinify] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [http://www.btc4erp.com Bitcoin Transaction Coordinator] Full Merchant Solution for organizations using the NetSuite Global ERP and eCommerce Platform
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Payment gateway for virtual currencies with direct settlement to PLN, CZK, EUR and USD. POS + API.
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [[File:BitKassa_favicon.png|20px|link=https://www.BitKassa.nl]] [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting Bitcoin, getting Euro or Euro/Bitcoin percentage. The Netherlands.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://gourl.io Gourl.io] Bitcoin Payment processor with ready to use php scripts - Pay-Per-Download, Pay-Per-Product, Pay-Per-Membership, Pay-Per-Registration.
* [https://bitpos.me BitPOS] Bitcoin payment processor for online and brick and mortar stores
* [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat] Merchant POS solution for accepting Bitcoin
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinvoy.net Coinvoy] Free Payment Gateway with built-in exchange
* [https://cryptopay.me Cryptopay] European payment gateway with daily payouts in GBP, EUR and USD. Exchange and wallet integrated.
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail.ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Map
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, including merchant integration for CAD / BTC exchange.
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

Coinify

2014-10-17T04:01:07Z

WalletBit:

Coinify is the only reputable payment processor with native support for most countries. <ref name="coinify_developers" />

==Customers Pay in Bitcoin – You Receive Euros, Dollars, Kroner and More==
Accept bitcoin payments risk-free with Coinify. Unlike most credit card payment services, you do not need to wait until the end of the month to get paid. No need to worry about chargebacks or fraud when accepting bitcoin payments either.

==See Also==
* [[Bitcoin Ladder]]

==External Links==

* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] web site

==References==
<references>
<ref name="coinify_developers">[https://coinify.com/developers Bitcoin Developers]</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:ECommerce]]

Coinify

2014-10-17T04:00:07Z

WalletBit:

Coinify

2014-10-17T03:59:12Z

WalletBit: Created page with "Coinify is the only reputable payment processor with native support for most countries. ==Customers Pay in Bitcoin – You Receive Euros, Dollars, Kroner and More== Accept bi..."

Coinify is the only reputable payment processor with native support for most countries.

==Customers Pay in Bitcoin – You Receive Euros, Dollars, Kroner and More==
Accept bitcoin payments risk-free with Coinify. Unlike most credit card payment services, you do not need to wait until the end of the month to get paid. No need to worry about chargebacks or fraud when accepting bitcoin payments either.

==See Also==
* [[Bitcoin Ladder]]

==External Links==

* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] web site

==References==
<references>
<ref name="coinify_developers">[https://coinify.com/developers Bitcoin Developers]</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]

Merchant Howto

2014-10-17T03:55:53Z

WalletBit: /* Services */

{{merge|How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses}}

Accepting Bitcoins is easy, and there are several ways to do it.

==Manually==
# Download a bitcoin client
# When a customer wants to buy something, send them a Bitcoin address where their payment should be sent.
#* You can do this by clicking "New.." next to your address in the Bitcoin client and sending that address to the customer.
# When payment comes in to that address, send the goods to your customer. Depending on the value of what you're selling, you may wish to wait until the payment shows Confirmed.
# To issue a refund, obtain from the customer the [[Address|bitcoin address]] where the refund payment should be sent. The refund address will likely be different from the address used when the customer sent payment, especially if an [[EWallet]] was used by the customer.

==Automated==
===Pre-generating Bitcoin addresses===
You can accept Bitcoins on your website without needing to use Bitcoin APIs or third party services if you pre-generate a large number of receiving Bitcoin addresses and store them in a database on your web server, and dispense them one-by-one to customers when they are ready to pay. This way, your web server never actually handles the bitcoins - it simply gives out addresses belonging to a wallet you maintain elsewhere. By using a unique address per order, you will always know which payment belongs to which order. [https://www.casascius.com Example of website using this method]

To pre-generate addresses, use a tool such as [[Pywallet]] (which can generate a wallet.dat file) or [[Bitcoin Address Utility]] (which can generate a CSV file). In both cases, you will be generating a list of [[Address|Bitcoin address]]es along with their corresponding [[private key]]s. Only the Bitcoin addresses (not the private keys) should be loaded on the web server.

If you are shipping goods manually, you can use the Bitcoin software to check for incoming payments, or alternately consider using [[Block Explorer]] or [[Abe]] to verify payment when you're about to ship. To make this easy, make your website provide you a full hyperlink that includes the proper receiving address: ht<nowiki>tp://www</nowiki>.blockexplorer.com/address/ADDRESSGOESHERE.

If you are delivering digital goods or services and want to be able to deliver instantly upon payment and/or confirmation, you can use a third-party service such as [[Bitcoin Notify]] to tell your website when a payment has been received. This sort of service requires no significant API implementation - they will simply make a POST to your website or send you an e-mail when a payment has been received on one of your addresses.

If you keep Bitcoins off your web server, this ensures your wallet cannot be stolen if your web server experiences a security intrusion. Your risk becomes limited to the possibility that a successful intruder could add his own addresses to your address pool and steal funds from a few incoming orders until you detect the problem, however, this is a relatively controllable risk.

===Using offchain payment networks===

[[Off-Chain_Transactions|Off chain]] networks provides various benefits to Bitcoin, such as instant confirmations and protection against double spending.

===Using a third-party plugin===
You can use an existing [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|shopping cart interface]] from a 3rd party to automatically handle all Bitcoin payments on your website. If you want to develop the system yourself, you can utilize the Bitcoin client's [[API tutorial (JSON-RPC)|JSON-RPC API]] to automatically accept payments.

Things to note if you build it yourself:
# When a customer orders something on your website it records:
#* Bitcoin address that payment should be sent to
#* Order details (delivery address etc.)
#* Customer's refund address (optional - if you wish you can ask for this later, only in cases a refund is required)
#* Payment amount
# When payment arrives, checks that they have paid the correct amount or not, and informs you
#* You dispatch the goods to the customer and mark the order as fulfilled
#* If you cannot dispatch the goods you mark the order as denied and ask the customer for a refund address (unless you already have it from earlier) to send a refund.
# Forwards the funds to bitcoin address of your choice

===If You have a retail business and do not have internet or smart phone===
You can still accept Bitcoin. [https://easybitz.com/merchant] EasyBitz.com has a very simple way to accept bitcoin with just a print out and a phone that gets sms text messages.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment. However it is possible to create automated invoices by using known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup.

==Common Errors==
It has been observed on occasion that a business funnels all its orders through the same Bitcoin address, and asks people to send some BTC, then send email describing the timing and the amount of the transaction to 'claim' it. This is '''not''' secure, since anyone can see the transaction details using a tool such as [[Block Explorer]], and then try to claim someone else's transaction as theirs.

Do not do this. Give each customer a unique Bitcoin address.

==Listing your business on the Bitcoin Trade page==

Anyone can add and update a listing on the [[Trade|trade]] page. Just register if you haven't and add to the appropriate category. If you'ld like assistance, perhaps someone in the [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#bitcoin-marketing #bitcoin-marketing] IRC channel would be willing to assist. If you have a brick and mortar business that accepts bitcoin you can add it to the bitcoin directories. [https://easybitz.com] [http://coinmap.org]

==Services==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail worldwide. ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Global Map. No fees.
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://cryptopay.me/ Cryptopay] Bitcoin merchant payment processing. UK-based, serving UK and EU clients.
* [http://www.dcpos.com DC POS] A Bitcoin browser-based Point-of-Sale app. It is hardware, OS, wallet, and browser agnostic. 0.5% transaction fee.
* [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Merchant solution for Bitcoin specialized in Middle Europe (Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech republic)
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. No fee. The Netherlands.
* [https://coinify.com/merchants Coinify] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
* [[BitPay]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
*[[BTCMerch]] - Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [[BitMerch]] Bitcoin payment processor with 0.5% transaction fee.
* [http://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Payments Gateway for Latin America
* [https://coinbase.com/merchants Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, pages, iframes, shopping cart integration, subscription/recurring billing, micro-transactions, and cash out to your local currency for 1%.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [http://paysius.com Paysius] Allows merchants to easily and securely accept Bitcoin payments on their website
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [[GoCoin]] International Payment Processing for Bitcoin
* [http://www.fraudlabspro.com/ FraudLabs Pro] Fraud screening service for online merchants. Support transactions using Bitcoin as payment method.

==See Also==
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[Bitcoin Evolution]] handles sales tracking and order forms; requires Bitcoin client for actual payment
* [[Bitcoin API Services]] an easy solution for securely accepting Bitcoins and updating BTC prices
* [[Converter|Bitcoin Javascript Converter]] displays a price in BTCs after converting from USDs.
* [[How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses]]
* [[:Category:Marketing|Marketing]]
* [[URI Scheme]]
* [[Promotional graphics]], buttons and logos
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
[[Category:ECommerce]]

Merchant Howto

2014-10-17T03:55:39Z

WalletBit: /* Services */

{{merge|How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses}}

Accepting Bitcoins is easy, and there are several ways to do it.

==Manually==
# Download a bitcoin client
# When a customer wants to buy something, send them a Bitcoin address where their payment should be sent.
#* You can do this by clicking "New.." next to your address in the Bitcoin client and sending that address to the customer.
# When payment comes in to that address, send the goods to your customer. Depending on the value of what you're selling, you may wish to wait until the payment shows Confirmed.
# To issue a refund, obtain from the customer the [[Address|bitcoin address]] where the refund payment should be sent. The refund address will likely be different from the address used when the customer sent payment, especially if an [[EWallet]] was used by the customer.

==Automated==
===Pre-generating Bitcoin addresses===
You can accept Bitcoins on your website without needing to use Bitcoin APIs or third party services if you pre-generate a large number of receiving Bitcoin addresses and store them in a database on your web server, and dispense them one-by-one to customers when they are ready to pay. This way, your web server never actually handles the bitcoins - it simply gives out addresses belonging to a wallet you maintain elsewhere. By using a unique address per order, you will always know which payment belongs to which order. [https://www.casascius.com Example of website using this method]

To pre-generate addresses, use a tool such as [[Pywallet]] (which can generate a wallet.dat file) or [[Bitcoin Address Utility]] (which can generate a CSV file). In both cases, you will be generating a list of [[Address|Bitcoin address]]es along with their corresponding [[private key]]s. Only the Bitcoin addresses (not the private keys) should be loaded on the web server.

If you are shipping goods manually, you can use the Bitcoin software to check for incoming payments, or alternately consider using [[Block Explorer]] or [[Abe]] to verify payment when you're about to ship. To make this easy, make your website provide you a full hyperlink that includes the proper receiving address: ht<nowiki>tp://www</nowiki>.blockexplorer.com/address/ADDRESSGOESHERE.

If you are delivering digital goods or services and want to be able to deliver instantly upon payment and/or confirmation, you can use a third-party service such as [[Bitcoin Notify]] to tell your website when a payment has been received. This sort of service requires no significant API implementation - they will simply make a POST to your website or send you an e-mail when a payment has been received on one of your addresses.

If you keep Bitcoins off your web server, this ensures your wallet cannot be stolen if your web server experiences a security intrusion. Your risk becomes limited to the possibility that a successful intruder could add his own addresses to your address pool and steal funds from a few incoming orders until you detect the problem, however, this is a relatively controllable risk.

===Using offchain payment networks===

[[Off-Chain_Transactions|Off chain]] networks provides various benefits to Bitcoin, such as instant confirmations and protection against double spending.

===Using a third-party plugin===
You can use an existing [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|shopping cart interface]] from a 3rd party to automatically handle all Bitcoin payments on your website. If you want to develop the system yourself, you can utilize the Bitcoin client's [[API tutorial (JSON-RPC)|JSON-RPC API]] to automatically accept payments.

Things to note if you build it yourself:
# When a customer orders something on your website it records:
#* Bitcoin address that payment should be sent to
#* Order details (delivery address etc.)
#* Customer's refund address (optional - if you wish you can ask for this later, only in cases a refund is required)
#* Payment amount
# When payment arrives, checks that they have paid the correct amount or not, and informs you
#* You dispatch the goods to the customer and mark the order as fulfilled
#* If you cannot dispatch the goods you mark the order as denied and ask the customer for a refund address (unless you already have it from earlier) to send a refund.
# Forwards the funds to bitcoin address of your choice

===If You have a retail business and do not have internet or smart phone===
You can still accept Bitcoin. [https://easybitz.com/merchant] EasyBitz.com has a very simple way to accept bitcoin with just a print out and a phone that gets sms text messages.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment. However it is possible to create automated invoices by using known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup.

==Common Errors==
It has been observed on occasion that a business funnels all its orders through the same Bitcoin address, and asks people to send some BTC, then send email describing the timing and the amount of the transaction to 'claim' it. This is '''not''' secure, since anyone can see the transaction details using a tool such as [[Block Explorer]], and then try to claim someone else's transaction as theirs.

Do not do this. Give each customer a unique Bitcoin address.

==Listing your business on the Bitcoin Trade page==

Anyone can add and update a listing on the [[Trade|trade]] page. Just register if you haven't and add to the appropriate category. If you'ld like assistance, perhaps someone in the [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#bitcoin-marketing #bitcoin-marketing] IRC channel would be willing to assist. If you have a brick and mortar business that accepts bitcoin you can add it to the bitcoin directories. [https://easybitz.com] [http://coinmap.org]

==Services==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail worldwide. ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Global Map. No fees.
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://cryptopay.me/ Cryptopay] Bitcoin merchant payment processing. UK-based, serving UK and EU clients.
* [http://www.dcpos.com DC POS] A Bitcoin browser-based Point-of-Sale app. It is hardware, OS, wallet, and browser agnostic. 0.5% transaction fee.
* [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Merchant solution for Bitcoin specialized in Middle Europe (Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech republic)
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. No fee. The Netherlands.
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
* [[BitPay]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
*[[BTCMerch]] - Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [[BitMerch]] Bitcoin payment processor with 0.5% transaction fee.
* [http://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Payments Gateway for Latin America
* [https://coinbase.com/merchants Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, pages, iframes, shopping cart integration, subscription/recurring billing, micro-transactions, and cash out to your local currency for 1%.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [http://paysius.com Paysius] Allows merchants to easily and securely accept Bitcoin payments on their website
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [[GoCoin]] International Payment Processing for Bitcoin
* [http://www.fraudlabspro.com/ FraudLabs Pro] Fraud screening service for online merchants. Support transactions using Bitcoin as payment method.

==See Also==
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[Bitcoin Evolution]] handles sales tracking and order forms; requires Bitcoin client for actual payment
* [[Bitcoin API Services]] an easy solution for securely accepting Bitcoins and updating BTC prices
* [[Converter|Bitcoin Javascript Converter]] displays a price in BTCs after converting from USDs.
* [[How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses]]
* [[:Category:Marketing|Marketing]]
* [[URI Scheme]]
* [[Promotional graphics]], buttons and logos
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
[[Category:ECommerce]]

Merchant Howto

2014-10-17T03:54:52Z

WalletBit: /* Services */

{{merge|How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses}}

Accepting Bitcoins is easy, and there are several ways to do it.

==Manually==
# Download a bitcoin client
# When a customer wants to buy something, send them a Bitcoin address where their payment should be sent.
#* You can do this by clicking "New.." next to your address in the Bitcoin client and sending that address to the customer.
# When payment comes in to that address, send the goods to your customer. Depending on the value of what you're selling, you may wish to wait until the payment shows Confirmed.
# To issue a refund, obtain from the customer the [[Address|bitcoin address]] where the refund payment should be sent. The refund address will likely be different from the address used when the customer sent payment, especially if an [[EWallet]] was used by the customer.

==Automated==
===Pre-generating Bitcoin addresses===
You can accept Bitcoins on your website without needing to use Bitcoin APIs or third party services if you pre-generate a large number of receiving Bitcoin addresses and store them in a database on your web server, and dispense them one-by-one to customers when they are ready to pay. This way, your web server never actually handles the bitcoins - it simply gives out addresses belonging to a wallet you maintain elsewhere. By using a unique address per order, you will always know which payment belongs to which order. [https://www.casascius.com Example of website using this method]

To pre-generate addresses, use a tool such as [[Pywallet]] (which can generate a wallet.dat file) or [[Bitcoin Address Utility]] (which can generate a CSV file). In both cases, you will be generating a list of [[Address|Bitcoin address]]es along with their corresponding [[private key]]s. Only the Bitcoin addresses (not the private keys) should be loaded on the web server.

If you are shipping goods manually, you can use the Bitcoin software to check for incoming payments, or alternately consider using [[Block Explorer]] or [[Abe]] to verify payment when you're about to ship. To make this easy, make your website provide you a full hyperlink that includes the proper receiving address: ht<nowiki>tp://www</nowiki>.blockexplorer.com/address/ADDRESSGOESHERE.

If you are delivering digital goods or services and want to be able to deliver instantly upon payment and/or confirmation, you can use a third-party service such as [[Bitcoin Notify]] to tell your website when a payment has been received. This sort of service requires no significant API implementation - they will simply make a POST to your website or send you an e-mail when a payment has been received on one of your addresses.

If you keep Bitcoins off your web server, this ensures your wallet cannot be stolen if your web server experiences a security intrusion. Your risk becomes limited to the possibility that a successful intruder could add his own addresses to your address pool and steal funds from a few incoming orders until you detect the problem, however, this is a relatively controllable risk.

===Using offchain payment networks===

[[Off-Chain_Transactions|Off chain]] networks provides various benefits to Bitcoin, such as instant confirmations and protection against double spending.

===Using a third-party plugin===
You can use an existing [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|shopping cart interface]] from a 3rd party to automatically handle all Bitcoin payments on your website. If you want to develop the system yourself, you can utilize the Bitcoin client's [[API tutorial (JSON-RPC)|JSON-RPC API]] to automatically accept payments.

Things to note if you build it yourself:
# When a customer orders something on your website it records:
#* Bitcoin address that payment should be sent to
#* Order details (delivery address etc.)
#* Customer's refund address (optional - if you wish you can ask for this later, only in cases a refund is required)
#* Payment amount
# When payment arrives, checks that they have paid the correct amount or not, and informs you
#* You dispatch the goods to the customer and mark the order as fulfilled
#* If you cannot dispatch the goods you mark the order as denied and ask the customer for a refund address (unless you already have it from earlier) to send a refund.
# Forwards the funds to bitcoin address of your choice

===If You have a retail business and do not have internet or smart phone===
You can still accept Bitcoin. [https://easybitz.com/merchant] EasyBitz.com has a very simple way to accept bitcoin with just a print out and a phone that gets sms text messages.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment. However it is possible to create automated invoices by using known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup.

==Common Errors==
It has been observed on occasion that a business funnels all its orders through the same Bitcoin address, and asks people to send some BTC, then send email describing the timing and the amount of the transaction to 'claim' it. This is '''not''' secure, since anyone can see the transaction details using a tool such as [[Block Explorer]], and then try to claim someone else's transaction as theirs.

Do not do this. Give each customer a unique Bitcoin address.

==Listing your business on the Bitcoin Trade page==

Anyone can add and update a listing on the [[Trade|trade]] page. Just register if you haven't and add to the appropriate category. If you'ld like assistance, perhaps someone in the [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#bitcoin-marketing #bitcoin-marketing] IRC channel would be willing to assist. If you have a brick and mortar business that accepts bitcoin you can add it to the bitcoin directories. [https://easybitz.com] [http://coinmap.org]

==Services==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail worldwide. ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Global Map. No fees.
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://cryptopay.me/ Cryptopay] Bitcoin merchant payment processing. UK-based, serving UK and EU clients.
* [http://www.dcpos.com DC POS] A Bitcoin browser-based Point-of-Sale app. It is hardware, OS, wallet, and browser agnostic. 0.5% transaction fee.
* [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Merchant solution for Bitcoin specialized in Middle Europe (Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech republic)
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. No fee. The Netherlands.
* [[Coinify]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
* [[BitPay]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
*[[BTCMerch]] - Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [[BitMerch]] Bitcoin payment processor with 0.5% transaction fee.
* [http://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Payments Gateway for Latin America
* [https://coinbase.com/merchants Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, pages, iframes, shopping cart integration, subscription/recurring billing, micro-transactions, and cash out to your local currency for 1%.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [http://paysius.com Paysius] Allows merchants to easily and securely accept Bitcoin payments on their website
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [[GoCoin]] International Payment Processing for Bitcoin
* [http://www.fraudlabspro.com/ FraudLabs Pro] Fraud screening service for online merchants. Support transactions using Bitcoin as payment method.

==See Also==
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[Bitcoin Evolution]] handles sales tracking and order forms; requires Bitcoin client for actual payment
* [[Bitcoin API Services]] an easy solution for securely accepting Bitcoins and updating BTC prices
* [[Converter|Bitcoin Javascript Converter]] displays a price in BTCs after converting from USDs.
* [[How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses]]
* [[:Category:Marketing|Marketing]]
* [[URI Scheme]]
* [[Promotional graphics]], buttons and logos
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
[[Category:ECommerce]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-10-17T03:51:57Z

WalletBit: /* Setting Prices */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|Mobile Checkout|link=https://coinify.com/merchants]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your cash register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign). For a more convenient solution you can use a dedicated app or webapp that generates a QR code on the fly including the amount.

==== Examples ====
Solutions for smart phones and tablets:
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]] [https://easybitz.com/merchant EasyBitz] Simplest Merchant POS + Live Transaction Map
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Mobile Checkout [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coinify-pos/id899594637?mt=8 App Store] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coinify.pos Google Play]
* [https://bitcoin.co.th/merchants/ bitcoin.co.th] mobile Bitcoin Point of Sale for Thailand
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], Mobile payment terminal with EUR, USD, PLN and CZK settlements.
* [https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-for-retail BitPay] Mobile Checkout
* [https://bitpos.me/demo.html BitPOS] Merchant POS solution for Australia
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.blockchain.merchant Blockchain] Merchant for Android
* [http://www.btcxpos.com/ BTCX] POS for Sweden
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase] Point Of Sale for Android
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin point of sale for Android
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Android
* [https://cryptopay.me/products/ Cryptopay] HTML5-based bitcoin POS
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, with exchange integration

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal], [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [https://coinify.com/ Coinify]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute. Merchants can also use the IP address geolocation to understand the close proximity of users. There is automated solution such as [https://www.fraudlabspro.com FraudLabs Pro] that automates the screening of Bitcoin transactions to determine risk level.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase], [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase], [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] or [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail.ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Map
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, including merchant integration for CAD / BTC exchange.
* [https://cryptopay.me Cryptopay] European payment gateway with daily payouts in GBP, EUR and USD. Exchange and wallet integrated.
* [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin] Bitcoin payment processing platform with solutions for the financial sector
* [http://www.btc4erp.com Bitcoin Transaction Coordinator] Full Merchant Solution for organizations using the NetSuite Global ERP and eCommerce Platform
* [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat] Merchant POS solution for accepting Bitcoin
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://coinvoy.net Coinvoy] Free Payment Gateway with built-in exchange
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://bitpos.me BitPOS] Bitcoin payment processor for online and brick and mortar stores
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Payment gateway for virtual currencies with direct settlement to PLN, CZK, EUR and USD. POS + API.

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-10-17T03:51:07Z

WalletBit:

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|Mobile Checkout|link=https://coinify.com/merchants]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your cash register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign). For a more convenient solution you can use a dedicated app or webapp that generates a QR code on the fly including the amount.

==== Examples ====
Solutions for smart phones and tablets:
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]] [https://easybitz.com/merchant EasyBitz] Simplest Merchant POS + Live Transaction Map
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Mobile Checkout [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coinify-pos/id899594637?mt=8 App Store] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coinify.pos Google Play]
* [https://bitcoin.co.th/merchants/ bitcoin.co.th] mobile Bitcoin Point of Sale for Thailand
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], Mobile payment terminal with EUR, USD, PLN and CZK settlements.
* [https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-for-retail BitPay] Mobile Checkout
* [https://bitpos.me/demo.html BitPOS] Merchant POS solution for Australia
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.blockchain.merchant Blockchain] Merchant for Android
* [http://www.btcxpos.com/ BTCX] POS for Sweden
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase] Point Of Sale for Android
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin point of sale for Android
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Android
* [https://cryptopay.me/products/ Cryptopay] HTML5-based bitcoin POS
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, with exchange integration

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal], [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [https://coinify.com/ Coinify]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute. Merchants can also use the IP address geolocation to understand the close proximity of users. There is automated solution such as [https://www.fraudlabspro.com FraudLabs Pro] that automates the screening of Bitcoin transactions to determine risk level.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase], [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [https://coinify.com/ Coinify], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail.ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Map
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, including merchant integration for CAD / BTC exchange.
* [https://cryptopay.me Cryptopay] European payment gateway with daily payouts in GBP, EUR and USD. Exchange and wallet integrated.
* [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin] Bitcoin payment processing platform with solutions for the financial sector
* [http://www.btc4erp.com Bitcoin Transaction Coordinator] Full Merchant Solution for organizations using the NetSuite Global ERP and eCommerce Platform
* [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat] Merchant POS solution for accepting Bitcoin
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://coinvoy.net Coinvoy] Free Payment Gateway with built-in exchange
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://bitpos.me BitPOS] Bitcoin payment processor for online and brick and mortar stores
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Payment gateway for virtual currencies with direct settlement to PLN, CZK, EUR and USD. POS + API.

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-10-17T03:49:42Z

WalletBit:

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|Mobile Checkout|link=https://coinify.com/merchants]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your cash register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign). For a more convenient solution you can use a dedicated app or webapp that generates a QR code on the fly including the amount.

==== Examples ====
Solutions for smart phones and tablets:
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]] [https://easybitz.com/merchant EasyBitz] Simplest Merchant POS + Live Transaction Map
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Mobile Checkout [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coinify-pos/id899594637?mt=8 App Store] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coinify.pos Google Play]
* [https://bitcoin.co.th/merchants/ bitcoin.co.th] mobile Bitcoin Point of Sale for Thailand
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], Mobile payment terminal with EUR, USD, PLN and CZK settlements.
* [https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-for-retail BitPay] Mobile Checkout
* [https://bitpos.me/demo.html BitPOS] Merchant POS solution for Australia
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.blockchain.merchant Blockchain] Merchant for Android
* [http://www.btcxpos.com/ BTCX] POS for Sweden
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase] Point Of Sale for Android
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin point of sale for Android
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Android
* [https://cryptopay.me/products/ Cryptopay] HTML5-based bitcoin POS
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, with exchange integration

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal], [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [https://coinify.com/ Coinify]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute. Merchants can also use the IP address geolocation to understand the close proximity of users. There is automated solution such as [https://www.fraudlabspro.com FraudLabs Pro] that automates the screening of Bitcoin transactions to determine risk level.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [https://coinify.com/ Coinify], [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [https://coinify.com/ Coinify], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail.ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Map
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, including merchant integration for CAD / BTC exchange.
* [https://cryptopay.me Cryptopay] European payment gateway with daily payouts in GBP, EUR and USD. Exchange and wallet integrated.
* [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin] Bitcoin payment processing platform with solutions for the financial sector
* [http://www.btc4erp.com Bitcoin Transaction Coordinator] Full Merchant Solution for organizations using the NetSuite Global ERP and eCommerce Platform
* [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat] Merchant POS solution for accepting Bitcoin
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://coinvoy.net Coinvoy] Free Payment Gateway with built-in exchange
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://bitpos.me BitPOS] Bitcoin payment processor for online and brick and mortar stores
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Payment gateway for virtual currencies with direct settlement to PLN, CZK, EUR and USD. POS + API.

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-10-17T03:48:01Z

WalletBit:

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Easybitz bitcoin pointofsale.png|400 px|alt=Accept Bitcoin without internet|EasyBitz ZeroClick System|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]]

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|Mobile Checkout|link=https://coinify.com/merchants]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your cash register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign). For a more convenient solution you can use a dedicated app or webapp that generates a QR code on the fly including the amount.

==== Examples ====
Solutions for smart phones and tablets:
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com/merchant]] [https://easybitz.com/merchant EasyBitz] Simplest Merchant POS + Live Transaction Map
* [https://coinify.com/ Coinify] Mobile Checkout [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coinify-pos/id899594637?mt=8 App Store] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coinify.pos Google Play]
* [https://bitcoin.co.th/merchants/ bitcoin.co.th] mobile Bitcoin Point of Sale for Thailand
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], Mobile payment terminal with EUR, USD, PLN and CZK settlements.
* [https://bitpay.com/bitcoin-for-retail BitPay] Mobile Checkout
* [https://bitpos.me/demo.html BitPOS] Merchant POS solution for Australia
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.blockchain.merchant Blockchain] Merchant for Android
* [http://www.btcxpos.com/ BTCX] POS for Sweden
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase] Point Of Sale for Android
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin point of sale for Android
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Android
* [https://cryptopay.me/products/ Cryptopay] HTML5-based bitcoin POS
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, with exchange integration

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal], [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute. Merchants can also use the IP address geolocation to understand the close proximity of users. There is automated solution such as [https://www.fraudlabspro.com FraudLabs Pro] that automates the screening of Bitcoin transactions to determine risk level.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin], [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [[File:Favicon-32x32_.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [[File:Easybitz.png|20px|link=https://easybitz.com]] [https://easybitz.com EasyBitz] Bitcoin for Retail.ZeroClick requires only SMS. POS works on SmartPhones and Tablets. Live Transaction Map
* [[File:Bitfavicon.png|20px|link=http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com]] [http://www.bitcoinpaygate.com Bitcoinpaygate] Bitcoin payment processing for the web & in store payments
* [https://pocketpos.ca/ PocketPOS] Bitcoin Point of Sale for Canadians, including merchant integration for CAD / BTC exchange.
* [https://cryptopay.me Cryptopay] European payment gateway with daily payouts in GBP, EUR and USD. Exchange and wallet integrated.
* [[File:Polycoin_favicon.png|20px|link=http://www.polycoin.io]] [http://www.polycoin.io Polycoin] Bitcoin payment processing platform with solutions for the financial sector
* [http://www.btc4erp.com Bitcoin Transaction Coordinator] Full Merchant Solution for organizations using the NetSuite Global ERP and eCommerce Platform
* [http://www.bitstraat.nl BitStraat] Merchant POS solution for accepting Bitcoin
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://coinvoy.net Coinvoy] Free Payment Gateway with built-in exchange
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://bitpos.me BitPOS] Bitcoin payment processor for online and brick and mortar stores
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.
* [[File:favicon_bp.png|20px|link=https://bitcoinpay.com/static/img/]] [https://bitcoinpay.com BitcoinPay] Payment gateway for virtual currencies with direct settlement to PLN, CZK, EUR and USD. POS + API.

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

Help:FAQ

2014-10-17T03:43:45Z

WalletBit:

Here you will find answers to the most commonly asked questions.

== General ==
=== What is Bitcoin? ===
Bitcoin is a distributed peer-to-peer digital currency that can be transferred instantly and securely between any two people in the world. It's like electronic cash that you can use to pay friends or merchants.

=== What are bitcoins? ===
Bitcoins are the unit of currency of the Bitcoin system. A commonly used shorthand for this is “BTC” to refer to a price or amount (e.g. “100 BTC”).
There are such things as [[physical bitcoins]], but ultimately, a bitcoin is just a number associated with a [[Address|Bitcoin Address]]. A physical bitcoin is simply an object, such as a coin, with the number carefully embedded inside. See also an [[Introduction|easy intro]] to Bitcoin.

=== How can I get bitcoins? ===

There are a variety of ways to acquire bitcoins:
* You can buy bitcoins from [http://coinbase.com/ Coinbase], [https://coinify.com/trade/ Coinify] or [http://gocelery.com/ Celery] .
* Accept bitcoins as payment for goods or services.
* The most common way to buy bitcoins are the [[Buying bitcoins|Bitcoin Exchanges]]
* Visit [http://bitcoinx.io bitcoinx.io] for peer-to-peer ratings and reviews of bitcoin exchanges to see where to buy bitcoins
* There are several services where you can [[Buying_Bitcoins_(the_noob_version)|trade them]] for traditional currency.
* Find someone to trade cash for bitcoins in-person through a [https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Category:Directories local directory].
* Participate in a [[Pooled mining|mining pool]].
* If you have a lot of mining hardware, you can solo mine and attempt to create a new [[block]] (currently yields 25 bitcoins plus transaction fees).
* Visit sites that provide [[Trade#Free_Samples_and_Offers|free samples and offers]].
* Visit [http://wheretobuycryptocoins.com WhereToBuyCryptoCoins.com] to get a guide how to start with bitcoins and cryptocurrency in general. Shows a list of markets, faucets, exchanges, miner's pools and more.

===Does Bitcoin guarantee an influx of free money?===

Since Bitcoin is a new technology, what it is and how it works may be initially unclear. Bitcoin is sometimes presented as being one of three things:
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
<li>Some sort of online 'get-rich-quick' scam.</li>
<li>A loophole in the market economy, the installation of which guarantees a steady influx of cash.</li>
<li>A sure investment that will almost certainly yield a profit.</li>
</ol>
In fact, none of the above are true. Let's look at them independently.

;Is Bitcoin a 'get-rich-quick' scheme?
:If you've spent much time on the Internet, you've probably seen ads for many 'get-rich-quick' schemes. These ads usually promise huge profits for a small amounts of easy work. Such schemes are usually pyramid/matrix-style schemes that make money from their own employees and offer nothing of any real value. Most convince one to buy packages that will make them earn hundreds a day, which in fact have the buyer distribute more such ads, and make minute profits.

:Bitcoin is in no way similar to these schemes. Bitcoin doesn't promise windfall profits. There is no way for the developers to make money from your involvement or to take money from you. That bitcoins are nearly impossible to acquire without the owner's consent represents one of its greatest strengths. Bitcoin is an experimental, virtual currency that may succeed or may fail. None of its developers expect to get rich off of it.

:A more detailed answer to this question can be found [http://bitcointalk.org/?topic=7815.0 here].

;Will I make money by installing the client?
:Most people who use Bitcoin don't earn anything by doing so, and the default client has no built-in way to earn Bitcoins. A small minority of people with dedicated, high-performance hardware do earn some Bitcoins by "''mining''" (generating new bitcoins, see [[#What is mining?|What is mining?]]) with special software, but joining Bitcoin shouldn't be construed as being the road to riches. Most Bitcoin users get involved because they find the project conceptually interesting and don't earn anything by doing so. This is also why you won't find much speculation about the political or economic repercussions of Bitcoin anywhere on this site: Bitcoin developers owe their dedication to the project's intellectual yieldings more than to those of a monetary nature. Bitcoin is still taking its first baby steps; it may go on to do great things but right now it only has something to offer those chasing conceptually interesting projects or bleeding edge technology.

;As an investment, is Bitcoin a sure thing?
:Bitcoin is a new and interesting electronic currency, the value of which is not backed by any single government or organization. Like other currencies, it is worth something partly because people are willing to trade it for goods and services. Its exchange rate fluctuates continuously, and sometimes wildly. It lacks wide acceptance and is vulnerable to manipulation by parties with modest funding. Security incidents such as website and account compromise may trigger major sell-offs. Other fluctuations can build into positive feedback loops and cause much larger exchange rate fluctuations. Anyone who puts money into Bitcoin should understand the risk they are taking and consider it a high-risk currency. Later, as Bitcoin becomes better known and more widely accepted, it may stabilize, but for the time being it is unpredictable. Any investment in Bitcoin should be done carefully and with a clear plan to manage the risk.

=== Can I buy bitcoins with Paypal? ===

It is possible to buy [[physical bitcoins]] with PayPal but it is otherwise difficult and/or expensive to do so for non-physical bitcoins, because of significant risk to the seller.

While it is possible to find an individual who wishes to sell Bitcoin to you via Paypal, (perhaps via [http://www.bitcoin-otc.com/ #bitcoin-otc] ) most exchanges do not allow funding through PayPal. This is due to repeated cases where someone pays for bitcoins with Paypal, receives their bitcoins, and then fraudulently complains to Paypal that they never received their purchase. PayPal often sides with the fraudulent buyer in this case, which means any seller needs to cover that risk with higher fees or refuse to accept PayPal altogether.

Buying Bitcoins from individuals this way is still possible, but requires the seller to have some trust that the buyer will not file a claim with PayPal to reverse the payment.

=== Where can I find a forum to discuss Bitcoin? ===

Please visit the [[Bitcoin:Community_portal#Bitcoin_Community_Forums_on_various_platforms|Community Portal]] for links to Bitcoin-related forums.

=== How are new bitcoins created? ===

New bitcoins are generated by the network through the process of "[[#What is mining?|''mining'']]". In a process that is similar to a continuous raffle draw, mining nodes on the network are awarded bitcoins each time they find the solution to a certain mathematical problem (and thereby create a new [[block]]). Creating a block is a [[proof of work]] with a difficulty that varies with the overall strength of the network. The reward for solving a block is [[Controlled Currency Supply|automatically adjusted]] so that, ideally, every four years of operation of the Bitcoin network, half the amount of bitcoins created in the prior 4 years are created. A maximum of {{formatnum:10499889.80231183}} bitcoins were created in the first 4 (approx.) years from January 2009 to November 2012. Every four years thereafter this amount halves, so it should be {{formatnum:5250000}} over years 4-8, {{formatnum:2625000}} over years 8-12, and so on. Thus the total number of bitcoins in existence can never exceed {{formatnum:20999839.77085749}} and counting. See [[Controlled Currency Supply]].

Blocks are [[Mining|mined]] every 10 minutes, on average and for the first four years ({{formatnum:210000}} blocks) each block included 50 new bitcoins. As the amount of processing power directed at mining changes, the difficulty of creating new bitcoins changes. This difficulty factor is calculated every 2016 blocks and is based upon the time taken to generate the previous 2016 blocks. See [[Mining]].

=== What's the current total number of bitcoins in existence? ===

[http://blockexplorer.com/q/totalbc Current count]. Also see [https://blockchain.info/charts/total-bitcoins Total bitcoins in circulation chart]

The number of blocks times the coin value of a block is the number of coins in existence. The coin value of a block is 50 BTC for each of the first {{formatnum:210000}} blocks, 25 BTC for the next {{formatnum:210000}} blocks, then 12.5 BTC, 6.25 BTC and so on.

=== How divisible are bitcoins? ===

A bitcoin can be divided down to 8 decimal places. Therefore, 0.00000001 BTC is the smallest amount that can be handled in a transaction. If necessary, the protocol and related software can be modified to handle even smaller amounts.

=== What do I call the various denominations of bitcoin? ===

There is a lot of discussion about the naming of these fractions of bitcoins. The leading candidates are:

* 1 BTC = 1 bitcoin
* 0.01 BTC = 1 cBTC = 1 centibitcoin (also referred to as bitcent)
* 0.001 BTC = 1 mBTC = 1 millibitcoin (also referred to as mbit (pronounced em-bit) or millibit or even bitmill)
* 0.000 001 BTC = 1 μBTC = 1 microbitcoin (also referred to as ubit (pronounced yu-bit) or microbit)

The above follows the accepted international SI prefixes for hundredths, thousandths, and millionths. There are many arguments against the special case of 0.01 BTC since it is unlikely to represent anything meaningful as the Bitcoin economy grows (it certainly won't be the equivalent of 0.01 USD, GBP or EUR). Equally, the inclusion of existing national currency denominations such as "cent", "nickel", "dime", "pence", "pound", "kopek" and so on are to be discouraged; this is a worldwide currency.

One exception is the "satoshi" which is smallest denomination currently possible

* 0.000 000 01 BTC = 1 satoshi (pronounced sa-toh-shee)
which is so named in honour of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the inventor of Bitcoin.

For an overview of all defined units of Bitcoin (including less common and niche units), see [[Units]].

Further discussion on this topic can be found on the forums here:

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=14438.msg195287#msg195287 We need names]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=8282.0 What to call 0.001 BTC]

=== How does the halving work when the number gets really small? ===

Eventually the reward will go from 0.00000001 BTC to zero and no more bitcoins will be created.

The block reward calculation is done as a right bitwise shift of a 64-bit signed integer, which means it is divided by two and rounded down. The integer is equal to the value in BTC * 100,000,000 since internally in the reference client software, all Bitcoin balances and values are stored as unsigned integers.

With an initial block reward of 50 BTC, it will take many 4-year periods for the block reward to reach zero.

=== How long will it take to generate all the coins? ===

The last block that will generate coins will be block #6,929,999 which should be generated at or near the year 2140. The total number of coins in circulation will then remain static at 20,999,999.9769 BTC.

Even if the allowed precision is expanded from the current 8 decimals, the total BTC in circulation will always be slightly below 21 million (assuming everything else stays the same). For example, with 16 decimals of precision, the end total would be 20,999,999.999999999496 BTC.

=== If no more coins are going to be generated, will more blocks be created? ===

Absolutely! Even before the creation of coins ends, the use of [[transaction fee|transaction fees]] will likely make creating new blocks more valuable from the fees than the new coins being created. When coin generation ends, these fees will sustain the ability to use bitcoins and the Bitcoin network. There is no practical limit on the number of blocks that will be mined in the future.

=== But if no more coins are generated, what happens when Bitcoins are lost? Won't that be a problem? ===

Because of the law of supply and demand, when fewer bitcoins are available the ones that are left will be in higher demand, and therefore will have a higher value. So, as Bitcoins are lost, the remaining bitcoins will eventually increase in value to compensate. As the value of a bitcoin increases, the number of bitcoins required to purchase an item '''de'''creases. This is a [[Deflationary spiral|deflationary economic model]]. As the average transaction size reduces, transactions will probably be denominated in sub-units of a bitcoin such as millibitcoins ("Millies") or microbitcoins ("Mikes").

The Bitcoin protocol uses a base unit of one hundred-millionth of a Bitcoin ("a Satoshi"), but unused bits are available in the protocol fields that could be used to denote even smaller subdivisions.

=== If every transaction is broadcast via the network, does Bitcoin scale? ===
The Bitcoin protocol allows lightweight clients that can use Bitcoin without downloading the entire transaction history. As traffic grows and this becomes more critical, implementations of the concept will be developed. Full network nodes will at some point become a more specialized service.

With some modifications to the software, full Bitcoin nodes could easily keep up with both VISA and MasterCard combined, using only fairly modest hardware (a single high end server by todays standards). It is worth noting that the MasterCard network is structured somewhat like Bitcoin itself - as a peer to peer broadcast network.

Learn more about [[Scalability]].

==Economy==
=== Where does the value of Bitcoin stem from? What backs up Bitcoin? ===
Bitcoins have value because they are useful and because they are [[Controlled Currency Supply|scarce]]. As they are accepted by more merchants, their value will [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_%28economics%29 stabilize]. See the [[Trade|list of Bitcoin-accepting sites]].

When we say that a currency is backed up by gold, we mean that there's a promise in place that you can exchange the currency for gold. Bitcoins, like dollars and euros, are not backed up by anything except the variety of merchants that accept them.

It's a common misconception that Bitcoins gain their value from the cost of electricity required to generate them. Cost doesn't equal value – hiring 1,000 men to shovel a big hole in the ground may be costly, but not valuable. Also, even though scarcity is a critical requirement for a useful currency, it alone doesn't make anything valuable. For example, your fingerprints are scarce, but that doesn't mean they have any exchange value.

Alternatively it needs to be added that while the law of supply and demand applies it does not guarantee value of Bitcoins in the future. If confidence in Bitcoins is lost then it will not matter that the supply can no longer be increased, the demand will fall off with all holders trying to get rid of their coins. An example of this can be seen in cases of state currencies, in cases when the state in question dissolves and so no new supply of the currency is available (the central authority managing the supply is gone), however the demand for the currency falls sharply because confidence in its purchasing power disappears. Of-course Bitcoins do not have such central authority managing the supply of the coins, but it does not prevent confidence from eroding due to other situations that are not necessarily predictable.

=== Is Bitcoin a bubble? ===
Yes, in the same way as the euro and dollar are. They only have value in exchange and have no inherent value. If everyone suddenly stopped accepting your dollars, euros or bitcoins, the "bubble" would burst and their value would drop to zero. But that is unlikely to happen: even in Somalia, where the government collapsed 20 years ago, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_shilling Somali shillings] are still accepted as payment.

=== Is Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme? ===
In a Ponzi Scheme, the founders persuade investors that they’ll profit. Bitcoin does not make such a guarantee. There is no central entity, just individuals building an economy.

A ponzi scheme is a zero sum game. Early adopters can only profit at the expense of late adopters. Bitcoin has possible win-win outcomes. Early adopters profit from the rise in value. Late adopters, and indeed, society as a whole, benefit from the usefulness of a stable, fast, inexpensive, and widely accepted p2p currency.

The fact that early adopters benefit more doesn't alone make anything a Ponzi scheme. All good investments in successful companies have this quality.

=== Doesn't Bitcoin unfairly benefit early adopters? ===
Early adopters in Bitcoin are taking a risk and invested resources in an unproven technology. By so doing, they help Bitcoin become what it is now and what it will be in the future (hopefully, a ubiquitous decentralized digital currency). It is only fair they will reap the benefits of their successful investment.

In any case, any bitcoin generated will probably change hands dozens of time as a medium of exchange, so the profit made from the initial distribution will be insignificant compared to the total commerce enabled by Bitcoin. Many of the earliest users of Bitcoin have traded their coins at valuations below $1 US, or other amounts which are small compared to contemporary prices.

===Won't loss of wallets and the finite amount of Bitcoins create excessive deflation, destroying Bitcoin? ===
Worries about Bitcoin being destroyed by deflation are not entirely unfounded. Unlike most currencies, which experience inflation as their founding institutions create more and more units, Bitcoin will likely experience gradual deflation with the passage of time. Bitcoin is unique in that only a small amount of units will ever be produced (twenty-one million to be exact), this number has been known since the project's inception, and the units are created at a predictable rate.

Also, Bitcoin users are faced with a danger that doesn't threaten users of any other currency: if a Bitcoin user loses his wallet, his money is gone forever, unless he finds it again. And not just to him; it's gone completely out of circulation, rendered utterly inaccessible to anyone. As people will lose their wallets, the total number of Bitcoins will slowly decrease.

Therefore, Bitcoin seems to be faced with a unique problem. Whereas most currencies inflate over time, Bitcoin will mostly likely do just the opposite. Time will see the irretrievable loss of an ever-increasing number of Bitcoins. An already small number will be permanently whittled down further and further. And as there become fewer and fewer Bitcoins, the laws of supply and demand suggest that their value will probably continually rise.

Thus Bitcoin is bound to once again stray into mysterious territory, because no one exactly knows what happens to a currency that grows continually more valuable. Many economists claim that a low level of inflation is a good thing for a currency, but nobody is quite sure about what might happens to one that continually deflates. Although deflation could hardly be called a rare phenomenon, steady, constant deflation is unheard of. There may be a lot of speculation, but no one has any hard data to back up their claims.

That being said, there is a mechanism in place to combat the obvious consequences. Extreme deflation would render most currencies highly impractical: if a single Canadian dollar could suddenly buy the holder a car, how would one go about buying bread or candy? Even pennies would fetch more than a person could carry. Bitcoin, however, offers a simple and stylish solution: infinite divisibility. Bitcoins can be divided up and trade into as small of pieces as one wants, so no matter how valuable Bitcoins become, one can trade them in practical quantities.

In fact, infinite divisibility should allow Bitcoins to function in cases of extreme wallet loss. Even if, in the far future, so many people have lost their wallets that only a single Bitcoin, or a fraction of one, remains, Bitcoin should continue to function just fine. No one can claim to be sure what is going to happen, but deflation may prove to present a smaller threat than many expect.

For more information, see the [[Deflationary spiral]] page.

=== What if someone bought up all the existing Bitcoins? ===
Bitcoin markets are competitive -- meaning the price of a bitcoin will rise or fall depending on supply and demand at certain price levels. Only a fraction of bitcoins issued to date are found on the exchange markets for sale. So even though technically, a buyer with lots of money could buy all the bitcoins offered for sale, unless those holding the rest of the bitcoins offer them for sale as well, even the wealthiest, most determined buyer can't get at them.

Additionally, new currency continues to be issued daily and will continue to do so for decades; though over time the rate at which they are issued declines to insignificant levels. Those who are mining aren't obligated to sell their bitcoins so not all bitcoins will make it to the markets even.

This situation doesn't suggest, however, that the markets aren't vulnerable to price manipulation. It doesn't take significant amounts of money to move the market price up or down, and thus Bitcoin remains a volatile asset.

===What if someone creates a new block chain, or a new digital currency that renders Bitcoin obsolete?===

That the block chain cannot be easily forked represents one of the central security mechanisms of Bitcoin. Given the choice between two block chains, a Bitcoin miner always chooses the longer one - that is to say, the one with the more complex hash. Thusly, it ensures that each user can only spend their bitcoins once, and that no user gets ripped off.

As a consequence of the block chain structure, there may at any time be many different sub-branches, and the possibility always exists of a transaction being over-written by the longest branch, if it has been recorded in a shorter one. The older a transaction is though, the lower its chances of being over-written, and the higher of becoming permanent. Although the block chain prevents one from spending more Bitcoins than one has, it means that transactions can be accidentally nullified.

A new block chain would leave the network vulnerable to [[double-spending|double-spend]] attacks. However, the creation of a viable new chain presents considerable difficulty, and the possibility does not present much of a risk.

Bitcoin will always choose the longer Block Chain and determines the relative length of two branches by the complexities of their hashes. Since the hash of each new block is made from that of the block preceding it, to create a block with a more complex hash, one must be prepared to do more computation than has been done by the entire Bitcoin network from the fork point up to the newest of the blocks one is trying to supersede. Needless to say, such an undertaking would require a very large amount of processing power and since Bitcoin is continually growing and expanding, it will likely only require more with the passage of time.

A much more distinct and real threat to the Bitcoin use is the development of other, superior virtual currencies, which could supplant Bitcoin and render it obsolete and valueless.

A great deal of careful thought and ingenuity has gone into the development of Bitcoin, but it is the first of its breed, a prototype, and vulnerable to more highly-evolved competitors. At present, any threatening rivals have yet to rear their heads; Bitcoin remains the first and foremost private virtual currency, but we can offer no guarantees that it will retain that position. It would certainly be in keeping with internet history for a similar system built from the same principles to supersede and cast Bitcoin into obsolescence, after time had revealed its major shortcomings. Friendster and Myspace suffered similar fates at the hand of Facebook, Napster was ousted by Limeware, Bearshare and torrent applications, and Skype has all but crushed the last few disciples of the Microsoft Messenger army.

This may sound rather foreboding, so bear in mind that the introduction of new and possibly better virtual currencies will not necessarily herald Bitcoin's demise. If Bitcoin establishes itself sufficiently firmly before the inception of the next generation of private, online currencies so as to gain widespread acceptance and general stability, future currencies may pose little threat even if they can claim superior design. This is known as the network effect.

=== Is Bitcoin open to value manipulation? ===

The current low market cap of Bitcoin means that any investor with deep enough pockets can significantly change/manipulate the rate. Is this a problem?

This is only a problem if you are investing in Bitcoin for short period of time. A manipulator can't change the fundamentals, and over a period of 5-10 years, the fundamentals will win over any short term manipulations.

==Sending and Receiving Payments==

=== Why do I have to wait 10 minutes before I can spend money I received? ===

10 minutes is the average time taken to find a block. It can be significantly more or less time than that depending on luck; 10 minutes is simply the average case.

[[Blocks]] (shown as "confirmations" in the GUI) are how the Bitcoin achieves consensus on who owns what. Once a block is found everyone agrees that you now own those coins, so you can spend them again. Until then it's possible that some network nodes believe otherwise, if somebody is attempting to defraud the system by reversing a transaction. The more confirmations a transaction has, the less risk there is of a reversal. Only 6 blocks or 1 hour is enough to make reversal computationally impractical. This is dramatically better than credit cards which can see chargebacks occur up to three months after the original transaction!

Ten minutes was specifically chosen by [[Satoshi]] as a tradeoff between first confirmation time and the amount of work wasted due to chain splits. After a block is mined, it takes time for other miners to find out about it, and until then they are actually competing against the new block instead of adding to it. If someone mines another new block based on the old block chain, the network can only accept one of the two, and all the work that went into the other block gets wasted. For example, if it takes miners 1 minute on average to learn about new blocks, and new blocks come every 10 minutes, then the overall network is wasting about 10% of its work. Lengthening the time between blocks reduces this waste.

As a thought experiment, what if the Bitcoin network grew to include Mars? From the farthest points in their orbits, it takes about 20 minutes for a signal to travel from Earth to Mars. With only 10 minutes between new blocks, miners on Mars would always be 2 blocks behind the miners on Earth. It would be almost impossible for them to contribute to the block chain. If we wanted collaborate with those kinds of delays, we would need at least a few hours between new blocks.

[[File:TransactionConfirmationTimesExample.PNG]]

=== Do you have to wait until my transactions are confirmed in order to buy or sell things with Bitcoin? ===

YES, you do, IF the transaction is non-recourse. The Bitcoin reference software does not display transactions as confirmed until six blocks have passed (confirmations). As transactions are buried in the chain they become increasingly non-reversible but are very reversible before the first confirmation. Two to six confirmations are recommended for non-recourse situations depending on the value of the transactions involved.

When people ask this question they are usually thinking about applications like supermarkets. This generally is a recourse situation: if somebody tries to double-spend on a face-to-face transaction it might work a few times, but probabalistically speaking eventually one of the double-spends will get noticed, and the penalty for shoplifting charges in most localities is calibrated to be several times worse than the proceeds of a single shoplifting event.

Double-spends might be a concern for something like a snack machine in a low-traffic area with no nearby security cameras. Such a machine shouldn't honor zero-confirmation payments, and should instead use some other mechanism of clearing Bitcoin or validating transactions against reversal, see the wiki article [[Myths#Point_of_sale_with_bitcoins_isn.27t_possible_because_of_the_10_minute_wait_for_confirmation|here]] for alternatives.

Applications that require immediate payment processing, like supermarkets or snack machines, need to manage the risks. Here is one way to reverse an unconfirmed payment:

A [[Double-spending#Finney_attack|Finney attack]] is where an attacker mines a block containing a movement of some coins back to themselves. Once they find a block solution, they quickly go to a merchant and make a purchase, then broadcast the block, thus taking back the coins. This attack is a risk primarily for goods that are dispatched immediately, like song downloads or currency trades. Because the attacker can't choose the time of the attack, it isn't a risk for merchants such as supermarkets where you can't choose exactly when to pay (due to queues, etc). The attack can fail if somebody else finds a block containing the purchasing transaction before you release your own block, therefore, merchants can reduce but not eliminate the risk by making purchasers wait some length of time that's less than a confirm.

Because pulling off this attack is not trivial, merchants who need to sell things automatically and instantly are most likely to adjust the price to include the cost of reversal fraud, or elect to use special insurance.

=== I was sent some bitcoins and they haven't arrived yet! Where are they? ===

Don't panic! There are a number of reasons why your bitcoins might not show up yet, and a number of ways to diagnose them.

The latest version of the Bitcoin-Qt client tells you how far it has yet to go in downloading the blockchain. Hover over the icon in the bottom right corner of the client to learn your client's status.

If it has not caught up then it's possible that your transaction hasn't been included in a block yet.

You can check pending transactions in the network by going [https://www.biteasy.com here] or [http://blockchain.info here] and then searching for your address. If the transaction is listed here then it's a matter of waiting until it gets included in a block before it will show in your client.

If the transaction is based on a coin that was in a recent transaction then it could be considered a low priority transaction. Transfers can take longer if the transaction fee paid was not high enough. If there is no fee at all the transfer can get a very low priority and take hours or even days to be included in a block.

=== Why does my Bitcoin address keep changing? ===

Unlike postal or email addresses, Bitcoin addresses are single-use.
This means that whenever you want to receive a payment, you need to generate a new address.

While it is technically possible to receive coins multiple times with a single address, this compromises your wallet's security as well as the privacy of the entire Bitcoin network, and also makes it impossible to know for certain who sent the coins or why.

===How much will the transaction fee be?===

Some transactions might require a [[transaction fee]] for them to get confirmed in a timely manner. The transaction fee is processed by and received by the bitcoin miner. The most recent version of the Bitcoin client will estimate an appropriate fee when a fee might be required.

The fee is added to the payment amount. For example, if you are sending a 1.234 BTC payment and the client requires a 0.0005 BTC fee, then 1.2345 BTC will be subtracted from the wallet balance for the entire transaction and the address for where the payment was sent will receive a payment of 1.234 BTC.

A fee might be imposed because your transaction looks like a denial of service attack to the Bitcoin system. For example, it might be burdensome to transmit or it might recycle Bitcoins you recently received. The wallet software attempts to avoid generating burdensome transactions, but it isn't always able to do so: The funds in your wallet might be new or composed of many tiny payments.

Because the fee is related to the amount of data that makes up the transaction and not to the amount of Bitcoins being sent, the fee may seem extremely low (0.0005 BTC for a 1,000 BTC transfer) or unfairly high (0.004 BTC for a 0.02 BTC payment, or about 20%). If you are receiving tiny amounts (''e.g.'' as small payments from a mining pool) then fees when sending will be higher than if your activity follows the pattern of conventional consumer or business transactions.

As of Bitcoin 0.5.3 the required fee will not be higher than 0.05 BTC. For most users there is usually no required fee at all. If a fee is required it will most commonly be 0.0005 BTC.

=== What happens when someone sends me a bitcoin but my computer is powered off? ===

Bitcoins are not actually "sent" to your wallet; the software only uses that term so that we can use the currency without having to learn new concepts. Your wallet is only needed when you wish to spend coins that you've received.

If you are sent coins when your wallet client program is not running, and you later launch the wallet client program, the coins will eventually appear as if they were just received in the wallet. That is to say, when the client program is started it must download blocks and catch up with any transactions it did not already know about.

=== How long does "synchronizing" take when the Bitcoin client is first installed? What's it doing? ===

The popular Bitcoin client software from bitcoin.org implements a "full" Bitcoin node: It can carry out all the duties of the Bitcoin P2P system, it isn't simply a "client". One of the principles behind the operation of full Bitcoin nodes is that they don't assume that the other participants have followed the rules of the Bitcoin system. During synchronization, the software is processing historical Bitcoin transactions and making sure for itself that all of the rules of the system have been correctly followed.

In normal operation, after synchronizing, the software should use a hardly noticeable amount of your computer's resources.

When the wallet client program is first installed, its initial validation requires a lot of work from your computer's hard disk, so the amount of time to synchronize depends on your disk speed and, to a lesser extent, your CPU speed. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or so. On a slow computer it could take more than 40 hours of continuous synchronization, so check your computer's power-saving settings to ensure that it does not turn its hard disk off when unattended for a few hours. You can use the Bitcoin software during synchronization, but you may not see recent payments to you until the client program has caught up to the point where those transactions happened.

If you feel that this process takes too long, you can download a pre-synchronized blockchain from [http://eu2.bitcoincharts.com/blockchain/ http://eu2.bitcoincharts.com/blockchain/]. Alternatively, you can try an alternative "lite" client such as Multibit or a super-light client like electrum, though these clients have somewhat weaker security, are less mature, and don't contribute to the health of the P2P network.

==Networking==
=== Do I need to configure my firewall to run Bitcoin? ===

Bitcoin will connect to other nodes, usually on TCP port 8333. You will need to allow outgoing TCP connections to port 8333 if you want to allow your Bitcoin client to connect to many nodes. [[Testnet]] uses TCP port 18333 instead of 8333.

If you want to restrict your firewall rules to a few IPs, you can find stable nodes in the [[Fallback Nodes|fallback nodes list]].

=== How does the peer finding mechanism work? ===

Bitcoin finds peers primarily by forwarding peer announcements within its own network and each node saves a database of peers that it's aware of, for future use. In order to bootstrap this process Bitcoin needs a list of initial peers, these can be provided manually but normally it obtains them by querying a set of DNS domain names which have automatically updated lists, if that doesn't work it falls back to a built-in list which is updated from time to time in new versions of the software. In the reference software initial peers can also be specified manually by adding an addr.txt to the data directory or via the addnode parameter.

==Mining==
===What is mining?===
[[Mining]] is the process of spending computation power to secure Bitcoin transactions against reversal and introducing new Bitcoins to the system.

Technically speaking, mining is the calculation of a [[hash]] of the a block header, which includes among other things a reference to the previous block, a hash of a set of transactions and a [[nonce]]. If the hash value is found to be less than the current [[target]] (which is inversely proportional to the [[difficulty]]), a new block is formed and the miner gets the newly generated Bitcoins (25 per block at current levels). If the hash is not less than the current target, a new nonce is tried, and a new hash is calculated. This is done millions of times per second by each miner.

===Is mining used for some useful computation?===
The computations done when mining are internal to Bitcoin and not related to any other distributed computing projects. They serve the purpose of securing the Bitcoin network, which is useful.

===Is it not a waste of energy?===
Spending energy on creating and securing a free monetary system is hardly a waste. Also, services necessary for the operation of currently widespread monetary systems, such as banks and credit card companies, also spend energy, arguably more than Bitcoin would.

===Why don't we use calculations that are also useful for some other purpose?===
To provide security for the Bitcoin network, the calculations involved need to have some [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/5617/why-are-bitcoin-calculation-useless/5618#5618 very specific features]. These features are incompatible with leveraging the computation for other purposes.

===How can we stop miners from creating zero transaction blocks?===
The incentive for miners to include transactions is in the fees that come along with them. If we were to implement some minimum number of transactions per block it would be trivial for a miner to create and include transactions merely to surpass that threshold. As the network matures, the block reward drops, and miners become more dependent on transactions fees to pay their costs, the problem of zero transaction blocks should diminish over time.

===How does the proof-of-work system help secure Bitcoin?===
Bitcoin uses the [[Hashcash]] proof of work with a minor adaption. To give a general idea of the mining process, imagine this setup:

payload = <some data related to things happening on the Bitcoin network>
nonce = 1
hash = [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA2 SHA2]( [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA2 SHA2]( payload + nonce ) )

The work performed by a miner consists of repeatedly increasing "nonce" until
the hash function yields a value, that has the rare property of being below a certain
target threshold. (In other words: The hash "starts with a certain number of zeroes",
if you display it in the fixed-length representation, that is typically used.)

As can be seen, the mining process doesn't compute anything special. It merely
tries to find a number (also referred to as nonce) which - in combination with the payload -
results in a hash with special properties.

The advantage of using such a mechanism consists of the fact, that it is very easy to check a result: Given the payload and a specific nonce, only a single call of the hashing function is needed to verify that the hash has the required properties. Since there is no known way to find these hashes other than brute force, this can be used as a "proof of work" that someone invested a lot of computing power to find the correct nonce for this payload.

This feature is then used in the Bitcoin network to secure various aspects. An attacker
that wants to introduce malicious payload data into the network, will need to do the
required proof of work before it will be accepted. And as long as honest miners have more
computing power, they can always outpace an attacker.

Also see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashcash Hashcash] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system Proof-of-work system] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA2 SHA2] and on Wikipedia.

===Why was the "Generate coin" option of the client software removed?===

The option wasn't removed, but it is now only accessible via the command-line or the configuration file. The reason for this is that many users were complaining after they turned on and expecting to receive coins. Without specialized mining hardware a user is exceptionally unlikely generate a block on their own at the network's current [[difficulty|security level]].

==Security==

===Could miners collude to give themselves money or to fundamentally change the nature of Bitcoin?===

There are two questions in here. Let's look at them separately.

;Could miners gang up and give themselves money?

Mining itself is the process of creating new blocks in the block chain. Each block contains a list of all the transactions that have taken place across the entire Bitcoin network since the last block was created, as well as a hash of the previous block. New blocks are 'mined', or rather, generated, by Bitcoin clients correctly guessing sequences of characters in codes called 'hashes,' which are created using information from previous blocks. Bitcoin users may download specialized 'mining' software, which allows them to dedicate some amount of their processing power – however large or small – to guessing at strings within the hash of the previous block. Whoever makes the right guess first, thus creating a new block, receives a reward in Bitcoins.

The block chain is one of the two structures that makes Bitcoin secure, the other being the public-key encryption system on which Bitcoin trade is based. The block chain assures that not only is every single transaction that ever takes place recorded, but that every single transaction is recorded on the computer of anyone who chooses to store the relevant information. Many, many users have complete records of every transaction in Bitcoins history readily available to them at any point, and anyone who wants in the information can obtain it with ease. These things make Bitcoin very hard to fool.

The Bitcoin network takes considerable processing power to run, and since those with the most processing power can make the most guesses, those who put the most power toward to sustaining the network earn the most currency. Each correct guess yields, at present, twenty-five Bitcoins, and as Bitcoins are presently worth something (although the value still fluctuates) every miner who earns any number of Bitcoins makes money. Some miners pull in Bitcoins on their own; and some also join or form pools wherein all who contribute earn a share of the profits.

Therefore, first answer is a vehement “yes” – not only can miners collude to get more money, Bitcoin is designed to encourage them to do so. Bitcoin pools are communal affairs, and there is nothing dishonest or underhanded about them.

Of course, the real question is:

;Can they do so in ways not sanctioned by Bitcoin network? Is there any way to rip off the network and make loads of money dishonestly?

Bitcoin isn't infallible. It can be cheated, but doing so is extremely difficult. Bitcoin was designed to evade some of the central problems with modern currencies – namely, that their trustworthiness hinges upon that of people who might not have users' best interests in mind. Every currency in the world (other than Bitcoin) is controlled by large institutions who keep track of what's done with it, and who can manipulate its value. And every other currency has value because people trust the institutions that control them.

Bitcoin doesn't ask that its users trust any institution. Its security is based on the cryptography that is an integral part of its structure, and that is readily available for any and all to see. Instead of one entity keeping track of transactions, the entire network does, so Bitcoins are astoundingly difficult to steal, or double-spend. Bitcoins are created in a regular and predictable fashion, and by many different users, so no one can decide to make a whole lot more and lessen their value. In short, Bitcoin is designed to be inflation-proof, double-spend-proof and completely distributed.

Nonetheless, there are a few ways that one can acquire Bitcoins dishonestly. Firstly, one can steal private keys. Key theft isn't something that Bitcoin security has been designed to prevent: it's up to users to keep their keys safe. But the cryptography is designed so that it is completely impossible to deduce someone's private key from their public one. As long as you keep your private key to yourself, you don't have much to worry about. Furthermore, one could theoretically create a new block chain, but due to the way in which the block chain is constructed, this would be extremely difficult and require massive amounts of processing power. A full explanation of the difficulties involved can be found in the [[block chain]] article.

Bitcoin can be ripped off – but doing so would be extremely hard and require considerable expertise and a staggering amount of processing power. And it's only going to get harder with time. Bitcoin isn't impenetrable, but it's close enough to put any real worries in the peripherals.

;Could miners fundamentally change the nature of Bitcoin?

Once again, almost certainly not.

Bitcoin is a distributed network, so any changes implemented to the system must be accepted by all users. Someone trying to change the way Bitcoins are generated would have to convince every user to download and use their software – so the only changes that would go through are those that would be equally benefit all users.

And thus, it is more or less impossible for anyone to change the function of Bitcoin to their advantage. If users don't like the changes, they won't adopt them, whereas if users do like them, then these will help everyone equally. Of course, one can conceive of a situation where someone manages to get a change pushed through that provides them with an advantage that no one notices, but given that Bitcoin is structurally relatively simple, it is unlikely that any major changes will go through without someone noticing first.

The fact that such changes are so difficult to make testifies to the fully distributed nature of Bitcoin. Any centrally controlled currency can be modified by its central agency without the consent of its adherents. Bitcoin has no central authority, so it changes only at the behest of the whole community. Bitcoins development represents a kind of collective evolution; the first of its kind among currencies.

==Help==
===I'd like to learn more. Where can I get help?===

* Read the [[Introduction|introduction to bitcoin]]
* See the videos, podcasts, and blog posts from the [[Press]]
* Read and post on the [[:Bitcoin:Community_portal#Bitcoin_Community_Forums|forums]]
* Chat on one of the [[:Bitcoin:Community_portal#IRC_Chat|Bitcoin IRC]] channels
* Listen to [http://omegataupodcast.net/2011/03/59-bitcoin-a-digital-decentralized-currency/ this podcast], which goes into the details of how bitcoin works
* Ask questions on the [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com Bitcoin Stack Exchange]
* Use [http://wheretobuycryptocoins.com WhereToBuyCryptocoins]. It shows an cryptocurrency introduction, a getting started guide for beginners, also lists of markets, faucets, exchanges.

==See Also==

* [[Man page]]
* [[Introduction]]

[[de:FAQ]]
[[zh-cn:FAQ]]
[[fr:FAQ]]
[[ru:FAQ]]

[[Category:Technical]]
[[Category:Vocabulary]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-05-30T09:59:31Z

WalletBit: /* Utilize a merchant solution */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|BIPS Mobile Checkout|link=https://bips.me/point-of-sale]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign).

==== Examples ====

* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS]
* [http://www.blockchain.info/wallet Blockchain.info]
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase]
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com GoCoin International Payment Processing for accepting Bitcoin and Litecoin payments]
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Asia
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system for retail merchants

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay] or [https://coinbase.com Coinbase]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.

== Help this article ==

This article is a stub, please add to it!

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-05-30T09:58:06Z

WalletBit: /* Utilize a merchant solution */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|BIPS Mobile Checkout]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign).

==== Examples ====

* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS]
* [http://www.blockchain.info/wallet Blockchain.info]
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase]
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com GoCoin International Payment Processing for accepting Bitcoin and Litecoin payments]
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Asia
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system for retail merchants

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay] or [https://coinbase.com Coinbase]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.

== Help this article ==

This article is a stub, please add to it!

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

File:Mobile Checkout Phone.png

2014-05-30T09:57:36Z

WalletBit: WalletBit uploaded a new version of "File:Mobile Checkout Phone.png"

File:Mobile Checkout Phone.png

2014-05-30T09:30:27Z

WalletBit:

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-05-30T09:30:00Z

WalletBit: /* Utilize a merchant solution */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout_Phone.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|link=https://bips.me/point-of-sale|BIPS Mobile Checkout]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign).

==== Examples ====

* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS]
* [http://www.blockchain.info/wallet Blockchain.info]
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase]
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com GoCoin International Payment Processing for accepting Bitcoin and Litecoin payments]
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Asia
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system for retail merchants

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay] or [https://coinbase.com Coinbase]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.

== Help this article ==

This article is a stub, please add to it!

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-05-30T09:28:34Z

WalletBit: /* Utilize a merchant solution */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

[[File:Mobile_Checkout.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|link=https://bips.me/point-of-sale|BIPS Mobile Checkout]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign).

==== Examples ====

* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS]
* [http://www.blockchain.info/wallet Blockchain.info]
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase]
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com GoCoin International Payment Processing for accepting Bitcoin and Litecoin payments]
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Asia
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system for retail merchants

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay] or [https://coinbase.com Coinbase]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.BitKassa.nl BitKassa] Merchant solution for accepting bitcoins, getting euro's. The Netherlands.
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.

== Help this article ==

This article is a stub, please add to it!

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

File:Mobile Checkout.png

2014-05-30T09:26:15Z

WalletBit: WalletBit uploaded a new version of "File:Mobile Checkout.png"

BIPS

2014-05-25T08:32:24Z

WalletBit:

BIPS is one of the largest bitcoin payment solution providers. BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin.

==Bitcoin Payment Solutions==

Providing services for merchants in 204 countries

==Merchant Tools==
For merchants using an eCommerce platform, choose between a wide range of [https://bips.me/plugins bitcoin plugins]. For merchants without an eCommerce solution, BIPS offers Hosted Invoices. Hosted Invoices can be used for both catalog of items and shopping cart with buttons and widgets per item. Also [https://bips.me/merchants#hosted-invoices Hosted Invoices] supports recurring billing in bitcoin, by emailing invoice link or using BIP70 Payment Requests. <ref name="BIP70 Payment Requests" />

===Point of Sale===
BIPS can deliver near field communication (NFC) to "make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any BIPS-enabled point of sale at checkout. And the possibility of sending payment information via sound based on Chirp.

BIPS POS NFC can be used with the following devices:

Phones

HTC One on Sprint
HTC One SV on Boost Mobile
HTC EVO 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Zact Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Zact Mobile
LG Nexus 4*
LG Nexus 5*
Motorola Moto X*
Samsung Galaxy Note II on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Note II on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy SIII on MetroPCS
Samsung Galaxy SIII on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Boost Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S4 on Sprint (model number must be SPH-L720)
Samsung Galaxy S4 on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition*
Samsung Nexus S 4G on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus*
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy Axiom on US Cellular

Tablets

Asus Nexus 7
Samsung Nexus 10

===Business model===

BIPS doesn't charge merchants for accepting Bitcoin online or with point of sale as payment for merchandise, but run a 0% Payment Processing Fees <ref name="Zero Payment Processing Fees" />, and plans to make money by the conversion spread.

===Settlement===

Exchanged bitcoins are sent to your bank account in 1-5 business days. With the possibility of setting a % to be transferred, or simply keep bitcoin.

Sell for $100, see $100 deposited into your bank*

==Consumer Side==

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bipsmarket.com Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

==History==

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011

==See Also==
* [[Bitcoin Ladder]]

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/api]] [https://bips.me/api REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/plugins]] [https://bips.me/plugins eCommerce Plugins]

==References==
<references>
<ref name="BIP70_Payment_Requests">[https://bips.me/merchants#hosted-invoices Hosted Invoices]</ref>
<ref name="Zero_Payment_Processing_Fees">[https://bips.me/merchants 0% Payment Processing Fees]</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

BIPS

2014-05-25T08:30:22Z

WalletBit: /* References */

BIPS is one of the largest bitcoin payment solution providers. BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin.

==Bitcoin Payment Solutions==

Providing services for merchants in 204 countries

==Merchant Tools==
For merchants using an eCommerce platform, choose between a wide range of [https://bips.me/plugins bitcoin plugins]. For merchants without an eCommerce solution, BIPS offers Hosted Invoices. Hosted Invoices can be used for both catalog of items and shopping cart with buttons and widgets per item. Also [https://bips.me/merchants#hosted-invoices Hosted Invoices] supports recurring billing in bitcoin, by emailing invoice link or using BIP70 Payment Requests. <ref name="BIP70 Payment Requests" />

===Point of Sale===
BIPS can deliver near field communication (NFC) to "make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any BIPS-enabled point of sale at checkout. And the possibility of sending payment information via sound based on Chirp.

BIPS POS NFC can be used with the following devices:

Phones

HTC One on Sprint
HTC One SV on Boost Mobile
HTC EVO 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Zact Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Zact Mobile
LG Nexus 4*
LG Nexus 5*
Motorola Moto X*
Samsung Galaxy Note II on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Note II on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy SIII on MetroPCS
Samsung Galaxy SIII on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Boost Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S4 on Sprint (model number must be SPH-L720)
Samsung Galaxy S4 on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition*
Samsung Nexus S 4G on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus*
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy Axiom on US Cellular

Tablets

Asus Nexus 7
Samsung Nexus 10

===Business model===

BIPS doesn't charge merchants for accepting Bitcoin online or with point of sale as payment for merchandise, but run a 0% Payment Processing Fees <ref name="Zero Payment Processing Fees" />, and plans to make money by the conversion spread.

===Settlement===

Exchanged bitcoins are sent to your bank account in 1-5 business days. With the possibility of setting a % to be transferred, or simply keep bitcoin.

Sell for $100, see $100 deposited into your bank*

==Consumer Side==

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bipsmarket.com Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

==History==

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/api]] [https://bips.me/api REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/plugins]] [https://bips.me/plugins eCommerce Plugins]

==References==
<references>
<ref name="BIP70_Payment_Requests">[https://bips.me/merchants#hosted-invoices Hosted Invoices]</ref>
<ref name="Zero_Payment_Processing_Fees">[https://bips.me/merchants 0% Payment Processing Fees]</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

BIPS

2014-05-25T08:28:56Z

WalletBit: /* References */

BIPS is one of the largest bitcoin payment solution providers. BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin.

==Bitcoin Payment Solutions==

Providing services for merchants in 204 countries

==Merchant Tools==
For merchants using an eCommerce platform, choose between a wide range of [https://bips.me/plugins bitcoin plugins]. For merchants without an eCommerce solution, BIPS offers Hosted Invoices. Hosted Invoices can be used for both catalog of items and shopping cart with buttons and widgets per item. Also [https://bips.me/merchants#hosted-invoices Hosted Invoices] supports recurring billing in bitcoin, by emailing invoice link or using BIP70 Payment Requests. <ref name="BIP70 Payment Requests" />

===Point of Sale===
BIPS can deliver near field communication (NFC) to "make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any BIPS-enabled point of sale at checkout. And the possibility of sending payment information via sound based on Chirp.

BIPS POS NFC can be used with the following devices:

Phones

HTC One on Sprint
HTC One SV on Boost Mobile
HTC EVO 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Zact Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Zact Mobile
LG Nexus 4*
LG Nexus 5*
Motorola Moto X*
Samsung Galaxy Note II on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Note II on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy SIII on MetroPCS
Samsung Galaxy SIII on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Boost Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S4 on Sprint (model number must be SPH-L720)
Samsung Galaxy S4 on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition*
Samsung Nexus S 4G on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus*
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy Axiom on US Cellular

Tablets

Asus Nexus 7
Samsung Nexus 10

===Business model===

BIPS doesn't charge merchants for accepting Bitcoin online or with point of sale as payment for merchandise, but run a 0% Payment Processing Fees <ref name="Zero Payment Processing Fees" />, and plans to make money by the conversion spread.

===Settlement===

Exchanged bitcoins are sent to your bank account in 1-5 business days. With the possibility of setting a % to be transferred, or simply keep bitcoin.

Sell for $100, see $100 deposited into your bank*

==Consumer Side==

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bipsmarket.com Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

==History==

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/api]] [https://bips.me/api REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/plugins]] [https://bips.me/plugins eCommerce Plugins]

==References==
<references>
<ref name="BIPS">[https://BIPS.me/ BIPS]</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

BIPS

2014-05-25T08:27:17Z

WalletBit:

BIPS is one of the largest bitcoin payment solution providers. BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin.

==Bitcoin Payment Solutions==

Providing services for merchants in 204 countries

==Merchant Tools==
For merchants using an eCommerce platform, choose between a wide range of [https://bips.me/plugins bitcoin plugins]. For merchants without an eCommerce solution, BIPS offers Hosted Invoices. Hosted Invoices can be used for both catalog of items and shopping cart with buttons and widgets per item. Also [https://bips.me/merchants#hosted-invoices Hosted Invoices] supports recurring billing in bitcoin, by emailing invoice link or using BIP70 Payment Requests. <ref name="BIP70 Payment Requests" />

===Point of Sale===
BIPS can deliver near field communication (NFC) to "make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any BIPS-enabled point of sale at checkout. And the possibility of sending payment information via sound based on Chirp.

BIPS POS NFC can be used with the following devices:

Phones

HTC One on Sprint
HTC One SV on Boost Mobile
HTC EVO 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Sprint
LG Viper 4G LTE on Zact Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile
LG Optimus Elite on Zact Mobile
LG Nexus 4*
LG Nexus 5*
Motorola Moto X*
Samsung Galaxy Note II on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Note II on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy SIII on MetroPCS
Samsung Galaxy SIII on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy SIII on Boost Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S4 on Sprint (model number must be SPH-L720)
Samsung Galaxy S4 on US Cellular
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition*
Samsung Nexus S 4G on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Nexus*
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE on Virgin Mobile
Samsung Galaxy Axiom on US Cellular

Tablets

Asus Nexus 7
Samsung Nexus 10

===Business model===

BIPS doesn't charge merchants for accepting Bitcoin online or with point of sale as payment for merchandise, but run a 0% Payment Processing Fees <ref name="Zero Payment Processing Fees" />, and plans to make money by the conversion spread.

===Settlement===

Exchanged bitcoins are sent to your bank account in 1-5 business days. With the possibility of setting a % to be transferred, or simply keep bitcoin.

Sell for $100, see $100 deposited into your bank*

==Consumer Side==

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bipsmarket.com Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

==History==

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/api]] [https://bips.me/api REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/plugins]] [https://bips.me/plugins eCommerce Plugins]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

File:Mobile Checkout.png

2014-05-14T10:32:54Z

WalletBit:

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-05-14T10:32:34Z

WalletBit: /* Utilize a merchant solution */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Checkout.png|100 px|alt=Bitcoin Mobile Checkout|BIPS POS]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign).

==== Examples ====

* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS]
* [http://www.blockchain.info/wallet Blockchain.info]
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase]
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com GoCoin International Payment Processing for accepting Bitcoin and Litecoin payments]
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [http://www.coinpip.com CoinPip] - Bitcoin Payment Solution for Asia
* [[File:Coin_Of_Sale_logo.png|20px|link=https://coinofsale.com]] [https://coinofsale.com Coin Of Sale] - device-independent Bitcoin POS payment system for retail merchants

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite], [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices]. [[Bitcoin Average]] also offers a weighted average price index, featuring average price across all exchanges reachable in the world and in over 150 currencies. 24h sliding average price index is also available and all data is [https://bitcoinaverage.com/api.htm reachable through the API].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay] or [https://coinbase.com Coinbase]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:MCS_200by200_logo-01.png|20px|link=http://www.mycoinsolution.com]][http://www.mycoinsolution.com My Coin Solution] - Bitcoin consulting services and solutions
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://xbterminal.com/ XBTerminal] Brick-and-mortar hardware POS terminals with payment processing integrations.
* [https://mtgox.com/merchant MTGOX] Bitcoin payment processing
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]
* [https://coinvoice.com/ Coinvoice] Invoice in USD or BTC, Get paid in USD or BTC.
* [https://coinpip.com/ CoinPip] SMS and Physical Bitcoin Card Wallets, Process Bitcoin Payments and gives you the option to convert into your local currency automatically.
* [https://apicoin.io Apicoin.io] A robust, secure api to connect to the bitcoin network.

== Help this article ==

This article is a stub, please add to it!

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

Lazy API

2014-05-14T10:29:09Z

WalletBit:

For the incredibly lazy and/or incompetent web developer, present is the lazy man's bitcoin API (copied from [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4324.msg77187#msg77187 a forum post]):

==Problem==

Lazy web designer wants to use bitcoins without dealing with installing bitcoin on a server, installing a shopping cart interface, or using ugly merchant services with callbacks.

==Solution for sending bitcoins==

<strike>Use the [https://mtgox.com/support/tradeAPI MtGox API] which allows you to use the offchain payment network.</strike>

==Solution for receiving bitcoins==
# Input a list of bitcoin receiving addresses to your database
# Give a bitcoin address to a potential customer
# Have the customer tell you when they have sent the coins and have at least 1 confirmation (you can choose a number higher than 1 if you are worried about double-spending)
# Check blockexplorer to see if they sent the right amount (i.e. http://blockexplorer.com/q/getreceivedbyaddress/19hMEAaRMbEhfSkeU4GT8mgSuyR4t4M6TH/1) - the /1 is the number of confirmations you require
# Give them what they paid for
# After a reasonable amount of time has passed, you can re-use the address for another customer

==Risks==

===External Service===

BlockExplorer is a service that is provided by a private party. There is no guarantee that the information provided by BlockExplorer matches the blockchain.

There have not been any reports that BlockExplorer has reported transaction data incorrectly.

===Double Spending===

A merchant is exposed to a [[double-spending]] attack when recognizing a payment before it has been [[confirmation|confirmed]] with a sufficient number of blocks.

For an attacker to be successful with this double spend tactic a significant effort is required and thus the risk of this attack being made against the typical retail merchant is pretty minimal. It would not be advisable for a merchant with little to no recourse against an attacker to accept payment without a sufficient number of confirmations however.

==See Also==

* [[BitAddress]] Generate address and private key pairs for an offline wallet
* [[BitcoinNotify]] Register addresses and receive email or SMS alerts when a payment to that address occurs
* [https://apicoin.io apicoin.io] Allows for callback notifications to your script with security in mind.

[[de:API_für_Faule]]

[[Category:Developer]]

Help:FAQ

2014-03-21T03:19:54Z

WalletBit: /* How can I get bitcoins? */

Here you will find answers to the most commonly asked questions.

== General ==
=== What is Bitcoin? ===
Bitcoin is a distributed peer-to-peer digital currency that can be transferred instantly and securely between any two people in the world. It's like electronic cash that you can use to pay friends or merchants.

=== What are bitcoins? ===
Bitcoins are the unit of currency of the Bitcoin system. A commonly used shorthand for this is “BTC” to refer to a price or amount (e.g. “100 BTC”).
There are such things as [[physical bitcoins]], but ultimately, a bitcoin is just a number associated with a [[Address|Bitcoin Address]]. A physical bitcoin is simply an object, such as a coin, with the number carefully embedded inside. See also an [[Introduction|easy intro]] to Bitcoin.

=== How can I get bitcoins? ===

There are a variety of ways to acquire bitcoins:
* You can buy bitcoins from [http://coinbase.com/ Coinbase] or [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bipsmarket.com]] [https://bipsmarket.com BIPS Market].
* Accept bitcoins as payment for goods or services.
* The most common way to buy bitcoins are the [[Buying bitcoins|Bitcoin Exchanges]]
* There are several services where you can [[Buying_Bitcoins_(the_noob_version)|trade them]] for traditional currency.
* Find someone to trade cash for bitcoins in-person through a [https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Category:Directories local directory].
* Participate in a [[Pooled mining|mining pool]].
* If you have a lot of mining hardware, you can solo mine and attempt to create a new [[block]] (currently yields 25 bitcoins plus transaction fees).
* Visit sites that provide [[Trade#Free_Samples_and_Offers|free samples and offers]].
* Visit [http://wheretobuycryptocoins.com WhereToBuyCryptoCoins.com] to get a guide how to start with bitcoins and cryptocurrency in general. Shows a list of markets, faucets, exchanges, miner's pools and more.

===Does Bitcoin guarantee an influx of free money?===

Since Bitcoin is a new technology, what it is and how it works may be initially unclear. Bitcoin is sometimes presented as being one of three things:
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
<li>Some sort of online 'get-rich-quick' scam.</li>
<li>A loophole in the market economy, the installation of which guarantees a steady influx of cash.</li>
<li>A sure investment that will almost certainly yield a profit.</li>
</ol>
In fact, none of the above are true. Let's look at them independently.

;Is Bitcoin a 'get-rich-quick' scheme?
:If you've spent much time on the Internet, you've probably seen ads for many 'get-rich-quick' schemes. These ads usually promise huge profits for a small amounts of easy work. Such schemes are usually pyramid/matrix-style schemes that make money from their own employees and offer nothing of any real value. Most convince one to buy packages that will make them earn hundreds a day, which in fact have the buyer distribute more such ads, and make minute profits.

:Bitcoin is in no way similar to these schemes. Bitcoin doesn't promise windfall profits. There is no way for the developers to make money from your involvement or to take money from you. That bitcoins are nearly impossible to acquire without the owner's consent represents one of its greatest strengths. Bitcoin is an experimental, virtual currency that may succeed or may fail. None of its developers expect to get rich off of it.

:A more detailed answer to this question can be found [http://bitcointalk.org/?topic=7815.0 here].

;Will I make money by installing the client?
:Most people who use Bitcoin don't earn anything by doing so, and the default client has no built-in way to earn Bitcoins. A small minority of people with dedicated, high-performance hardware do earn some Bitcoins by "''mining''" (generating new bitcoins, see [[#What is mining?|What is mining?]]) with special software, but joining Bitcoin shouldn't be construed as being the road to riches. Most Bitcoin users get involved because they find the project conceptually interesting and don't earn anything by doing so. This is also why you won't find much speculation about the political or economic repercussions of Bitcoin anywhere on this site: Bitcoin developers owe their dedication to the project's intellectual yieldings more than to those of a monetary nature. Bitcoin is still taking its first baby steps; it may go on to do great things but right now it only has something to offer those chasing conceptually interesting projects or bleeding edge technology.

;As an investment, is Bitcoin a sure thing?
:Bitcoin is a new and interesting electronic currency, the value of which is not backed by any single government or organization. Like other currencies, it is worth something partly because people are willing to trade it for goods and services. Its exchange rate fluctuates continuously, and sometimes wildly. It lacks wide acceptance and is vulnerable to manipulation by parties with modest funding. Security incidents such as website and account compromise may trigger major sell-offs. Other fluctuations can build into positive feedback loops and cause much larger exchange rate fluctuations. Anyone who puts money into Bitcoin should understand the risk they are taking and consider it a high-risk currency. Later, as Bitcoin becomes better known and more widely accepted, it may stabilize, but for the time being it is unpredictable. Any investment in Bitcoin should be done carefully and with a clear plan to manage the risk.

=== Can I buy bitcoins with Paypal? ===

It is possible to buy [[physical bitcoins]] with PayPal but it is otherwise difficult and/or expensive to do so for non-physical bitcoins, because of significant risk to the seller.

There is a [https://www.virwox.com?r=5495d workaround] that can be done in order to use Paypal to buy Bitcoins but it holds within it higher transaction fees. Using the [https://www.virwox.com?r=5495d Virtual World Exchange] you can buy Second Life Lindens (SLL) with Paypal and then convert your SLL to Bitcoins. This process will charge you transaction fees of around 6% but will let you purchase Bitcoins pretty quickly as opposed to a wire transfer. The reason this method works is because you do not buy Bitcoins with Paypal directly, you only buy SLL with Paypal (which is acceptable by Paypal's TOS) and then exchange your SLL to Bitcoin.

While it is possible to find an individual who wishes to sell Bitcoin to you via Paypal, (perhaps via [http://www.bitcoin-otc.com/ #bitcoin-otc] ) most exchanges do not allow funding through PayPal. This is due to repeated cases where someone pays for bitcoins with Paypal, receives their bitcoins, and then fraudulently complains to Paypal that they never received their purchase. PayPal often sides with the fraudulent buyer in this case, which means any seller needs to cover that risk with higher fees or refuse to accept PayPal altogether.

Buying Bitcoins from individuals this way is still possible, but requires the seller to have some trust that the buyer will not file a claim with PayPal to reverse the payment.

=== Where can I find a forum to discuss Bitcoin? ===

Please visit the [[Bitcoin:Community_portal#Bitcoin_Community_Forums_on_various_platforms|Community Portal]] for links to Bitcoin-related forums.

=== How are new bitcoins created? ===

New bitcoins are generated by the network through the process of "[[#What is mining?|''mining'']]". In a process that is similar to a continuous raffle draw, mining nodes on the network are awarded bitcoins each time they find the solution to a certain mathematical problem (and thereby create a new [[block]]). Creating a block is a [[proof of work]] with a difficulty that varies with the overall strength of the network. The reward for solving a block is [[Controlled Currency Supply|automatically adjusted]] so that, ideally, every four years of operation of the Bitcoin network, half the amount of bitcoins created in the prior 4 years are created. A maximum of {{formatnum:10499889.80231183}} bitcoins were created in the first 4 (approx.) years from January 2009 to November 2012. Every four years thereafter this amount halves, so it should be {{formatnum:5250000}} over years 4-8, {{formatnum:2625000}} over years 8-12, and so on. Thus the total number of bitcoins in existence can never exceed {{formatnum:20999839.77085749}} and counting. See [[Controlled Currency Supply]].

Blocks are [[Mining|mined]] every 10 minutes, on average and for the first four years ({{formatnum:210000}} blocks) each block included 50 new bitcoins. As the amount of processing power directed at mining changes, the difficulty of creating new bitcoins changes. This difficulty factor is calculated every 2016 blocks and is based upon the time taken to generate the previous 2016 blocks. See [[Mining]].

=== What's the current total number of bitcoins in existence? ===

[http://blockexplorer.com/q/totalbc Current count]. Also see [https://blockchain.info/charts/total-bitcoins Total bitcoins in circulation chart]

The number of blocks times the coin value of a block is the number of coins in existence. The coin value of a block is 50 BTC for each of the first {{formatnum:210000}} blocks, 25 BTC for the next {{formatnum:210000}} blocks, then 12.5 BTC, 6.25 BTC and so on.

=== How divisible are bitcoins? ===

A bitcoin can be divided down to 8 decimal places. Therefore, 0.00000001 BTC is the smallest amount that can be handled in a transaction. If necessary, the protocol and related software can be modified to handle even smaller amounts.

=== What do I call the various denominations of bitcoin? ===

There is a lot of discussion about the naming of these fractions of bitcoins. The leading candidates are:

* 1 BTC = 1 bitcoin
* 0.01 BTC = 1 cBTC = 1 centibitcoin (also referred to as bitcent)
* 0.001 BTC = 1 mBTC = 1 millibitcoin (also referred to as mbit (pronounced em-bit) or millibit or even bitmill)
* 0.000 001 BTC = 1 μBTC = 1 microbitcoin (also referred to as ubit (pronounced yu-bit) or microbit)

The above follows the accepted international SI prefixes for hundredths, thousandths, and millionths. There are many arguments against the special case of 0.01 BTC since it is unlikely to represent anything meaningful as the Bitcoin economy grows (it certainly won't be the equivalent of 0.01 USD, GBP or EUR). Equally, the inclusion of existing national currency denominations such as "cent", "nickel", "dime", "pence", "pound", "kopek" and so on are to be discouraged; this is a worldwide currency.

One exception is the "satoshi" which is smallest denomination currently possible

* 0.000 000 01 BTC = 1 satoshi (pronounced sa-toh-shee)
which is so named in honour of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the inventor of Bitcoin.

For an overview of all defined units of Bitcoin (including less common and niche units), see [[Units]].

Further discussion on this topic can be found on the forums here:

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=14438.msg195287#msg195287 We need names]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=8282.0 What to call 0.001 BTC]

=== How does the halving work when the number gets really small? ===

Eventually the reward will go from 0.00000001 BTC to zero and no more bitcoins will be created.

The block reward calculation is done as a right bitwise shift of a 64-bit signed integer, which means it is divided by two and rounded down. The integer is equal to the value in BTC * 100,000,000 since internally in the reference client software, all Bitcoin balances and values are stored as unsigned integers.

With an initial block reward of 50 BTC, it will take many 4-year periods for the block reward to reach zero.

=== How long will it take to generate all the coins? ===

The last block that will generate coins will be block #6,929,999 which should be generated at or near the year 2140. The total number of coins in circulation will then remain static at 20,999,999.9769 BTC.

Even if the allowed precision is expanded from the current 8 decimals, the total BTC in circulation will always be slightly below 21 million (assuming everything else stays the same). For example, with 16 decimals of precision, the end total would be 20,999,999.999999999496 BTC.

=== If no more coins are going to be generated, will more blocks be created? ===

Absolutely! Even before the creation of coins ends, the use of [[transaction fee|transaction fees]] will likely make creating new blocks more valuable from the fees than the new coins being created. When coin generation ends, these fees will sustain the ability to use bitcoins and the Bitcoin network. There is no practical limit on the number of blocks that will be mined in the future.

=== But if no more coins are generated, what happens when Bitcoins are lost? Won't that be a problem? ===

Because of the law of supply and demand, when fewer bitcoins are available the ones that are left will be in higher demand, and therefore will have a higher value. So, as Bitcoins are lost, the remaining bitcoins will eventually increase in value to compensate. As the value of a bitcoin increases, the number of bitcoins required to purchase an item '''de'''creases. This is a [[Deflationary spiral|deflationary economic model]]. As the average transaction size reduces, transactions will probably be denominated in sub-units of a bitcoin such as millibitcoins ("Millies") or microbitcoins ("Mikes").

The Bitcoin protocol uses a base unit of one hundred-millionth of a Bitcoin ("a Satoshi"), but unused bits are available in the protocol fields that could be used to denote even smaller subdivisions.

=== If every transaction is broadcast via the network, does Bitcoin scale? ===
The Bitcoin protocol allows lightweight clients that can use Bitcoin without downloading the entire transaction history. As traffic grows and this becomes more critical, implementations of the concept will be developed. Full network nodes will at some point become a more specialized service.

With some modifications to the software, full Bitcoin nodes could easily keep up with both VISA and MasterCard combined, using only fairly modest hardware (a single high end server by todays standards). It is worth noting that the MasterCard network is structured somewhat like Bitcoin itself - as a peer to peer broadcast network.

Learn more about [[Scalability]].

==Economy==
=== Where does the value of Bitcoin stem from? What backs up Bitcoin? ===
Bitcoins have value because they are useful and because they are [[Controlled Currency Supply|scarce]]. As they are accepted by more merchants, their value will [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_%28economics%29 stabilize]. See the [[Trade|list of Bitcoin-accepting sites]].

When we say that a currency is backed up by gold, we mean that there's a promise in place that you can exchange the currency for gold. Bitcoins, like dollars and euros, are not backed up by anything except the variety of merchants that accept them.

It's a common misconception that Bitcoins gain their value from the cost of electricity required to generate them. Cost doesn't equal value – hiring 1,000 men to shovel a big hole in the ground may be costly, but not valuable. Also, even though scarcity is a critical requirement for a useful currency, it alone doesn't make anything valuable. For example, your fingerprints are scarce, but that doesn't mean they have any exchange value.

Alternatively it needs to be added that while the law of supply and demand applies it does not guarantee value of Bitcoins in the future. If confidence in Bitcoins is lost then it will not matter that the supply can no longer be increased, the demand will fall off with all holders trying to get rid of their coins. An example of this can be seen in cases of state currencies, in cases when the state in question dissolves and so no new supply of the currency is available (the central authority managing the supply is gone), however the demand for the currency falls sharply because confidence in its purchasing power disappears. Of-course Bitcoins do not have such central authority managing the supply of the coins, but it does not prevent confidence from eroding due to other situations that are not necessarily predictable.

=== Is Bitcoin a bubble? ===
Yes, in the same way as the euro and dollar are. They only have value in exchange and have no inherent value. If everyone suddenly stopped accepting your dollars, euros or bitcoins, the "bubble" would burst and their value would drop to zero. But that is unlikely to happen: even in Somalia, where the government collapsed 20 years ago, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_shilling Somali shillings] are still accepted as payment.

=== Is Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme? ===
In a Ponzi Scheme, the founders persuade investors that they’ll profit. Bitcoin does not make such a guarantee. There is no central entity, just individuals building an economy.

A ponzi scheme is a zero sum game. Early adopters can only profit at the expense of late adopters. Bitcoin has possible win-win outcomes. Early adopters profit from the rise in value. Late adopters, and indeed, society as a whole, benefit from the usefulness of a stable, fast, inexpensive, and widely accepted p2p currency.

The fact that early adopters benefit more doesn't alone make anything a Ponzi scheme. All good investments in successful companies have this quality.

=== Doesn't Bitcoin unfairly benefit early adopters? ===
Early adopters in Bitcoin are taking a risk and invested resources in an unproven technology. By so doing, they help Bitcoin become what it is now and what it will be in the future (hopefully, a ubiquitous decentralized digital currency). It is only fair they will reap the benefits of their successful investment.

In any case, any bitcoin generated will probably change hands dozens of time as a medium of exchange, so the profit made from the initial distribution will be insignificant compared to the total commerce enabled by Bitcoin. Many of the earliest users of Bitcoin have traded their coins at valuations below $1 US, or other amounts which are small compared to contemporary prices.

===Won't loss of wallets and the finite amount of Bitcoins create excessive deflation, destroying Bitcoin? ===
Worries about Bitcoin being destroyed by deflation are not entirely unfounded. Unlike most currencies, which experience inflation as their founding institutions create more and more units, Bitcoin will likely experience gradual deflation with the passage of time. Bitcoin is unique in that only a small amount of units will ever be produced (twenty-one million to be exact), this number has been known since the project's inception, and the units are created at a predictable rate.

Also, Bitcoin users are faced with a danger that doesn't threaten users of any other currency: if a Bitcoin user loses his wallet, his money is gone forever, unless he finds it again. And not just to him; it's gone completely out of circulation, rendered utterly inaccessible to anyone. As people will lose their wallets, the total number of Bitcoins will slowly decrease.

Therefore, Bitcoin seems to be faced with a unique problem. Whereas most currencies inflate over time, Bitcoin will mostly likely do just the opposite. Time will see the irretrievable loss of an ever-increasing number of Bitcoins. An already small number will be permanently whittled down further and further. And as there become fewer and fewer Bitcoins, the laws of supply and demand suggest that their value will probably continually rise.

Thus Bitcoin is bound to once again stray into mysterious territory, because no one exactly knows what happens to a currency that grows continually more valuable. Many economists claim that a low level of inflation is a good thing for a currency, but nobody is quite sure about what might happens to one that continually deflates. Although deflation could hardly be called a rare phenomenon, steady, constant deflation is unheard of. There may be a lot of speculation, but no one has any hard data to back up their claims.

That being said, there is a mechanism in place to combat the obvious consequences. Extreme deflation would render most currencies highly impractical: if a single Canadian dollar could suddenly buy the holder a car, how would one go about buying bread or candy? Even pennies would fetch more than a person could carry. Bitcoin, however, offers a simple and stylish solution: infinite divisibility. Bitcoins can be divided up and trade into as small of pieces as one wants, so no matter how valuable Bitcoins become, one can trade them in practical quantities.

In fact, infinite divisibility should allow Bitcoins to function in cases of extreme wallet loss. Even if, in the far future, so many people have lost their wallets that only a single Bitcoin, or a fraction of one, remains, Bitcoin should continue to function just fine. No one can claim to be sure what is going to happen, but deflation may prove to present a smaller threat than many expect.

For more information, see the [[Deflationary spiral]] page.

=== What if someone bought up all the existing Bitcoins? ===
Bitcoin markets are competitive -- meaning the price of a bitcoin will rise or fall depending on supply and demand at certain price levels. Only a fraction of bitcoins issued to date are found on the exchange markets for sale. So even though technically, a buyer with lots of money could buy all the bitcoins offered for sale, unless those holding the rest of the bitcoins offer them for sale as well, even the wealthiest, most determined buyer can't get at them.

Additionally, new currency continues to be issued daily and will continue to do so for decades; though over time the rate at which they are issued declines to insignificant levels. Those who are mining aren't obligated to sell their bitcoins so not all bitcoins will make it to the markets even.

This situation doesn't suggest, however, that the markets aren't vulnerable to price manipulation. It doesn't take significant amounts of money to move the market price up or down, and thus Bitcoin remains a volatile asset.

===What if someone creates a new block chain, or a new digital currency that renders Bitcoin obsolete?===

That the block chain cannot be easily forked represents one of the central security mechanisms of Bitcoin. Given the choice between two block chains, a Bitcoin miner always chooses the longer one - that is to say, the one with the more complex hash. Thusly, it ensures that each user can only spend their bitcoins once, and that no user gets ripped off.

As a consequence of the block chain structure, there may at any time be many different sub-branches, and the possibility always exists of a transaction being over-written by the longest branch, if it has been recorded in a shorter one. The older a transaction is though, the lower its chances of being over-written, and the higher of becoming permanent. Although the block chain prevents one from spending more Bitcoins than one has, it means that transactions can be accidentally nullified.

A new block chain would leave the network vulnerable to [[double-spending|double-spend]] attacks. However, the creation of a viable new chain presents considerable difficulty, and the possibility does not present much of a risk.

Bitcoin will always choose the longer Block Chain and determines the relative length of two branches by the complexities of their hashes. Since the hash of each new block is made from that of the block preceding it, to create a block with a more complex hash, one must be prepared to do more computation than has been done by the entire Bitcoin network from the fork point up to the newest of the blocks one is trying to supersede. Needless to say, such an undertaking would require a very large amount of processing power and since Bitcoin is continually growing and expanding, it will likely only require more with the passage of time.

A much more distinct and real threat to the Bitcoin use is the development of other, superior virtual currencies, which could supplant Bitcoin and render it obsolete and valueless.

A great deal of careful thought and ingenuity has gone into the development of Bitcoin, but it is the first of its breed, a prototype, and vulnerable to more highly-evolved competitors. At present, any threatening rivals have yet to rear their heads; Bitcoin remains the first and foremost private virtual currency, but we can offer no guarantees that it will retain that position. It would certainly be in keeping with internet history for a similar system built from the same principles to supersede and cast Bitcoin into obsolescence, after time had revealed its major shortcomings. Friendster and Myspace suffered similar fates at the hand of Facebook, Napster was ousted by Limeware, Bearshare and torrent applications, and Skype has all but crushed the last few disciples of the Microsoft Messenger army.

This may sound rather foreboding, so bear in mind that the introduction of new and possibly better virtual currencies will not necessarily herald Bitcoin's demise. If Bitcoin establishes itself sufficiently firmly before the inception of the next generation of private, online currencies so as to gain widespread acceptance and general stability, future currencies may pose little threat even if they can claim superior design. This is known as the network effect.

=== Is Bitcoin open to value manipulation? ===

The current low market cap of Bitcoin means that any investor with deep enough pockets can significantly change/manipulate the rate. Is this a problem?

This is only a problem if you are investing in Bitcoin for short period of time. A manipulator can't change the fundamentals, and over a period of 5-10 years, the fundamentals will win over any short term manipulations.

==Sending and Receiving Payments==

=== Why do I have to wait 10 minutes before I can spend money I received? ===

10 minutes is the average time taken to find a block. It can be significantly more or less time than that depending on luck; 10 minutes is simply the average case.

[[Blocks]] (shown as "confirmations" in the GUI) are how the Bitcoin achieves consensus on who owns what. Once a block is found everyone agrees that you now own those coins, so you can spend them again. Until then it's possible that some network nodes believe otherwise, if somebody is attempting to defraud the system by reversing a transaction. The more confirmations a transaction has, the less risk there is of a reversal. Only 6 blocks or 1 hour is enough to make reversal computationally impractical. This is dramatically better than credit cards which can see chargebacks occur up to three months after the original transaction!

Ten minutes was specifically chosen by [[Satoshi]] as a tradeoff between first confirmation time and the amount of work wasted due to chain splits. After a block is mined, it takes time for other miners to find out about it, and until then they are actually competing against the new block instead of adding to it. If someone mines another new block based on the old block chain, the network can only accept one of the two, and all the work that went into the other block gets wasted. For example, if it takes miners 1 minute on average to learn about new blocks, and new blocks come every 10 minutes, then the overall network is wasting about 10% of its work. Lengthening the time between blocks reduces this waste.

As a thought experiment, what if the Bitcoin network grew to include Mars? From the farthest points in their orbits, it takes about 20 minutes for a signal to travel from Earth to Mars. With only 10 minutes between new blocks, miners on Mars would always be 2 blocks behind the miners on Earth. It would be almost impossible for them to contribute to the block chain. If we wanted collaborate with those kinds of delays, we would need at least a few hours between new blocks.

[[File:TransactionConfirmationTimesExample.PNG]]

=== Do you have to wait until my transactions are confirmed in order to buy or sell things with Bitcoin? ===

YES, you do, IF the transaction is non-recourse. The Bitcoin reference software does not display transactions as confirmed until six blocks have passed (confirmations). As transactions are buried in the chain they become increasingly non-reversible but are very reversible before the first confirmation. Two to six confirmations are recommended for non-recourse situations depending on the value of the transactions involved.

When people ask this question they are usually thinking about applications like supermarkets. This generally is a recourse situation: if somebody tries to double-spend on a face-to-face transaction it might work a few times, but probabalistically speaking eventually one of the double-spends will get noticed, and the penalty for shoplifting charges in most localities is calibrated to be several times worse than the proceeds of a single shoplifting event.

Double-spends might be a concern for something like a snack machine in a low-traffic area with no nearby security cameras. Such a machine shouldn't honor zero-confirmation payments, and should instead use some other mechanism of clearing Bitcoin or validating transactions against reversal, see the wiki article [[Myths#Point_of_sale_with_bitcoins_isn.27t_possible_because_of_the_10_minute_wait_for_confirmation|here]] for alternatives.

Applications that require immediate payment processing, like supermarkets or snack machines, need to manage the risks. Here is one way to reverse an unconfirmed payment:

A [[Double-spending#Finney_attack|Finney attack]] is where an attacker mines a block containing a movement of some coins back to themselves. Once they find a block solution, they quickly go to a merchant and make a purchase, then broadcast the block, thus taking back the coins. This attack is a risk primarily for goods that are dispatched immediately, like song downloads or currency trades. Because the attacker can't choose the time of the attack, it isn't a risk for merchants such as supermarkets where you can't choose exactly when to pay (due to queues, etc). The attack can fail if somebody else finds a block containing the purchasing transaction before you release your own block, therefore, merchants can reduce but not eliminate the risk by making purchasers wait some length of time that's less than a confirm.

Because pulling off this attack is not trivial, merchants who need to sell things automatically and instantly are most likely to adjust the price to include the cost of reversal fraud, or elect to use special insurance.

=== I was sent some bitcoins and they haven't arrived yet! Where are they? ===

Don't panic! There are a number of reasons why your bitcoins might not show up yet, and a number of ways to diagnose them.

The latest version of the Bitcoin-Qt client tells you how far it has yet to go in downloading the blockchain. Hover over the icon in the bottom right corner of the client to learn your client's status.

If it has not caught up then it's possible that your transaction hasn't been included in a block yet.

You can check pending transactions in the network by going [https://www.biteasy.com here] or [http://blockchain.info here] and then searching for your address. If the transaction is listed here then it's a matter of waiting until it gets included in a block before it will show in your client.

If the transaction is based on a coin that was in a recent transaction then it could be considered a low priority transaction. Transfers can take longer if the transaction fee paid was not high enough. If there is no fee at all the transfer can get a very low priority and take hours or even days to be included in a block.

=== Why does my Bitcoin address keep changing? ===

Unlike postal or email addresses, Bitcoin addresses are single-use.
This means that whenever you want to receive a payment, you need to generate a new address.

While it is technically possible to receive coins multiple times with a single address, this compromises your wallet's security as well as the privacy of the entire Bitcoin network, and also makes it impossible to know for certain who sent the coins or why.

===How much will the transaction fee be?===

Some transactions might require a [[transaction fee]] for them to get confirmed in a timely manner. The transaction fee is processed by and received by the bitcoin miner. The most recent version of the Bitcoin client will estimate an appropriate fee when a fee might be required.

The fee is added to the payment amount. For example, if you are sending a 1.234 BTC payment and the client requires a 0.0005 BTC fee, then 1.2345 BTC will be subtracted from the wallet balance for the entire transaction and the address for where the payment was sent will receive a payment of 1.234 BTC.

A fee might be imposed because your transaction looks like a denial of service attack to the Bitcoin system. For example, it might be burdensome to transmit or it might recycle Bitcoins you recently received. The wallet software attempts to avoid generating burdensome transactions, but it isn't always able to do so: The funds in your wallet might be new or composed of many tiny payments.

Because the fee is related to the amount of data that makes up the transaction and not to the amount of Bitcoins being sent, the fee may seem extremely low (0.0005 BTC for a 1,000 BTC transfer) or unfairly high (0.004 BTC for a 0.02 BTC payment, or about 20%). If you are receiving tiny amounts (''e.g.'' as small payments from a mining pool) then fees when sending will be higher than if your activity follows the pattern of conventional consumer or business transactions.

As of Bitcoin 0.5.3 the required fee will not be higher than 0.05 BTC. For most users there is usually no required fee at all. If a fee is required it will most commonly be 0.0005 BTC.

=== What happens when someone sends me a bitcoin but my computer is powered off? ===

Bitcoins are not actually "sent" to your wallet; the software only uses that term so that we can use the currency without having to learn new concepts. Your wallet is only needed when you wish to spend coins that you've received.

If you are sent coins when your wallet client program is not running, and you later launch the wallet client program, the coins will eventually appear as if they were just received in the wallet. That is to say, when the client program is started it must download blocks and catch up with any transactions it did not already know about.

=== How long does "synchronizing" take when the Bitcoin client is first installed? What's it doing? ===

The popular Bitcoin client software from bitcoin.org implements a "full" Bitcoin node: It can carry out all the duties of the Bitcoin P2P system, it isn't simply a "client". One of the principles behind the operation of full Bitcoin nodes is that they don't assume that the other participants have followed the rules of the Bitcoin system. During synchronization, the software is processing historical Bitcoin transactions and making sure for itself that all of the rules of the system have been correctly followed.

In normal operation, after synchronizing, the software should use a hardly noticeable amount of your computer's resources.

When the wallet client program is first installed, its initial validation requires a lot of work from your computer's hard disk, so the amount of time to synchronize depends on your disk speed and, to a lesser extent, your CPU speed. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or so. On a slow computer it could take more than 40 hours of continuous synchronization, so check your computer's power-saving settings to ensure that it does not turn its hard disk off when unattended for a few hours. You can use the Bitcoin software during synchronization, but you may not see recent payments to you until the client program has caught up to the point where those transactions happened.

If you feel that this process takes too long, you can download a pre-synchronized blockchain from [http://eu2.bitcoincharts.com/blockchain/ http://eu2.bitcoincharts.com/blockchain/]. Alternatively, you can try an alternative "lite" client such as Multibit or a super-light client like electrum, though these clients have somewhat weaker security, are less mature, and don't contribute to the health of the P2P network.

==Networking==
=== Do I need to configure my firewall to run Bitcoin? ===

Bitcoin will connect to other nodes, usually on TCP port 8333. You will need to allow outgoing TCP connections to port 8333 if you want to allow your Bitcoin client to connect to many nodes. [[Testnet]] uses TCP port 18333 instead of 8333.

If you want to restrict your firewall rules to a few IPs, you can find stable nodes in the [[Fallback Nodes|fallback nodes list]].

=== How does the peer finding mechanism work? ===

Bitcoin finds peers primarily by forwarding peer announcements within its own network and each node saves a database of peers that it's aware of, for future use. In order to bootstrap this process Bitcoin needs a list of initial peers, these can be provided manually but normally it obtains them by querying a set of DNS domain names which have automatically updated lists, if that doesn't work it falls back to a built-in list which is updated from time to time in new versions of the software. In the reference software initial peers can also be specified manually by adding an addr.txt to the data directory or via the addnode parameter.

==Mining==
===What is mining?===
[[Mining]] is the process of spending computation power to secure Bitcoin transactions against reversal and introducing new Bitcoins to the system.

Technically speaking, mining is the calculation of a [[hash]] of the a block header, which includes among other things a reference to the previous block, a hash of a set of transactions and a [[nonce]]. If the hash value is found to be less than the current [[target]] (which is inversely proportional to the [[difficulty]]), a new block is formed and the miner gets the newly generated Bitcoins (25 per block at current levels). If the hash is not less than the current target, a new nonce is tried, and a new hash is calculated. This is done millions of times per second by each miner.

===Is mining used for some useful computation?===
The computations done when mining are internal to Bitcoin and not related to any other distributed computing projects. They serve the purpose of securing the Bitcoin network, which is useful.

===Is it not a waste of energy?===
Spending energy on creating and securing a free monetary system is hardly a waste. Also, services necessary for the operation of currently widespread monetary systems, such as banks and credit card companies, also spend energy, arguably more than Bitcoin would.

===Why don't we use calculations that are also useful for some other purpose?===
To provide security for the Bitcoin network, the calculations involved need to have some [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/5617/why-are-bitcoin-calculation-useless/5618#5618 very specific features]. These features are incompatible with leveraging the computation for other purposes.

===How can we stop miners from creating zero transaction blocks?===
The incentive for miners to include transactions is in the fees that come along with them. If we were to implement some minimum number of transactions per block it would be trivial for a miner to create and include transactions merely to surpass that threshold. As the network matures, the block reward drops, and miners become more dependent on transactions fees to pay their costs, the problem of zero transaction blocks should diminish over time.

===How does the proof-of-work system help secure Bitcoin?===
Bitcoin uses the [[Hashcash]] proof of work with a minor adaption. To give a general idea of the mining process, imagine this setup:

payload = <some data related to things happening on the Bitcoin network>
nonce = 1
hash = [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA2 SHA2]( [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA2 SHA2]( payload + nonce ) )

The work performed by a miner consists of repeatedly increasing "nonce" until
the hash function yields a value, that has the rare property of being below a certain
target threshold. (In other words: The hash "starts with a certain number of zeroes",
if you display it in the fixed-length representation, that is typically used.)

As can be seen, the mining process doesn't compute anything special. It merely
tries to find a number (also referred to as nonce) which - in combination with the payload -
results in a hash with special properties.

The advantage of using such a mechanism consists of the fact, that it is very easy to check a result: Given the payload and a specific nonce, only a single call of the hashing function is needed to verify that the hash has the required properties. Since there is no known way to find these hashes other than brute force, this can be used as a "proof of work" that someone invested a lot of computing power to find the correct nonce for this payload.

This feature is then used in the Bitcoin network to secure various aspects. An attacker
that wants to introduce malicious payload data into the network, will need to do the
required proof of work before it will be accepted. And as long as honest miners have more
computing power, they can always outpace an attacker.

Also see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashcash Hashcash] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system Proof-of-work system] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA2 SHA2] and on Wikipedia.

===Why was the "Generate coin" option of the client software removed?===

The option wasn't removed, but it is now only accessible via the command-line or the configuration file. The reason for this is that many users were complaining after they turned on and expecting to receive coins. Without specialized mining hardware a user is exceptionally unlikely generate a block on their own at the network's current [[difficulty|security level]].

==Security==

===Could miners collude to give themselves money or to fundamentally change the nature of Bitcoin?===

There are two questions in here. Let's look at them separately.

;Could miners gang up and give themselves money?

Mining itself is the process of creating new blocks in the block chain. Each block contains a list of all the transactions that have taken place across the entire Bitcoin network since the last block was created, as well as a hash of the previous block. New blocks are 'mined', or rather, generated, by Bitcoin clients correctly guessing sequences of characters in codes called 'hashes,' which are created using information from previous blocks. Bitcoin users may download specialized 'mining' software, which allows them to dedicate some amount of their processing power – however large or small – to guessing at strings within the hash of the previous block. Whoever makes the right guess first, thus creating a new block, receives a reward in Bitcoins.

The block chain is one of the two structures that makes Bitcoin secure, the other being the public-key encryption system on which Bitcoin trade is based. The block chain assures that not only is every single transaction that ever takes place recorded, but that every single transaction is recorded on the computer of anyone who chooses to store the relevant information. Many, many users have complete records of every transaction in Bitcoins history readily available to them at any point, and anyone who wants in the information can obtain it with ease. These things make Bitcoin very hard to fool.

The Bitcoin network takes considerable processing power to run, and since those with the most processing power can make the most guesses, those who put the most power toward to sustaining the network earn the most currency. Each correct guess yields, at present, twenty-five Bitcoins, and as Bitcoins are presently worth something (although the value still fluctuates) every miner who earns any number of Bitcoins makes money. Some miners pull in Bitcoins on their own; and some also join or form pools wherein all who contribute earn a share of the profits.

Therefore, first answer is a vehement “yes” – not only can miners collude to get more money, Bitcoin is designed to encourage them to do so. Bitcoin pools are communal affairs, and there is nothing dishonest or underhanded about them.

Of course, the real question is:

;Can they do so in ways not sanctioned by Bitcoin network? Is there any way to rip off the network and make loads of money dishonestly?

Bitcoin isn't infallible. It can be cheated, but doing so is extremely difficult. Bitcoin was designed to evade some of the central problems with modern currencies – namely, that their trustworthiness hinges upon that of people who might not have users' best interests in mind. Every currency in the world (other than Bitcoin) is controlled by large institutions who keep track of what's done with it, and who can manipulate its value. And every other currency has value because people trust the institutions that control them.

Bitcoin doesn't ask that its users trust any institution. Its security is based on the cryptography that is an integral part of its structure, and that is readily available for any and all to see. Instead of one entity keeping track of transactions, the entire network does, so Bitcoins are astoundingly difficult to steal, or double-spend. Bitcoins are created in a regular and predictable fashion, and by many different users, so no one can decide to make a whole lot more and lessen their value. In short, Bitcoin is designed to be inflation-proof, double-spend-proof and completely distributed.

Nonetheless, there are a few ways that one can acquire Bitcoins dishonestly. Firstly, one can steal private keys. Key theft isn't something that Bitcoin security has been designed to prevent: it's up to users to keep their keys safe. But the cryptography is designed so that it is completely impossible to deduce someone's private key from their public one. As long as you keep your private key to yourself, you don't have much to worry about. Furthermore, one could theoretically create a new block chain, but due to the way in which the block chain is constructed, this would be extremely difficult and require massive amounts of processing power. A full explanation of the difficulties involved can be found in the [[block chain]] article.

Bitcoin can be ripped off – but doing so would be extremely hard and require considerable expertise and a staggering amount of processing power. And it's only going to get harder with time. Bitcoin isn't impenetrable, but it's close enough to put any real worries in the peripherals.

;Could miners fundamentally change the nature of Bitcoin?

Once again, almost certainly not.

Bitcoin is a distributed network, so any changes implemented to the system must be accepted by all users. Someone trying to change the way Bitcoins are generated would have to convince every user to download and use their software – so the only changes that would go through are those that would be equally benefit all users.

And thus, it is more or less impossible for anyone to change the function of Bitcoin to their advantage. If users don't like the changes, they won't adopt them, whereas if users do like them, then these will help everyone equally. Of course, one can conceive of a situation where someone manages to get a change pushed through that provides them with an advantage that no one notices, but given that Bitcoin is structurally relatively simple, it is unlikely that any major changes will go through without someone noticing first.

The fact that such changes are so difficult to make testifies to the fully distributed nature of Bitcoin. Any centrally controlled currency can be modified by its central agency without the consent of its adherents. Bitcoin has no central authority, so it changes only at the behest of the whole community. Bitcoins development represents a kind of collective evolution; the first of its kind among currencies.

==Help==
===I'd like to learn more. Where can I get help?===

* Read the [[Introduction|introduction to bitcoin]]
* See the videos, podcasts, and blog posts from the [[Press]]
* Read and post on the [[:Bitcoin:Community_portal#Bitcoin_Community_Forums|forums]]
* Chat on one of the [[:Bitcoin:Community_portal#IRC_Chat|Bitcoin IRC]] channels
* Listen to [http://omegataupodcast.net/2011/03/59-bitcoin-a-digital-decentralized-currency/ this podcast], which goes into the details of how bitcoin works
* Ask questions on the [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com Bitcoin Stack Exchange]
* Use [http://wheretobuycryptocoins.com WhereToBuyCryptocoins]. It shows an cryptocurrency introduction, a getting started guide for beginners, also lists of markets, faucets, exchanges.

==See Also==

* [[Man page]]
* [[Introduction]]

[[de:FAQ]]
[[zh-cn:FAQ]]
[[fr:FAQ]]
[[ru:FAQ]]

[[Category:Technical]]
[[Category:Vocabulary]]

Help:Getting started

2014-03-21T03:16:54Z

WalletBit:

Here is a generic [[Bitcoin_Newbie_Guide|Getting Started guide]].
* Get free bitcoins and learn to use them in 5 minutes: [https://trybtc.com TryBTC]
* Get started buying bitcoins at [http://coinbase.com/ Coinbase], or [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bipsmarket.com]] [https://bipsmarket.com BIPS Market].
* For an introductory site see [http://wheretobuycryptocoins.com WhereToBuyCryptocoins.com]. Explains what is a cryptocoin, how it works, and have many lists of markets, exchanges, faucets, sites to spend money, prices, etc. For starters and reference.
* Start by watching [http://weusecoins.com/ this 2 minute vid].
* Learn why it [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/2834/what-are-the-perceived-advantages-of-bitcoin-as-a-store-of-value could be a good investment]
* Learn why it's objectively [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/305/what-are-the-perceived-advantages-of-bitcoin-as-a-means-of-exchange better as a means of exchange].
* Get a [[Clients|client]] and try it out yourself.
* Use an online wallet that you trust. (Examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/beginners]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/beginners Coinkite], [[File:Bci.gif|20px|link=https://blockchain.info/]] [https://blockchain.info/wallet/ BCI], [[File:Bitalo-favicon.png|link=https://bitalo.com]] [https://bitalo.com Bitalo])
* Explore bitcoin with a [[:Category:Block chain browsers|block chain browser]] such as [https://www.biteasy.com Biteasy]
* [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/ Ask questions]
* [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/118/how-much-bitcoin-will-i-mine-right-now-with-hardware-x Can I generate Free Money on my computer?] - TL;DR - Not really.
* [https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ Read the FAQ]
* [[Buying Bitcoins (the noob version)|Where can I buy bitcoins?]] (Hint: [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/2293/how-can-i-buy-bitcoin-via-a-credit-card-or-paypal You can't buy them with Paypal or credit cards])
* Earn free bitcoins through [[Bonus_Programs|bonus programs]]

If you're looking for how to get started with Bitcoin-Qt, [[Getting started installing bitcoin-qt|this is the article you're looking for]].

==See Also==

* [[Introduction|Bitcoin Introduction]]
* [[Bonus_Programs|Bonus Programs]]
* [[Trade|Bitcoin Businesses]]

Help:Getting started

2014-03-21T03:16:24Z

WalletBit:

Here is a generic [[Bitcoin_Newbie_Guide|Getting Started guide]].
* Get free bitcoins and learn to use them in 5 minutes: [https://trybtc.com TryBTC]
* Get started buying bitcoins at [http://coinbase.com/ Coinbase], or [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bipsmarket.com]] [[BIPS Market]].
* For an introductory site see [http://wheretobuycryptocoins.com WhereToBuyCryptocoins.com]. Explains what is a cryptocoin, how it works, and have many lists of markets, exchanges, faucets, sites to spend money, prices, etc. For starters and reference.
* Start by watching [http://weusecoins.com/ this 2 minute vid].
* Learn why it [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/2834/what-are-the-perceived-advantages-of-bitcoin-as-a-store-of-value could be a good investment]
* Learn why it's objectively [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/305/what-are-the-perceived-advantages-of-bitcoin-as-a-means-of-exchange better as a means of exchange].
* Get a [[Clients|client]] and try it out yourself.
* Use an online wallet that you trust. (Examples: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/beginners]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/beginners Coinkite], [[File:Bci.gif|20px|link=https://blockchain.info/]] [https://blockchain.info/wallet/ BCI], [[File:Bitalo-favicon.png|link=https://bitalo.com]] [https://bitalo.com Bitalo])
* Explore bitcoin with a [[:Category:Block chain browsers|block chain browser]] such as [https://www.biteasy.com Biteasy]
* [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/ Ask questions]
* [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/118/how-much-bitcoin-will-i-mine-right-now-with-hardware-x Can I generate Free Money on my computer?] - TL;DR - Not really.
* [https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ Read the FAQ]
* [[Buying Bitcoins (the noob version)|Where can I buy bitcoins?]] (Hint: [http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/2293/how-can-i-buy-bitcoin-via-a-credit-card-or-paypal You can't buy them with Paypal or credit cards])
* Earn free bitcoins through [[Bonus_Programs|bonus programs]]

If you're looking for how to get started with Bitcoin-Qt, [[Getting started installing bitcoin-qt|this is the article you're looking for]].

==See Also==

* [[Introduction|Bitcoin Introduction]]
* [[Bonus_Programs|Bonus Programs]]
* [[Trade|Bitcoin Businesses]]

How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses

2014-03-19T17:10:01Z

WalletBit: /* Merchant Services */

{{merge|Merchant Howto}}

This guide is intended for small business owners who wish to help promote Bitcoin by accepting it as payment for goods and services. It's written with the assumption that you operate a regular business that sells goods or services for regular national currency such as dollars, and that you wish to accept Bitcoin as another legal way to pay, and that you intend to pay taxes on your Bitcoin income just like any other income.

With Bitcoin being touted as a way to conduct anonymous transactions and as way to compete with government currency, many small business owners wonder what's the right way to accept and account Bitcoin, or if it's legal or ethical, or whether and how they should pay taxes on income received through Bitcoin.

As far as we know, Bitcoin isn't yet formally recognized by governments and authorities as a "currency". But in practice, Bitcoin is likely no different than accepting payment in other forms, such as cash, or gold, or scrip, or gift cards or foreign currency. We think that it is pretty much the same as the local businesses of Great Barrington, Massachusetts choosing to accept their locally-printed [http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/19/us-usa-economy-berkshares-idUSN0530157720070619 "Berkshire Bucks"] to support their local economy.

====Starting to accept Bitcoin for transactions====
Accepting Bitcoin at a small business is best started in whichever manner keeps the accounting simple for you. This will vary by the type of business you are operating.

===Start with a sign===
[[{{ns:file}}:WeAcceptBitcoin.png‎]]

If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: "We Accept Bitcoin", and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment. Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you're helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.

===Utilize a merchant solution===
If you sell things on your website (goods or services), you'll want to use a [[#Merchant Services|Bitcoin merchant solution]] to accept the Bitcoins (you can usually opt to have them converted to USD or other currencies automatically with some services).

If you sell things in a brick and mortar shop, customers can pay using hardware terminals, touch screen apps or simple wallet addresses through QR Codes.

[[File:Bitcoin-pos-terminal.png|200 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|Coinkite terminal]] [[File:Mobile_Web_App_Bitcoin_Register.jpeg|100 px|alt=Bitcoin POS Terminal|CoinBox terminal]]

===Smart Phone or Tablet===
You can use a wallet address with any wallet. For that it's best if you can place a QR code near your register to which the customers can scan with their phone and pay (use http://ma.eatgold.com/accept to make a QR code sign).

==== Examples ====

* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]][http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS]
* [http://www.blockchain.info/wallet Blockchain.info]
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/point_of_sale Coinbase]
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com GoCoin International Payment Processing for accepting Bitcoin and Litecoin payments]

===Point-of-Sale hardware terminal===
With custom hardware you can integrate with existing registers and point-of-sales solutions (example: [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz]] [https://coinkite.com/promo/wikibiz Coinkite]).

===Accounting===
When a customer makes a payment, you might simply issue a credit to their account. Ideally, you want to enter it in a way that suggests you received a payment. You could consider entering it as a "discount", but you may want to consider whether this inappropriately disguises the nature of the transaction. If on the other hand, you're giving "discounts" for Bitcoins, but then you are selling the Bitcoins for currency and then counting that as income, then chances are good that your calculation of income is making up for it. Ask your accountant.

===Businesses that offer gift cards===
If your business sells gift cards or gift certificates, you may find that the easiest way to accept Bitcoin is to accept it only for the purchase of gift cards, and then require the gift cards to be used for actual purchases of goods or services. This way, the accounting practices you already have in place for processing gift cards can be put to use. The accounting for Bitcoins would then be minimized to tracking sales of a single SKU.

This method is also ideal for retail food establishments and convenience stores, where the payment of Bitcoins through a mobile phone for a small daily food purchase might be cumbersome or disruptive, especially in front of a line of other customers. Bitcoins in this case would be best used to reload prepaid cards that can then be swiped at point-of-sale.

If you don't accept gift cards, but you already accept credit cards through a swipe terminal, consider the possibility that you could add a retail gift card system through the swipe terminal you already own. Many point-of-sale terminals, including ones from VeriFone®, are designed around the ability to support multiple applications on the same terminal. Gift cards are also highly profitable because of "breakage", or in other words, the fact that a significant percentage of them never get redeemed.

You could consider adding a private label gift card program from a provider who specializes in this, not just as a jumpstart to accepting Bitcoins, but as an extra boost to income. A private label gift card service provider necessarily have to handle your funds - they can simply provide a solution that keeps track of the balance on the cards on your behalf, including features that allow users to check their balances by phone or by web. Such a solution, of course, is also what makes the cards swipeable through the card reader.

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment.

If you have access to the programming expertise such that you can generate Bitcoin addresses programmatically, consider generating a brand new Bitcoin address for each invoice, and print it on the invoice. When a Bitcoin payment arrives, you'll automatically know where it should arrive.

Customers might wonder how much BTC they should pay in order to satisfy an invoice in full. Your invoice might suggest an amount. For example, if your invoice is for $100 and BTC's are currently worth $1.24 each, your invoice might suggest that it can be paid in full ''"with a payment of 80.65 BTC if paid by (date)"''.

You might be able to anticipate the possibility that even though a Bitcoin address can be printed on an invoice or payment stub, that they are very cumbersome for most people to type, especially being a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. However, you should probably still do it anyway. The customer is probably going to want some paper trail for his payment. Giving him a pre-printed payment stub with a pre-printed address will satisfy that, because the customer can independently and publicly prove through [[Block Explorer]] that the payment took place.

Does your business have a website? On your invoice, consider allowing them to go to a special URL to get the address to make a Bitcoin payment just by typing in their invoice number. For example, ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc'' with a form they can enter their invoice number, or just ''ht<nowiki>tps://ww</nowiki>w.yoursite.com/paybtc/60365'' for paying invoice #60365. This way, they can see the Bitcoin address, copy and paste it directly into their Bitcoin client.

Use a brand new address for each invoice whenever possible, and use it only once. This benefits the customer as it removes any ambiguity as to which customer is making which payment and for which invoice.

Known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup, [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb]] [https://bips.me/checkout/invoice/cb/bb BIPS]

Online wallet supporting invoicing, subscriptions and recurrent payments, [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/info/sending-paying-invoices xCoinMoney]

===Avoiding fraud===

You should also consider the possible risk that fraudsters could send counterfeit invoices to your customers, and entice them to make a payment to a Bitcoin address they control, instead of you. While that isn't likely in general - it depends on how well a fraudster could find out who your customers are in the first place - it would certainly be an unpleasant situation if it ever happened. One way you could control that is, whenever possible, never let people try to type Bitcoin addresses off payment stubs - instead, force people to get the full Bitcoin address from your website via secure SSL. But, still print ''most'' of the address on the payment stub (perhaps with four or five characters starred out), so that the customer's need for a paper trail can be satisfied, so they can prove they paid if there is ever a dispute.

==Setting Prices==

When a business accepts bitcoins for payment, there generally is the need to convert them to the currencies used for paying suppliers, employees and shareholders. Some merchants set prices based on the current market rate at the time the price quote is presented to the customer (merchant services like [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay], [https://coinbase.com Coinbase] or [http://paysius.com Paysius] do this automatically).

[[Bitcoin Prices]] lists the exchange rate for many currencies on multiple exchanges.

When prices are determined using an automated process, the current market rate can be based on either a current price or on a weighted average basis. [[Bitcoin Charts]] provides a [http://bitcoincharts.com/about/markets-api data feed that provides weighted prices].

When bitcoin funds for purchases are received, some merchants instantly exchange those proceeds into the preferred currency used (again done automatically by [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS], [http://www.bit-pay.com Bit-pay] or [https://coinbase.com Coinbase]. Hedging for each transaction can nearly entirely eliminate exchange rate risk that the business is exposed to when accepting bitcoins for payment.

==Contract==

A sales contract might be used to ensure that specific terms are met to lessen the chances of a misunderstanding. For instance, the party sending payment is responsible for paying any [[transaction fee]] that might be necessary. A contract might specify that a transaction fee must be paid and what amount, so as to prevent the situation where the transaction is considered a low priority transaction and thus isn't confirmed quickly.

Other items that might be addressed in a contract:

* Requirement and handling of escrow through an [[:Category:Escrow_services|escrow service]].
* Jurisdiction for disputes.
* Refund policy (particularly with the exchange rate being volatile)

==Paying taxes on Bitcoin income==
[[Tax compliance]] is a topic of concern for small businesses. We aren't accountants or lawyers, and can't give legal or accounting advice.

But in many respects, Bitcoin transactions work very much like cash. Just like Bitcoin, cash is anonymous and doesn't leave a paper trail, yet is widely used in commerce every day.

Ask yourself how you would handle a cash transaction. Do you accept cash transactions? Do you normally pay taxes on cash transactions? The answer for Bitcoin should probably be the same.

As for how to decide what a Bitcoin transaction is worth... the IRS, as far as we know, has never issued a guide mentioning how to value Bitcoin transactions. But they probably have rules and guidelines on how to value transactions made in foreign currency or "cash equivalents". We imagine the accounting would be similar.

With Bitcoins, there's likely to be some difference between the value of BTC when you received them as payment, versus when you go to exchange them for another currency like USD, should you decide to do so. This scenario, likewise, would be no different if you accepted foreign currency or gold as payment. Under some scenarios, it might make sense to book the dollar value of BTC income as it is received, and then to book any difference incurred when it is exchanged for fiat currency. Under others, it might make sense to book the whole thing at the time of exchange.

Perhaps you might talk to your accountant. You don't need to get into a discussion with your accountant about block chains and private keys or the philosophy behind a decentralized currency. By comparing the fundamentals of Bitcoins to accounting concepts already well understood by the public, you can probably get all the answers you need. What would you ask your accountant if you decided that you wanted to accept ''Berkshire Bucks'' or 1-ounce gold coins as payment?

== Merchant Services ==
* [http://blockchain.info/api/api_receive Blockchain.info] Free APIs to process bitcoin payments. No sign up or account needed.
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://coinbox.it/merchant]] [http://coinbox.it/merchant CoinBox] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin. Supports Bitcoin Web Payments, Mobile Checkout, In-store Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Invoicing with recurring billing in bitcoin.
* [https://www.bitpay.com BitPay] Bitcoin payment processor with mobile checkout solution
* [https://www.xcoinmoney.com/ xCoinMoney] Online wallet for instant payment and subscriptions.
* [https://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Bitcoin and Credit Card payment processor
* [https://www.btcmerch.com BTCMerch] Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [https://bitmerch.com BitMerch] Provides HTML buttons to start accepting bitcoins instantly. No server side setup required.
* [https://coinbase.com/docs/merchant_tools/payment_buttons Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, checkout pages, shopping cart integration, and daily cash out to USD.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq/terminal Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [https://mtgox.com/merchant MTGOX] Bitcoin payment processing
* [https://www.okpay.com/en/services/accept-payments/index.html OKPAY] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants
* [http://fasterco.in Fasterco.in] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
* [[File:gocoin-logo.png|20px|link=https://www.gocoin.com]] [https://www.gocoin.com/docs GoCoin International payment gateway and processing platform for Merchants]

== Help this article ==

This article is a stub, please add to it!

==See Also==

* [[Merchant Howto]]
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[Tax compliance]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[BitCoins Mobile]] provides accurate up to date pricing from multiple exchanges from your Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website

[[Category:ECommerce]]
[[Category:Local]]

[[de:Bitcoin_als_Geschäft_akzeptieren]]

BIPS

2014-03-09T22:15:40Z

WalletBit:

==Bitcoin Payment Solutions==

BIPS is one of the largest bitcoin payment solution providers. BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) specializing in the technical aspects of accepting cryptocurrencies - such as bitcoin.

==Consumer Side==

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bipsmarket.com Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

===History===

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/BitcoinInternetPaymentSystemAPI.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/BitcoinInternetPaymentSystemAPI.pdf BIPS REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf BIPS Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/shopmodules]] [https://bips.me/shopmodules BIPS Shop Modules]

[[File:BIPS.png|1266px|link=https://bips.me]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

BIPS

2014-01-29T19:34:04Z

WalletBit:

==Bitcoin Payment Solutions==

BIPS is one of the largest bitcoin payment solution providers. BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) for Merchants and acquirers bitcoin payments for consumers and merchants.

Optimized for both e-commerce, m-commerce and in-store transactions; from shopping cart modules to mobile checkout, point of sale solutions.

Low to zero fees, no chargebacks and none of the credit card hassle.

==Consumer Side==

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bipsmarket.com Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

===History===

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/BitcoinInternetPaymentSystemAPI.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/BitcoinInternetPaymentSystemAPI.pdf BIPS REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf BIPS Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/shopmodules]] [https://bips.me/shopmodules BIPS Shop Modules]

[[File:BIPS.png|1266px|link=https://bips.me]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

File:Bitcoin accepted here sign2.png

2014-01-19T11:33:33Z

WalletBit: WalletBit uploaded a new version of "File:Bitcoin accepted here sign2.png"

Promotional graphics

2014-01-19T11:33:12Z

WalletBit: /* New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners */

Bitcoin-related graphics used for promoting bitcoin either for online use, retail display or other promotional purpose. For graphics in languages other than English, see [[Promotional graphics (non-English)]].

==Orange style==
===Logo alone===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logo .png‎]]

[https://github.com/jonwaller/weusecoinsjp-website/tree/master/remote/en.bitcoin.it/promotional_graphics SVG and higher resolutions]

===Logo with text===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype.png‎]]

[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype Reverse.png]]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmupioyU7M1qznjpp.png

==="We love Bitcoin" Graphics===
[[{{ns:file}}:Lv BCorg 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 48px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC Badge 128px.png]]
===Bitcoin Accepted Here Buttons===
====Normal size====
[[{{ns:file}}:BC_Rnd_64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC nBG 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC RnBG 64px.png‎]]
====High resolution====
[[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_printable.png|x200px‎]]

==Euro style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin euro.png]]

==Gold style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin.png]]

==Ƀ: Another Bitcoin Identity==
* [[{{ns:file}}:CircleBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:Pennant.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:RibbonDonateBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:GoldenAcceptedHereBitcoin.png]]

 Ƀ graphic elements are available in SVG format on the dedicated [http://www.ecogex.com/bitcoin/ project page].

==New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners==
* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign2.png|400px]]

* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_horizontal2.png|400px]]

 Graphic elements are available in Vector [http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1vdt7s/ive_created_a_new_bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_for/].

==External Links==

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=64.msg7415#msg7415 New icon/logo] (SVG of the gold bitcoin / logo)
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4331.0 Bigger "B" versions of Bitcoin logotypes]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=9562.20 Ƀ Another Bitcoin identity]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1631.0 More Bitcoin logos, buttons, and also some other graphics]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=45.msg479#msg479 Make your "we accept Bitcoin" logo]
* [http://agora.io/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BitcoinFreeMoney250x100.png Liberty starts with free money logo]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6455.0 In cryptography we trust (yet another Bitcoin icon)]
* [http://bitbash.blogspot.com/2011/04/bitcoin-icons.html Bitcoin icons] from Bitbash
* [http://lts.cr/d8d Bitcoin Graphics] zip
* [http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk/26970/what-is-bitcoin/ What is Bitcoin? (Infographic)]
* [http://carbonism.deviantart.com/gallery carbonism's deviantART gallery]
* [http://handsomecode.tumblr.com/post/6565610892/designing-a-better-bitcoin-identity Handsome Code Better Bitcoin]
* [http://imgur.com/o5hHQ Stack of bitcoins]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/?topic=1756.0 Bitcoin Graphics in Vector Format (Illustrator)]
* [http://vectortoons.com/product-tag/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Vector Graphics (Illustrator PDF)] Royalty free

==See Also==

* [[Bitcoin symbol]]

[[Category:Marketing]]

Promotional graphics

2014-01-19T11:32:29Z

WalletBit: /* New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners */

Bitcoin-related graphics used for promoting bitcoin either for online use, retail display or other promotional purpose. For graphics in languages other than English, see [[Promotional graphics (non-English)]].

==Orange style==
===Logo alone===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logo .png‎]]

[https://github.com/jonwaller/weusecoinsjp-website/tree/master/remote/en.bitcoin.it/promotional_graphics SVG and higher resolutions]

===Logo with text===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype.png‎]]

[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype Reverse.png]]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmupioyU7M1qznjpp.png

==="We love Bitcoin" Graphics===
[[{{ns:file}}:Lv BCorg 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 48px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC Badge 128px.png]]
===Bitcoin Accepted Here Buttons===
====Normal size====
[[{{ns:file}}:BC_Rnd_64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC nBG 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC RnBG 64px.png‎]]
====High resolution====
[[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_printable.png|x200px‎]]

==Euro style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin euro.png]]

==Gold style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin.png]]

==Ƀ: Another Bitcoin Identity==
* [[{{ns:file}}:CircleBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:Pennant.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:RibbonDonateBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:GoldenAcceptedHereBitcoin.png]]

 Ƀ graphic elements are available in SVG format on the dedicated [http://www.ecogex.com/bitcoin/ project page].

==New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners==
* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign.png|400px]]

* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_horizontal2.png|400px]]

 Graphic elements are available in Vector [http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1vdt7s/ive_created_a_new_bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_for/].

==External Links==

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=64.msg7415#msg7415 New icon/logo] (SVG of the gold bitcoin / logo)
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4331.0 Bigger "B" versions of Bitcoin logotypes]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=9562.20 Ƀ Another Bitcoin identity]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1631.0 More Bitcoin logos, buttons, and also some other graphics]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=45.msg479#msg479 Make your "we accept Bitcoin" logo]
* [http://agora.io/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BitcoinFreeMoney250x100.png Liberty starts with free money logo]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6455.0 In cryptography we trust (yet another Bitcoin icon)]
* [http://bitbash.blogspot.com/2011/04/bitcoin-icons.html Bitcoin icons] from Bitbash
* [http://lts.cr/d8d Bitcoin Graphics] zip
* [http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk/26970/what-is-bitcoin/ What is Bitcoin? (Infographic)]
* [http://carbonism.deviantart.com/gallery carbonism's deviantART gallery]
* [http://handsomecode.tumblr.com/post/6565610892/designing-a-better-bitcoin-identity Handsome Code Better Bitcoin]
* [http://imgur.com/o5hHQ Stack of bitcoins]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/?topic=1756.0 Bitcoin Graphics in Vector Format (Illustrator)]
* [http://vectortoons.com/product-tag/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Vector Graphics (Illustrator PDF)] Royalty free

==See Also==

* [[Bitcoin symbol]]

[[Category:Marketing]]

Promotional graphics

2014-01-19T11:32:05Z

WalletBit: /* New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners */

Bitcoin-related graphics used for promoting bitcoin either for online use, retail display or other promotional purpose. For graphics in languages other than English, see [[Promotional graphics (non-English)]].

==Orange style==
===Logo alone===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logo .png‎]]

[https://github.com/jonwaller/weusecoinsjp-website/tree/master/remote/en.bitcoin.it/promotional_graphics SVG and higher resolutions]

===Logo with text===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype.png‎]]

[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype Reverse.png]]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmupioyU7M1qznjpp.png

==="We love Bitcoin" Graphics===
[[{{ns:file}}:Lv BCorg 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 48px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC Badge 128px.png]]
===Bitcoin Accepted Here Buttons===
====Normal size====
[[{{ns:file}}:BC_Rnd_64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC nBG 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC RnBG 64px.png‎]]
====High resolution====
[[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_printable.png|x200px‎]]

==Euro style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin euro.png]]

==Gold style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin.png]]

==Ƀ: Another Bitcoin Identity==
* [[{{ns:file}}:CircleBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:Pennant.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:RibbonDonateBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:GoldenAcceptedHereBitcoin.png]]

 Ƀ graphic elements are available in SVG format on the dedicated [http://www.ecogex.com/bitcoin/ project page].

==New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners==
* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here__sign2.png|400px]]

* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_horizontal2.png|400px]]

 Graphic elements are available in Vector [http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1vdt7s/ive_created_a_new_bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_for/].

==External Links==

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=64.msg7415#msg7415 New icon/logo] (SVG of the gold bitcoin / logo)
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4331.0 Bigger "B" versions of Bitcoin logotypes]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=9562.20 Ƀ Another Bitcoin identity]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1631.0 More Bitcoin logos, buttons, and also some other graphics]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=45.msg479#msg479 Make your "we accept Bitcoin" logo]
* [http://agora.io/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BitcoinFreeMoney250x100.png Liberty starts with free money logo]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6455.0 In cryptography we trust (yet another Bitcoin icon)]
* [http://bitbash.blogspot.com/2011/04/bitcoin-icons.html Bitcoin icons] from Bitbash
* [http://lts.cr/d8d Bitcoin Graphics] zip
* [http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk/26970/what-is-bitcoin/ What is Bitcoin? (Infographic)]
* [http://carbonism.deviantart.com/gallery carbonism's deviantART gallery]
* [http://handsomecode.tumblr.com/post/6565610892/designing-a-better-bitcoin-identity Handsome Code Better Bitcoin]
* [http://imgur.com/o5hHQ Stack of bitcoins]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/?topic=1756.0 Bitcoin Graphics in Vector Format (Illustrator)]
* [http://vectortoons.com/product-tag/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Vector Graphics (Illustrator PDF)] Royalty free

==See Also==

* [[Bitcoin symbol]]

[[Category:Marketing]]

Promotional graphics

2014-01-17T06:44:42Z

WalletBit: /* New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners */

File:Bitcoin accepted here sign horizontal2.png

2014-01-17T06:42:22Z

WalletBit:

File:Bitcoin accepted here sign2.png

2014-01-17T06:42:01Z

WalletBit:

Promotional graphics

2014-01-17T06:41:40Z

WalletBit:

Bitcoin-related graphics used for promoting bitcoin either for online use, retail display or other promotional purpose. For graphics in languages other than English, see [[Promotional graphics (non-English)]].

==Orange style==
===Logo alone===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logo .png‎]]

[https://github.com/jonwaller/weusecoinsjp-website/tree/master/remote/en.bitcoin.it/promotional_graphics SVG and higher resolutions]

===Logo with text===
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype.png‎]]

[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype Reverse.png]]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmupioyU7M1qznjpp.png

==="We love Bitcoin" Graphics===
[[{{ns:file}}:Lv BCorg 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 48px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC Badge 128px.png]]
===Bitcoin Accepted Here Buttons===
====Normal size====
[[{{ns:file}}:BC_Rnd_64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC nBG 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC RnBG 64px.png‎]]
====High resolution====
[[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_printable.png|x200px‎]]

==Euro style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin euro.png]]

==Gold style==
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin.png]]

==Ƀ: Another Bitcoin Identity==
* [[{{ns:file}}:CircleBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:Pennant.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:RibbonDonateBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:GoldenAcceptedHereBitcoin.png]]

 Ƀ graphic elements are available in SVG format on the dedicated [http://www.ecogex.com/bitcoin/ project page].

==New Bitcoin Accepted Here sign for business owners==
* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign2.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_horizontal2.png]]

 Graphic elements are available in Vector [http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1vdt7s/ive_created_a_new_bitcoin_accepted_here_sign_for/].

==External Links==

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=64.msg7415#msg7415 New icon/logo] (SVG of the gold bitcoin / logo)
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4331.0 Bigger "B" versions of Bitcoin logotypes]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=9562.20 Ƀ Another Bitcoin identity]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1631.0 More Bitcoin logos, buttons, and also some other graphics]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=45.msg479#msg479 Make your "we accept Bitcoin" logo]
* [http://agora.io/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BitcoinFreeMoney250x100.png Liberty starts with free money logo]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6455.0 In cryptography we trust (yet another Bitcoin icon)]
* [http://bitbash.blogspot.com/2011/04/bitcoin-icons.html Bitcoin icons] from Bitbash
* [http://lts.cr/d8d Bitcoin Graphics] zip
* [http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk/26970/what-is-bitcoin/ What is Bitcoin? (Infographic)]
* [http://carbonism.deviantart.com/gallery carbonism's deviantART gallery]
* [http://handsomecode.tumblr.com/post/6565610892/designing-a-better-bitcoin-identity Handsome Code Better Bitcoin]
* [http://imgur.com/o5hHQ Stack of bitcoins]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/?topic=1756.0 Bitcoin Graphics in Vector Format (Illustrator)]
* [http://vectortoons.com/product-tag/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Vector Graphics (Illustrator PDF)] Royalty free

==See Also==

* [[Bitcoin symbol]]

[[Category:Marketing]]

Merchant Howto

2013-11-30T23:26:01Z

WalletBit: /* Services */

{{merge|How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses}}

Accepting Bitcoins is easy, and there are several ways to do it.

==Manually==
# Download a bitcoin client
# When a customer wants to buy something, send them a Bitcoin address where their payment should be sent.
#* You can do this by clicking "New.." next to your address in the Bitcoin client and sending that address to the customer.
# When payment comes in to that address, send the goods to your customer. Depending on the value of what you're selling, you may wish to wait until the payment shows Confirmed.
# To issue a refund, obtain from the customer the [[Address|bitcoin address]] where the refund payment should be sent. The refund address will likely be different from the address used when the customer sent payment, especially if an [[EWallet]] was used by the customer.

==Automated==
===Pre-generating Bitcoin addresses===
You can accept Bitcoins on your website without needing to use Bitcoin APIs or third party services if you pre-generate a large number of receiving Bitcoin addresses and store them in a database on your web server, and dispense them one-by-one to customers when they are ready to pay. This way, your web server never actually handles the bitcoins - it simply gives out addresses belonging to a wallet you maintain elsewhere. By using a unique address per order, you will always know which payment belongs to which order. [https://www.casascius.com Example of website using this method]

To pre-generate addresses, use a tool such as [[Pywallet]] (which can generate a wallet.dat file) or [[Bitcoin Address Utility]] (which can generate a CSV file). In both cases, you will be generating a list of [[Address|Bitcoin address]]es along with their corresponding [[private key]]s. Only the Bitcoin addresses (not the private keys) should be loaded on the web server.

If you are shipping goods manually, you can use the Bitcoin software to check for incoming payments, or alternately consider using [[Block Explorer]] or [[Abe]] to verify payment when you're about to ship. To make this easy, make your website provide you a full hyperlink that includes the proper receiving address: ht<nowiki>tp://www</nowiki>.blockexplorer.com/address/ADDRESSGOESHERE.

If you are delivering digital goods or services and want to be able to deliver instantly upon payment and/or confirmation, you can use a third-party service such as [[Bitcoin Notify]] to tell your website when a payment has been received. This sort of service requires no significant API implementation - they will simply make a POST to your website or send you an e-mail when a payment has been received on one of your addresses.

If you keep Bitcoins off your web server, this ensures your wallet cannot be stolen if your web server experiences a security intrusion. Your risk becomes limited to the possibility that a successful intruder could add his own addresses to your address pool and steal funds from a few incoming orders until you detect the problem, however, this is a relatively controllable risk.

===Using offchain payment networks===

[[Off-Chain_Transactions|Off chain]] networks provides various benefits to Bitcoin, such as instant confirmations and protection against double spending.

===Using a third-party plugin===
You can use an existing [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|shopping cart interface]] from a 3rd party to automatically handle all Bitcoin payments on your website. If you want to develop the system yourself, you can utilize the Bitcoin client's [[API tutorial (JSON-RPC)|JSON-RPC API]] to automatically accept payments.

Things to note if you build it yourself:
# When a customer orders something on your website it records:
#* Bitcoin address that payment should be sent to
#* Order details (delivery address etc.)
#* Customer's refund address (optional - if you wish you can ask for this later, only in cases a refund is required)
#* Payment amount
# When payment arrives, checks that they have paid the correct amount or not, and informs you
#* You dispatch the goods to the customer and mark the order as fulfilled
#* If you cannot dispatch the goods you mark the order as denied and ask the customer for a refund address (unless you already have it from earlier) to send a refund.
# Forwards the funds to bitcoin address of your choice

===Businesses that mail invoices===
Does your business send out invoices to customers? Adding one line may make a huge impact for the Bitcoin economy. Perhaps you list it as a payment option just after Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, even if that means your customer must call or e-mail to make a payment. However it is possible to create automated invoices by using known payment systems supporting invoicing, and recurring invoice setup.

==Common Errors==
It has been observed on occasion that a business funnels all its orders through the same Bitcoin address, and asks people to send some BTC, then send email describing the timing and the amount of the transaction to 'claim' it. This is '''not''' secure, since anyone can see the transaction details using a tool such as [[Block Explorer]], and then try to claim someone else's transaction as theirs.

Do not do this. Give each customer a unique Bitcoin address.

==Listing your business on the Bitcoin Trade page==

Anyone can add and update a listing on the [[Trade|trade]] page. Just register if you haven't and add to the appropriate category. If you'ld like assistance, perhaps someone in the [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#bitcoin-marketing #bitcoin-marketing] IRC channel would be willing to assist.

==Services==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [[BIPS]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
* [[Bitcoin PayFlow]] automates the process for accepting bitcoins
* [[BitcoinNotify]] merchants solution for accepting Bitcoins and updating BTC prices
* [[File:BitcoinRegister.gif|20px|link=http://phicorp.ca/bitregister]] [http://phicorp.ca/bitregister Bitcoin Register] Bitcoin Point of Sales application for Android, with integration into various exchanges. Similar to Square.
* [[BitPay]] Merchant solutions for Bitcoin
*[[BTCMerch]] - Payment processor for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. 0.5% transaction fee. Sandbox is available.
* [[BitMerch]] Bitcoin payment processor with 0.5% transaction fee.
* [http://www.bitpagos.net BitPagos] Payments Gateway for Latin America
* [https://coinbase.com/merchants Coinbase] Offers payment buttons, pages, iframes, shopping cart integration, subscription/recurring billing, micro-transactions, and cash out to your local currency for 1%.
* [[File:Coinkite.gif|20px|link=https://coinkite.com]] [https://coinkite.com/faq Coinkite] Full-reserve banking, payment buttons, invoice pages, hardware POS terminals, and Debit-Cards.
* [http://paysius.com Paysius] Allows merchants to easily and securely accept Bitcoin payments on their website
* [[Fasterco.in]] Bitcoin payment processing for merchants and day-traders

==See Also==
* [[In-store Transactions]]
* [[:Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces|Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
* [[Securing online services]]
* [[Bitcoin Evolution]] handles sales tracking and order forms; requires Bitcoin client for actual payment
* [[Bitcoin API Services]] an easy solution for securely accepting Bitcoins and updating BTC prices
* [[Converter|Bitcoin Javascript Converter]] displays a price in BTCs after converting from USDs.
* [[How to accept Bitcoin, for small businesses]]
* [[:Category:Marketing|Marketing]]
* [[URI Scheme]]
* [[Promotional graphics]], buttons and logos
* [[Lazy API]] The lazy (and possibly easiest?) way to accept bitcoin payments on your website
* [http://snowcron.com Snowcron] Bitcoin Store Engine: Handles payments, sends your customers information they ordered (reg. codes, passwords...) No web programming required.
[[Category:ECommerce]]

BIPS

2013-11-22T14:20:54Z

WalletBit:

BIPS operates as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) for Merchants

===Buy Bitcoins===

[https://bips.me/buysell Buy Bitcoins] from any country in the world.

===Sell Bitcoins===

Receive payouts to bank in any currency to any countries.

===History===

With experience in Bitcoin since 2010, BIPS was founded in July 2011, and officially launched in March 2013

==External Links==
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me]] [https://bips.me BIPS] website
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/BitcoinInternetPaymentSystemAPI.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/BitcoinInternetPaymentSystemAPI.pdf BIPS REST API]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf]] [https://bips.me/connect/Quickstart.pdf BIPS Quickstart]
* [[File:BIPS.gif|20px|link=https://bips.me/shopmodules]] [https://bips.me/shopmodules BIPS Shop Modules]

[[File:BIPS.png|1266px|link=https://bips.me]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Clients‏‎]]
[[Category:ECommerce‏‎]]
[[Category:EWallets‏‎]]
[[Category:Economics‏‎]]
[[Category:Exchanges‏‎]]
[[Category:Financial‏‎]]
[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]
[[Category:Payment Processors]]
[[Category:Bitcoin payment systems]]

Inputs.io

2013-11-09T19:10:52Z

WalletBit:

The following information may no longer be true, inputs service was hacked or owner scammed On November 7th, 2013
See https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=248803.580

The article is kept only as historic documentation.

'''[https://inputs.io Inputs.io]''' was a free Bitcoin eWallet that leveraged its own [[Off-Chain Transactions|off chain]] payment network. Inputs was one of the most secure web wallets on the market, with two factor authentication, location based email confirmation, client sided hashing, and a setup that prevents the hack of Bitcoins even if the web server was compromised.

Inputs.io is no longer operational. On November 7th, 2013, the following message was displayed on the homepage: "'''Two hacks totalling about 4100 BTC have left Inputs.io unable to pay all user balances.'''"

'''Database access was also obtained, email and passwords was stolen. Bitcoin backend code was stolen.'''

Users do not need to download the blockchain to create a wallet, which makes Bitcoin easier to use. Transactions are mixed by default with no fee to provide anonymity. However, the site doesn't leverage client side cryptography and doesn't allow it's users to export their private keys. Take caution when using any web wallet service.

Inputs.io also offers an extensive API for using the off-chain payment network.

Currently, Inputs.io is supported by the following sites:

* Just-dice.com
* BitsPoker.com
* CoinLenders.com
* Coinchat.org
* DailyBitcoins.org
* Peerbet.org
* BitAds.net

Inputs.io is (was before incident) also a anonymous [[Bitcoin Foundation]] Silver member.

[[Category:EWallets]]
[[Category:Clients]]
[[Category:Frontends]]

Inputs.io

2013-11-09T19:06:58Z

WalletBit:

The following information may no longer be true, inputs service was hacked or owner scammed On November 7th, 2013
See https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=248803.580

The article is kept only as historic documentation.

'''[https://inputs.io Inputs.io]''' was a free Bitcoin eWallet that leveraged its own [[Off-Chain Transactions|off chain]] payment network. Inputs was one of the most secure web wallets on the market, with two factor authentication, location based email confirmation, client sided hashing, and a setup that prevents the hack of Bitcoins even if the web server was compromised.

Inputs.io is no longer operational. On November 7th, 2013, the following message was displayed on the homepage: "'''Two hacks totalling about 4100 BTC have left Inputs.io unable to pay all user balances.'''"

'''Database access was also obtained, email and passwords was stolen. Bitcoin backend code was stolen.'''

Users do not need to download the blockchain to create a wallet, which makes Bitcoin easier to use. Transactions are mixed by default with no fee to provide anonymity. However, the site doesn't leverage client side cryptography and doesn't allow it's users to export their private keys. Take caution when using any web wallet service.

Inputs.io also offers an extensive API for using the off-chain payment network.

Currently, Inputs.io is supported by the following sites:

* Just-dice.com
* BitsPoker.com
* CoinLenders.com
* Coinchat.org
* DailyBitcoins.org
* Peerbet.org
* BitAds.net

Inputs.io is (was before hack) also a anonymous [[Bitcoin Foundation]] Silver member.

[[Category:EWallets]]
[[Category:Clients]]
[[Category:Frontends]]

Inputs.io

2013-11-09T19:04:24Z

WalletBit:

'''[https://inputs.io Inputs.io]''' was a free Bitcoin eWallet that leveraged its own [[Off-Chain Transactions|off chain]] payment network. Inputs was one of the most secure web wallets on the market, with two factor authentication, location based email confirmation, client sided hashing, and a setup that prevents the hack of Bitcoins even if the web server was compromised. < '''Shown to be untrue'''

Inputs.io is no longer operational. On November 7th, 2013, the following message was displayed on the homepage: "'''Two hacks totalling about 4100 BTC have left Inputs.io unable to pay all user balances.'''"

'''Database access was also obtained, email and passwords was stolen. Bitcoin backend code was stolen.'''

Users do not need to download the blockchain to create a wallet, which makes Bitcoin easier to use. Transactions are mixed by default with no fee to provide anonymity. However, the site doesn't leverage client side cryptography and doesn't allow it's users to export their private keys. Take caution when using any web wallet service.

Inputs.io also offers an extensive API for using the off-chain payment network.

Currently, Inputs.io is supported by the following sites:

* Just-dice.com
* BitsPoker.com
* CoinLenders.com
* Coinchat.org
* DailyBitcoins.org
* Peerbet.org
* BitAds.net

Inputs.io is (was before hack) also a anonymous [[Bitcoin Foundation]] Silver member.

[[Category:EWallets]]
[[Category:Clients]]
[[Category:Frontends]]

Off-chain transactions

2013-11-09T19:01:40Z

WalletBit:

An off-chain transaction is the movement of value outside of the [[block chain]]. While an [[Transactions|on-chain transaction]] - usually referred to as simply 'a transaction' - modifies the blockchain and depends on the blockchain to determine its validity an off-chain transaction relies on other methods to record and validate the transaction. Like on-chain transactions all parties must agree to accept the particular method by which the transaction occurs, the question then being, how can those parties be convinced that the movement of value has actually happened, will not be reversed, and can be exchanged in the future for something of value?

With an on-chain transaction those questions are answered by the parties faith in the Bitcoin system as a whole. For instance a transaction (after some number of [[Confirmation|confirmations]]) can only be reversed if a majority of hashing power agrees to reverse the transaction. The parties to the transaction are trusting that the majority of hashing power in existence is controlled by "honest" parties who will not attempt to reverse the transaction.

== Rational ==

On-chain transactions have disadvantages that make them unsuitable for some applications:

=== Speed ===

On-chain transactions take some time to accumulate enough [[Confirmation|confirmations]] to ensure that they can-not be reversed; accepting a transaction without any confirmations is potentially risky. Confirmations take time and the time they take to accumulate is random. Off-chain transaction systems can record that a transaction has happened immediately, and, subject to the guarantees of the system itself, immediately guarantee it won't be reversed.

=== Privacy/Anonymity ===

All on-chain transactions are recorded publicly on the block chain; Bitcoin transactions are not inherently [[Anonymity|anonymous]]. It may be possible for a third-party to use the block chain transaction data to determine the source and/or destination of a transaction if they can gather enough information linking addresses to identities. Because off-chain transactions do not happen on the block chain they need not be public. Using cryptographic techniques such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_signature chaum tokens] it can be made impossible for even the operators of the system itself to determine who participated in a transaction.

=== Cost/Scalability ===

Miners usually charge [[Transaction fees|fees]] to confirm a transaction. While currently the demand for transactions is sufficiently low that fees are relatively small, and transactions can often be confirmed for free, for many applications even paying a few cents per transaction is unaffordable.<ref>[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=156334.0 How to send Bitcoins with LOW TX FEE (Not No TX Fee)]</ref> In addition Bitcoin currently has a limit of 7 transactions per second, the [[blocksize limit]]. This limit is related to the [[Scalability|scalability]] of the system as a whole, and one option to achieve higher transaction volumes is to keep the blocksize limit as is and use off-chain transactions for lower-value transactions; with higher volumes fees for transactions done on-chain will rise due to supply and demand.

== Methods ==

The most simple example of an off-chain transaction is perhaps two friends who agree on a debt between them. The "transaction" happens by the act of agreeing that the debt exists, and the validity of it is based solely on the trust that one friend has in the other. Further transactions can be agreed upon, possibly in exchange for something of value such one friend buying the other a meal. Multiple mutually trusting parties can participate, creating a network of value owed from one to the other. As an example the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_monetary_system Ripple monetary system] takes this concept, and adds to it an automated ledger to record all the mutual debts between participating parties. However actually acting upon those debts is still a matter of trust between the parties; the system only records debts and can-not by itself cause Bitcoins or some other object of value to change hands.

=== Trusted Third Parties ===

If the sender and recipient do not trust each other, or would simply prefer someone else record and guarantee the transaction, they can use a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_third_party trusted third party] to record and guarantee the transaction. The vast majority of conventional banking and electronic payment systems work this way. For instance in the PayPal system, PayPal is trusted to keep an accurate record of all transactions, including within the PayPal system, as well as transactions that move funds to and from PayPal. Within Bitcoin [[Redeemable_code|redeemable code]] systems exist where a third party, such as Mt. Gox, records codes issued and promise to redeem them for either new codes, balances within the system, or Bitcoins via on-chain transactions. In addition [[E-Wallet]] services such as [[Easywallet.org]] often allow users to transfer funds between addresses within the system without creating an on-chain transaction.

The difficulty with third-parties is achieving that trust. Outside of Bitcoin PayPal has been criticized<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal#Criticism PayPal - Criticism]</ref> for arbitrarily freezing accounts. Within Bitcoin multiple E-Wallet services such as [[MyBitcoin]] and [[Instawallet]] have failed due to hacks as well as technical mistakes resulting in the loss of some or all funds held on behalf of their customers.

=== Auditing ===

In addition to hacks, currently no trusted third party payment systems in Bitcoin provide any way for users to determine if the services actually hold the Bitcoins they claim to hold. Conventionally banks and payment processors are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_audit audited] regularly by third-parties - because Bitcoin is based on cryptography auditing can be done in a cryptographically provable way.

Gregory Maxwell has proposed<ref>private communication on IRC (gmaxwell: do you have a writeup somewhere?)</ref> to use [[merkle-sum trees]] of accounts to audit funds held by third parties. Each account with the service is assigned a number, such as a SHA256 digest, and those digests are formed into a merkle tree. Additionally for every node in the tree the sum of the account balances on both leaves is computed, and that sum becomes part of the data hashed by the parent node. The tip of the tree is then the sum of all balances for all accounts.

The service proves they control the Bitcoins they claim to by signing statements with the private keys capable of spending transaction outputs present on the blockchain, and in addition regularly sign statements attesting what is the current tip of the account merkle-sum tree.

Clients check that their account is included in that tree by regularly demanding proof, in the form of a merkle path, that their account leads to the claimed tip. Any discrepancy is evidence of fraud on by the service, or at least poor record-keeping.

=== Proving Fraud ===

If the communication protocol between client and service is designed correctly fraud by the service can be proven to others. For instance if the service cryptographically signs all communications an inconsistency between the claimed merkle-tip of the accounts held by the service and the merkle-path from a particular account to that tip can be proven by providing the signed tip, and the signed merkle-path. This fraud proof can be self-authenticating, and thus anyone who comes in possession of such a proof can broadcast it to their peers. With appropriate software all participating clients of the service can be informed of any fraud immediately taking "advantage of the nature of information being easy to spread but hard to stifle" - a core concept underlying the security of Bitcoin itself.<ref>[http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=30482839 Satoshi]</ref>

== References ==

<references/>

Lazy API

2013-11-09T19:01:18Z

WalletBit:

For the incredibly lazy and/or incompetent web developer, present is the lazy man's bitcoin API (copied from [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4324.msg77187#msg77187 a forum post]):

==Problem==

Lazy web designer wants to use bitcoins without dealing with installing bitcoin on a server, installing a shopping cart interface, or using ugly merchant services with callbacks.

==Solution for sending bitcoins==

Use the [https://mtgox.com/support/tradeAPI MtGox API] which allows you to use the offchain payment network.

==Solution for receiving bitcoins==
# Input a list of bitcoin receiving addresses to your database
# Give a bitcoin address to a potential customer
# Have the customer tell you when they have sent the coins and have at least 1 confirmation (you can choose a number higher than 1 if you are worried about double-spending)
# Check blockexplorer to see if they sent the right amount (i.e. http://blockexplorer.com/q/getreceivedbyaddress/19hMEAaRMbEhfSkeU4GT8mgSuyR4t4M6TH/1) - the /1 is the number of confirmations you require
# Give them what they paid for
# After a reasonable amount of time has passed, you can re-use the address for another customer

==Risks==

===External Service===

BlockExplorer is a service that is provided by a private party. There is no guarantee that the information provided by BlockExplorer matches the blockchain.

There have not been any reports that BlockExplorer has reported transaction data incorrectly.

===Double Spending===

A merchant is exposed to a [[double-spending]] attack when recognizing a payment before it has been [[confirmation|confirmed]] with a sufficient number of blocks.

For an attacker to be successful with this double spend tactic a significant effort is required and thus the risk of this attack being made against the typical retail merchant is pretty minimal. It would not be advisable for a merchant with little to no recourse against an attacker to accept payment without a sufficient number of confirmations however.

==See Also==

* [[BitAddress]] Generate address and private key pairs for an offline wallet
* [[BitcoinNotify]] Register addresses and receive email or SMS alerts when a payment to that address occurs

[[de:API_für_Faule]]

[[Category:Developer]]