All about Ethereum

What can you buy with Ethereum

The first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was launched in January 2009. Thirteen years later, it is used to pay for goods and services in many countries around the world. Bitcoins are taken by large online stores, tour operators and various services. However, BTC is not the only one coin used to pay. Some stores and services accept other cryptocurrencies (for example, ETH, DASH, ZEC, BNB). You can buy a lot of different goods with Etherium. As a means of payment, it has

1. Features of buying goods and services for Ethereum (ETH)

2. What and where you can buy for Ethereum

3. Seller directories

4. Intermediary sites for online shopping for cryptocurrency

5. Features of the Ethereum Debit Card

Features of buying goods and services for Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum is the second most capitalized coin in the world. As of August 04, 2022, it was $232.72 billion (according to crypto.ru). That’s why ETH is often used as a payment instrument along with BTC. Its advantage is a higher speed of transaction processing. The average transaction confirmation time in the Bitcoin blockchain was 12 minutes, and in Ethereum – less than 5 (as of August 04, 2022). Paying in ETH, sellers and buyers are able to complete a transaction faster.

The average transaction rate changes over time. It depends on the load on the blockchain network. The higher it is, the longer you have to wait.

What and where you can buy for Ethereum

The advantage of decentralized systems is that they remain anonymous. Digital assets are not controlled by states and regulators. That is why they are used for settlements in the shadow market. The history of the SilkRoad Marketplace ended in 2013 with the confiscation of 175,000 bitcoins. This is 0.8% of the total possible supply of BTC in the size of 21 million coins. However, as of May 2022, the digital currency is more often used to pay for legal goods and services.

Seller directories

You can buy various products and services with Ethereum. The following stores and services accepted the coins in 2022:

  • HostMeNow. Provides web hosting services for data storage. Service takes digital currency as payment.
  • Hustles Casino. This is an online casino that accepts ETH for deposits.
  • BitCars. The auto store has been in operation since 2016. It offers customers supercars and old classic cars. You can pay with bitcoins and ETH.
  • Vape Crypto. An online store for vapers. The range of products consists of vaping devices, liquids and accessories. Vape Crypto accepts BTC and ETH (for which customers receive a 10% discount).
  • Overstock. An online store with delivery to 180 countries around the world. It sells furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing and other products. It uses cryptocurrency for payments.
  • FederalMiner. An online store that offers equipment for mining (ASIC devices). You get a 2% discount on the whole assortment for paying in cryptocurrency.
  • BitDials. The store has been selling watches, bracelets and jewelry since 2016. Items can be purchased for ETH.
  • Alternative Airlines. A service for buying airline tickets, hotel reservations, and car rentals.
  • Natural Pet Shop. A pet store that offers dog toys and various treats.

There are sites with directories of stores and services that accept cryptocurrency. CoinPayments and Cryptwerk are popular among users (as of August 2022, the list includes 4081 merchants).

Intermediary sites for online shopping for cryptocurrency

CoinPayments is a payment gateway for buying goods and services for digital assets. On the site, customers set up a cryptocurrency wallet. As of May 2022, it supported 2,315 coins and tokens. And the number of merchants working with the provider was more than 100,000 in 190 countries. CoinPayments charges a 0.5% fee for transactions.

The intermediary site allows you to filter stores by topic and the cryptocurrency in which the payment will be made.

How it works

Intermediary sites allow customers to pay in digital assets. But some online stores don’t accept them directly. That’s why intermediary sites convert cryptocurrency into fiat money at the current exchange rate. This is done like this:

  1. Client starts a wallet on CoinPayments.
  2. Replenishes it with crypto-assets.
  3. Chooses a store, a product and proceeds to the payment.
  4. CoinPayments accepts customer’s cryptocurrency and pays in fiat money.
  5. Client receives the product or service.

Directory of third-party sites

Other resources for online crypto-asset payments:

  • BitPay. Allows you to pay for a product with coins on any site that accepts Mastercard.
  • B2BinPay. This payment gateway is designed for store owners. They connect B2BinPay for cryptocurrency payments with clients.
  • CoinGate. A similar service to the previous ones for online purchases for digital currency (71 coins supported as of May 2022).
  • Blockonomics. Only accepts BTC and BCH for payment.
  • BTCPay. Free cryptocurrency payment provider. Works only with bitcoins.

Features of the Ethereum Debit Card

Payment providers for cryptocurrencies are not the only way to buy goods for digital assets. There are services and wallets (for example, Crypterium, AdvCash, Amon and others) that offer users to order a debit card. It is needed to store, exchange and spend Ethereum.

Cryptocard from AdvCash payment provider

If the store takes ETH as payment, it is possible to make a purchase by attaching a card. If necessary, the digital assets are exchanged for fiat money in the app. And then it works just like any other Visa or Mastercard.

Sasha Tanin

Editor with ten years of experience, managed to work for "Rolling Stone" and several other publications, created his own niche media.
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