We had an awesome chat during Meshtadel on the 8th 🙏🏻. We talked about so many cool things, and one topic that led me to writing this note was P2P trading (Sats to fiat and/or products).

A lot of Bitcoiners prefer (and they're totally right) P2P trading but here's the deal: most of these P2P trade prices are based as a premium on the current spot price which is determined by comparing the broadcasted value on centralized exchanges (automatically by the P2P exchange or by the actors themselves). Now we are all cheering for the liquidity on those exchanges lessen since this means more traders become HODLers, getting their sats off the exchange, leaving only those sats on the exchange that are A) an urgent sell (a HODLer depositing Sats he plans to sell due to whatever need) B) people who were planning to sell anyway (and C) owned/custodied by the exchange which is one of the argumentations to get our sats off the exchange)

So all that we have on those exchanges is A) sell pressure, B) Weak hands (and C) Manipulation utxo's)

Not arguing to use centralized exchanges more, but rather asking the question: Is there not a better way for P2P price discovery than what we are seeing now.

The answer of the "why" for the current situation is in my simple understanding (read: I am just guessing ) : this is what the market demands. But the market demands that because the market is looking for a measuring stick.

As a lot of Bitcoin-'educators' pointed out already: Fiat is a broken measuring stick, but even when trading P2P we are still falling for that broken measuring stick.

Maybe it is time for the Sat/egg index 🤭. The amount of Sats that the market valuates a specific daily useable good that is sensitive to inflation, preferably fulfilling one of the basic needs (such as in the egg example food.)

Maybe revhodl@vida.live could create a Sats-to-Lamb index we can follow 😉

#Mesthadel #MeshtadelMushings

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Discussion

When I try to buy Bitcoin from someone at a meetup... Most of the time no sats for sale. I've had better experience earning Bitcoin p2p at meetups by offering products that those at the meetup want to buy.

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This is kind of the unvoiced point of my mushing, or maybe a follow up 🤭🤔. Note how f.e. events are willing to take a cut on the price of a ticket when paid in Sats. If on average there is a 7.5% cut compared to the fiat price (often see 10, but I don't want to exaggerate). This means those buyers, or seller of service/goods for Sats (in our example the organizer of Bitcoiner event) want to offer a premium to get your precious Sats.

With my hypothetically averaging 7.5 % cut, this would mean there is a premium of 7.5% on your Sats. Knowing that some P2P buyers complain about 5% premium, they should be happy now knowing that it is possible to have offers that are in comparison 2.5% cheaper 🤭. (True the venue plays market maker, and any of these buy offers might get taken fast on f.e. HodlHodl)

What both (sats for goods or P2P sats for fiat) don't do is influence the measurement of value 🤔.

Even more, both are most often still based on the broken measuring stick of fiat value. A calculation > how much is that in USD/BTC terms and how does that compare to the current "BTC price" - and in case of sats for (common) goods also : how much is that compared to the fiat price.

In other words, we are not ready for 'a Sat standard' and I am not even talking about 'normies', I am talking about 'we' as Sat stacking MF'ers 😁

Again this is not a call to do any change or action 🤭 just pondering on the 'what do we have now'.

The best trade is between global scarcity and local scarcity. As you do at meetups: bring a good that is locally scarce ( can be even globally scarce, but doesn't have to be🤷🏻‍♂️ ) and trade it for something globally scarce (Sats ofc.) Since then the fiat price of those sats become less relevant, and turns rather in the personal economics of : "do I want/need this good more than I want/need these sats. "

Which should be the true measuring stick of your Sats' value right?

IMO, if the general populous also had a reference for things priced in sats, it would help adoption, because it would provide frame of reference. For a long time, I used to see the short list of typical things (eggs, bread, cars, homes) and how cheap they were back in 19XX. Maybe having a nostr or X account that does a regular note of the some major items priced in sats would be helpful.

https://thepriceinsats.com/ has some interesting lists, to start...