2023 update – LocalCryptos has been shut down. Here are the best P2P exchanges that you could use.
P2P cryptocurrency markets are slowly and steadily getting attention. P2P markets and P2P crypto exchanges are popular alternatives to centralized exchanges.
And why not? We know that centralized exchanges are prone to attacks and have been hacked time and again.
And while P2P markets currently lack a lot of liquidity, they will certainly become a much stronger presence in the crypto world in the near future.
These P2P markets open up a new possibility of buying/selling your favorite crypto directly in fiat, plus there are no headaches or frustrations around document verifications/cancellations/etc.
One of the biggest P2P exchanges is LocalBitcoins. But it currently only offers to trade for Bitcoin.
So that’s why this new Ethereum P2P market sprang up.
It’s called LocalCryptos. (Visit Website)
Note: LocalCryptos was earlier known as LocalEthereum.
But it’s not just a LocalBitcoins clone; it’s actually implemented in a much better way.
In this introduction of LocalEthereum, I will address the following points:
- What is LocalCryptos?
- Fee structure of LocalCrytos
- LocalCryptos’s wallet
- LocalCryptos’s privacy protection
- How to use it
- How to approach existing offers
- How to back up your LocalCryptos wallet
- Conclusion
So let’s get started.
Page Contents
What Is LocalCryptos?
LocalCryptos is a peer-to-peer ether portal that allows its users to swap ether (ETH) and fiat (USD, GBP, EUR, etc.) directly with other people, using end-to-end encryption and decentralized Ethereum-powered escrows.
Through this platform, trading parties can trade in different ways via online bank transfers or online cash trades.
While it is certainly not as old as LocalBitcoins, it is more secure because they are using Ethereum-powered smart contracts.
The platform is currently available in English and Chinese.
When Did It Launch?
LocalCryptos just launched on 23rd October 2017 with more than 800 P2P offers of ether in 80 fiat currencies (however it had been in development since 2016).
They have been able to achieve more than 100 over-the-counter trades in just two days of launch.
Read here for more.
Fee Structure
LocalCryptoscharges a fee for its service on a maker/taker model.
- The Maker (the person who placed the offer) is charged 0.25%.
- The Taker (the person responding to the offer) is charged 0.75%.
They offer discounts to the maker because they want to encourage people to put ads onto their platform.
LocalCryptos’s Wallet
Another good thing is their wallet.
Unlike LocalBitcoins, where you have a hosted crypto wallet, LocalCryptos provides a superior wallet where you control the private keys of your ether.
Everything happens cryptographically on your machine’s browser, and your private keys never leave your device.
This gives LocalEthereum an upper hand in security because even if it goes down, you can recover your funds if you have backed up your LocalEthereum wallet. (I will tell you how to do back up your wallet further in this article.)
LocalCryptos’s Privacy Protection
Their privacy protection is not only solid in securing your funds, but in all the things that you do on an escrow platform. Some of its privacy features are:
- End-to-end message encryption
- Messaging forward secrecy
- Financial forward secrecy
- Signature system
How To Use LocalCryptos
Using it is pretty easy as you can create new offers to buy/sell ether anytime in any country by using LocalCryptos’s smart contract-enabled escrows. Here is how to create your first new offer:
1. Go to ‘My offers’.
2. Fill in the new order form depending on your requirements.
3. See your offer listing/create new offers or edit existing offers.
Note: You cannot have more than 20 unexecuted offers at any given point in time.
How To Approach Existing Offers
Choose the best buy/sell offer from the homepage.
Here is it how to do that:
1. Select the offer you like from the homepage.
You will find both sellers/buyers listed there. (In this example, I am buying ether from ethertradr.)
2. Go and open the trade on the next page. There you can also see the trader details and trade terms.
3. On the next page, you will be able to see trade status and chat with the trader.
4. Now that the funds are in escrow, you can transfer fiat funds to the trader or cancel the trade.
How To Back Up Your LocalCryptos Wallet
There are two ways to back up your ETH wallet in the LocalCryptos platform.
- By accessing your private keys.
- By backing up the whole HD wallet. (Recommended)
Accessing and saving your private keys:
#1 Go to My wallet and click Export private key.
#2 Click Display Private Key.
#3 Write down and back up this private key.
Backup the whole HD wallet:
#1 Click on Backup your wallet.
#2 Download the wallet backup file from there and keep it safe as it contains your keys and addresses.
Conclusion: LocalCryptos Review
LocalCryptos is definitely a good and easy option for trading ETH from anywhere in the world in exchange for fiat currencies.
They are not as old as LocalBitcoins, but they are definitely better in terms of security and tech where no one can cheat you because almost all things are powered by Ethereum’s smart contracts. They also have a solid dispute resolving function in place.
It will be interesting to see how LocalEthereum contributes to the overall Ethereum community and ecosystem and seeing the kind of traction they have already gained in these early days, the potential looks promising.
Update: LocalCryptos has come a long way in helping adoption, right now they have 60K+ traders from 130+ countries where they have exchanged $40M+ in more than 200K+ trades.
Also, they have increased payment methods through which one can buy Ethereum from LocalEthereum, some of these payment methods are:
If you have used this platform for buying/selling Ethereum, then please share your experience below in the comments.
And if you haven’t used it yet, try it out, come back, and let us know how it went!
Do share this post with your network on Twitter & Facebook!
Here are a few other hand-picked articles for you to read next:
- Enterprise Ethereum Alliance: Everything You Need To Know
- Best Ethereum [ETH] Wallets To Use In 2021
- Ethereum: Ether, Ether Gas, Gas Limit, Gas Price & Fees
- How To Get A Bitcoin Address & Why It Is Important
Some of the resources that you can use to be updated:
I just used their service and its one of the worst. I’m working to get their service ternemaited. its pure fraud. The service is extreamly bad, no money protection, heaven for scammers, beware!!!!! dont do any transactions with them.
What problem exactly did you face?
I use localethereum with no issues… if you were scammed, it is between you and the trader – not the site.
I found this one is Simple review thanks for it. One thing I don’t understand yet When I open a trade there I never found any mark as a paid option.