💱Buying and Selling Ordinals

Ordinal Marketplaces:

Dedicated Ordinal Marketplaces: These platforms function similarly to traditional NFT marketplaces. You can browse Ordinal collections, view details, and participate in auctions or fixed-price listings. Magic Eden, a popular NFT marketplace, is arguably the leading ordinals marketplace, allowing users to connect their wallets and trade Ordinals directly. You can buy, sell and make offers on ordinals, as you can on many other NFT marketplaces. Some nuance to consider include the following:

• Making and cancelling offers and listing items/cancelling listings do not incur any gas costs. Remember, there are no smart contracts on Bitcoin so not contract interactions that incur fees.

• If a seller re-prices an item, current offers are cancelled automatically. If you are particularly keen on an item it is worth keeping this in mind and taking the extra time to monitor activity.

• If you purchase an item with low gas the seller can technically move the item to another wallet (voiding the sale) with higher gas. It could take days but your buy transaction will eventually be dropped as the sale can not be completed.

Other marketplaces include Gamma, OKX and Ordinalswallet. Volume and listings on these alternatives platforms rarely compete with Magic Eden, but worth keeping in mind if things like marketplace downtime and price discrepancies become an issue.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Trading: This approach involves direct negotiations between buyers and sellers, often conducted through online forums or communities dedicated to Bitcoin Ordinals. While offering more flexibility, P2P trading requires extra caution as there's no intermediary to ensure a smooth transaction. This would NOT be our recommended choice for trading.

The Evolving Landscape and Potential Risks

The broader Ordinals marketplace is still young and evolving rapidly. New platforms, protocols and functionalities are emerging constantly. It's crucial to stay updated on reputable marketplaces and exercise caution when venturing into unfamiliar territory. As always, remain wary of scams and phishing attempts that might target Ordinal enthusiasts.

Fees and Transaction Costs: A Bitcoin Reality

Bitcoin transaction fees depend on the size of the data being transferred. Since Ordinals involve inscribing data onto satoshis, the size of the image, video, or other content can significantly impact the transaction cost.

Here's where the mempool comes in: This temporary pool holds pending transactions waiting to be included in a Bitcoin block. When the mempool is congested, transaction fees rise as users compete to have their transactions processed faster. Monitoring the mempool activity can help you choose the most suitable time for cost-effective Ordinal transactions. Monitoring the mempool can also give you valuable insight into when your transactions might clear, if any issues arise and a deeper understanding of the ebb and flow of transactions on the chain in general. Clicking transactions within your wallet of choice will usually link you directly to mempool.space where you will see a live representation of where it is in the mempool queue and when it confirms.

This is a brilliant, in depth, look at the topic of the mempool with associated visualisations Introduction To The Mempool (Bitcoin)

Security Considerations: Keeping Your Ordinals Safe

As with any cryptocurrency or NFT, security is paramount when dealing with Ordinals. Here are some reminders:

• Secure Wallet: Use a reputable wallet specifically designed for Ordinals, like Xverse. This ensures proper storage and interaction with your Ordinals and the inscribed data.

• Private Key Protection: Never share your private key with anyone. This grants complete access to your Ordinals and Bitcoin holdings.

• Research Marketplaces: Before using any platform, research its reputation and user reviews. Be cautious of unfamiliar marketplaces, especially those lacking user feedback.

Remember, the world of Ordinals is exciting but also new. By understanding the marketplaces, fees, and security considerations, you can approach Ordinal collecting with more confidence.