In the heart of San Francisco — the tech capital of the United States — bitcoin constantly reminds us of its popularity with the existence of the “Crypto Castle,” a three-story home where (mostly) millennial bitcoin investors eat, sleep, party, and plot the future of money. This crypto hub has produced almost a dozen crypto-millionaires, and we’re proud to introduce one of Paxful’s many vendors that has the resume of one of these Castle residents.
Karen in San Francisco
Although kareninsf may not necessarily be living in the Crypto Castle, she spends day and night trading on Paxful and wanting to help the needy. With a feedback score of +3,402 and 6,529 trade partners at the time this article was written, she is one of the most trustworthy vendors on the platform. To have the kind of reputation that she has over a 4-year span of using Paxful is an incredible feat.
Karen first got into bitcoin through radio segments and other media platforms. After watching a ton of YouTube videos and reading a wide range of articles on bitcoin, Karen decided to buy small amounts on peer-to-peer platforms to test the waters.
“The ‘mysteriousness’ of bitcoin is what really drew me in. I was mystified by this new technology called ‘cryptocurrency,’ the ‘blockchain,’ and the concept of decentralization. I then learned more about why bitcoin was created – for decentralization and the huge need for alternatives to traditional banking systems. I have become a passionate advocate.”
Once Karen learned that it wasn’t difficult at all to trade, she hasn’t looked back since.
Karen is in love with Paxful for many reasons
Karen’s first ever bitcoin trade took place years ago on LocalBitcoins. Unfortunately, she lost a dispute to a scammer despite having provided “a ton of excellent evidence,” which pushed her to start looking for other trading platforms.
Karen’s Paxful journey started in 2015 when a few traders on LocalBitcoins told her about Paxful. There are many things about us that Karen loves.
“There were many things I was immediately impressed with [on Paxful] as compared to LocalBitcoins. I was surprised with how easy it is to use the site both on my computer and phone. LocalBitcoins often loads slowly and it’s difficult to use.
I also love that you don’t have to have a large minimum balance in your wallet to start trading, allowing you to trade anywhere from $10 to thousands [of dollars]. Customers are much kinder and more appreciative. … I usually have the complete opposite [experience] on LocalBitcoins.
I rarely have issues on Paxful, but when I do, I usually get instant assistance, whereas on LocalBitcoins it often takes days, and I don’t trust most of their support staff. I appreciate that Paxful is trying to serve the underbanked and does outreach, education, and amazing charity work.”
That basically sums up what we try to provide our customers — ease of use, quality customer support, and giving back to the community. Most of the best trades Karen has had were with first-time bitcoin buyers, and there’s a reason behind it.
“They tend to always be nervous, cautious and have a lot of questions. It’s such a great experience helping someone new get their first coin. They always leave happy and [are] extremely appreciative.”
Out of all the things we discussed during the interview, Karen showed the most passion and appreciation for Paxful’s #BuiltWithBitcoin campaign, which seeks to build 100 schools in Africa using bitcoin.
“I absolutely LOVE Paxful’s involvement with #BuiltWithBitcoin. I’ve seen the beautiful pictures of Paxful’s last trip there. It warms my heart. There is so much suffering in this world. I am fortunate to live in the USA, but I feel like it’s up to every one of us individually to help those in less fortunate situations. I strongly believe that cryptocurrency, blockchain technologies, and decentralization can make this easier and bring more opportunities to people globally.”
Karen’s positivity and desire to help the needy is contagious! It is our biggest hope that more charity work will be done using bitcoin moving forward.
She sees large potential in bitcoin
Contrary to popular belief, bitcoin is still not widely adopted as a payment method in Karen’s hometown of San Francisco, the birthplace of many prominent blockchain companies.
Though, crypto meetups are frequent. Karen is an active attendee of these meetups and tries to go to at least four per month. Some examples of the meetups she’s attended include Security Tokens Disrupting Venture Capital, Cryptocurrency Law Panel, Walking Through an ERC20 Contract, and Monero Meetups.
“It really is impossible for me to say who’s the most interesting person I’ve met because everyone in the industry that I’ve met so far has been amazingly interesting… I admire anyone in the industry that focuses on true decentralization, education, privacy, and freedom.”
Seeing potential in bitcoin is what drives many of our vendors to continue to trade. Karen firmly believes that:
“… centralized banking will eventually collapse. There are too many harmful issues with them, too many issues to mention to be honest. They are slow to adapt to modern technology and modern needs.
Cryptocurrency is here to stay … I am happy when I hear stories of how bitcoin helps people in developing countries where national currency is volatile and how it helps the underbanked.”
Now it’s your turn
If you haven’t given Paxful a shot, go ahead and sign up to claim your FREE Paxful wallet today! Buying and selling bitcoin on Paxful is extremely easy and intuitive.
If you have any questions, take a look at our extensive knowledge base articles. These articles will provide in-depth answers to frequently asked questions. Of course, you can also contact our customer support at [email protected].
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