Artist: Rab Fulton

www.rabfulton.com OpenBazaar: @rabfulton https://duosear.ch/@rabfulton

Glasgow, Scotland

Handcrafted Wooded Rings and Bitcoin Price Ticker

I was thrilled when I heard back from Rab letting me know that he was willing to be my first subject in the “Getting to Know your OpenBazaar Vendor” series because it is my favorite purchase yet on the decentralized platform. As a thirty-five year old dude that is usually found to be wearing second hand flannel shirts and $17 dollar shoes from Wal-Mart, I don’t get many compliments from strangers on my apparel but the beauty and uniqueness of the rings draws attention and praise from complete strangers and has been a great conversation starter. I also use the ring as a reminder throughout my day to appreciate the present, focus on what is important to me and to be more patient and compassionate so it has had a great influence on my way of thinking, relationships with others and overall mental health :) Thanks Rab, Great Product and wonderful customer service!

Openbazaar Vendor Profile: Rab Fulton

How are they made?

All of my products are made by myself in my workshop in Glasgow,

Scotland. I mostly use hand tools due to a dislike of the noise and

dust produced by their electric counterparts. (See how they are made: www.rabfulton.com/2015/07/21/Wooden-Rings-Inlay.html )

How did you start in this business?

My business started as a hobby, doing woodwork. After becoming sick of

working for ‘the man’ I started looking to transistion into to doing

what I love for money.Materials used or manufacturing process?

Mostly wood, stone, occassionally a little metal work. I also do some

electronics and programming. A little variety keeps life interesting!

What is your target market?

Not sure I really target my markets. Marketing and advertising are the

sides of business that I have little interest in. My sales are

entirely online.

Price?

Price is a difficult one in an increasingly global marketplace. In an

ideal world I believe that an hour of my time is worth an hour of

yours! My prices are however set to provide a modest return on my time

invested to pay the rent in the country I live in.

Shipping?

I charge a flat rate £2 domestic, £5 international. Keeps life simple.

Why do you use OpenBazaar and how long have you had an OpenBazaar store?

I love the idea of decentralised services not controlled by single

entities. Decentralisation is foundation of the internet after all. I

have been using OpenBazaar since the initial release.

Do you use a moderator? Why or why not?

I have not used a moderator for purchases as I have not felt the need

to. I don’t believe there are many scammers on OpenBazaar yet and the

things I buy are too obscure to be offered by scammers.

What would you like to see improved with OpenBazaar?

Some tools to batch edit listings and set standard shipping profiles.

What is your favorite feature of OpenBazaar?

I like the chat sidebar, its great to be able to chat with customers

and sellers.

What do you wish other people knew about OpenBazaar?

Unfortunately most people don’t know that it exists, just as most

people don’t know that there are alternatives to the traditional

banking system for global commerce.

What surprised you about using OpenBazaar?

No suprises, guess I follow its development too closely.

What, if anything, do you not like about OpenBazaar?

That there is no way easy way to onboard non crypto customers. It

would be great if you could somehow partner with a bitcoin provider

that would let customers buy using a credit card in as simple a way as

possible (maybe duosearch could evolve to offer this?). Later, to

avoid associated fees these customers might become users of crypto

currencies and free themselves from the global banking tyranny!

What do you look forward to in the future?

OpenBazaar 2.0! More users and more sellers. Then 3.0….