OpenBazaar is not like a regular online marketplace.

It’s a decentralized online marketplace.

OpenBazaar is like its own separate part of the internet. It’s a network of users who connect directly to one another instead of to centralized websites like Amazon or Ebay.

The decentralized architecture that makes it powerful can also make it a bit hard to understand at first.

OB1, the team leading the development of OpenBazaar, has designed a few things that make it easier to use.

These items are add-ons and are less decentralized than the network itself. They make shopping easier but they do not change the decentralized protocol nor the privacy or security of your transactions.

1. Easy Discovery

There are search engines within the application that help you discover items. OB1 created the first search engine but anyone is welcome to build one and make it available for others to add to their own OpenBazaar instance.

With OB1 search you can choose from a selection of suggested categories or search by shipping location, coin payment type, moderator type, or rating. You can also toggle adult filters on and off or search within different product types including physical goods, cryptocurrencies, digital goods, and services.

2. OB1 Verified Moderators

Moderators are a type of user on the OpenBazaar network who can be added to a transaction to help in case of a dispute. It’s important to choose a quality moderator for this type of payment. OB1 offers a Verified Moderator service to help users determine which moderators are more likely to be trustworthy.

3. Browse The Website

There is now a website where buyers can see what’s available and start shopping right in their browser! Check it out at OpenBazaar.com or from within the application click “View on web” in the top right of the address bar to view a store or item page in your browser.

Conclusion

Emerging technology that focuses on decentralizing the Internet is exciting, but still new. There are many challenges to overcome when building decentralized applications but we are optimistic about industry progress. Working through these challenges is a point of pride for the development team and we are excited to keep building a better and better user experience for OpenBazaar.