Just a year ago I started getting interested in the use of STEEM / SBD as a 'currency' for retail payments.
I started hunting around looking for businesses that were accepting STEEM or SBD as payment for their goods or services.
They weren't too many but it seemed like a good starting point.
Alas as STEEM began its slide from the January peak those businesses I had located began to drop away, and I wasn't able to keep track of them.
@timcliff picked up the baton with his steemeconomy.com site in the middle of the year, but I don't think Tim has had time to keep on top of that.
I did a quick scan a couple of months ago of the businesses on my and Tim's lists and alas quite a few of them have dropped out of the Steem loop.
Getting STEEM/SBD used as a retail payment method I still believe is a lynchpin for helping drive the steem economy forward.
So I was delighted when I came across several new 'steem commerce' projects bubbling to the service again - @sagescrub's Homesteader's Co-op and the @rutablockchain Steem Merchants project in Venezuela particularly excite me.
In due course I may start compiling the directory of businesses again, but in the meantime I am going to begin posting a weekly roundup post of new 'steem commerce' related developments I have come across.
Homesteaders Co-op
This a new ecommerce site launched by @sagescrub just over a month ago.
It has already had a number of sales and is gathering together a very talented group of homesteaders, artisans and craft makers selling an ever widening range of ecologically sound products.
Prices are displayed in USD (for stability), STEEM and SBD, but currently transactions are only done in STEEM and SBD.
The site is based on the WordPress WooCommerce system using the WooCommerce Steem payment plugin that was originally developed by @recrypto but then left dormant for a year. @sagescrub has now updated that and brought the plugin back to life.
The site already has 14 vendors from around the world selling over 100 different products including honey, seeds, silver jewellery, hand dyed clothing, wallets, wool...
Steem Merchants project in Venezuela by @rutablockchain
Because of the difficult economic situation in Venezuela, and because of foreign exchange and currency restrictions, more and more people are turning to cryptocurrencies.
Dash has recently made a big push into Venezuela with projects like Dash Venezuela, Dash Help and Dash Merchant. Dash is now being accepted in over 2000 businesses in Venezuela.
The Steem community in Venezuela is thought to be the biggest crypto-community in the country, but there is no adoption of STEEM or SBD in businesses.
The @rutablockchain project (founded by @enmy and @danielvehe) wants to build on the large Steem community and start getting businesses to take payment in STEEM / SBD.
The initial goal is to get 100 stores in the capital Caracas to accept STEEM / SBD.
The project is currently running a Fundition campaign to gather funds for their operations...
Will the Real DStors please stand up...
The DStors concept of a tokenised e-commerce system promises to herald a major breakthrough for the Steem platform.
Unfortunately the project hit rough seas just before Christmas when the team split in two over differences about the future direction of the project.
The original founders of the @dstors project, @kaliju and @derangedvisions have just hired two new developers, and are now looking to have a basic working system up and running within two months.
The breakaway team is now operating under the @dcommerce account.
There have been many accusations, many opinions and many posts covering both sides of the DStors Split, for example ...
@kaliju from @dstors is coming on my radio show on Thursday 6 January to talk more about @dstors and its future plans. I have not heard from the @dcommerce team.
Buy the music of @davidfar with STEEM
Iranian musician Davood Faramarzi @davidfar has recently launched his own website where you can now buy his tracks for STEEM.
Davood makes excellent music and I have featured him regularly on my radio shows.
Check out his website for some great tunes...
That's all for this first weekly roundup of what is going on in the world of 'Steem Commerce'.
I am sure there is a lot more out there.
Please let me know of any businesses of any sort that are taking payment in STEEM / SBD.
If you know of, or are involved in, any new projects to do with 'steem commerce' contact me and I can do a feature.
You can generally find me on Discord (Pennsif#9921) or leave a comment below
[ graphics from @pennsif / @homesteaderscoop / @fundition / @davidfar ]