Bitcoin: decentralized exchanges

Centralized exchanges provide easy access to trade (on paper) altcoin/bitcoins with fiat. They typically come with the (obvious) disadvantages:

  1. difficult (or impossible) to withdraw / deposit fiat
  2. slow to withdraw cryptocurrency
  3. high fees
  4. trusting a central authority

Here is a list of reviewed and rated exchanges. I browsed through eToro trying to understand the fee structure, which seems to charge (or credit) a daily fee depending on the order position.
Q1: Anyone have experience with eToro?

Next up is coinbase, which has a complicated fee structure depending on country, transaction type, etc., but with a MINIMUM fee of 4%. Consider this guy lucky that the $2500 fee on $90k is only 2.78%. That was a year ago, and perhaps HODLing was the better way to go.
The list goes on...
Q2: do you have a favorite on this list, or is it just a crap review anyway?

Which brings me to the main topic!


Decentralized p2p exchanges eliminate disadvantages #2 and #4, with some mitigation to #1, usually at the expense of #3.
Much further down the list of exchanges is Bisq, formerly Bitsquare. My experience is mostly positive:

  • anonymity, mostly (Tor)
  • depositing bitcoin is easy
  • withdrawing bitcoin is easy
  • you can specify the mining fee (per byte) for transactions
  • you can link other cryptocurrencies to Bisq, though Bisq only performs BTC transactions*
  • the fees are high
  • you put your faith in the assigned arbitrator if there is a dispute
  • trading volume is LOW

*For example, you can trade BTC for DASH, but Bisq doesn't provide the DASH wallet, that's up to you. You could buy DASH with BTC, by sending the other trader BTC and providing your DASH address. Your BTC send is confirmed. They send you DASH. You confirm DASH received. Trade is completed and closed.

Bitshares isn't even on the list even though it appears to be a decentralized exchange


Q3: Anyone have experience with Bitshares as a decentralized exchange?
Q4: What are other decentralized exchanges that people should consider?

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