There is always a "middle man", an epiphany.

[LifeTransformer]

It's probably not really an epiphany, but it's one of those things you suddenly "get" when you look at the world a little bit differently.

Ever realised there always seems to be a middle man? And, Isn't that where the money is?

Take this forum for example, it acts as a middle man between me, the person writing this posts, and you, the person reading it. If it wasn't here, how would we communicate? We might be lucky enough to bump into each other perhaps, but I doubt it.

I was reading the outsourcing thread that is currently (at the time of posting) on the front page about being a middle man between clients and outsourcers, and I think that is what tipped me off to this;

There are always middle men.

If you're the middle man in the grocery business you're probably Costco, Tesco, Walmart/Asda, Sobeys, Sainsbury's, whoever. You're not the guy producing the potatoes, the bread or whatever. You're the middle man. The person (company) between the supplier and the consumer.

Payment processors are massive middle men, by allowing a large amount of transactions through them, they make what sounds like a small percentage on each deal, compound the amount of transactions they're capable of and you've got a lot of cash flowing your way.

Ever tried to buy a property without a real estate agent? Someone still got paid somewhere in the middle, be it a lawyer or property inspector.

When was the last time you paid cash for something direct from the person who made it from the land they lived on, who cultivated that product and sold it to you via only non paid advertising methods?

Even if you managed that almost impossible feat in today's world, who told you about what you bought?

Who was/is the middle man?

 

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[craig1928]

Google.

They suck up the margins of companies competing on PPC ads across tons of different verticals.

Genius system on their part.

 

[IrishSpring600]

You're a genius. In social situations, the man that can provide others with more friends is the middle man. And boy, does he get his daily dose of dopamine.

 

[Jake]

https://openbazaar.org/

Open-source and decentralized markets are coming.

 

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[LifeTransformer]

https://openbazaar.org/

Open-source and decentralized markets are coming.

Interesting link!

There's still middle men though.

This thread has given me an idea for a book actually.

 

[Kingmaker]

 

[Leo Hendrix]

Right, there will always be middleman after economies have shifted from subsistence economies to more value added economies, technology like Bitcoin and the Blockchain and other open-source collaborative mediums are beginning to change this.

What's your take on this? Your involved as a middleman somehow or trying to bypass them etc?

 

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[Tobore]

Deep thoughts friends.

The middleman (medium) is also found in nature and a part of humanity and our existence

Take for example: The sea: It is the medium (middleman?) ships go through to get goods to merchants on the other side.

There will always be middlemen (mediums), with development/innovation streamlining the continuous process.

One can ONLY be replaced by another.

 

[LifeTransformer]

Right, there will always be middleman after economies have shifted from subsistence economies to more value added economies, technology like Bitcoin and the Blockchain and other open-source collaborative mediums are beginning to change this.

What's your take on this? Your involved as a middleman somehow or trying to bypass them etc?

It's just one of them things, you already sub-consciously know, but then suddenly it clicks in your head and sticks. Like a piece of the puzzle type thing. Not really an epiphany, just a sudden realization. I think Seth Godin's book "The Icarus Deception" is what sparked this little idea in my head.

Saying about Bitcoin, there are still middle men are there not?

You can't have bitcoin and hope someone sends you what you want for your bitcoin.

 

[Jake]

Saying about Bitcoin, there are still middle men are there not?

You can't have bitcoin and hope someone sends you what you want for your bitcoin.

Software.

You can send to a multi-sig address where both parties need to agree to release the payment. Or you can use a time-lock that automatically returns the funds if the sender fails to deliver. Or hand 1 of a 2 of 3, 3 of 5, etc multi-sig key to a 3rd party that acts as a judge. They pair their key with the buyer / seller and initiate the transfer. In some cases the the judge could be a device that scans the internet for a particular event to occur.

 

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[LifeTransformer]

Software.

You can send to a multi-sig address where both parties need to agree to release the payment. Or you can use a time-lock that automatically returns the funds if the sender fails to deliver. Or hand 1 of a 2 of 3, 3 of 5, etc multi-sig key to a 3rd party that acts as a judge. They pair their key with the buyer / seller and initiate the transfer. In some cases the the judge could be a device that scans the internet for a particular event to occur.

Software is one, if you think about Bitcoin as being an online currency, how do you get online to use bitcoin? More middle men.

 

[JAJT]

This all boils down to people wanting to connect with people.

Friends with friends. Buyers with Sellers. Franchisees with Franchisors. Lenders to lendees. Fans to artists. Whatever. Just connections.

Uber is nothing more than a better way to connect people who want to go some place to people who want to get paid to get you there. It's not like Uber created these two groups - they just made it easy.

If you can successfully connect groups of people who want to be connected, there is tremendous value there. Where there is tremendous value, there is tremendous potential for profit.

 

[Mr. L]

This is a nice thread.

 

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[dabdroprobot]

When was the last time you paid cash for something direct from the person who made it from the land they lived on, who cultivated that product and sold it to you via only non paid advertising methods?

This seemed like a rhetorical question but that is how business is done here at the source.

In fact the crypto-economic revenue stream in this little town in the hills is insane. Really nuts.

 

[Will Hodge]

When was the last time you paid cash for something direct from the person who made it from the land they lived on, who cultivated that product and sold it to you via only non paid advertising methods?

It's funny you mentioned this. As I was driving down the road the other day on my way to sell some of my stuff to someone in a country town near where I live, I saw a little fruit and vegetable stand right on the side of the road about a mile from my destination. I stopped on my way back, and they were exactly what you described above. It's crazy that some people still manage to get by in today's world.

I used to work in the logistics industry (my most recent job). Talk about a middle man, there are TONS of them, especially in B2B transportation. Great thread, and lots of thought provoking ideas here!

 

[LifeTransformer]

@dabdroprobot @Will Hodge

I didn't fully finish that thought, it goes a little deeper than that.

Let's take Marijuana for example, where do the seeds come from? Where is it grown? What is it grown in? Is there packaging? Power sources? Any transportation? Human labour? Etc. etc. Where does all that stuff come from?

Can crypto currency function offline without the internet, and electrical devices?

 

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[xmartel]

If you're the middle man in the grocery business you're probably Costco, Tesco, Walmart/Asda, Sobeys, Sainsbury's, whoever. You're not the guy producing the potatoes, the bread or whatever. You're the middle man. The person (company) between the supplier and the consumer.

You can go even farther than this. There's often middle men between the producer of an item that Costco sells, and Costco themselves. Such as an importer. You find a new snack item produced over seas, and import it and sell it direct to Costco and act as the middle man between the producer and Costco.

 

[D11FYY]

You can go even farther than this. There's often middle men between the producer of an item that Costco sells, and Costco themselves. Such as an importer. You find a new snack item produced over seas, and import it and sell it direct to Costco and act as the middle man between the producer and Costco.

Costco though can cut you off really quick if you dont agree to their prices.