20 Aug 2014 / NYT – One big retailer is about the conquer the next Bitcoin frontier.
Since the beginning of the year, a number of well-known retailers, including Overstock, Expedia and Dell, have started accepting Bitcoin for domestic sales through their websites. Now, Overstock is preparing to allow international customers to pay in Bitcoin as well, becoming the biggest merchant to extend the payment option beyond the United States market.
On Sept. 1, Overstock plans to introduce a new payments system on its international website, O.co, that will allow customers to make purchases using the virtual currency, said Patrick Byrne, the company’s chief executive. The company started taking Bitcoin payments in January from domestic customers.
“I know that’s it’s become part of the Bitcoin lore in the United States to shop on Overstock,” said Mr. Byrne, who has made no secret of his support for the virtual currency. “My hope is that would happen at a global level.”…… Read more