PSA:

their reddit thread:
https://redlib.catsarch.com/r/Monero/comments/1uexajc/p2p_exchange_dex_esrow_xmrmatters_is_officially/

they also have been documented to lie on multiple occasions on this forum
that shit glow so hard, they have no respect for the cryptospace which is based on opensource while they're closed source and centralized (literally the most 2 basic things the space should avoid), so in return they deserve no respect either

instead of providing source code (which wouldnt matter anyways since they can run any code on their own server in the first place), they offered "documentation"
like, yea, you can offer "documentation" about the recipe for beef patties but serving pigs and rats patties instead, makes senses?

they gonna try to smooth talk their userbase into falling into their honeypot/scam design

from couple weeks ago:

and have come up with more lies since
liars being like "trust me bruh" and running "trust me bruh" services dont make sense

@xmrmatters you are a clown. this is not a DEX. if you had called it a centralized board to display P2P offers, that's okay. but you keep insisting on your AI slop to be a DEX and when they point out it's not, you're just saying "yes it's not DEX but still". you are saying there is no decentralized architecture to manage fiat, which is wrong, there is RetoSwap, Haveno, Bisq and so on. but that's not the point, you keep calling it DEX, you keep insisting it's decentralized, and when people say it's not, you make up stupid shit.

you clearly don't know what you are talking about or what you do. stop pasting AI slop to every argument, ask your clanker to explain you how stupid you sound.

Putting aside llm usage, my comments will be solely on the service as is. Though I beg of you to not use any llm in replying to me, as it will very seriously wear my soul thin.

One issue: on tor browser alpha, android9, there's no 'negative' sign when setting the percent for a buy offer. Ex, I cannot put -1, I have to copy and paste the negative sign xD
Is it my phone? Maybe. But just mentioning it.

An overall issue: no movement. I believe the platform is in a stalemate where no one wants to take the risk for a trade. I believe the best way to begin building trust would be some mixture of the following ideas:

Everything below is crazy speak written when I didn't understand the current escrow system on the platform, which involves depositing xmr into a platform wallet. Still, this would be a big ask for someone who has no reason to trust the platform.

Traders posting a bond, an optional deposit based escrow system, a communal dispute refund resolution fund, and some brave person risking some cash to do some trades in order to vet the traders and 'prime' the market.

Right at this moment, if I were to put up a cash by mail offer, what is stopping anyone from taking my cash and running?
And since no one has any history, I have no grounds to ask for xmr up front either. Which is why bonds/ deposits/ escrows are nice.

Edit to add: the platform may have an escrow system in place right now, but I can honestly say that there is so much information on the various pages that I still have no idea how it works. So if everything I said here sounds crazy now, well, such is life.

Also somewhat off topic - I like xmr bazaars escrow system that involves a human mediator. The mediator can earn a nominal fee from the transaction and get reviews from the trade parties. The only flaw is that the mediator can be chosen, instead of assigned randomly. But overall it's a cool way to 'warn xmr while contributing to the community', I hope other stuff like that can exist.

Well, my two cents.

@SpinningCat and @eravsar, you guys are right about the terminology.

I shouldn't have called it a DEX. I mixed up "decentralized" with running my own independent servers, completely stripped of corporate tracking. But here, DEX means P2P node architecture like Haveno.
I got the term wrong.

It's a centralized exchange with P2P escrow and privacy features.

I've already started correcting this everywhere.
If you spot anywhere I missed, DM me so I can fix it. That would be real feedback.

But tearing down the entire project and calling it a honeypot over a wrong word is just cheap.
You didn't even look at what the platform does before dragging it.
If I used the wrong term, correct me, but tearing me apart helps no one.

I get the closed-source skepticism. In the Monero world, that's a red flag. I plan to open-source the code once it has enough traction to prevent copycats from spinning up scam clones. Until then, the doubt is fair.

But the honeypot accusations are uncalled for.
I built this over two years because I hate financial surveillance.
Financial privacy is free speech, and I respect this space too much to run a scam.

I run these servers myself, paying for the hardware, AC bills, and secure networking out of pocket.
I spend every day updating and fixing things because I actually believe in this ideology.
I'm not just marketing it.

I'm here, I'm building, and I'm listening.
Honestly, @avarice is the only user here who gave constructive, real feedback instead of just blindly hating.

@avarice First off, thank you so much.

I just rely on grammar tools because my English is broken.
I really appreciate you keeping it real and giving such constructive feedback.

Regarding the Tor Browser bug, thank you for catching that.
I will investigate the input field formatting right away so you don't have to fight the keyboard just to type a minus sign. I really appreciate you pointing this out.

You also hit the nail on the head about the escrow and stalemate problem.
A platform wallet that requires depositing XMR into a system you don't trust yet is a massive barrier. I need to make the escrow explanation much clearer on the site, but your idea of a per trade deposit system instead of a persistent platform wallet is a far better, trust minimized approach.

I also really love the XMRBazaar model you mentioned about human mediators. Having community driven, human mediators handle disputes for a small fee is a fantastic way to build trust and keep the platform community focused.

Since you mentioned SimpleX, we are absolutely going to add SimpleX integration for notifications and 2FA. Regarding native chat, we actually already have one in place. It displays both users' public PGP keys and the platform's PGP key even during the active trade, not just when a dispute happens.
That way, the messages are encrypted strictly for the trading parties, and if a dispute occurs, the admin can step in and read them too.
It's still an opsec risk for general chat, but technically it fixes the escrow moderation problem.

Thank you for taking the time to write this out.
It’s exactly the kind of feedback I need to make this platform actually useful for the community.

But tearing down the entire project and calling it a honeypot

it should be teared down as it should never have left the proof of concept phase in the first place

the centralized design itself is the honeypot

you also keep spamming with new threads while every other services try to have their service page linked to their directory listing

for example:

https://monero.forum/directory/minimal-blog/discussion

they have their discussion thread linked directly there:

https://monero.forum/thread/get-your-own-blog-onion-i2p-clear-net-address-paid-monero

and they made just 1 single thread:

literally minimalism blog platform being minimalist

meanwhile, your honeypot/scam spam maximalism be like 0 discussion thread linked to your service page:

and you're making a new thread every 2 weeks while viewbotting them:

so... ready to link your thread to your service page already?

do know that you're privileged af, being allowed to post while other services out there (instant swap exchanges that dont have a decentralized solution yet) are considered spams that they even leaving 1 star reviews on the monerica listing of the forum itself:

https://monerica.com/site/monero-forum

they're instant swap exchanges, in your case the decentralized solutions are there (BISQ and Haveno) and yet you're the privileged one allowed to spam, which you're handling data even more sensitives than those other services (home addresses / bank details), they're not but you're the one allowed to spam even tho your first message on this forum was to shill your closed source centralized honeypot

well, u did make 1 post over there:

https://monero.forum/thread/what-does-monero-community-think-gold-silver#reply-2249

that's the most AI generic slop reply to a thread ever seen on this forum

considering later on people even talked about actual satoshi's whitepaper, bit gold, hashcash and so on, your reply was the most generic AI written reply ever seen around here

so since you get teared up a new one every single new spam thread you're making, ready to finally link one to your service page to make it official? this one or the one in 2 weeks?

https://monero.forum/directory/xmrmatters/discussion

Closed source
Into the trash it goes.

I appreciate you laying this out directly.

You are right about the directory linking. I wasn’t fully aware of the forum convention for linking discussion threads directly to the service page. If it appeared as though I was spamming or cluttering the forum, that was not my intention, but I see how it looks from your perspective.
I will consolidate everything into one official thread moving forward and follow the established etiquette.

To clear the air on the other points:

AI/Viewbotting: I am not viewbotting, nor am I using AI to generate these posts. As I’ve mentioned, English is not my native language; I use grammar tools to ensure my writing is coherent, which I understand can result in a "generic" tone. But there is no automation or botting happening here.

Honeypot/Scam: Labeling a centralized service as a "honeypot" simply because it is centralized is a massive leap.
I built this to address specific privacy needs, and while I understand the Monero community’s preference for open source, that is a goal I am working toward, not a lack of intent.

You are free to dislike the project and keep your skepticism. I am here to build, not to argue.
I will make the necessary adjustments to how I handle forum threads, but the accusations regarding botting and intent are simply false.

AI/Viewbotting: I am not viewbotting

you are tho, why you lying again?

As I’ve mentioned, English is not my native language; I use grammar tools to ensure my writing is coherent, which I understand can result in a "generic" tone.

not the tone, just the content of what you wrote over there:
https://monero.forum/thread/what-does-monero-community-think-gold-silver#reply-2249
it dont bring anything to the thread, at all, that's the content and context of your post that's the most AI generic post ever written

Honeypot/Scam: Labeling a centralized service as a "honeypot" simply because it is centralized is a massive leap.

centralized exchanges are honeypot/scam

you said starting this project only 2 years ago

the official public stance of the whole Gaming Research Lab for the past 5 years at least is that, they're a threat to the cryptospace as a whole, the official quote:

AVOID CENTRALIZED EXCHANGES:

They're a threat to the cryptospace, shouldnt have been a thing in the first place and should not be trusted with your money that belongs to you