How lnbay works
lnbay is a peer-to-peer marketplace powered by Bitcoin's Lightning Network. Here's everything you need to know to get started as a buyer or seller.
What is lnbay?
lnbay is a marketplace where people buy and sell physical goods and digital services using Bitcoin's Lightning Network. All prices are set in satoshis (sats) — the smallest unit of bitcoin. Payments are instant, borderless, and final, with no banks or intermediaries involved.
Instant payments
Lightning transactions settle in milliseconds, not days.
Global marketplace
Buy and sell with anyone in the world, no geographic limits.
No chargebacks
Payments are final. Refunds are handled directly between buyer and seller.
How to buy
Create an account
Sign up with your name, email, and a password. It's free and takes under a minute.
Get a Lightning wallet
You need a Lightning-enabled Bitcoin wallet to pay for purchases. Good options include Phoenix, Breez, Wallet of Satoshi, Blink, and Zeus. Download one and fund it with a small amount of sats.
Browse and find what you want
Explore goods and services using the search bar or category filters. Check seller ratings and reviews to find trustworthy sellers.
Place your order
Click Buy now or Order now on a listing. Fill in your shipping details (for physical goods) or order notes (for services), then confirm your order.
Pay the Lightning invoice
A QR code and Lightning invoice will appear. Scan it with your wallet or copy the invoice string. Payment confirms in seconds — no waiting.
Receive your order
Track your order in the Orders page. For physical goods, the seller will enter a tracking number once shipped. For services, delivery happens within the timeframe stated in the listing.
How to sell
Create an account
Sign up for free if you haven't already. Any registered user can become a seller — no approval required.
Add your Lightning address
Go to Settings and enter your Lightning address (e.g. you@wallet.com). This is where your payments will be sent. You can get a Lightning address from services like Wallet of Satoshi, Alby, Phoenix, Blink, or Speed.
Create a listing
Click Sell in the navigation bar. Choose whether you're listing a physical good or a digital service. Add a title, description, images, price in sats, and any relevant details like shipping destinations or delivery time.
Receive orders
When a buyer pays for your listing, you'll see the order in My Sales with a Paid status. You'll also receive the payment directly to your Lightning address within seconds.
Fulfill the order
For physical goods: ship the item and enter the tracking number in your Sales dashboard. For services: deliver the work and mark the order as Completed. Aim to fulfill promptly — buyers can leave reviews reflecting their experience.
Build your reputation
Buyers leave star ratings and reviews after each completed order. A strong rating attracts more buyers. Respond to messages promptly and deliver great service.
Payments explained
All payments on lnbay are made via the Bitcoin Lightning Network — a payment layer on top of Bitcoin that enables instant, low-fee transactions. When you pay, lnbay briefly holds the funds while confirming payment, then immediately forwards the amount to the seller's Lightning address.
Fee breakdown
- Seller's listed price100,000 sats
- lnbay service fee (5%)5,000 sats
- Buyer pays105,000 sats
- Seller receives100,000 sats
Lightning payments are final and irreversible. If you need a refund, the seller must actively send the money back via a new Lightning payment. This is why lnbay provides a built-in refund flow that sellers can initiate from their Sales dashboard.
Refunds
If something goes wrong with an order, contact the seller first via the Messages feature. Most issues are resolved directly between buyers and sellers.
If a seller agrees to a refund, they initiate it from their Sales dashboard. lnbay will automatically send the refund amount directly to your Lightning address — make sure your Lightning address is set in your account settings so you can receive it.
Note that the 5% service fee is non-refundable. The refund covers the item price and any shipping cost, but not the platform fee.
If a seller refuses a legitimate refund or fails to fulfill a paid order, contact us at contact@lnbay.shop. Sellers who do not fulfill orders risk permanent suspension.