The world’s market for new investment vehicles has only sped up in the last few years. From Bitcoin’s manic rise to power to other crypto assets like Ethereum and Dogecoin creating their own stamp in the market.
While these are the baseline currencies that make up the current market, the ability to actually use any of these currencies in transactions remains slim. NFTs (or Non-fungible Tokens) allow crypto-enthusiasts the opportunity to invest and spend their hard-earned cryptocurrency in other types of tradeable assets.
OpenSea is a platform that allows users to quickly purchase, make, and sell NFTs. Let’s take a quick look at OpenSea’s features and pricing.
Before you continue, you may want to check out this video by Lite Liger on YouTube that gives a quick overview. After, you will want to read the rest of the article for a more comprehensive review of OpenSea.
What is OpenSea? Nft Marketplaces
OpenSea was created by Alex Attalah and Devin Finzer in 2018. They had extensive technology backgrounds in Google and Palantir, respectively. Not only that, but they’ve also previously worked on two successful businesses, Claimdog, and hostess.fm, which have been sold to larger parent companies since their inception.
OpenSea was created by CryptoKitiies in 2017, a 2017 crypto-asset which gave rise to the modern NFT. OpenSea was built through lean collaboration and an eagerness to invest in exciting new technologies.
What is an NFT Market Place?
For those unaware or not as digitally savvy, an NFT marketplace deals with buying and selling digitally created goods, which have the unique programmability inherent with virtual items. Like any good digital asset, they’re tradeable. They can be used across different platforms, but their Blockchain-induced scarcity makes NFTs unique.
Scarcity has long plagued the issue of digital goods due to the inherent capability to copy and duplicate any digital item, making the creation of digital art and other collectible memorabilia tricky in the sense that their scarcity is only limited either by release limitation or by platform controls.
With NFTs, you can control the scarcity by providing a digital non-fungible token– that is, a wholly unique ID token– and attach it to your creations to certify that one as the original. This functionality allows people to buy, sell, or invest in digital art that they value. From virtual experiences, sports memorabilia, and even digital clothing, NFTs have only expanded in breadth and width ever since its soft inception in 2017.
> > Click Here to Explore OpenSea < <
What is OpenSea Doing Differently?
OpenSea’s primary focus is its drive to put this new technology within reach of all digital creators out there. OpenSea allows digital artists to list their work on the platform without any fees or commissions. This is similar to traditional e-commerce sites like eBay, where sellers can post items to sell regularly without paying any consignment fees.
OpenSea is a great choice for artists and other creators because of its sheer size. It has grown to become the largest NFT marketplace online since its inception. This increases the chance for interested buyers to discover your work and invest. You can even transact from your mobile device with the mobile app for iOS.
Managing said transactions is much easier with OpenSea’s Collection Manager, giving users the ability to mint and sell NFTs with no attached fees.
Does OpenSea Have Any Costs?
OpenSea must generate revenue to keep its operations going and the platform operating. As is typical with other NFT marketplaces, OpenSea charges a percentage of the NFT’s price as an additional selling fee on top of any transaction. This additional fee is usually paid by the buyer, allowing the sellers to reap the full benefits of their price. This fee comes in at about 2.5% on top of the listed price of the NFT, meaning a $100 NFT will cost the buyer $102.5 to purchase.
Sellers may charge an additional fee if the artist is a worthy buyer. They don’t want to add additional fees. They can opt for the NFTs’ built-in royalty system. That means that any subsequent sale of your NFT after your initial sale will still generate yours at a max of 10% of the sale price.
OpenSea, however, does not accept payments in the form bank deposits, credit cards or debit cards. To make transactions on OpenSea, you’ll need to have existing wallets that have compatibility with the Ethereum network. There are many wallets available, but trustWallet, MetaMask and Coinbase are some of the most popular.
> > Click Here to Explore OpenSea < <
OpenSea is easy to use
OpenSea’s platform makes it easy to use. It can display bids and auction times, in different ways. You start off with a gallery page of different NFT art available. You can either purchase them using the standard auction method or opt for a more instant “Buy Now,” similar to how eBay treats its sales.
You can view and follow different artists as well. You may find additional information about some artists, such as biographies and anecdotes that explain the meaning or purpose of their work. You can also view information about each listing’s cost, available offers, and the price history of the artist.
Open Sea also allows you to create your own NFT (a process known as NFT Minting). Simply click the create function on the OpenSea homepage and click “Create a Collection.”
Once you are here, you can design the overall logo, banner, and other design elements of your collection and the name for the NFT and even URL layout. To direct potential buyers to your work, include relevant portfolios and social media links.
You can now set your royalty rates up to 10% and choose which Blockchain you would like to add your NFT (as of this writing, Ehtereum and Polygon are the current Blockchains). The next step is to choose the token that you would like to receive payment in. This can be either EtH, DAI or WITH. To allow buyers to pay you, you will need to verify the transaction using your wallet. Nft Marketplaces
Lastly, click create and watch your collection space develop. After the collection has been set up you can add items and upload up to 100MB of your work. Add a name to each item you upload and a subsequent description, mark it for sale, and just like that, you’re a certified NFT creator. Note that the NFTs are not stored in OpenSea but rather in your wallet, so ensure that your wallet is web3 capable.
> > Click Here to Explore OpenSea < <
How To Open An Account
You’ll need to make sure you have a good wallet on hand to properly set up an account. This is a prerequisite to opening an OpenSea Account. However, it is easy to do.
Sign up like any other website with your email, set a password, and begin personalizing your account with a banner and your own personal bio. The OpenSa FAQs has the dimensions guidelines for banners. Nft Marketplaces
You used to need to verify the validity of your collection. Still, OpenSea has since removed this requirement, expanding the searchable items on their website. Profiles with high traffic have the advantage of having “verified status”, which is indicated by a blue-check that confirms their authenticity.
Is OpenSea Safe?
As with all the different crypto platforms, safety is always a concern (especially when dealing with potentially large transactions). OpenSea’s transactions, like all crypto transactions, are safely secured on the Blockchain. Specifically, Ethereum’s smart contract allows the platform to facilitate transactions instantly without any oversight from third party auditors. Nft Marketplaces
OpenSea is also what you would call a non-custodial marketplace. OpenSea doesn’t hold any crypto funds. It only moves cryptocurrency from one wallet into another when there is a transaction. This is all thanks to the above-mentioned smart contracts, keeping everything secure and verifiable.
Last words
OpenSea is an essential stop for any NFT creator or investor. The fact that it boasts the most extensive collection of NFTs currently and that it has such a simple interface for minting makes it a bit better than other marketplaces currently out there. It also has additional checks and balances to ensure your purchases are secure.
> > Click Here to Explore OpenSea < <
Most Frequently Asked Questions Nft Marketplaces
What is an NFT?
The Non-fungible token (or NFT) acts as a certificate you attach to digital goods. This certifies their authenticity and creates a sense of scarcity. This helps improve value in things, almost to astronomical prices, and reduces the chances of pirated or inauthentic work popping up around different platforms.
It isn’t a perfect system, but it’s a system that’s allowed some digital artists to begin earning from projects they’ve previously been hardpressed to find workable solutions for.
What is the Blockchain?
Blockchain would be the core of the entire process of making and transacting any crypto-asset that is currently on the market. NFTs use the Ethereum blockchain most often (using their smart contracts function), but other crypto assets also have their own blockchains where their transactions take place.
A blockchain is an automated leger, which is supported by crypto miners. It can manage, record and execute transactions between parties. This would require third parties to verify each transaction in traditional financial environments. Sure the modern age feels almost instant, but back-end operations are still comprised mainly of audits that ensure each transaction was done in good faith.
Because the Blockchain relies on the transactions of the past, it eliminates the need to have third-party authenticationators. You must undo any successful transactions in order to defraud or duplicate trades within the Blockchain. This is why Blockchain and the surrounding crypto market are interesting as they act as stepping stones towards the possible future of automated transactions between parties.
Can Anyone Make an NFT?
Because it allows an art market that was previously very closed and exclusive to be opened up to potential disruptors, NFTs are known as the “people’s token”. They allow for quality artwork to be created and distributed to fans.
NFTs are controlled distributions. This is the best thing about NFTs. Each piece of art will have an NFT token attached to it, signifying it as authentic. This does mean that anyone can also label anything as their own by attaching an NFT receipt to it, regardless of how truthful they may be. However, abusers can also be found in any new technology. So let’s take the good with the bad.
Does OpenSea have Customer Support?
Let’s say you need assistance with your OpenSea account or transactions. You can send an email directly to support@opensea.io in this case. Make sure to include in the email a subject line indicating the nature of your problem and any particulars about your account. They also have a ticket system that you can use to send an email.
You may find the FAQs useful if you are having simple problems. You might find the answer in one of their many entries.
