The price per unit via BTC is significantly less than the straight USD purchases. Even at 0.9 BTC the unit would be around $115. While the paypal purchases are $139. Not knit picking, just pointing out the obvious... everyone should be buying them with the BTC is they want em. The discount is fairly worth while
I think this all depends on your situation and perspective. My situation:
I don't have .9 Bitcoin to just fling off to somebody. I have to start trying to navigate the the murky
waters of "buying" Bitcoin. While MtGox is happy to quote a range of prices, it's completely
non-obvious on how to convert USD to Bitcoin in a safe, reliable, and relatively "inexpensive" way.
I'll bet if I just wanted to get .9 Bitcoin at least half that $24 difference would disappear before
my .9 Bitcoin arrived. I found one guide that suggested I could use Paypal to buy some kind of
other "virtual currency" (SEPA?), that could then be converted Bitcoin. Of course at every stage
of the process, somebody has their hand out to get their cut, which just ends up increasing
the price to me for that actual .9 Bitcoin. Maybe that all drops into the noise category if you are
buying hundreds of Bitcoin.
The other reason to use Paypal is that I am no longer powerless should Maidak turn out
not be a legitimate seller. While I am re-assured by his presence on Ebay, and the relationship
he seems to have with BPMC, the whole Bitcoin/Pre-Order/Group-Buy universe is fraught
with risk. Maybe I am just too sensitized the BFL fiasco, but there is still quite a bit of
"Wild West" mentality out here at the moment. I've been reading about folks who placed
orders with BFL more than 6 months ago that have gotten refunds from Paypal once this guy
figured out the process and correct folks to talk to Paypal. Or in other cases, folks who
mention a PayPal dispute, all of sudden had their hardware get shipped. To me that kind of
service has some value to me. The Bitcoin purchasers of course are at the mercy of BFL's
"No Refund" stance.
Don't get me wrong on this. I think BPMC and Maidak are all "Stand up" folks. I think they have
a real, legitimate product, and are likely to become the new "Block Erupter" unless friedcat starts
to give them away. I think Maidak will make this happen, absent some tragedy.
On a more upbeat note, why does it matter if there are any Bitcoin purchasers in this Group
Buy? I don't understand the mechanics of how Maidak buys the product from BPMC.
P.S I guess my status will make it obvious that I am a complete (3 month) newbie with Bitcoin.