OKX Newbie Merchants: Beginners can follow along with confidence, we'll guide you step by step to complete your first order

Welcome to this episode of the dialogue. Today, we have an OKX C2C merchant, "Yunxiang" (pseudonym), with us to discuss how he entered the crypto space, why he chose to become a "newbie-friendly" merchant on OKX, and how to better provide patient and detailed services to new users, helping them successfully complete their first C2C transaction. We hope that through this interview, everyone can understand the value and services of OKX C2C from scratch.

To facilitate your reading, we have distilled the core viewpoints of the merchant～

Here is the full dialogue (organized):

1. The key to the success of OKX C2C merchants is: patience, professionalism, and trust, all of which are indispensable. Patience ensures smooth communication, professionalism reassures users, and trust stabilizes transactions in the long run.

2. The main reason for choosing OKX is that it is safe and very friendly to newcomers.

3. OKX and merchants truly implement newbie-friendliness into action, rather than just staying as a slogan.

4. After becoming a "newbie-friendly" merchant, the transaction volume has achieved a qualitative leap.

5. The launch of "newbie-friendly" services has simplified the process for users during OKX C2C transactions, with risk warnings being contextualized.

6. Giving users a bit more patience is beneficial not only for the platform but also for the merchants.

7. C2C will be more compliant, professional, and contextualized in the future.

8. In the process of helping others enter the crypto world, merchants have found the industry's value and the meaning of long-term operation, while also enhancing their personal sense of achievement.

9. The compliance and professionalism of C2C present both opportunities and challenges for merchants, but the opportunities outweigh the challenges.

10. Compliance will eliminate non-compliant merchants, leaving those who can operate in a healthier environment, which increases users' trust in merchants. Professionalism will compel merchants to enhance their service capabilities, forming core competitiveness.

1. Entering the Circle and Growth Experience

Q: How did you first come into contact with the crypto industry? What prompted you to officially enter the circle? What is the scale now?

Yunxiang: I was introduced to crypto through friends. At that time, I mainly focused on Ethereum, and I officially entered the circle around 2022 and joined the OKX platform. Initially, I mainly engaged in ETH contract trading. It was actually a bear market back then, with significant market fluctuations, but I was very interested in this industry, so I persevered. We now have our own team and have set up three studios, including one that serves all users and another specifically for newbie-friendly transactions, which can meet different user needs.

When I applied to become an OKX C2C merchant, I was preparing the merchant review materials and learning the platform rules and operational requirements every day. I even joked that "I never worked this hard during the college entrance examination." During that time, I almost studied all the mechanisms of the platform. In the end, I successfully passed the certification and officially became an OKX merchant, which was a particularly fulfilling achievement for me.

Q: How did the transition from contract trading to becoming a C2C merchant happen? Is C2C your main business or a side business now?

Yunxiang: Due to the demand for trading coins, I initially often bought coins from other merchants. Later, I felt that being a merchant would be much more convenient and could bring in extra income. For example, buying USDT at 7.3 and selling it at 7.4. So, I started observing the market while trying it out, and gradually transitioned to being a merchant. Especially when I accurately identified the profit potential in C2C, I made up my mind to focus on this business. However, at that time, similar funding schemes were quite popular, and I was particularly worried about the platform collapsing, fearing that I would lose all my investment. After two or three months of observation and interaction, I confirmed that the OKX platform is very safe. I still had some liquid funds on hand, so I gradually started doing it, and soon I recovered my principal and achieved stable profits. Now, C2C has become my main business, and I devote most of my energy to it.

Q: From entering the industry in 2022 to now, your C2C business has been operating for 3-4 years. What special cases, setbacks, or success stories have you encountered during this process?

Yunxiang: The most memorable experience was when I first started dealing with bank card operations. Due to my lack of understanding of the rules, all the bank cards under my and my family's names were frozen. At that time, someone tried to trade with me through an abnormal flow account, and I didn't refuse in time, which triggered risk control. This made me realize the potential risks for the first time. Later, I gradually studied the risk control rules provided by the OKX platform, such as paying attention to users' payment records, account flows, and whether there are platform identifiers, etc. I gradually understood the potential risks. Now, I can also pass on these experiences to newcomers, educating them about anti-money laundering and compliance trading rules. Especially for users who are new to the field or have been deceived, if I can help them turn back in time, I feel a great sense of accomplishment. While being a merchant, I can not only do good business and make money but also help more users trade safely and compliantly, which is my deepest feeling.

Q: From starting alone to now building a team, how did this process happen? Did you mainly complete it independently, or did you collaborate with others? How is the team formed and operated?

Yunxiang: At first, I was completely on my own, both collecting coins on the platform and selling them myself. At that time, I was actually engaged in sales work, which was quite stable, but I made up my mind to fully devote myself to the OKX C2C merchant business, so I resolutely resigned and focused entirely on being a merchant. Later, as the trading volume increased, I realized that one person's energy is limited, and after working for more than ten hours, I was very tired and could no longer operate efficiently, so I started hiring employees and building a team. Now, the studio has achieved two shifts and operates 24 hours, with dedicated teams for collecting and selling coins, allowing for efficient operation around the clock.

I deeply understand that only by fully familiarizing myself with the processes and business can I lead the team to operate efficiently. Through practice, I have understood every link and detail, knowing how to coordinate the various positions in the team most reasonably. As the team gradually matures, our business has also achieved scaled and systematic operations, making the entire process more professional and reliable.

Many employees who learn the OKX C2C business from me may choose to independently start their own businesses. I completely understand and support their development aspirations. I believe that employees learning from me cannot rely 100% on me. If they want to develop independently, I am also willing to provide support in terms of funds and technology to help them become independent C2C merchants. My team management principle is cooperation rather than mere employment; we do not enforce binding, so team personnel changes are not too significant. I have always adhered to the philosophy of providing growth space for employees while promoting our business expansion in the process of helping them grow. I believe this model is a win-win for both employees and the team.

Q: What do you think is the most important quality or ability for a merchant?

Yunxiang: I think the most important thing for being an OKX C2C merchant is patience, followed by professionalism. These two points are the core of building trust. Many users are willing to place orders in my shop based on this trust. At the same time, we also provide professional training in cryptocurrencies for the team, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, etc., to ensure everyone masters professional knowledge. For new users, they are unfamiliar with this industry, so we need to patiently guide them and use professional knowledge and platform rules to help them solve problems. Only in this way can we establish users' trust in merchants. In summary, I think there are three key points: patience, professionalism, and trust. All are indispensable. Patience ensures smooth communication, professionalism reassures users, and trust stabilizes transactions in the long run.

2. Choosing OKX and Reasons for Becoming a "Newbie-Friendly" Merchant

Q: Why did you choose OKX as your main platform, and why invest effort in becoming a "newbie-friendly" merchant?

Yunxiang: I chose OKX mainly because it is compliant and very friendly to newcomers. The platform provides newbie guidance pop-ups and simulated trading features, allowing users to practice before officially trading, reducing trial and error costs. The C2C merchant onboarding process is transparent, and customer service responds promptly, which makes me feel that the platform is reliable. Although I have compared it with other platforms, considering factors such as newbie-friendliness, customer service response, and compliance, these are the core reasons for my final choice of OKX. As a former contract player, I used simulated trading to familiarize myself with the operations and experienced the convenience of onboarding for newcomers.

Q: After transitioning from a contract player to a C2C merchant, have there been changes in your life and social circles? Do you have new insights into the industry?

Yunxiang: The main change has been in my social circles and industry connections. I gradually built some connections through communication on the platform and collaborated with other merchants, which gave me a new understanding of the community. After becoming a C2C merchant, I transitioned from working individually to managing a studio team, gaining new experiences in team management and personal space development. Additionally, in the process of serving users, my communication skills and confidence have also significantly improved. Providing high-quality service has allowed me to accumulate more experience in my interactions with users.

Regarding the extreme views in the industry that "money is easy to make" or "scammers are rampant," my perspective is that as a C2C merchant, the first priority is to manage risks, screen users, and use professional knowledge and experience to help potential victims return. Although risks cannot be completely avoided, we should minimize them and avoid transferring risks to users. Most importantly, we need to be patient with users to understand their needs, identify quality users, and effectively avoid risks during the service process.

Q: The transformation from an ordinary C2C merchant to an advanced newbie-friendly merchant is not common in the industry. Many merchants refuse to trade with newcomers, thinking the risks are high and the trading volume is small, leading to direct order rejections. But you chose to go against the trend. Why did you make this choice?

Yunxiang: First of all, I am very grateful for the trust of the OKX C2C team in me. Secondly, I believe that the platform's approach to being newbie-friendly is genuinely implemented and not just a gimmick for traffic. I can feel this— the platform and our team are seriously managing the newbie-friendly group every day. Although I don't often speak, I pay attention to their interactions. I believe that the platform and merchants truly implement newbie-friendliness into action, rather than just staying as a slogan.

"OKX Newbie-Friendly" is not just a concept; it is reflected in specific service details. For example, whether the newbie guidance customer service can genuinely solve problems and whether risk warnings are in place are very touching. In contrast, without merchant support and customer service manager assistance, it would just be a superficial formality. OKX is centered on newbie-friendliness, genuinely implementing it at every step. Because of this, I am also very proactive in cooperating with the platform's work, hoping to promote better development for the platform.

Q: After transitioning from an ordinary C2C merchant to a newbie-friendly merchant, have there been changes in your investment, such as in terms of funds and energy? What adjustments have you made?

Yunxiang: For our team, being newbie-friendly is actually very beneficial for team development. Previously, when we were doing C2C orders, even for newcomers, we would still provide service. Now, with the newbie-friendly orders, we can more precisely target our service audience. Our studio has multiple shops, and we only use the highest-rated core shop for C2C, while the other shops serve as support. Since many large merchants are unwilling to take on newbie orders and generally have low ratings, we have positioned all small shops as newbie-friendly, accepting newbie orders 24/7, which greatly helps the team's utilization.

As for capital investment, I actually feel that the capital occupation has decreased. Because the amounts for newbie orders are not large, although there may be sudden surges at times, the overall capital occupation is not high. I have also observed the order situation for newbie merchants, and most of them are small orders, with many merchants in the range of 10 to 200, while there are very few merchants in the range of 2000 to 5000 or even 8000. To ensure that there are people to serve newbies when they place orders, our team focuses on orders around 5000, which keeps the volume relatively controllable and the profits reasonable. Our positioning is not to brush orders or pursue extra rewards, but to genuinely take on the platform's newbie orders and serve users. In simple terms, it used to be "walking with one foot," and now it has become "walking with two legs," making operations smoother and more efficient. Additionally, we are also considering expanding our services to large merchants.

Q: Can you provide a few specific examples of how you helped users solve problems? For instance, users transferring money incorrectly, buying the wrong coins, or not making payments, etc.?

Yunxiang: These are actually common occurrences we encounter daily. For example, some users may not understand that C2C risk control operates 24 hours for transfers. When they see that we haven't released the coins in time, they become particularly anxious, worrying that the funds have already been transferred to us but haven't arrived. We tell users not to worry because we can only release the coins after the funds arrive. Once we receive them, we will handle it immediately.

There are also some users who make non-real-name transfers. The platform requires real-name verification, and if it is not the account of the person, we will not release the coins, which can cause anxiety for users. The way to handle this is to first return the funds through the original route and then ask the user to transfer again using their real-name account. If they do not have a real-name account, they may not be able to continue trading due to high risk control requirements.

Of course, we have also made mistakes ourselves. Once, for an order of over 9000, I accidentally added an extra zero, turning it into over 90,000. Through platform appeals and phone communication, most of the funds were recovered.

Q: After the launch of the newbie-friendly label, what specific operational and procedural changes have you made in serving newbies? Have you invested more energy?

Yunxiang: First, the trading process has become simpler. For example, when placing an order in C2C, steps like payment, remarks, and confirmation of receipt are highlighted in red, making the operation more intuitive. Second, risk warnings have become more contextualized; for instance, when users transfer large amounts, the platform will pop up a prompt for small test transfers, making it safer. Third, merchant tools have become more user-friendly; we can set up exclusive welcome messages for newbies, and the newbie labels are more prominent, making it easier for users to choose service merchants. If every merchant patiently guides newbies through the process, it will be very beneficial for the long-term development of the platform.

Q: From your observation, after joining the newbie-friendly program, what changes have you or your shop experienced?

Yunxiang: The most direct change is that the types of users have significantly diversified, with many complete newcomers to cryptocurrencies starting to trade, and their activity levels have noticeably increased. My order volume has also increased significantly. Initially, I might have only had 56 or 57 orders a day, but now we continuously serve newbies 24/7. As of the 23rd of this month, my team and I have served approximately 15,000 users across two shops, achieving a qualitative leap in order volume.

In this process, I am very grateful for the support of the OKX C2C merchant manager. He maintains communication with merchants in the group and provides in-depth guidance. Since many new merchants are unfamiliar with how to serve newbies, the platform trains them on how to avoid risks and organizes cases of abnormal users. It is evident that OKX has invested a lot of effort into the newbie-friendly project, helping the team operate smoothly. Overall, the platform provides training and support, and after merchants put in the effort, the order volume has significantly increased. This not only reflects the continuous expansion of the C2C business but also indicates that more and more new players are joining the market, with activity and participation levels continuously rising.

Q: Do you think it is possible to balance being newbie-friendly and high efficiency? Many merchants believe that being newbie-friendly is too cumbersome and requires more patience and process guidance, which may affect taking on larger orders. What do you think?

Yunxiang: I believe it is entirely possible to balance both. In fact, from the very beginning of doing C2C, I have believed that what we are selling is time. It is not enough to understand the operations myself; the key is to teach others how to operate, translating complex content into simple and understandable terms so that those who have never been exposed to it can understand. This is a process; we also went from not understanding to understanding, gradually growing from small merchants to being able to operate smoothly on the platform. Giving users a bit more patience is beneficial not only for the platform but also for the merchants. The initial workload may be large, but in the long run, quality users will gradually form, which requires joint efforts from both the platform and the merchants.

3. Advice for Newbie Merchants and the Future of C2C

Q: What are your thoughts on the future of C2C?

Yunxiang: I believe that the future of C2C will be more compliant, professional, and contextualized. Compliance is fundamental, as regulatory clarity is increasing in various countries, and identity verification and anti-money laundering measures will be more refined. Professionalism will manifest as merchants provide more detailed services, such as localized payment methods and language services for users from different regions. Contextualization refers to the interconnectedness of the C2C ecosystem, such as the combination of trading scenarios and payment scenarios to meet users' diverse needs.

Q: Do you have any advice for new C2C merchants?

Yunxiang: I recommend starting with depth and precise positioning. Newbie-friendliness is a great entry point, and the platform's attention and investment in this are very high. First, clarify the payment method section you want to operate. Then, during the trading process, record problems and experiences, analyze the market, and find ways to serve specific subgroups. Start with a small group, perfect the newbie-friendly approach, and then gradually expand. In summary, finding a good entry point and precise positioning is key to doing well in newbie-friendliness.

Q: Do you think OKX's C2C newbie-friendly label is just a gimmick, or is it genuinely providing services for new users? Specifically, in what areas do you think it has been implemented best?

Yunxiang: I don't think it's a gimmick; it is genuinely implemented and executed. First, the newbie-friendly label. Before this label existed, newcomers might randomly choose merchants, but the professionalism of merchants varied widely. If they encountered experienced merchants, they would take the time to explain to newcomers; however, if they randomly found a merchant, that merchant might not be familiar with the process. With the newbie-friendly label, newcomers can more accurately find those who specifically serve them and can explain things in detail, which is excellent and gives newcomers a more precise choice.

Q: Besides the label, what changes have merchants made in their services? What do you think is the biggest challenge and reward of being a newbie-friendly merchant?

Yunxiang: Currently, the biggest change our team has made is that employees specifically responsible for newbie services will explain operations in more detail. For example, when users can't find the payment method or are unclear about how to operate, the most common situation I encounter is that users have already made the payment but don't know to click "Paid." We handle many more newbie user order appeals daily than regular orders. But we are willing to invest energy to address these because it is a process of helping users learn. For example, if we introduce 1,000 new users today and our merchants serve 300 of them, then these 300 newbies may be able to place virtual currency or C2C orders independently next time without needing merchant assistance. This is growth. I think this is fundamental. If every merchant can provide such services, the entire industry will develop more healthily, and we can collectively expand the market.

Q: Can you summarize your gains and insights as a C2C merchant? This includes your thoughts on the industry, future plans, and personal feelings.

Yunxiang: As a C2C merchant, the biggest gain is that in the process of helping others enter the crypto world, I have also found the industry's value and the meaning of long-term operation, while enhancing my personal sense of achievement. My greatest sense of accomplishment comes from helping new users, especially those who have been deceived, guiding them out of their predicaments, which I find very valuable.

Q: What are your thoughts on the impact of C2C compliance and professionalism on merchants?

Yunxiang: I have thought about this issue and believe that compliance and professionalism present both opportunities and challenges for merchants, but the opportunities outweigh the challenges. Compliance will eliminate non-compliant merchants, leaving those who can operate in a healthier environment, which increases users' trust in us merchants. Professionalism will compel merchants to enhance their service capabilities, forming core competitiveness. The challenge is that adapting to compliance and professionalism requires more investment, but this is worth considering in the long term.

Q: You have a long-term perspective, and the industry will also develop towards compliance and mainstreaming, with non-compliant entities being eliminated. OKX has been promoting compliance, which is an inevitable trend. Today's interview is excellent, and through your sharing, more people can understand the industry, and we hope to attract more new users to participate in C2C trading.

Yunxiang: Exactly.

Disclaimer

This article is for reference only. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the position of OKX. This article does not intend to provide (i) investment advice or recommendations; (ii) offers or solicitations to buy, sell, or hold digital assets; (iii) financial, accounting, legal, or tax advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such information. Holding digital assets (including stablecoins and NFTs) involves high risks and may fluctuate significantly. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you based on your financial situation. Please consult your legal/tax/investment professionals regarding your specific situation. You are solely responsible for understanding and complying with applicable laws and regulations in your locality.