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Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

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Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#1

Post by SamPerson »

I am building a simple donation platform where creators can accept tips in crypto — kind of like “Buy Me a Coffee,” but Web3-native.

No signups required for supporters. Just share your donation page and anyone can send MATIC, ETH, or any ERC-20 token directly to your wallet. It’s gas-efficient and built on Polygon.

Each creator gets a customizable page with a short URL and optional message board. Everything is non-custodial — you own your keys and your funds.

Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations
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Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#3

Post by bruce511 »

Who's your target market here? People who want to donate or people who want to receive donations?

Is this a business or a hobby? Ie do you expect it to get revenue? Or are you just doing it to pass the time until something more interesting comes along? (Both are OK, but it helps to know.)

If a business where do you expect your revenue to come from? Separate donations? A commission on donations?

Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#4

Post by SamPerson »

bruce511 wrote: post #3

Who's your target market here? People who want to donate or people who want to receive donations? Is this a business or a hobby? Ie do you expect it to get revenue? Or are you just doing it to pass the time until something more interesting comes along? (Both are OK, but it helps to know.) If a business where do you expect your revenue to come from? Separate donations? A commission on donations?

Target market is content creators(so, people who receive donations). I am doing it as kind of a side gig, might get more serious if people actually show interest. Currently the project will primarily run from donations, I might convert to a commission based model if there's traffic and interest. :)

Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#6

Post by bruce511 »

SamPerson wrote: post #4
bruce511 wrote: post #3

Who's your target market here? People who want to donate or people who want to receive donations? Is this a business or a hobby? Ie do you expect it to get revenue? Or are you just doing it to pass the time until something more interesting comes along? (Both are OK, but it helps to know.) If a business where do you expect your revenue to come from? Separate donations? A commission on donations?

Target market is content creators(so, people who receive donations). I am doing it as kind of a side gig, might get more serious if people actually show interest. Currently the project will primarily run from donations, I might convert to a commission based model if there's traffic and interest. :)

So, if 1000 content creators sign up, but there are no donors...?

What will be really interesting to see is if people who accept donations will donate to you.

I wish you well, but honestly it seems like your funnel is really really small...

Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#7

Post by SamPerson »

bruce511 wrote: post #6
SamPerson wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Target market is content creators(so, people who receive donations). I am doing it as kind of a side gig, might get more serious if people actually show interest. Currently the project will primarily run from donations, I might convert to a commission based model if there's traffic and interest. :)

So, if 1000 content creators sign up, but there are no donors...? What will be really interesting to see is if people who accept donations will donate to you. I wish you well, but honestly it seems like your funnel is really really small...

I agree the funnel is narrow, especially early on. This kind of platform naturally faces a “cold start” problem: creators show up hoping for donors, but without initial traffic or discoverability, things can feel quiet. Currently to deal with this scenario, I am focusing on: 1. Have a smooth frictionless setup - just connect your wallet and send you donation. 2. For the initial phase I would be focusing on creators with an already existing audience who have a preference to donate with crypto and to give creators a way to monetize where they already are (Twitter, Telegram, personal sites, etc.). 3. I’ll be relying on this myself to fund development. If other builders on HN or elsewhere support the project, great. If not, I’ll learn fast whether this is worth iterating or pivoting.

I don’t expect thousands of users overnight, but even a small group of crypto-native creators using this and giving feedback will be valuable.

Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#8

Post by vladnedelcu »

I also had an idea for Bitcoin entirely that was mostly build on Escrow, and I saw a startup at YC that was focusing on Base chain. The fact that this is targeted for ETH is super great.

I want to understand more on how you receive and off-ramp your donations because if it was only for USDC (which also complies with EU regulations) I knew how a normal workflow would go.

Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#9

Post by SamPerson »

vladnedelcu wrote: post #8

I also had an idea for Bitcoin entirely that was mostly build on Escrow, and I saw a startup at YC that was focusing on Base chain. The fact that this is targeted for ETH is super great. I want to understand more on how you receive and off-ramp your donations because if it was only for USDC (which also complies with EU regulations) I knew how a normal workflow would go.

Thanks, really appreciate that — and your Bitcoin + escrow idea sounds interesting too. There’s definitely a lot of untapped UX potential in that space.

Right now, the donation flow is super simple and fully on-chain:

- The creator shares a unique page tied to their wallet address.

- Supporters send ETH, MATIC, or any ERC-20 directly to that address — no intermediaries, no custody.

- Funds are instantly available in the creator’s wallet.

There's no built-in off-ramp yet, but I’m looking into ways to plug into services like Coinbase Commerce, etc.

USDC is definitely on my radar since it’s widely accepted and has regulatory traction in the EU/US. I’d love to support flows where creators can auto-convert or cash out.

Re: Show HN: A "Buy Me a Coffee" Button for Crypto Donations

#10

Post by blackbrokkoli »

I'm curious about your target market, as well — is there a substantial amount of people who would be willing to donate in crypto, who wouldn't donate with PayPal/Stripe?

I just started getting into ko-fi, and I'm wondering from a content creator perspective in which cases your product should be my choice over the classic players (patreon, bymeacoffee, ko-fi). Good luck tho :)

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