The structural problem with NFT markets is that listings are offers, not bids — you can list at any price and wait forever. Blur's bid pools inverted that: traders deposit ETH to bid on an entire collection, so a seller can hit a bid immediately at a known price.
Why that matters
Genuine bid depth turns an illiquid collectible market into something closer to a tradable asset class. For a holder who needs to exit, the difference between a bid and a listing is the difference between selling and hoping. That single mechanism is why professional NFT traders moved here and largely stayed.
The royalty position
Blur made royalties optional and competed directly on that basis, which forced OpenSea to follow. For traders, lower costs; for creators, a business model that largely disappeared. Blur has been more upfront about this than OpenSea was, which counts for something and does not change the outcome.
The incentives
Blur's growth was driven by token airdrops rewarding bidding and listing activity, which inflated volume statistics substantially during those periods. Bid pool depth persists beyond the incentives to a meaningful degree, but historical volume figures should be read with the farming in mind.
Who should use it
Active NFT traders who need exit liquidity and portfolio tooling. Collectors buying single pieces will find OpenSea's coverage broader, and creators will find nothing here for them.