Buy Your First Crypto

You can only buy on a CEX after you’ve created an account and verified your identity. Once your account is open, you will need to set up a way to fund your account. You can use a bank account, debit card or initiate a wire.

Before any buy or trade, decide how much you want to spend. For a first try, pick a small, fixed amount you’re truly okay with. This lowers stress and helps you focus on the process instead.

Search and select your crypto of choice. When you see the crypto asset you're looking for appear in the results, select it to open up the purchase screen. Input the amount you want to spend or buy.

Before you hit confirm, take a quick look at your order. You’ll see a small trading fee and probably something called “slippage”. This is when prices shift slightly while your order goes through. Always check the slippage to ensure you’re happy with how much you’ll receive.

Slippage occurs during periods of high market volatility, when there’s a limited supply of the crypto you want available, or when the difference between the buying and selling price shifts before your transaction is complete.

As a rule of thumb: keep slippage low, buy popular tokens, and avoid trading when the market is volatile.

If you’re happy with what you see, place the order. You’ll get a confirmation message and your new balance will reflect soon. Congratulations — you’ve just bought your first crypto!