How & where to buy Bitcoins?

In today’s modern age, it is amazing what Bitcoin can do in our day to day lives. That is why the popularity of the crypto-currency Bitcoin has been increasing by the day. Many people nowadays have Bitcoins in their possession via a digital wallet that stores their Bitcoin funds.

Convenience is one of the many benefits of owning Bitcoins. Since Bitcoins are stored in a certain digital wallet, users can access and use their Bitcoin funds anytime and anywhere they are. Bitcoin holders no longer need to carry with them digital currency in the form of cards, paper bills or coins.

It is very likely that Bitcoin has a place in the future already. Which is why many people are now trying to acquire Bitcoins today when the prices are still somewhat reasonable. Once the Bitcoin market gets saturated, the prices will definitely go skyrocket.

If you are looking to buy Bitcoins sometime in the near future, we recommend that you buy your own Bitcoins now. There are several ways on how you can buy Bitcoins. Read along to learn about the different ways in which you can acquire Bitcoins.

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How to get some Bitcoins

There are two ways on how you can get Bitcoins. You can either buy them from exchanges or directly from other people that are selling Bitcoins. Regardless of where you opt to buy Bitcoins, it is important to be extremely careful so that you won’t get scammed. Remember, you are buying Bitcoins with your money so make sure that you only buy from trusted sellers or exchanges.

The easiest way might be buying Bitcoins with Credit Card ( like here ) – but the price per BTC is usually about 10% higher on platforms which allow buying Bitcoins with Credit Card.

Buying from a seller

Buying directly from a seller means that you’ll have to find someone that actually sells them for fiat money. You can find users selling their precious Bitcoins in forums, advertisements or through personal recommendations. The advantage of buying directly from a seller it that it involves faster transactions and offers more convenient payment options.

Buying from via an exchange

In the world of Bitcoins, an exchange is basically an outlet between traders. Exchange platforms often facilitate Bitcoin trades in the form of Limit Orders or Market Orders. The exchange platform will then match buyers and sellers that have agreed with the same conditions to the Bitcoin trade.

Market orders are simply Bitcoin trade agreements that aim at buying or selling at a specific price or even better. Limit orders on the other hand are orders that aim at buying or selling Bitcoins at the best available price.

If you would like to buy some Bitcoins from an exchange, here are our recommended platforms that are going to give you bang for your buck.

 

Best Bitcoin Exchanges

 

Coinbase

Coinbase is among the first exchange companies that were launched to allow the trading of Bitcoins through bank transfers. The Bitcoin exchange company was launched in 2012 and to this day, it now boast a market share composed of 2.5 million users.

Aside from being an exchange platform, Coinbase is also a Bitcoin wallet (supporting 190 countries) and an API for developers and merchants. What’s great about Coinbase is that it allows trades in 20+ countries worldwide.

Coinbase’s trading fees are based on maker/taker model where the takers will incur a 0.25% charge.

Pros:

  • Secure US-based exchange
  • Easy to trade Bitcoins

 

Cons:

  • Not so good reputation
  • A lot of bad reviews

Visit Coinbase Website.

 

LocalBitcoins

LocalBitcoins is a verified Bitcoin exchange that was launched in June 2012. The company is currently based in Finland. The exchange’s mission is to connect everybody to the internet economy. Its goal is to be able to bring Bitcoin exchange to every city in the world.

LocalBitcoins’ website isn’t newbie-user friendly though. There aren’t a lot of guides as to how things work in an exchange platform. But once you get to do a couple of trades, you’ll find trading at LocalBitcoins easy and quite fast as well.

LocalBitcoins have people trading for Bitcoins in 246 countries and 8,365 cities worldwide. So it’s likely that you’ll find a local seller from within your location to facilitate convenient payment options. If you want to buy Bitcoins instantly, LocalBitcoins is a good exchange platform to check out.

Pros:

  • Quick and easy transactions
  • Cheap transaction fees (0.0001-0.0004 BTC per transaction)

 

Cons:

  • No live chat support
  • Slow respond time via email

Visit Localbitcoins Website.

 

itBit

itBit is a Bitcoin exchange company that was launched in April 2012. The company is based in New Your City but it has an international office in Asia (Singapore) where it had its first headquarter. In terms of market share, itBit is one of the biggest cryto-currency exchange platforms in the industry today.

The Bitcoin exchange platform became the first Bitcoin exchange platform to become a trust company after being granted a banking license by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

itBit allows trades for USD, EUR, SGD and Bitcoins. With regards to fees being charged for Bitcoin trades, itBit has among the most expensive service charges in the market with a maximum of 0.5% fee. Gladly, it is offering a ‘Free Bitcoin Trading’ promotion that will run until October 31st.

Pros:

  • Fully regulated crypto-currency exchange

Cons:

  • Trading fees are expensive

Visit ItBit Website.

 

Bitstamp

Bitstamp is another popular Bitcoin exchange that is currently based in the United Kingdom and was founded in August 2011. It comes next to itBit in terms of market share volume. The company was originally headquartered in Slovenia but it moved its office and registration to the UK in 2013.

The UK-based exchange allows trading between USD, EUR and Bitcoin. It you are trading with a different currency, then Bitstamp is not for you. Bitstamp charges reasonable fees ranging from 0.10% to 0.25% for all successful orders.

Aside from its headquarter in the UK, Bitstamp also has offices in Luxembourg and in the United States. They are also trading exchange partners with Coinbase.

Pros:

  • Reputable trade exchange
  • Automated verification system for account setup

 

Cons:

  • Only trades for USD and BTC
  • Often a target of phishing and hack attempts

Visit Bitstamp Website.

 

Buying Bitcoins from an Exchange

When buying Bitcoins from an exchange, make sure that you only buy from a reliable exchange that can facilitate secure and convenient payment methods. There are dozens of trading platforms available today so make sure you choice the right one. The exchanges listed above are good platforms to purchase Bitcoins and use them for Bitcoin Casinos to play games like Craps, Bingo or Dice.