Bitcoin Forum

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to cryptocurrency in general, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to buy and store it.

I’ve heard a lot about Bitcoin, but I’m a bit confused about how to get started. What’s the safest way to purchase Bitcoin?
Are there specific wallets I should be using? Should I keep my Bitcoin in an exchange wallet, or is it better to use something like a hardware wallet?

For me the safest way is through a reliable exchange like Coinbase, Binance, Kraken... These sites are pretty secure, but remember, since they're online, they can still get hacked. So make sure you’ve got 2FA enabled to keep things safe.
For long-term storage, use a hardware wallet and use an exchange wallet if you’re just starting out, but don't keep too much there.
Also using a proxy for buying and storing Bitcoin is an option if you want to hide your real IP address, i think most people do it.

I was you, before buying anything, make sure you study and learn about what you are doing, learn form others mistakes. Avoid third parties intermediaries like exchanges that requires KYC, and buy peer-to-peer when you know what you are doing.

you can just use a cex in the beginning with a small amounth of purchase. and keep them there. after a while when you adapt to ecosystem you can choose the way yourself.

step by step is always right  :D I rly appreciate it.

That's the right approach! Don't be shy and ask questions, you are in the right place... just watch out for scammers.

nice advice, thank you

Any recommendation for proxies pls?

Robosats and Bisq are both available via Tor

If for privacy when trading proxy, I think you should use rotating ones to avoid being blocked by the site for making too many requests in a short time. I just used 9proxy and smartproxy, they're all good enough, stable. I'm using 9proxy lately bcause my workplace provides it, so I think it must be a good one.

Hi, welcome. We were here once. You will have all the help you need but you must also be willing to put in the work for it. There are different ways to buy bitcoin, you would have figured already from the previous comments. A note of caution is to chose the safest way. In my estimation one of the best is online. If anyone tells you to meet them somewhere to buy bitcoin while you pay cash, do not go.

I just shared this resources some moment ago but I will share with you again. However, going forward, please use the search bar for your questions. They have most likely been asked to aviod repetitions.

Here you go
If you are looking to learn more about bitcoin, I usually share mk4 compilation for those need to start from somewhere. It has helped me immensely and I hope it does so for you too. Here it is below.

If your concern about purchasing bitcoin is to avoid being scammed, then the safest way is for you to buy from a friend or brother whom you are familiar with.

Like I will always tell any newbie who cares to listen, do not be in a haste to buy bitcoins yet. First you use the time you have to do a thorough research about Bitcoin. Know the risks involved and most importantly how to avoid getting scammed.

Many people who lost their bitcoins didn't lose them because of volatility; they lost it to scammers. Learn first so you can take some protective measures when neccessary.

You can buy bitcoin in an exchange little by little. When buying bitcoin ,it doesn't to be 1 bitcoin and whatever amount of money you have is that you can use it to buy bitcoin and store it in a wallet. It is best if you use a non-custodial wallet where you have full control and you have the seed phrase. You can use electrum wallet which is a non-custodial wallet and open source. Since you are new I suggest you learn all about cryptocurreny first and on how to keep your security safe as to avoid losing the wallet.

Actually if you are from a region whereby binance P2P is available, you can buy bitcoin from there and send it to a Bitcoin wallet. If you need a Bitcoin wallet just go to app store and download the Electrum wallet, write down your seed  phrase and store it in a good place were it's you think is safe. As you are new to the crypto space, you have to find a better strategy which you can use to invest into Bitcoin, and I will suggest you use the DCA method and accumulate Bitcoin for long term.

Welcome to the forum, and since no one has mentioned this to you, I will do so first.

Not every member of the forum has good intentions for newbies, especially those like you who have made known that they have zero knowledge but are interested in buying Bitcoin.

The best way to avoid being in such a position is to ignore any private messages from anyone disguising themselves to want to offer help to you in your PM. In this forum, answers are given openly.

Do you know if your country allow using debit card to buy Bitcoin or it can be done through p2p?
Do you intent to have your Bitcoin stored for long term or short? If you are looking to keep your Bitcoin for long, then it's better you store in your hardware wallet if you have it.

Ensure you safeguard your private key or secret seed phrase given to you by that wallet.

I think the very place you should start is with your writing.
Maybe you’re not from an English speaking nation but this doesn’t really look like it, you seem to make out the words but, you’re not connecting it real good, it’s a little bit discontinued just when you were starting to make a complete thought.

Now Bitcoin isn’t native to any language and so, you could always access what you will in whatever language but, when you are not in the local boards, English dominates here so, having to present your ideas in the best tenses would help us all.

Why do you rush to invest? For quick profits? I bet you don’t even know well your investment so never rush on it, it’s never an emergency that requires immediate action. For now, educate yourself first and know all the basics prior to investing, and as always, listen from the experts, I mean the old investors in the forum as they will guide you throughout the process.

He's panicking since the price is rising, we have been to this kind of situation, study first how crypto currencies behave, there is a bull run and bear market, and we might be in the bull, so the best thing for you to do now is to study first, there nothing much we can do for the price, but learning things at the moment is the best thing you should do, read a lot about it, how to use wallet, transfer etc., when bear comes you might have learn something, that's when you start to move slowly, remember rushing things has a negative results sometimes.

As newcomer to crypto safest way to buy Bitcoin is through reliable exchange like Coinbase or Kraken or Binance. For storage you have two main options soft wallets which is easy to use but riskier because it is online or hardware wallet like Ledger or Trezor which is physical device that stores your Bitcoin offline and is much safer for larger amounts. It is best to start by buying small amount and keeping it on exchange then moving it to hardware wallet as your investment grows for better security.

Really appreciate all your advice guys!

I agree with you 100% also if you are in a country where bitcoin trading is prohibited i advice you use peer to peer to buy your coins. If you do not trust your exchange wallet you can use an independent wallet or hardware.

What you said is true. If OP or anyone (especially newbie) want to buy cryptocurrency or Bitcoin, you can use several well-known exchanges, preferably top the top fives cex. However, if you want to store it safely, it iss best to do so in a personal wallet (non-custodial wallet). You should also be aware that storing it in a custodial wallet carries internal and external risks, while a non-custodial wallet only carries one risk, that is a personal error (internal). And, if you want to use a hardware wallet, you can choose one that is open source, so it can be audited.

Additionally, Ledger might be an option, but it seems to have an issue with its open source code, even so, the party has the answer regarding this, (CMIIW). Trezor is also an option, and as far as I know, it is fully open source.

For reference, please see the following:

- Ledger is 95% OpenSource, why not 100%? (https://www.ledger.com/blog-ledger-is-95-opensource-why-not-100)
- Trezor fundamentals (https://trezor.io/learn/basics/trezor-fundamentals)

Most of the exchange offering to buy and sell of your Bitcoin now if you are into your privacy you can use the DEX if not still recommend to use a CEX because they are beginner friendly at all, for storing your funds its ideal to you have your own wallet here in crypto we have the concept of Not your keys, Not your coins so ideal to hold your coins at your own avoid storing into these exchange because if anything happen to their platform or even with your account you cannot make your funds safe at all. You can use a trezor or a ledger hardware wallet.

Welcome to the Bitcoin Forum. If you have heard a lot about Bitcoin, then it is very good and it will be much easier for you to learn about Bitcoin and buy it. However, you can use exchanges to buy your Bitcoin, but which exchange you use depends on you, but to buy from exchanges safely, you can use Binance, Kucoin, Bybit, Gate.io etc. exchanges.

Whether you use a specific wallet to hold your Bitcoin is entirely up to you. You can also use an exchange account or use an exchange wallet, it is also entirely up to you. Also, if you have enough money, I can suggest you buy a hardware wallet and keep your Bitcoin there, which will be the safest for you.

You should not advise beginners to keep their assets on exchanges. If you advise someone to buy Bitcoin, you should also tell them the safest way to store it.
You certainly know that exchanges are not a place to store assets. You can leave your assets there, but you certainly know the risks. If you are sure to buy Bitcoin for investment, then study some recommended wallets and own one of them.

Welcome to Bitcointalk community, I believe you have go through the rules that governed this community. I don't know how financial buoyant you are to buy crypto, reason why I ask you is  to no the best time for you to buy crypto to be among the enthusiasts that is hodling crypto. If you don't have the wisdom of crypto don't buy until you have the wisdom before you can buy what you can afford to lose, because you will not hodl anybody liable if you loss you capital in crypto investment.

Since you have interest on BTC, first of all, make sure you download electrum wallet before going to the market to buy BTC, because you will use secure wallet to hodl the BTC for short period or long period of time and nothing will happen to your BTC in your wallet. The safest way to buy BTC is when you have the money to buy BTC as you want and hodl, because any price you buy BTC when surly pump above that price in five years time.

When it comes to cryptocurrency, having knowledge about it is the best key to success. Because there are some of the new members that will have interest in Bitcoin, but they won’t seek knowledge on how it works, what the best way for the market to be profitable is, what the market value is to be able to sell, and how it functions; and that’s why most of the people fail whenever they buy and store it.

Yes, of course, there’s some specific wallet that you can first download in order to get what you want, like Electrum, but still there are some of the members that prefer to use an exchange wallet just to make their journey easier and faster, and that’s why they don’t need to use the Electrum wallet.

There are lots of quality and safe wallets to use but not any of the centralized wallets as they're becoming a norm that they even get suggested to newbies. Hardware wallet are the ideal wallet but as a newbie I won't recommend you start with that to avoid making some mistakes that causes you, your coins in the future. We have few wallets like electrum that are good software wallets to use. Exchange should only be for trading and not hodling of your investments. Before investing, invest your time on researching to know more about the industry to avoid regrets because there's no refunding or recovery of stolen coins in the industry.

As a beginner in the field of Bitcoin investment, of course you are still confused about how to buy and store Bitcoin safely. The first step is to choose a trusted and reputable exchange. I recommend Binance. If you have other options, you can try them as long as they have a good reputation.
Then use a secure wallet that can control the private key. As a first step, you can try Electrum. Then, make regular wallet backups to avoid data loss. Lastly, do not store Bitcoin and any other assets in an exchange wallet as exchanges are at risk of being hacked, unless you are willing to risk an amount.

Since you are new, you will have to spend time in the forum first and read a lot. By reading, you will gradually learn everything step by step and be able to solve it, so I have given some links below. Go to these links and read a little carefully, then you will learn something good. The real learning about Bitcoin is here. This is a forum for learning.

Unofficial list of (official) Bitcointalk.org rules, guidelines, FAQ --

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=703657.0

posting etiquettes
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5184741.0#post_altgiveaway

bitcoin job list
https://bitcoinerjobs.com/

bitcoin history
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5438353.0

bitcoin education
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5467597.0

There's no safest way to purchase bitcoin, it's either you purchase bitcoin from a centralised exchange (cex) or Decentralised exchange (Dex). Both of the exchanges are Safe for someone to purchase bitcoin. It all depends on individual preferences. But I will suggest you use centralised exchange, it will be easier for you to understand. As a newbie that haven't purchased bitcoin for the first time,  you might find Dex a bit challenging to understand.

You've done your diggings already so there isn't much left for you to know, if you already know what a hardware wallet is all about you don't need to ask anything else, the best crypto wallet is hardware wallet.

There are two types of hardware wallet though, one is closed source and other is open source, I will advise you to buy a open source hardware wallet, open source means transparency of their source code and its public.

Wallets like Ledger is a closed source, and they have stupid issues here and there, I would avoid them at all cost, Trezor or Tangem are good example of open source hardware wallet, they are very reliable.

And if you want something that has extra security go with OneKey or Keystone, as beginner it's not a must to buy hardware wallet for starter but it will safe you a lot if you can get one.

Welcome to the world of cryptocurrency and bitcointalk buddy, as a beginner that is just getting started it can be overwhelming for you at first but you are at the right place seeking for help. The forum has all the information you need to equip you, so basically you will need reputable exchanges to buy and store your Bitcoin and I don't recommend you buying from anyone because you might get scammed,  not even your family member is to be trusted with things like this. There are reputable exchange wallets like binance or coinbase that you can store your Bitcoin but for extra security measures you should use hardware wallet that stores your private key offline and it is way more safer than exchange wallets and if you are using an exchange wallet don't ever store a large amount of Bitcoin in it.

You still have a lot of things to learn before you consider buying bitcoin. Invest in yourself first by acquiring right amount of information and valid concepts and ideas that will help you throughout your bitcoin journey. The forum is a perfect avenue for that. And when you’ve gained them already, go DCA with bitcoin by buying a small portion of it regularly. And always prefer a non-custodial wallet so that the full control is in you, not on the exchange or the other party involved.

Just take note of certain keywords. When it comes to wallets, cold is preferred over hot. Open-source is preferred over closed-source, not partially open-source but fully open-source. Non-custodial is highly preferred over custodial.

When it comes to purchases, peer-to-peer is preferred over buying with intermediaries. Non-KYC is also preferred over KYC platforms. Exchanges giving importance to privacy is much preferred over those who implements shotgun KYC.

It is better to focus on learning before buying Bitcoin. Because if you want to climb a tree, you first have to learn how to climb a tree so that it is not difficult to get down. Stay regular in this forum, I hope you will learn a lot. Try to read the posts of the legends more and more. And buy and invest according to the season. However, if you have money, you can buy Bitcoin and start investing right now. Invest through the DCA strategy in a new situation. Because the DCA strategy will make your money a risk-free investment.

Choose a safe wallet as a wallet. Use a hot wallet through which you can check your mobile wallet and try to know more about this. However, learn first and invest later because it is better not to take risks in a new situation.

Great to see you are interested to learn about Bitcoin; for that you need to be active on the forum. You can buy Bitcoin in various ways, like from an exchange or P2P. Even you can buy from the forum currency exchange section as well. But always try to use an escrow service, though it's quite hard to find escrow if you are dealing with fiat. Or from the exchange, you can buy using a card or P2P, then move funds to your noncustodial wallet to secure it. Don't leave your funds in a centralised exchange unless you are day traders; they could freeze your funds.

Regarding wallets, it's always better to use an open-source hardware wallet to secure your funds. In case you are unable to buy a hardware wallet, then it is better to use a noncustodial wallet like Electrum. Whatever wallet you choose must secure your wallet seed in secure places. Not only in a single place, write it on multiple pieces of paper and save it in different safe places. Never store your wallet credentials in any online storage.

You done marvelous by being able to express yourself on the areas you still finding it difficult to understand when it comes to the kind of wallets you should be using to accumulating your Bitcoin portfolio and to my best of my knowledge as i have gone through so many posts that the different members has already contributed here so far, i know that it will surely go a long way in building up Bitcoin portfolio and i will advise that you shouldn't only rely on the informations you can get from here, you should do more research to learn more and to be updated in any areas of cryptocurrency.

Mayɓe the fear of missing out is what prompted the rush investment without knowledge of the investment. This are some silly mistakes newbies do make. When they hear something, what is expected of them to do is to get a clear understanding of the process involved and also to know the pros and cons of the investment if they can be able to withstand it for the time being because not all investment yields profits that quickly. OP should just take time to learn and acquire more knowledge about the investment before jumping into it.

Welcome to the Bitcointalk community!  ;D

Good for you that you decided to ask questions and not blindly dive into crypto. This ensures you will more easily avoid expensive mistakes.

Do not store your coins on an exchange wallet, since that is not your wallet. That is the exchange's wallet, that they let you use but have complete control over. So if something goes wrong like a hack or the exchange decides to freeze your account for whatever reason, then you will not be able to do anything to get your money back except hope they give it back to you.

A lot of people will say hardware wallets are the best option. But the best software wallet for Bitcoin, in my personal opinion, is Electrum. When deciding on a wallet what you want is open source and non custodial. Meaning the community can read and vet the code for the wallet and no one other than you has control/access over it.

As far as buying Bitcoin goes, you can use a top exchange like Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Bitstamp.... There are also other options for a more private, non-custodial and decentralized experience like Bisq but as you are a newbie, I recommend starting with an exchange to get a first feel.

Two most important things for consideration are: non custodial or custodial (means users own private keys or not), and open source or close source (means reproducible or not).

Exodus wallet is close source, so it is not a good wallet to use.
https://walletscrutiny.com/?platform=allPlatforms&page=0&query-string=exodus

Ledger wallet has many data breaches and it launches a Ledger Recover product which violates very basic principle of any Bitcoin user in how they store bitcoin. It's not your keys, it's not your coins.
Ledger Recover: What The Hell is Happening? With aantonop and lopp. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9scIevuymZM)
https://www.ledger.com/recover

Use an exchange wallet only for buying and selling Bitcoin. Do not store anything in an exchange. Even a hot wallet or a mobile phone wallet is better than an exchange. It least they won't ask you for an ID.

Also, I find that proxies will only increase the suspicion of cryptocurrency exchanges when you use their websites - as they can easily be identified by IP address.

Using exchanges is not only about buying and selling. It actually relates to other things like KYC (most exchanges nowadays are KYC mandatory), and even you only want to buy and sell your bitcoins through that exchanges, there is likely time you leave your bitcoin there, just longer or shorter time than people who plan to store and hold their bitcoins on exchanges.

It looks safer to store your bitcoin on a centralized exchange in a short time than a long time but when you do this, you don't have control on your bitcoin during that time, and there is risk of losing your coin.

Reminder: do not keep your money in online accounts. (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5421039.0)

Exactly storing your Bitcoin on exchange is risky because you do norlt actually own it but exchange does. With this your money can be  hacked or other problems can occur and you lose your privacy since exchanges require ID. It is safer to use personal wallet which gives you complete control your assets.
And I agree using proxies or VPNs on crypto exchanges can raise red flag. These services can make your activity look suspicious to exchange security systems which can lead them to account freeze issue because they think it is used by someone else. So using exchange is best for simple buying and selling but for security and privacy it is good to use your own wallet and avoid proxies.

Personally, I would suggest purchasing it from Binance where you can purchase BTC from other people through a secured p2p transaction. Just make sure to read and watch beginner guides on Youtube or google to learn the basics of such.

If you live in a country that endorses a local exchange, I would also recommend this method for ease of use and convenience from moving your coins from one platform to another. Be reminded that purchasing BTC may require you to submit your respective KYC (know-your-customer) documents for verification and identification.


As a general rule, you should never store your BTCs or cryptocurrencies inside an exchange due to the risk of that platform being hacked. Even reputable and established exchanges (e.g. Binance, etc.) have been hacked in the past which is the reason on why almost everyone recommends purchasing a hardware wallet.

Centralized exchanges give their users Custodial Wallets so users don't have private keys and no private keys mean there is no control of any coins.

It's better for newbies who lack of knowledge but ready to learn, to read this topic.
Custodial vs. Non Custodial Wallets - "Not your keys, not your coin" Explained. (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5173370.0)

KYC is dangerous but if people use Centralized Exchanges nowadays, KYC is a mandate on most Centralized Exchanges.
Why KYC is extremely dangerous – and useless. (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5221497.0)

Exchanges will always identify IP because they are very strict with it, as some nations have restrictions on crypto, so that they would be careful not to have anything to do with those nation, but when somebody uses a vpn or proxy that looks suspicious or IP from a restricted nation, there is every tendency that the account would get suspended or freezed and most times not every newbie have that knowledge as some too do not read ToS before they get registered with exchange so it is not advisable to keep assets with exchange and I align with your opinion that OP should use exchange wallet  because nobody would require ID for transaction on a personal wallet.

Considering that this thread has reach third page, I believe a lot of replies here already answered your questions but based on the saying that no knowledge is a waste, I will give my little contribution.

The safest way to purchase Bitcoin depends on where you live. What's your country jurisdiction as regard Bitcoin or cryptocurrency in general? The safest way to purchase it is through P2P without involving CEXs but in a case where you can not have a physical transaction, you should use CEXs as intermediary but in most cases, you need to undergo KYC to make use of them.

Keeping your Bitcoin in exchange wallets is as good as having nothing. These exchanges can deprive you access to your coins some time either due to system maintenance or investigation or other petty excuses. You only own a coin when you have the private keys to the wallet.

Storing your coins requires you get a good wallet and keeping your keys safe and secured. This is one of the most important things that many newbies continues to fail at. There are many kinds of wallet, but you would need to find that which suits your need. Avoid any centralized form of storing coins as they literally aren't your keys.

To purchasing bitcoin you can get that through a decentralised platform to protect your privacy and if you aren't the type that cares much about your privacy, you can use  the P2P service on Cex to get your coins from a trusted vendor...

thank you!

You need to open a none custodial wallet and make sure that you hide your seed phrase in different safe locations because they are your main keys to access your Bitcoin from any online device. The best way to buy Bitcoin is through peer to peer with a second party, make sure that you know who you are buying from or the person is highly recommended by someone you trust because there are lots of scammers in the crypto space. If you don't have a reliable source to do p2p transactions with it is better to open an exchange account and do p2p transactions with exchange marchants. Only leave the coins that you intend for transactions in your exchange account because if it's not your keys it's not your coins.

Yes that is right that exchanges are very strict about tracking IP addresses because of international laws designed to avoid money laundering. Using VPN can get your account frozen as exchange security system can not tell difference between you and hacker trying to steal your funds. Due to this it is much better idea to use personal wallet where you have complete control over your assets and d not need to worry about your account issue frozen or having to provide ID for KYC. With this you are in charge and avoids risks that come with relying on third party.

responding to the title of this your thread. sincerely speaking you cannot get all the advice you will need in other for you to succeed in this crypto space from newbies like you, so I will advise you to follow reputable members who have been in this  crypto space for long now, following reputable members here in this forum will give you a clear guide, because am talking from experience the things I have learnt and known in this forum where From reputable members and not from newbie's. Hope you take this my advice the right and not the wrong way thanks.

Using your personal wallet is much safe and secured compared to exchange which can not even guarantee their own safety not to talk of their customers safety. Lately their have been lots of hack from exchange and they could not detect their lapses early enough to stop it so how will they tell us our funds are safe with them when they too can not be trusted with our assets even after taking our details and information.

As for the IP matter, it is wise not to use VPN because that would actually get the exchange confused and possibly hey you account blocked or freezed because of irregular IP which would warrant your attention before they unlock it to be sure you are the one truly accessing your account from the strange IP.

Even small amount of coins should never be kept in an exchange wallet, particularly when you have no intentions of trading with the asset. If one is yet to buy a hardware wallet or set up an airgapped wallet, they can use a software wallet. For example if you buy bitcoin and you don't have a Foundation Passport hardware wallet, you should use Electrum or Bluewallet to keep your assets, instead of an exchange wallet that can seize your coins.

You have a point, but if the small amount of BTC is something the person can afford to lose, there's no harm in leaving it in an exchange wallet since the person is using DCA to accumulate the BTC until it reaches a certain amount before moving it to a self-custodial wallet.
What's important is to never use an exchange as storage.

Op firstly you're welcome to the forum, it's a good thing you found your way to the beginner and help board. As a beginner to bitcoin I'll  advise  that you spend your time researching  and understanding  the best seed phrase storage medium. However  storing your seed phrase offline has been the best practice as it help keep your seed phrase away from the reach of scammers online because these people these days are becoming more enthusiastic about new methods  and fast means to quickly make these changes without  your notice and before you know it, they've  successfully wiped off all that's felt in your wallet.

Before you invest in bitcoin, you are suppose to have some basic knowledge about bitcoin, you should know what bitcoin is all about, and how you going to protect your bitcoin, know the appropriate place to purchase your bitcoin, and appropriate place where you going to store your bitcoin, and how you going to secure your seed phrase.

If you are planning to invest in bitcoin, then you should have the mindset to hold for long period of them, so you should make sure your investment is properly secured. Just imagine that after holding bitcoin for years, and you end up being scammed, or you end up losing access to your bitcoin, it’s really going to be painful.

When investing, we should just take exchange as a market, where you will be able to buy your bitcoin, but never store your bitcoin on exchange, make sure you get a non custodial wallet, and store your bitcoin there, make sure you are in full control of your money, make sure your funds is not controlled by anyone. Also make sure you properly secure your seed phrase, anyone that has access to your seed phrase can send out all the coin in your wallet without informing you.

Before trying to purchase Bitcoin, it is advisable to understand Bitcoin better, as this is the first step in the process. Purchasing Bitcoin without understanding it will surely lead to no positive outcome. Understand the security aspects of Bitcoin, how to handle your Bitcoin in a non-custodial wallet, and how to manage Bitcoin in a custodial wallet such as an exchange, both when you want to buy Bitcoin and when you want to sell it.

The worst mistake for beginners is to rush into the market without understanding what Bitcoin is. I see no reason why one should be in haste to purchase Bitcoin without a clear understanding of what it is all about, as this will lead to nothing.

If you wants to buy bitcoin and keep you have to looks for nearby bitcoin ATM machine where you can purchase bitcoin through your credit card or a debit card, but a process whereby you don't know any nearby bitcoin ATM machine, I will advice you to use an exchange were you can get your bitcoin through exchange platform,

But for the aspects of Storing your bitcoin to the safest place, please never intend to use any exchange wallet address to store your bitcoin, if you do, you may end up losing your bitcoin in future, a hardware is recommended to store your bitcoin and it will be served, but the most important thing you have to know about hardware wallet is that, once you misplaced your private keys you have lost your coins, so the safety of your coin or bitcoin in a hardware wallet is determined by how safe your private key is.

This is the same with overall investing, they've heard other people made money investing onto this 'xx' investment. And so, they hurry before they miss the opportunity that might also come to them.

But that's a huge mistake that they need to make, if they want to invest to bitcoin or any other assets. What they need to do is to make sure they have understood it beforehand.

Rushing to the waters without preparation and any other contingencies are likely to drown them. That's the same in investing if they're not going to know what they're up to before putting their money in it even it is with Bitcoin.

This is a mistake that many new investors make so it is important to store your funds in good wallets when buying and selling bitcoin there is a big risk in exchange wallets. If the exchange is hacked or shut down for some reason then there is a possibility of losing your bitcoin this is because the private key of this wallet is with the exchange and not with you that is why you can use hardware wallets where your bitcoin private key is stored safely offline. If you want to hold large amounts of Bitcoin for a long time then you should definitely use a hardware wallet this will give your bitcoin maximum protection.

This advice is always repeated and I hope beginners take it seriously because it is priceless.  Anyone who witnessed FTX and other exchanges that went bankrupt or got hacked will clearly understand the dangers of centralized exchanges and that they are not a safe place to store your funds.

Buying a hardware wallet will only cost you a little, but it will protect you from all potential risks since it provides advanced security features. I personally use Trezor,, and it works well for me.

Another piece of advice is to avoid clicking on links and downloading email attachments.. Many have fallen victim to these phishing emails that appear to be legitimate. You must double-check everything, because even if you have a hardware wallet, being careless or failing to follow essential security measures can still lead to losing your assets.

Alot of newbies make this mistake of considering exchanges to be their wallet that they trust them to store their crypto coins for them but that's a big mistake that alot of them end up making. Exchanges aren't wallet but a place to only buy and sell and that's what we should be using it for. Anyone using it as a wallet or for any other purposes that they weren't created for are taking a big risk. The exchanging on the platform alone is a risk because if your money is their and the exchange goes down, your money vanishes with it. This should also alert you not to put money that can't be forgotten if lost on the exchange. If you want to exchange a large sum of money, you do the transaction in batches as a precaution.

It's lack of knowledge that makes many newbie investors mistake an exchange account for a wallet. Many of them were introduced by others who as well lacked the right knowledge on how to store their coins. So it becomes a problem once there's a root. Most times trying to teach such person would become difficult because they believe that the person they had learnt from, would know more about storing their coins. 

Exchange offers it's user an account and a means for them to request for their funds anytime they so wish, but they literally are in charge of your coins and if things goes south, they may decide not to hand them over to you. So it's better to get a wallet and store the keys your self...

They do neither know about fundamentals and importance of wallet mnemonic seed and private key nor risk of losing all their funds by relying on other parties in owning their wallet private keys. The third parties can be scammers, or can be hacked so private keys of customers' wallets can be compromised and used to steal customer fund on exchanges.

Many hacks happened in history of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency market.
Many exchanges died after hacks or used hacks as a reason for their scam exits.

Not your keys, not your coins. (https://chainsec.io/nyknyc/)
Cryptocurrency exchange graveyard. (https://www.cryptowisser.com/exchange-graveyard/)
List of Major Bitcoin Heists, Thefts, Hacks, Scams, and Losses (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=576337.)

You are welcome, OP. It is really normal to feel confused at first, but I will say you're on the right track to get your answers.the safest way that many people get their Bitcoin is through reputable exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, and a few others, depending on which exchange your country supports. So, it is not really hard to get Bitcoin from a reputable exchange because there are different methods of purchasing Bitcoin.

After buying, you can move it to your own personal wallet but that should depend on the amount of Bitcoin you are holding. If it is just a small amount of Bitcoin, I would say it’s okay to leave it in a reputable exchange until you're able to accumulate a reasonable amount before move it to a non-custodial wallet where you are the only one who has full control of it. The type of personal wallet that is good for long-term storage is a hardware wallet, e.g,Ledger or Trezor. But it’s better to accumulate a reasonable amount of Bitcoin before moving it there.

Do you have any knowledge about Bitcoin? Since you show to be new, you must understand the basics of Bitcoin before considering a wallet and how to store it. The reason for this is that some new people simply want to have Bitcoin in their wallet right away because they have the funds to do so without knowing how it operates; they will invest in it and then become anxious about the price when it doesn't increase because their goal is to hold it for a year or two years and sell it when it does. Selling when the price is high is not a bad thing, but some interested people lose interest in buying Bitcoin as a result of the panic.


One of the best things I've ever heard is encouraging beginners to buy Bitcoin by showing them how to do so with any amount of money they have rather than waiting to have the full amount to buy one Bitcoin directly. This makes them feel at ease and helps them avoid thinking negatively about Bitcoin, as many people want to buy it but don't understand it; they can buy it with any amount they have or don't, Bitcoin is for everyone, not just those with money.

through a decentralized exchange, which is the most recommended, you can also use a centralized exchange and later send to a non custodial wallet from any of the list below.


Choose from here and you will always be grateful for makinig the right decision here.
Bitcoin Core (https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/)
Passport (https://foundationdevices.com/passport/)
Electrum (https://electrum.org/)
Sparrow (https://sparrowwallet.com/)
Bluewallet (https://bluewallet.io/)


Non custodial wallet from some mentioned above

In fact, so many newbies and others who have been involved in bitcoin investment don't even know the risks of using an exchange as a wallet; they feel it is just a normal wallet that every investor can use. They don't even have an understanding of non-custodial and custodial wallets, and they can't tell the difference between these types of wallets.

What I observed is that the average investor doesn't have the time to research the best wallet to store bitcoin. Their main concern is to buy bitcoin from an exchange and leave it there as their wallet. This is the benefit of a bitcoin forum because, as a member, one will surely learn about wallets. I have seen many average investors who think the exchange is a comfortable place to hold their bitcoin.

Newbies are rushing to just start investing in Bitcoin; they don’t actually care to learn first before starting to invest in Bitcoin, mostly because they have the same mentality that Bitcoin is safe. They don’t care to have some basic knowledge about Bitcoin itself, keys, and addresses, and also blockchain technology, and they are very important knowledge to have before you start your Bitcoin investment so that they can’t make mistakes in either sending or receiving Bitcoin.

Exactly, exchanges should be used as marketplacesto buy and sell coins. Some newbies are very lazy; they don’t want to move their Bitcoin out of their exchange wallets because they normally think that it is safe for them there, not knowing that the exchange can be hacked and your coin will not be fine forever. However, they should understand that personal wallets that they will have the control of their Bitcoin are very important so that they will understand the concept of Bitcoin and its purpose. Privacy is very important.

I think what these exchanges are good for is trading and other quick transactions but not for storage of funds especially if these funds are not what you intend to use for your daily needs. Mostly what I think many people leave in their exchanges are little funds for expending but anything outside such funds should be kept in the cold wallet which serves as your storage and do not allow carelessness or laziness to go and store all your assets on  yur exchange to avoid stories which breaks the heart.

To buy Bitcoin safely, it is necessary to use a well-known and trusted exchange. In that case, Coinbase and Binance exchanges can be used. First, you can buy a little and keep it on the exchange, then when the investment is large, it is better to store it in hardware.

And crypt storage can be done in two ways. One is a soft wallet and the other is a hardware wallet. The first is convenient to use but there is a fear of being connected to the internet.

However, the latter can be used without fear.

Bro, investing in a hurry to make a profit can be compared to gambling. In fact, those who do not know anything about the market properly are the ones who rush more. The market does not forgive anyone, if you are not patient, let alone make a profit, you do not even have real money in hand. Even after taking great care, many people may lose and if you invest in a hurry here, it does not enter your mind how to make a profit.

Nowadays, it is seen that many people are rushing to invest just because of the 'hype' without knowing or understanding it. However, whether it is Bitcoin or any other investment, if you enter it without understanding the philosophy, technology, and risks behind it, you are far from making a profit. On the contrary, there is a high risk of losing your hard-earned money. Many people only see that 'such and such is making so much profit' and then jump into investing without understanding. Later, it is seen that they suffer losses and say various things. They are unaware of this beforehand, so they end up in such situations. On the other hand, many people start from here, understand it well, and slowly move towards profit.

First of all Bitcoin investment is not a get rich quick scheme or e ponzi scheme. So if you are looking forward to making profits quickly through Bitcoin investment you are actually making a very big mistake because you might not get that chances easily. However making profits from Bitcoin investment requires you to invest into Bitcoin for a long time and with a proper strategy.
If you are looking forward to make quick profit I think you should try trading different crypto currencies but just know that profits is not guaranteed.

Since the OP hasn't responded in a while, I'll assume that enough advice was given (and there are many helpful topics out there) and locking the topic. If you have another specific question, feel free to create a new topic.