Bitcoin Forum

Hey guys, I was wondering how you buy bitcoins. What exchange/service do you use and why? I'm a newb and want to start buying some bitcoins and I'm leaning towards coinbase because of it's ease of payment, although I do not know how long it takes for bank transfers to complete. Gox is to centralized it seems, and getting money into Gox seems to be very hard, especially with Dwolla, which has many hoops on its own. I wish I could use a smaller exchange like Bitstamp, but I don't know how to easily deposit money there, and Bitinstant doesn't help much, I don't want to drive to do a cash deposit, and the fees are high. Thanks for your input :D
-Jet

I do face to face trades, meeting people in real life.

I'm also new to BTC, but have recently joined and began using Mtgox, namely because they are currently the biggest. However, I do understand the criticisms of mtgox, manly them being unstable/ddos often, which seems to be occurring right now, as I cannot log on to mtgox.

If you're in the US, this company just recently got $5mil by Union Square Ventures and operate out of SF. https://coinbase.com/

#bitcoin-otc with highly trusted person, or cash deposits.

i like dwolla to gox, nearly fee free, just takes time to implement.

have only traded other coins for BTC so far.

BTC-E is a decent exchange.  Mt. Gox and bter are some other options for online trading.

of course, if you are in the US, you use dwolla, it's the cheapest!

i use bitcoin.de, fast and secure, never had any Problems, SEPA within of 2-3 days transfer is done, both ways

edit: spell correction

mtgox is the best ;)

I use exchanger, because I have money in other ecurrencies like Paypal or LR

and so far i use  Aurumxchange for my transactions...

I'm comfortable with their service, because the service is instant and realible rate exchange.

If you want to buy bitcoins using paypal (easiest quickest option) check out this tutorial http://wp.me/p3sJmg-3d (http://wp.me/p3sJmg-3d) If you found it useful support us at the address shown in the signature

I almost exclusively use coinbase.com

You the services of sites like
btc-e.com
mtgox.com
virwox.com
bitstamp.net

How you can get your money INTO these exchanges have been discussed on this forum more number of times than anyone can remember or possibly count.
So do a little browsing around and find out which exchange has the best support for your country & so on.


You can also use the services of exchanges that are being operated by the forum members like
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=176877.msg1841315#msg1841315

and countless other Buy/Sell offers on the marketplace here :
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=53.0

A fully detailed way of buying coins through Paypal is here :
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=173966.0

Dwolla to CampBx is the best.  Not sure why, but CampBx has much faster Dwolla transfers than Gox and higher limits. 

Direct bank transfer is a good option if you can find someone you trust. Depends on where you live aswell.

For the past two weeks I've been using www.bitcoin.de, I've done 5 transactions and all have been fine.

I buy btc from bitstamp.net

Lots of trusted forum members selling bitcoins as well. Or you could sell something on the forum for bitcoins.

btc-e, bitstamp, mt gox, and lots more. 

Just google bitcoin exchange

T|oo many fees for my liking!

just my words

i made 9 transactions in both directions [BTC ⇹ EUR]
if you buy BTCs you'll get a message with Infos where to transmit the Money (12hours to mark as "paid")(SEPA or Country-specific ways of payment possible, no PayPal, no third Party). when the BTC-seller marks the deal as "Money received" automatically the amount of BTCs will be transfered seller to buyer (atm of buying the System checks liquidity of both wallets)

everey "deal" was solved in Maximum 3 days of work (baddest possibility: friday deal, wednesday completed)

after every Transaction you have to give a Rating about your deal-Partner, and you can filter your asks/bids for a Minimum trust-Level which is needed to deal BTC with you.
(i got 9 x 5stars, so i'm almost at silver-level =D )

last but not least i have to mention, that i never heard about or even had myself any Problems to reach the Website. it was always online.

and shouldn't be undervalued: on my first "deal" i was too nervous and wrote to Support (they say they awnser in max 48h). i didnt even slept when i got an awnser (it was about middle Duration of a whole Transaction - they wrote 3 working days).... so even Support gets an "+1"

this all might Sound like Commercial for bitcoin.de, i totally understand you :) but i dont know anyone there, don't earn a Piece of anything, or something else.
it's just that i'm totally satisfied to know a (at least so felt) secure Portal to buy/sell BTC without a third Party earns any fees.

PS: you can't do "intraday-trading" or how ever you call it, cause you HAVE TO WAIT 2-3 days until all parts of the transactions are done. it is just the best way to cash out or buy in which i know.

good luck and happy trading =)  

edit: (added some tags)
UI: eng, spa, ger
trade: USD-BTC / EUR-BTC
chart: yes (4 different timeframes)
forum avaible


i hope i could help at least ONE person :)

edit²: sorry for some capital letters set wrong ... thats damn iE10 auto-korrection, still didn't got it to set it off.

dwolla -> campbx worked smoothly for me.  Still waiting to hear what's going to happen to some funds in bitfloor though...

I've been mining and converting the coins earned to btc using exchanges like btc-e.com and bter.com.

i guess OP's question was how do you change it to fiat-currency of your country :)

bitcoin.de is good, if you want to buy Bitcoins.
I've bought nearly all of my Coins there.
It can be a bit annoying to sell Bitcoins, because some buyers wait and don't pay when the BTC-price goes down (+take the bad rating).
You will not lose your Bitcoins, but you've missed the chance to sell them at the higher point before then.

Also the process takes some time, so it's not good for daytrading.

false

at the moment, when somebody awnsers a bid/ask, the amount of BTC/fiat-money in the wallet is locked.

so it doesnt matters what the chart does, the price at the time stamp of the deal is absolute fix.

false, only BTCs are locked at bitcoin.de.
You get the bank data of the other trader to transfer money.

They want to change that though and try to get a bank to cooperate.

metabank.ru fast and easy  ;)

you are right, only BTCs are locked... how could they lock a cent anywhere else, you dont have to give any postal or financial adress of you at registration...
my fault, only the BTC seller gets the amount locked....
but no transaction will be without confirmations of both sides....
no matter, at least it's a absolute stable and secure portal for fiat exchanges
LIKE!
+1
however ;D

I used LocalBitcoins.com

Do the same thing myself and have  done so for quite a few transactions.  I doubt this works out well for people in smaller cities and towns though.  I live in a large metropolitan area of 10,000,000 plus though.

slush pool

Who did you decide to go with and how did it work out?

I personally use localbitcoins - Although some of the prices are very unfair for the buyers..  Still, it has many good traders, and I've done $5000 + worth of trades on ther.

cash --> localbitcoins

no 3rd parties, no paper trails, no nothing.

This is the best method. A least likely chance to get scammed, and you can sometimes get more. Exchanges are somewhat risky depending on the amount of money you move.

It's good when you are the advertiser with reputation, then you can charge a premium like 3,4,6% over exchange price. Worse when you are the newbie and getting charted 3,4,6% premium!

I used BitStamp and btc-e to buy bitcoins (and other cryptos), I prefer the first one because of its security and trust.

I did have to pay a premium to buy on localbitcoins, but it was comparable to the fees I paid to wire money to Bitstamp. So all in all, I preferred the cash route.

Hi,
I am trying not to buy BTC, but to work for it and earn it.
BR

Well i hate transfer money to exchange cause it takes a long time. So i prefer using some trusted local/personal seller, or BTC-E (Okpay or PM for small amount)


Just like me :D i almost never bought it, i earn it and if i need some cash then i sell it .

Local Bitcoins is the only way I do it. Nothing better than grabbing some cash out of the ATM, going to a Starbucks, and handing it over for some BTC. I don't like to deal with exchanges when I don't have to. :)

What are some options, besides localbitcoins.

I was considering coinbase, but I heard they delay the price point or limit your purchase? Or they delay the coins to send you.

I used https://btc-e.com/ (https://btc-e.com/) to buy or sell bitcoin
Instant deposit/withdrawal all coin

I use Coinbase to get my dollars into the system. That's the easiest way I've found as a US resident. After that, I usually send my coins to cold storage or to an exchange like BTCE or Bitfinex. I've never deposited money to an exchange before; it seems like a headache.

Lamassu and other Bitcoin atms.

I've used Coinbase, though I am not a huge fan. But it's an easy way to get money directly from your bank into bitcoin. I like to use cash on LBC when I can, but unfortunately never built up any feedback there, so not much luck posting ads.

It seems quite some people have their trades cancelled when bitcoin price went up quickly.

Nov 2013:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=328076.0;all
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=341082.0;all

Apr 2014:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=564094.0;all

May 2014:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=630807.0;all

I have never had a problem with coinbase. With that said i barely register on the radar of buying and selling coins. I typically use coinbase.com to cash out. I believe they have a waiting period if you want more than 2,000 or maybe its 3,000 per day.


Steve

I have used virwox a lot since they accept Paypal deposits. They are slow on withdrawals as there is a procedure to hold your first BTC withdrawal for 48 hours and their fees are steep. Try using a BTC Machine which dispense bitcoins, it typically takes a few minutes.

Coinbase for small purchases.

I use Coinbase usually. IMO, it is easy and intelligible

I agree, Coinbase is very easy and has a good interface. It's a good way to get money from your bank and into the BTC economy. It is not a good platform for trading, though.

In The Netherlands we have this awesome website www.bitonic.nl (http://www.bitonic.nl)
You can already buy or sell bitcoins very easily with online banking.
However I understand that other country's dont have it so easy as us.
If there wouldnt be a site here like Bitonic I think I would use www.localbitcoins.com (http://www.localbitcoins.com)
Best would be to look for a trader, with a good reputation and is living close.
And just meet up in person I guess.

I only wish I could enter a USD amount in and coinbase gives me bitcoins for that amount, including the fees.

In Europe use kraken (https://www.kraken.com/), it's the best and safest.

I use localbitcoins because it is p2p and I have indeed made a few bitcoin friends through the trades. :D

I noticed you are interested in buying bitcoin. I run Bitcoin-Brokers. Here is our review thread, which has 50,000 views, and hundreds of positive comments.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=237164.0

I would be happy to arrange a deposit at a bank of your choice to pay for these bitcoin. Currently I can offer Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC.

Feel free to contact me through the help desk at www.Bitcoin-Brokers.org and I can arrange the deposit immediately for you.

Thanks.

I use this https://bittiraha.fi/bitcoin/buy
It is very simple.

Coinbase would be safer.

I have used Coinbase. My understanding is that Circle's new service is/will be similar. Is it live yet? Has anyone tried it? The more competition for exchanges and brokers, the better.

Iam from Germany and I use Bitstamp.net :)

I'm in the US and use coinbase to buy, but only keep a small amount in my wallet there and transfer most to an offline cold wallet.

In Australia I use CoinJar for buy and sell

I have only used btce to buy and trade btc. :)

I use a local exchange. Taxes are high, but crazy spread and still cheaper and easier than wire transfer, that I have no idea how to do at the moment

I am using www.localbitcoins.com, really like it buying there using escrow service.

I am in Aus, so i use #irc for the best deals, then bittrade australia and then spendbitcoins.com if i need some URGENT and am willing to pay a price.
if you are careful, IRC definatyl has the best rates ! ALOT of scammers to be wary of, all though probably less than on this site!

Same, is nice when you buy from real person, since he can also gives you tutorials. Well good fro noobs like me.

I get mine from btce and bittylicious, but mostly just btce now cos you pay a bit extra on bittylicious.

Coinbase is very convenient.

Just link your checking account.

using direct local bank transfer
no fee and quick, my friend is bitcoin seller
he give me nice rate ;D

I'm trading BTC in vip.bitcoin.co.id  :)
because they are the biggest exchange in my country and accept rupiah for deposit and WD
since i didn't another payment processor, i will trade there

Coinbase is very convenient but know that all the purchases and sales are being tracked and most likely will have a 1099 issued.

Exchanges are the easiest way for me. I have a verified igot account so it takes me a day or two to get coins / funds in or out

I use localbitcoins to buy bitcoin.
The price is slightly higher there, but I can get the bitcoin fast and without any verification.

Same here. They're slightly more expensive (around 10 percent more in my country) but when your goal is to buy small amounts of BTC and hodl them long term, the price difference isn't really going to make that much of a difference anyway 5 or 10 years from now. Heck, I've seen the BTC/USD price move more than that in the space of a single day.

You're right, in fact just today the price has gone over 5% down and 5% up.

exchanges, no other way tho

Used localbitcoins once, but it's pretty expensive (10-15% onto current market value).
bitcoin.de is my favorite now. Works with SEPA, low fees and most of the time <24h 'till I have the BTC.

Maybe he want to say he only uses exchanges and no other way to buy bitcoin himself?  :)

Black markets? Do tell.

Localbitcoins is easiest -- I love cash/in-person but that will only get you so far if you really want to buy in/cash out a lot. I haven't heard too many complaints about wiring money to Bitstamp/Bitfinex, but BTCE I have heard of people running into delays/issues. However, BTCE is the superior trading platform of the three IMO.

Try Coinbase.com

I bought bitcoin in this forum currency exchange section.

Pretty sure Coinbase is US only. For US residents, it's a good/easy way to get money from your bank account into BTC. But it's certainly not good for trading, and I don't particularly trust their pricing mechanisms.

But there are quite some complaints about the Bitstamp KYC. The following are some examples.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=406908.0
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=520928.0
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=563071.0

i buy btc from btc-e and it a good exchange, never had any problems.

Do you send fiat there? I love BTCE as an exchange -- best trading platform and engine, IMO. But I have heard of people running into headaches wiring money there, not having it properly credited, and the situation being delayed by language issues from their customer service. I've never had issues, but I only send coins in and out.

i'm in the US, so i use Coinbase. direct ACH from my bank account, nice and easy. not for trading, though.

same here, it's by far the easiest way to get $ into bitcoin. but since i also trade, i generally move my coins to Stamp, BTC-E and Bitfinex once i have them. cold storage too. i would never store my coins at coinbase.

I bought mine from localbitcoins.com

Coinbase. when i get the itch to trade, i send coins to an exchange. Btce usually.

Can't say I've read too much positive things about them. I know many people dislike them because they look (and function) too similar to a bank. But if they allow users to buy BTC and withdraw them just like any other exchange, then I don't see the harm in using them.


Too bad they don't accept customers from NZ. The closest thing we've got here is bitNZ. I've never tried them but you have to submit ID and proof of address and their prices aren't that much lower than LocalBitcoins.com so I might as well just use them instead.

they're like a broker. and i think they front run their customers. ::)

I posted that before I found this quote:


Well that's no good then. :(

no, that's just for selling/fiat withdrawal. you can send out your coins from coinbase...

Umm... I was talking about Circle, not Coinbase. ???

I have used btc-e and they have exellent service.

I use localbitcoin , if you can get to the seller getting discuss you can actually get cheap btc than other site :)

I am an exchanger and I am currently exchanging bitcoins for no fees. I do bulk trading on daily basis. For those who are interested can contact me via Skype : nicola.matthews88

+1 for localbitcoins.
The price I can get there is usually a bit worse than exchanges, but I won't complain about the simple process. :)

Reputable sellers tend to charge a premium over market price. But you also have to take into consideration that wiring money to an exchange incurs % and flat fees, and during that time, BTC can also launch. So, there are trade-offs to be made. :)

Very true, and so I am still happily paying the premium on localbitcoins.  ;D

Does anyone use dwolla anymore on localbitcoins.com?

I'm pretty sure Dwolla has been out of the picture for bitcoin companies/exchanges for quite a while, so my feeling is that it has fallen out of the picture for bitcoin traders as well. http://www.coindesk.com/dwolla-bitcoin-companies-virtual-currency-exchanges/

Thats a shame. I saw an ad on there, but I guess it was a mistake. Checked again, it was gone with some other payment form.

I guess cash deposit is the best route right? cause no fees etc.

I really only do cash/in-person deals on LBC. Stay off the books, pay no fees to nobody. :) But yeah, if I were dealing with someone non-local, I would be looking at free online bank transfer / cash teller deposit. Escrow in that case.

You could check out localbitcoins to see if anyone in your area is selling.

Coinbase and localbitcoins. used bitinstant back in the day....

do trading from others coin to btc
more cheaps fee is doge . haha
i though so

Isn't the altcoin->bitcoin trading fee about the same as fiat->bitcoin ?
For example, the trading fee on Cryptsy is 0.25%, on bitstamp is 0.2-0.5%, on btc-e is 0.2%.

I buy my bitcoins through coinbase, virwox or localbitcoins.

I try to use localbitcoin when ever possible and try to meet up with other Bitcoiners to keep the money within a local radius. otherwise I use other exchanges.

I use localbitcoins because there is no verification process, and I can buy bitcoin fast and easy with cash. :)

pay cash, hand bitcoin

Bitfinex is a good place to buy BTC..

Buy BTC? Ha! I'd rather work for it!

In all seriousness, though, I would buy BTC with localbitcoins, or at a convention or something. Not through websites, since those require a lot of ID, and I don't like tossing about 100% of my identity to a highly valued target for hackers.

I haven't bought any BTC in the past, but I may do it some time soon. Working for it has proved fruitful, and as such, I haven't had a need to buy it.

hi, i've used virwox before and it was really fast. Ive used also localbitcoins with a trusteable guy several times over SEPA. Very good experience.

coinbase is nice, but it tkaes 4 days to get the bitcoins...

Depends on your account and the quantity. I can get up to $1000 in btc delivered daily instantly, and instantly withdrawable.

how long take bitcoin.de to withdraw?

My first purchase was F2F.
After that I did a couple of buys on exchanges: stamp, Btc-e, ...
Now I have gone back to F2F, in this way you meet new people, new stories and it allows me to learn a lot about this all

I buy my bitcoins through Coinbase, IMO Coinbase is very convenient.

When I need to get $$ into bitcoin, I sometimes use Coinbase and sometimes use Localbitcoins. I prefer the latter since I can get them instantly (in-person for cash).

I prefer localbitcoins as well, because it is the easiest way IMO to buy bitcoin without revealing my identity. :)

Not that long, I did it recently

coinbase  & lbc. Both works great.

I use my local exchange in indonesia
https://vip.bitcoin.co.id
sometimes bitcoin price there is too cheap when bitstamp/btc-e market increase too high
so i can buy in my local exchange and sell it to bitstamp/btc-e :P
i used localbitcoins once

This thread is just about a year old, but it shows us how many changes we have in the past year.
Mtgox was gone in early 2014, so as BitInstant.
Bitstamp was small, but is now one of the biggest exchanges. :)

Localbitcoins when I can, though I use Coinbase when local premiums are too high.

I prefer, local face to face trades, as it allows me to discuss bitcoin with fellow bitcoineers (if that even is a word) and to try to get them more interested in using bitcoin more often.

Atm or face to face when i finally buy some. Reading some old post on this thread are fun, lots of people say use Gox, how far we have come and so far to go.

I use coinbase, although if I ever get a circle invite I'd try it there since they are 0% fee.
I would use localbitcoins for face to face, but the only sellers in my area want higher prices than I'm willing to pay ($660-$800).

Be careful when you do face to face trades. It is very dangerous. Try to it in most crowded area.

I am thinking of buying BTC in Poloniex for alt coins and BTC-e for LTC. Coinbase is better though.
Kindly,
       MZ

I used to buy in vip.bitcoin.co.id
it is a local exchange in Indonesia
because they are the biggest exchange in my country and accept rupiah for deposit and WD
since i didn't another payment processor, i will trade there

i wouldn't lay it on too thick -- people are buying/selling on localbitcoins legitimately all the time, every day. but yes, just meet in a Starbucks or something. i mean -- why would you meet anywhere NOT in public?

lol :D maybe the seller/buyer insisted won't meet in public for several reasons, like busy or something. If that's the case, be careful.
 " why would you meet anywhere NOT in public? "

Localbitcoins
/thread

i usually wire some money to bitfinex to buy.

pretty much. although i have used coinbase before.

Even if you do in public with less crowded area, there is a chance of robbery. There was a post earlier telling that some people tried to get BTC by force, luckily he escaped from there. That  is why I told "most crowded area". :) Keep a distance from the person you buy or sell.
Kindly,
          Muhammed Zakir

You can try Coinbase and Localbitcoins

Localbitcoins without doubt, easiest and most hassle-free way of buying BTC in my opinion. Heard decent reviews of coinbase but haven't tried them yet. I only trade with sellers with a lots of positive feedback, there are a few scammers on there but as long as you're careful you should be fine.

Localbitcoin is the way, but using the forum marketplace buying only from trusted users can be better sometimes in terms of price.

Doesn't it depend where you live as well?  I think some countries are going to be a lot more easy to buy Bitcoins than other. 

I personally use Coinbase, it is fast, easy and seems pretty secure so far.  Sometimes the price is even different there so who knows what is the easiest

I used Localbitcoin, just try to not get scammed by low rep dudes.

I believe you are talking about the thread https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=641160.0, and that person almost lost his phone.

quickbt.com is great because you can buy it directly from your bank account, instantly. As long as you have an interac bank card, it will work. Usually takes less than an hour for the bitcoins to be in your wallet.

To be honest, I forgot about the thread you gave, I was talking about another. Then it happened to 2 people. Check the rating of the Seller in Localbitcoins before you buy. You may thing it is pretty easy but it isn't. Sometimes it may cost you your life.
Kindly,
     MZ

the only bad thing about LBC is that a lot of the time the other person doesn't show up

There active persons on localbitcoins. I think you didn't check correctly. :)
Kindly,
      MZ

Wow, that is pretty scary to be honest...I should get a friend to go with me next time when I do a face-to-face trade.

I got my btc from a friend who just happens to be a miner.

Use trusted exchange websites like wm-center and 24pay.me

or localbitcoins

because i'm from indonesia i'm usually use vip.bitcoin.co.id to buy or sell BTC

Btc-e is a decent exchange for buying bitcoin and other alt currencies, failing that localbitcoins is a sure bet.

Two ways:

1. I mine altcoins (mostly ltc), then transfer it to btc-e and convert it to btc.
2. Coinbase

One easy way I've used is debit card >> becharge >> UKash >> Btc-e >> BTC

Probably not the cheapest method (when you add in fees) but still fairly straight forward.

1. Use bitstmap

2. mining Alt coins

How do I get fiat to buy Bitcoin?  ::)

I'm surprised, but also a bit proud! There aren't as many people around here who say 'Mt. Gox'! :)
I like Bitstamp

Mining I can Use

The easiest way is to earn fiat IMHO is to get a job (full time, part time or freelance) :)

I use both BTC-e and localbitcoins.
BTC-e when I want to get bitcoin at a cheaper price, localbitcoins when I need the coin ASAP. :)

i use mybitcoinsusa.com
then again i use digicoins.
they are simply the best, best support and best fees.

I always had interacted with face to face transactions & exchange of BTC. More like exchange of service with the other party or taking some assistance.  8)

Isn't there a sizeable fee on ATM purchases? Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I could have sworn I heard rates upwards of 10%, maybe even 20%, it's been a while. Never actually seen one of these.

On my local website where you can buy/sell bitcoins, never had problems with It.

Most of my BTC is bought by Altcoin, on exchanges such as Cryptsy

I use bank transfer to move money to Bitstamp, and buy bitcoin there.
It works well for me, the only problem is that you need to verify your ID first.

Localbitcoins,they have escrow

buy BTC via the exchange>markets>buy  good luck on searching it if you didnt find it yet before posting this thread.

Yeah, they're really expensive. You're right, you're paying one hell of a premium if you buy at an Bitcoin ATM! Also, many of those require you to leave your finger-/handprints and input all kinds of personal information and your ID

I don't think the premium that you pay is quite that high. Even if you leave your fingerprints at the ATM you can easily use a mixer to disassociate the coins you buy with your identity.

There are still only centralized exchanges as of now, even over 1 year after you posted this. I think some of the exchanges nowadays are actually rather trustworthy. I won't mind buying at BitStamp or Coinbase, Kraken... But there still are shady exchanges like BTC-e where it is completely unknown from where they even operate their exchange!

you should chooce btc-e
Btc-e is the cheapest price of bitcoin

localbitcoins

Bitstamp mostly. Sometimes using bitfinex.

I buy BTC from trusted members on this forum.
Check the Marketplace for many threads of members buying and selling all types of crypto currency

I would doubt that we will every see any kind of decentralized exchange. The closest thing that we have to a decentralized exchange is LBC face-to-face transactions and we all (hopefully) know how many scams are attempted with these kind of trades (and the likely amount of scams that are successful). As long as the exchange has a certain level of trust and users are smart enough to not leave coins on the exchange for excessive periods of time, having a central exchange is not necessarily a bad thing.

I try to use face to face trades whenever I can.

Thank you so much!!! Really helped :)

 Mt. Gox another options for online trading.

But if you are in US, you can use dwolla because is the cheapest.

I amusing big exchanges like, bitstamp, coinbase.

I mainly use localbitcoins to buy bitcoin. When I want to buy some coins, I just find someone online there that has a good feedback, and the trade could be done within the day easily most of the time. :)

yes have had very good experiences with localbitcoin as a lot of other posters have said.

How do you think, which is the safest (including localbitcoins) ?

I used a bitcoin ATM today for the 1st time today ;D and it was a very easy and fast way 2 buy coins. I used a Lammassu brand ATM and all I had to do was hold up my QR code up to the machine put in some fiat and coins were in wallet within 30 seconds, confirmation  in 1 hour, too easy!!
I moved coins onto paper wallet  straight away.
Safe coins within 2 hours .

So far the majority of the bitcoin I've purchased over the past 6 months has been from coinbase.  Never had any issue(s) that weren't quickly resolved.  Fee-yaat typically hits my bank account ~4 business days after I cash out the satoshi's.

You put FIAT into BTC with exchanges like Bitstamp, Kraken, BTC-e, other (not MT Gox  ::))

I would like 2 do this but coinbase won't d do outside US bank account ttransfer. Buy or sell. Atm is still best for me

Yup Coinbase only serves US customers.
If you want to buy bitcoin outside US with bank transfer or SEPA, you could use Bitstamp.

Bitstamp or LocalBitcoins

I did my first transaction ever with localbitcoins, was really easy and fast, I would recommend it to anyone.