depends how uninformed your local craigslist is on mining. on ebay you won't get more than $20-25.

I have BTC on coinbase, I'm not sure what to do next. Here's what I assume...

Download qt client and sync.
Click receive.
Click new address and label it something like 'coinbase payment'.
They send money to that address.
It just appears in my wallet? Instantly?
Then I just encrypt it, put my .dat file on some usbs and now i'm secure?

How is my 'new address' created to ensure nobody else would get that address? A unique ID from a database on a remote server generates the address?
Can I just bank like 50% of my BTC and keep the rest to trade? Do I need another wallet to do this?
Can I make a new wallet and send myself coins?

Maybe there's a site that explains all this. if so, sorry I'll read it.

Thanks in advance.

This is just the thread I was looking for. Thanks! I need to PM someone and I can't do it unless I post a substantial post with multiple sentences. So... I hope this is enough. Welcome! Sorry for wasting space.