Bitcoin Wallets for Australia?

[NickFi]

Hi, I was looking to get a wallet which I can use in Australia. I thought the MultiBit HD looks like a good choice, but after installing the software, I found out they only work with Glidera, which only serves North America.

Is it true that at the moment I can't use MultiBit HD in Australia? Is there a wallet that I can use to made transactions in Australia?

Also, one of the told advantages of BitCoin are the low cost of transactions. But when I look around, there are a lot of websites in Australia that charge significant fees (up to 5%) for transacting bitcoins. Are there any places to buy/sell bitcoins without having to lose a few percent per transaction?

Thanks,
Nick

[~Bitcoin~]

There are lots of exchanger where you can buy and sell or trade bitcoin for fiat with bank deposit (sepa or bank wire) but you need to be verified member to do so and only reasonable if you are willing to deposit few thousand usd. I don't know specific exchanger based on australia but there are some well known like bitfinex, bistamp etc acceping bank deposit, check yourself.

[Snorek]

Hi, I was looking to get a wallet which I can use in Australia. I thought the MultiBit HD looks like a good choice, but after installing the software, I found out they only work with Glidera, which only serves North America.

Is it true that at the moment I can't use MultiBit HD in Australia? Is there a wallet that I can use to made transactions in Australia?
-snip-

I never thought nor I ever encounter situation you depicted. From what I could tell software bitcoin wallets don't have any region restrictions build in.
You can use bitcoin wallet in any country and from anywhere in the world and it will work with no problems.

[BigBoom3599]

I think you are asking for an exchange not a wallet, a wallet is where you store your bitcoins so it should work in every country. There are a lot of exchanges for buying bitcoins, the most common ones are Coinbase, Bitfinex and Kraken. So try these or google for some other ones.

[socks435]

Why don't you try electrum for safe place of your bitcoin and coinbase for you daily transaction.. electrum has a payment per transaction but you can adjust the fee for your own..  coinbase has no fee for every transaction i just using it for daily use..

[RealBitcoin]

Wallets dont discriminate the users location, i think you question is wrong. You might need a bitcoin exchange to buy bitcoin from. And in that case there are plenty that accept people from all over the world.

[NickFi]

I never thought nor I ever encounter situation you depicted. From what I could tell software bitcoin wallets don't have any region restrictions build in.
You can use bitcoin wallet in any country and from anywhere in the world and it will work with no problems.

Thanks Snorek,

When I have chosen the software for a wallet, I also thought the same as you, that a wallet would work anywhere in the world (just as a real wallet).
The confusion came after I installed the wallet software and I started looking for a place to buy/sell bitcoins.
On their website, you can see the info they provided: https://multibit.org/en/help/hd0.3/buy-sell-bitcoin.html

I obviously don't know much about bitcoins, but from what they say in there, it appears that the only place to buy/sell bitcoins while using MultiBit HD is Glidera - and if your region is not covered (yet), tough luck.

Nick

[NickFi]

I think you are asking for an exchange not a wallet, a wallet is where you store your bitcoins so it should work in every country. There are a lot of exchanges for buying bitcoins, the most common ones are Coinbase, Bitfinex and Kraken. So try these or google for some other ones.

Hi BigBoom,

Please correct me if I'm wrong - In order to buy bitcoins, do I need a wallet or not? I looked at various software for wallets and I selected one that does not require over 65 GB and bandwidth to store the bitcoins (which would be quite ridiculous, if I only want to buy one or two bitcoins). I think I understand the role of such a software, I imagine it stores all bitcoin transactions all over the world, pretty much like DNS databases that are distributed and updated continuously.

So, I chose what it looked like a decent software for wallets (MultiBit HD). Well, it may be good software (I don't know that yet), but their "help" to instruct the user to buy their first bitcoin is a let down. If I don't live in USA, apparently I can't buy bitcoins ( https://multibit.org/en/help/hd0.3/buy-sell-bitcoin.html )

So, if I decide to use Coinbase, Bitfinex or Kraken, what wallet should I choose? As I explained, I don't want to transform my desktop computer into a bitcoin server. I want a decently low size, low bandwidth and secure wallet.

Thanks,
Nick

[Foxpup]

I obviously don't know much about bitcoins, but from what they say in there, it appears that the only place to buy/sell bitcoins while using MultiBit HD is Glidera - and if your region is not covered (yet), tough luck.

They say it's a place to buy and sell bitcoins, and that they particularly recommend it because they have a business relationship with them. You can, in fact, transact with companies other than those recommended by your wallet provider. For buying and selling bitcoins in Australia, I personally recommend BTC Markets (again, my recommendation is worth just as little as anyone else's).

[NickFi]

Wallets dont discriminate the users location, i think you question is wrong. You might need a bitcoin exchange to buy bitcoin from. And in that case there are plenty that accept people from all over the world.

Hi RealBitcoin,

Well, my question is right, based on the information provided by MultiBit HD: https://multibit.org/en/help/hd0.3/buy-sell-bitcoin.html

I opened the MultiBit HD wallet and apparently the ONLY way to buy or sell BitCoins while using their wallet software is via Glidera (which only serves at the moment North America). I found about MultiBit HD from what I thought it is a reputable website (https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet). In there, they keep quiet about the limited usability of this wallet.

Thanks for pointing out about exchanges. For a newbie, there are too many options and too much partial information available and I find it a bit hard to start. So, what wallet would you recommend (that does not require 65GB of storage and high bandwidth).

Nick

[NickFi]

I obviously don't know much about bitcoins, but from what they say in there, it appears that the only place to buy/sell bitcoins while using MultiBit HD is Glidera - and if your region is not covered (yet), tough luck.

They say it's a place to buy and sell bitcoins, and that they particularly recommend it because they have a business relationship with them. You can, in fact, transact with companies other than those recommended by your wallet provider. For buying and selling bitcoins in Australia, I personally recommend BTC Markets (again, my recommendation is worth just as little as anyone else's).

They don't say it is a place - when opening that wallet it is the only choice I am provided with. I am not offered the choice to choose Glidera or something else - there is nothing else apart Glidera.

Either that, or I can't see some obvious (or not so obvious) workaround Glidera.

I wanted to post a screenshot, but I don't know how to do it (I have the image on my hard disk).

Nick

[7788bitcoin]

Most bitcoin wallets are not country specific... I think you should just try out a few to decide which one you like. Bitcoin is a global currency so enjoy on capital control and no restriction on the amount to be transmitted.

[Foxpup]

I opened the MultiBit HD wallet and apparently the ONLY way to buy or sell BitCoins while using their wallet software is via Glidera (which only serves at the moment North America).

What are you even talking about? MultiBit HD, like any wallet, can send and receive bitcoins to and from any company or individual in the world who accepts bitcoins. What do you see when you click the Send/Request tab? When you have bought bitcoins on an exchange, you can request that they send those coins to your wallet. If you have coins in your wallet that you want to sell, you can send them to the exchange in order to do so. It's not that hard.

[NickFi]

I opened the MultiBit HD wallet and apparently the ONLY way to buy or sell BitCoins while using their wallet software is via Glidera (which only serves at the moment North America).

What are you even talking about? MultiBit HD, like any wallet, can send and receive bitcoins to and from any company or individual in the world who accepts bitcoins. What do you see when you click the Send/Request tab? When you have bought bitcoins on an exchange, you can request that they send those coins to your wallet. If you have coins in your wallet that you want to sell, you can send them to the exchange in order to do so. It's not that hard.

I think I begin to understand. MultiBit HD has the function Buy/Sell and that function ONLY works with Glidera.
But the function Send/Request works with any exchange.

To me, it seemed natural that when I want to buy bitcoins, to use the function "BUY" and not "Request". As hard as it was for you to understand what I am talking about, it was for me to figure out how the wallet thingie works

Thanks,
Nick

[bitcoineverything]

If you are looking for an exchange service, I would suggest 247 exchange. It accepts a number of currencies such as USD, AUD, EUR and a lot more. For Bitcoin wallet, I would suggest the most widely used Blockchain.info.

[romero121]

Hi, I was looking to get a wallet which I can use in Australia. I thought the MultiBit HD looks like a good choice, but after installing the software, I found out they only work with Glidera, which only serves North America.

Is it true that at the moment I can't use MultiBit HD in Australia? Is there a wallet that I can use to made transactions in Australia?

Also, one of the told advantages of BitCoin are the low cost of transactions. But when I look around, there are a lot of websites in Australia that charge significant fees (up to 5%) for transacting bitcoins. Are there any places to buy/sell bitcoins without having to lose a few percent per transaction?

Thanks,
Nick

You could try Blockchain wallet. It has got access in most of the countries and if you are trying to find a exchange or trading website to buy bitcoin with less transaction fees can go with localbitcoins.com because here your transaction fee is provided by the trader.

[NickFi]

If you are looking for an exchange service, I would suggest 247 exchange. It accepts a number of currencies such as USD, AUD, EUR and a lot more. For Bitcoin wallet, I would suggest the most widely used Blockchain.info.

Thank you very much for recommendations. It's good to know that blockchain.info is the most widely used wallet service.

Nick

[NickFi]

Hi, I was looking to get a wallet which I can use in Australia. I thought the MultiBit HD looks like a good choice, but after installing the software, I found out they only work with Glidera, which only serves North America.

Is it true that at the moment I can't use MultiBit HD in Australia? Is there a wallet that I can use to made transactions in Australia?

Also, one of the told advantages of BitCoin are the low cost of transactions. But when I look around, there are a lot of websites in Australia that charge significant fees (up to 5%) for transacting bitcoins. Are there any places to buy/sell bitcoins without having to lose a few percent per transaction?

Thanks,
Nick

You could try Blockchain wallet. It has got access in most of the countries and if you are trying to find a exchange or trading website to buy bitcoin with less transaction fees can go with localbitcoins.com because here your transaction fee is provided by the trader.

Hi Romero,

Excellent info about localbitcoins.com - I can deposit directly into the bank accounts of the people listed and they send me the bitcoins. And I can see immediately how much it would cost me. So far, this appears to be the most convenient way of transacting bitcoins for me - no need to to SWIFT transfers or get the high fees when using credit cards.

Nick

[justspare]

I am also from Australia and I personally use Coinbase to buy my Bitcoins, it is very safe, but I store my Bitcoins on a ledger wallet. You should probably invest in a hardware wallet if you are going to buy multiple Bitcoins.

[NickFi]

I am also from Australia and I personally use Coinbase to buy my Bitcoins, it is very safe, but I store my Bitcoins on a ledger wallet. You should probably invest in a hardware wallet if you are going to buy multiple Bitcoins.

Thanks for advice. I read about hardware wallets and I will consider them in the future.

Are you using coinbase.com? I created an account with them some time ago and now I logged in and it says

"Sorry! Buy & Sell not available in Australia. We are not able to provide exchanging bitcoin in your region yet. Consider contacting your local government."

Nick

[Whosdaddy]

I think you are asking for an exchange not a wallet, a wallet is where you store your bitcoins so it should work in every country. There are a lot of exchanges for buying bitcoins, the most common ones are Coinbase, Bitfinex and Kraken. So try these or google for some other ones.

Hi BigBoom,

Please correct me if I'm wrong - In order to buy bitcoins, do I need a wallet or not?

Yes you need wallet. Bitcoin wallet is just like your wallet where you can store your bitcoins (similar to money).

I never thought nor I ever encounter situation you depicted. From what I could tell software bitcoin wallets don't have any region restrictions build in.
You can use bitcoin wallet in any country and from anywhere in the world and it will work with no problems.

Thanks Snorek,

When I have chosen the software for a wallet, I also thought the same as you, that a wallet would work anywhere in the world (just as a real wallet).
The confusion came after I installed the wallet software and I started looking for a place to buy/sell bitcoins.
On their website, you can see the info they provided: https://multibit.org/en/help/hd0.3/buy-sell-bitcoin.html

I obviously don't know much about bitcoins, but from what they say in there, it appears that the only place to buy/sell bitcoins while using MultiBit HD is Glidera - and if your region is not covered (yet), tough luck.

Nick

You can buy /sell your bitcoin anywhere in the world. Multibit just only a wallet nothing more.
You can buy bitcoin using any exchanges but careful to use best one and also you can buy/sell bitcoin in this forum's Currency exchange section.

[hermanhs09]

Hi, I was looking to get a wallet which I can use in Australia. I thought the MultiBit HD looks like a good choice, but after installing the software, I found out they only work with Glidera, which only serves North America.

Is it true that at the moment I can't use MultiBit HD in Australia? Is there a wallet that I can use to made transactions in Australia?

Also, one of the told advantages of BitCoin are the low cost of transactions. But when I look around, there are a lot of websites in Australia that charge significant fees (up to 5%) for transacting bitcoins. Are there any places to buy/sell bitcoins without having to lose a few percent per transaction?

Thanks,
Nick

May I enquire about the method of you buying bitcoins with? Westpac cash deposit, online bank transfers or just face to face transactions? If it's cash deposit, then I may be able to assist you.

And as with the bitcoin wallet, try coinbase or blockchain.info. They serve everyone.