Investing in ICOs - the safest way

[neuro-artisan]

Hello, recently I've got interested in ICO idea. It seems really profitable, first thing is that you support the project and secondly you can make huge profits off it after some time.
But the thing is I've read about possible scams and so on, that's why I'm here to ask you guys:

What is the safest way to purchase ICOs? Is there web any platforms to do it?
What I should be aware of and how to ensure myself that I'm not throwing away my money in the air?
What is the process of purchasing ICO tokens? Is MyEtherWallet enough or is there better options?

Thanks in advance for all the replies guys

[HabBear]

There is no safe way, because most ICOs are rubbish...literally they borderline on scam.

Here's how you can try to make sure you're not investing in something that's never really going to return for you what you intend.

Ask the ICO creators:

• Are coins premined? If so, what percentage is premined?
• What features does this coin have that makes it better than existing coins (particularly Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Ripple)?
• How many coins will be mined total?
• What list price will the ICO start at?

If coins are premined, meaning the creator of the coin already has them in possession, it means they're only available for sale from the creator. This means the coins likely don't offer any value other than something to be sold to a guy who wants to get rich quick.

If the coins don't offer anything different and better than existing coins, they will truly not be able to compete with existing coins

The pull to try to "get in early" is great. You can still do that with coins that were not pre-mined and have tangible value, utility alongside bitcoin. Those options are Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Monero, Ripple...that's it.

[rublix]

ICO's can be a great way to raise money for a project and make money as an investor but also carries risk (like anything in life).

When making a decision to invest in a project, a few things to ask yourself:

-Team
Can you verify the team exists? Check for aged LinkedIn Profiles, etc.
Where is the company/foundation located? In North America, running a scam is not easy and will result in jail time.
Do the founders have any type of history in business?
Is there a track record for the head guy?

-Concept
Does the concept make sense? ...And more so is it doable?

-Web Site
Is the web site put together properly?
How old is the domain name? Running a whois can tell you how long the project has been alive.

Treat the ICO market just like investing into a penny stock. Always invest what you are willing to lose and not a dollar more. In the world of investing, risk management is king.

[goinmerry]

What is the safest way to purchase ICOs? Is there web any platforms to do it?

Purchase can be done at their respective website platforms. Instructions also included there.

What I should be aware of and how to ensure myself that I'm not throwing away my money in the air?

Prior to investing, you must accept that you may lose since no way we can predict if the ICO will run. All projects have wonderful roadmaps, the execution of it is the main concerned.

What is the process of purchasing ICO tokens? Is MyEtherWallet enough or is there better options?

Like I said above, instructions can be seen on the ICO website. Sometimes there are lots of options to choose on what payment method should be used.

[DAVETUN]

Do not be in a rush to invest in ICO ensure you do a detailed research about the project, the team involve, there track record and what they have to  offer, Observe what people are saying about them, ensure you do all you can to play safe in other to reduce the risk.

[odolvlobo]

Also, you need to estimate the predicted return. Because of the risk involved, a good investment would require an expected return of 100x - 1000x.

For example, people have invested over $200 million in the Tezos ICO. Do you think the investment will ultimately be worth $20 billion - $200 billion? Doubtful. Given how risky the investment is, the Tezos ICO is a bad investment.

[phoenixdowndee]

Sadly there is no safe way to invest in ICO's, they are still new and rather unregulated. But the best thing you can do is do your homework into the company and make your own judgement as with any investment.

For me here are a few signs to look for in a ICO:-

- Strong team - Both in development team and also the CEO's / marketing (no point having a great team to create something, if nobody can advertsie it and push the startup in the right direction.
- Realistic vision - not aiming too high or if they do not reach their target everyone who invested will be disappointed
- Solid whitepaper - Well thought out, shows realistic goals, a strong good vision and a plan of action
- Strong social media presence - A social media that shows they are connected with everyone
- Good customer support - Shows they care, and they have invested time and money into making sure the average investor can ask questions
- Good website - A business who is willing to throw time and effort into a good website are less likely to be a scam
- finite supply - ICO's with no cap can be dangerous and can simply just damage their own coin by releasing more for more investment.
-Market they are getting involved with - Is this a new market? or a dying one? who controls the market?

Finally
- Good concept and catchy name - A good ethos and a name that makes them stand out. Personally i would avoid anything that is something "coin".

If these are in place, then it's a good sign. I am looking at Crowdholding at the minute, seems like a good upcoming ICO (They are in their pre-sale), which means you can get more for your investment.

https://ico.crowdholding.com/

[Wildwest]

Hello, recently I've got interested in ICO idea. It seems really profitable, first thing is that you support the project and secondly you can make huge profits off it after some time.
But the thing is I've read about possible scams and so on, that's why I'm here to ask you guys:

What is the safest way to purchase ICOs? Is there web any platforms to do it?
What I should be aware of and how to ensure myself that I'm not throwing away my money in the air?
What is the process of purchasing ICO tokens? Is MyEtherWallet enough or is there better options?

Thanks in advance for all the replies guys

Investing on ICO is not the safest way and also that's not profitable for short term. There is so many project who have under value after the ICO end. If you can waiting for long time maybe you can earn more profit from that ICO.

AFAIK i do not know there is any platforms to purchase an ICOs, Maybe currently only trusted escrow can do it for ICO funds.
Simply by looking at the future planning of the project you can invest your money.
It depend if you want to purchasing ICO tokens with use another coin like bitcoin you can use blockchain or Ethreum you can purchase it with using MyEtherWallet.

[Triple7Fox]

I don't think investing in ICOs is the safest way because there are so many fraudulent ICOs and the selection of potential ICOs is very difficult because there will be many ICO projects that make you think of profit but at the end You will regret it for investing ICO

[Oceat]

There's no safest way on investing to any ICOs, most of them are gone waste and the other are history. There is always a risk on investing in ICO even in bitcoin you can't deny that this is the fact. This is just about of how the TEAM and the DEV is working so hard to make the people to support in to their projects. Some of the a good TEAM and DEV has less support of the people but they gain the most profitable ICOs in the long run, because this is due to their hard works.

[thesavoyard]

 Only 2 ICO have impressed me. NVO because it addresses a need. The Devs look competent and centralized exchanges are a problem for hacking and illegal government intrusion.

The other is Helium, I liked the idea and did some research on the lead dev. Guy thats been around forever, always been helpful and competent on the forums and has the background needed to fulfil his promises.

[Kat_Slash]

Patience is the key. Definitely there are certain ICO's which will be rushed as soon as they are launched. This what gives the chance of mistake! Make sure address provided by Project team is correct and also make sure to wait atleast 10 mins before investing in project. This will minimize unfortunate things!

[anon4250158]

I personally have not been a fan of ICOs.  I've never been screwed by one or anything, but it can be very easy to create something that sounds great but is really a scam.  Some of these ICOs raise millions of dollars for the creator, but turn out to be practically worthless to investors.  When looking into ICOs to invest in, make sure to read the purpose of the coin/token thoroughly, and look for things you can corroborate personally, like if they claim to already have well known companies involved already.  You also have to have patience for a payout.  Some roadmaps for coins/tokens take years to realize, and sometimes that means the full value of the coin/token will also take that long to happen.

[camelson]

Hello, recently I've got interested in ICO idea. It seems really profitable, first thing is that you support the project and secondly you can make huge profits off it after some time.
But the thing is I've read about possible scams and so on, that's why I'm here to ask you guys:

What is the safest way to purchase ICOs? Is there web any platforms to do it?
What I should be aware of and how to ensure myself that I'm not throwing away my money in the air?
What is the process of purchasing ICO tokens? Is MyEtherWallet enough or is there better options?

Thanks in advance for all the replies guys

Yes the company which started the ICO has its site from where you can buy coins.
And yes there is risk involved in investing in an ico because you never know that this ico will be successful and also beware of scam ico. Search thoroughly before investing about the company and market of the product or services.
You can buy ICO by transferring ETH or BTC to the address they provided on their website. ETH wallet is safe for use.

[izumaki]

Many of these ICO are outright scams, i have been scammed too, most will never put it on reputable exchange, they will just look for a cheap exchange and dump it, because they don't have a huge use case which is very bad for any investment, so i would suggest you ask about what the tokens would be used for which is different from what bitcoin, ethereum and IOTA have to offer, many of these people are hungry, and are looking for a way to scam, so they write a nice piece of white paper and publish it,  real individuals seek to change the way technology is perceived in this world, so that's my 1 cent

[aoihs00]

ICO is initial coin offering which is part of the process where you are offered the coins with low rates and high bonuses too. This helps in grabbing lots of profits. Anyway that's later part after the ICO is hit and all the stuff.


The platform?


Well, every ICO will have their own website with list of ether address to send the tokens to. This platform is basically information page telling you important stuff.


Exchanger -ERC20 standard wallet is used by almost every ICO that is into existence today. So my ether wallet is one if the top most wallet used for this purpose. You don't need much special knowledge about it. You can just send the ether to said address from the ERC20 supported wallet and token will be processed into your wallet. Later you can exchange your tokens once they get listed on exchanger.

[NJB18]

ICO's can be a great way to raise money for a project and make money as an investor but also carries risk (like anything in life).

When making a decision to invest in a project, a few things to ask yourself:

-Team
Can you verify the team exists? Check for aged LinkedIn Profiles, etc.
Where is the company/foundation located? In North America, running a scam is not easy and will result in jail time.
Do the founders have any type of history in business?
Is there a track record for the head guy?

-Concept
Does the concept make sense? ...And more so is it doable?

-Web Site
Is the web site put together properly?
How old is the domain name? Running a whois can tell you how long the project has been alive.

Treat the ICO market just like investing into a penny stock. Always invest what you are willing to lose and not a dollar more. In the world of investing, risk management is king.

These are the necessary things that people will really look into to make sure that the ICO you are entering will give you profit in the end. This will take time doing, bear in mind everyone. That is why ICOs are not really for everyone. Or else, scammers will end up having more than they should.

[sky24]

The safest way to invest in an altcoin to to ask around and do your research before investing. Always make sure you know a bit about the coin you are planning to invest in before actually investing. I find the best way to find out if the coin will be a good investment to ask around, it generally grabs peoples attention and they do there own research so you have people forming their own opinions.

[beetlejam]

Sadly there is no safe way to invest in ICO's, they are still new and rather unregulated. But the best thing you can do is do your homework into the company and make your own judgement as with any investment.

For me here are a few signs to look for in a ICO:-

- Strong team - Both in development team and also the CEO's / marketing (no point having a great team to create something, if nobody can advertsie it and push the startup in the right direction.
- Realistic vision - not aiming too high or if they do not reach their target everyone who invested will be disappointed
- Solid whitepaper - Well thought out, shows realistic goals, a strong good vision and a plan of action
- Strong social media presence - A social media that shows they are connected with everyone
- Good customer support - Shows they care, and they have invested time and money into making sure the average investor can ask questions
- Good website - A business who is willing to throw time and effort into a good website are less likely to be a scam
- finite supply - ICO's with no cap can be dangerous and can simply just damage their own coin by releasing more for more investment.
-Market they are getting involved with - Is this a new market? or a dying one? who controls the market?

Finally
- Good concept and catchy name - A good ethos and a name that makes them stand out. Personally i would avoid anything that is something "coin".

Bang on the money. Also I have found this interesting article about the differences between investing in a ICO with a product vs a vision.

https://medium.com/@crowdholding/mvps-pocs-and-ideas-which-icos-should-i-better-invest-in-and-which-will-let-me-down-369bf1ffae2

[inyakizuryel]

There are so many ICOs out there that are scam but not all of them for me the safest way in investing on an ICO is to read carefully the guidelines and instructions of the bounty campaign from that it will be alot safer when you are into ICO because you are very sure that the ICO is not scam and it is safe to invest with