Buying a Hardware Wallet in US

[rdluffy]

Hey guys, first of all I already read the posts here about which hardware wallet to buy but I have a few questions about, and I think a new topic is better than ask in old ones

I'm going to travel to US next week, and I don't have a hard wallet until now, but I need one ASAP

I was so sure about a Ledger Nano S, because I can find in Best Buy, but after reading here some threads, I'm disappointed with the reviews, specially this thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5370521.0

My conditions are:

• Under 100 USD
• Available to buy in USA
• Preference to buy in a store (not mandatory)

I think Ledger is the only one Best Buy sells, and Trezor website shows that is located in Czech Republic, but I don't have US adress.
I found this reseller in Trezor's website, but I'm scared to buy outside any official website: https://www.thecryptomerchant.com/products/trezor-hardware-wallet

Thank you guys

[1714173474]

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[1714173474]

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[1714173474]

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[jackg]

Why do you need one so quickly? What are you staying at in the US and what do you have available to get one shipped to you.

If you're not staying long could you wait until you get back and have a fixed address?

If you're staying for a while and do really need one, could you get a po box or a self storage box you could get a device shipped to? (I'd count this as one of the most secure and reliable options I can think of - but I can't think of much).

It's hard to verify the device is genuine if you buy from a reseller from what I know of both trezors and ledger.

Can you instead by a cheap laptop when you're there (from a reputed retailer) and use an airgapped environment until you get a fixed address a hardware wallet can be delivered to?

[Charles-Tim]

Maybe this would help: FAQ:Ordering and shipping

Trezor has official resellers in many countries, including US: https://trezor.io/resellers/

Can you instead by a cheap laptop when you're there (from a reputed retailer) and use an airgapped environment until you get a fixed address a hardware wallet can be delivered to?

What comes my mind is that rdluffy may want to use the harddmwar wallet for other coins too, if it is only bitcoin, this has been the best method for privacy reason and it is a cold wallet.

[Lucius]

@rdluffy, I don't want to get into your private reasons why you need a hardware wallet so urgently, but considering that you are traveling to the US, you should know that all electronic devices are subject to checks by official personnel at airports. I know that I would not like to be in a position to explain what this is all about, nor to have such a device taken away from me, which is possible by law. I think those are some things you should consider.

If you're disappointed with the Ledger based on what you've read, then simply don't buy it - this especially applies to the model S, which will no longer be produced, and the question is how long it will have support. However, for a price of less than $100, you don't have much choice, at least not if it's something with a good reputation.

[rdluffy]

Thank you guys for the help  
I'm so sorry if I didn't explain well, but there's no problem with safety or privacy here, the only problem is my trip will last 1 week only.

Why do you need one so quickly? What are you staying at in the US and what do you have available to get one shipped to you.

My trip is 1 week only.

It's hard to verify the device is genuine if you buy from a reseller from what I know of both trezors and ledger.

Yes, I know it's not commom, but I'm afraid to buy from third party, this is the reason I asked about some store in US, because I saw Best Buy selling Ledger.

Maybe this would help: FAQ:Ordering and shipping

Trezor has official resellers in many countries, including US: https://trezor.io/resellers/

Thanks, I saw this reseller, I don't know if anyone here already bought from them. I know Trezor sends to US in a couple of days, but I'll have to get some adress (maybe the Hotel?)

@rdluffy, I don't want to get into your private reasons why you need a hardware wallet so urgently, but considering that you are traveling to the US, you should know that all electronic devices are subject to checks by official personnel at airports. I know that I would not like to be in a position to explain what this is all about, nor to have such a device taken away from me, which is possible by law. I think those are some things you should consider.

If you're disappointed with the Ledger based on what you've read, then simply don't buy it - this especially applies to the model S, which will no longer be produced, and the question is how long it will have support. However, for a price of less than $100, you don't have much choice, at least not if it's something with a good reputation.

No need to worry about my reasons  , there's no safety or privacy issue here, only my trip will last 1 week and I don't have an US adress to send from official source.
I'll think about it, but I thought (as I already said above) maybe some stores in US sell hardware wallets like Best Buy.

My main reason to get one is the last hacks / exploits / exchanges freezing withdraws etc, I'm worried and I want to get all my coins in a more safe environment.

Thanks for your help too

[dkbit98]

My conditions are:

• Under 100 USD
• Available to buy in USA
• Preference to buy in a store (not mandatory)

You have very limited choice for under 100 USD budget, only Trezor Model One or Ledger Nano S plus, but I would never spend a single dollar on ledger products.
I know BestBuy in US is selling hardware wallets but I would suggest looking for official resellers, or you simply buy wallet in shops available in your own country, before you go traveling.
My suggestion is to only choose open source hardware wallets like Trezor, BitBox02, Keystone or Passport (not easy to buy it now).

Alternative option you can do is to buy Rasberry Pi zero and use is as signing device for Bitcoin, turning it into SeedSigner.
You can also do just fine if you use some offline laptop dedicated for Bitcoin transactions.

 

[rdluffy]

You have very limited choice for under 100 USD budget, only Trezor Model One or Ledger Nano S plus, but I would never spend a single dollar on ledger products.
I know BestBuy in US is selling hardware wallets but I would suggest looking for official resellers, or you simply buy wallet in shops available in your own country, before you go traveling.
My suggestion is to only choose open source hardware wallets like Trezor, BitBox02, Keystone or Passport (not easy to buy it now).

Alternative option you can do is to buy Rasberry Pi zero and use is as signing device for Bitcoin, turning it into SeedSigner.
You can also do just fine if you use some offline laptop dedicated for Bitcoin transactions.

In my country hardware wallets are very expensive, and to be honest I don't trust 100% to buy from here.
I took a look at these options, good wallets, keystone looks amazing, and I like the idea of a DIY wallet with Raspberry pi zero
Thanks for the help


I think I found a good solution here: https://shop.trezor.io/faq/




Trezor have a store on Amazon and in my simulation they ship to an Amazon Hub ( I think it's a locker ), and Trezor One is 85 USD

[n0nce]

If buying in a store is not mandatory, and you're in the US, I'd probably order a Foundation Passport.
They manufacture and ship from the US, so shipping time should be good, no issues with customs opening it or whatnot, and no import taxes to be paid.
Though they are still shipping preorders, so it can definitely take a while until it arrives.

vvv Edit: scrap that... vvv

Thank you guys for the help  
I'm so sorry if I didn't explain well, but there's no problem with safety or privacy here, the only problem is my trip will last 1 week only.

^^^ Edit over ^^^

But again, if ordering is an option, just go through [L IST]Open Source Hardware Wallets, pick something you like and order it.
Finding a wallet locally is where it actually gets more tricky and that will be your main limitation. You may be forced to indeed go with a Ledger, for instance.
Even though the device real bad, keep in mind as long as you have your seed backup, you can always restore that backup and move the coins to a new, better hardware wallet later on.


Trezor One is a good option. Definitely my personal favourite under $100.

My main reason to get one is the last hacks / exploits / exchanges freezing withdraws etc, I'm worried and I want to get all my coins in a more safe environment.

If you want to quickly get your coins off an exchange, you can also just go 'cold wallet' way.

[1] Go to BestBuy.
[2] Buy a decent USB flash drive and a laminator (optional). Should be easy under $100 for both.
[3] Flash it with https://tails.boum.org/ .
[4] Boot your laptop off of that USB drive. You won't have an internet connection by default.
[5] Open Electrum (preinstalled) and create a new wallet. Write down the seed on a paper or two and maybe laminate that paper. ^{[pro tip: fold it before laminating, then it can't be read unless cut open]}
[6] Send the funds from the exchange (e.g. using your phone) to an address that Electrum shows you.
[7] Shut down your laptop and remove the USB. If you want you can also format it. It will lose all memory after shutting down anyway. That's why those seed backups are so important.

When you are back home and can order a hardware wallet you like, without hurry, take those laminated seed phrases, restore the wallet and move the coins to the hardware wallet.

[Lucius]

No need to worry about my reasons  , there's no safety or privacy issue here, only my trip will last 1 week and I don't have an US adress to send from official source.
I'll think about it, but I thought (as I already said above) maybe some stores in US sell hardware wallets like Best Buy.
---

I remembered that sometime in the past I saw the information that Ledger HW can be bought at Walmart, and you can choose the option if you want the product delivered to you or if you want to pick it up in a physical store. I'm not sure if it works all over the US, but if you see a Walmart store, it doesn't cost anything to go inside and check if they have HW on the shelf - or to send them an inquiry via e-mail.


Source

[DaveF]

Or, and I am just putting it out there you can have a trusted member buy one and ship it to you.

Don't know how customs is where you are and if you would really trust the "random internet person" here but I think there are enough people you could reach out to who would buy & reship for you. Also, when are you coming / where in the US are you going to be? Have it shipped to a trusted member and you can do a F2F, have a cup of coffee or whatever and get it.

Just a thought.

-Dave

[dkbit98]

If buying in a store is not mandatory, and you're in the US, I'd probably order a Foundation Passport.

Maybe you forgot that Passport wallet can only be pre-ordered and exact date of delivery remains unknown, so I don't think this is good option for him at the moment.
btw did you finally received your long awaited Passport batch2 device?

Or, and I am just putting it out there you can have a trusted member buy one and ship it to you.

Oh boy, easy solution, and nobody was thinking about this before you  
However, I would suggest to be aware of scammers and use some escrow for making transactions.
I am sure there are several members from US that would help if they are located in same city as OP.

[rdluffy]

Trezor One is a good option. Definitely my personal favourite under $100.

Thanks, good post n0nce 
I'm reading more about, but my favorite is Trezor One, under 100USD and reliable.
I think it fits the time of my trip better than any other solution.

I remembered that sometime in the past I saw the information that Ledger HW can be bought at Walmart, and you can choose the option if you want the product delivered to you or if you want to pick it up in a physical store. I'm not sure if it works all over the US, but if you see a Walmart store, it doesn't cost anything to go inside and check if they have HW on the shelf - or to send them an inquiry via e-mail.

I forgot to look on Walmart, I found some wallets like ledger, trezor and couple of others, but none of them are sold by Walmart, only thirds.
I'll sure take a look at walmart store there

Or, and I am just putting it out there you can have a trusted member buy one and ship it to you.

Don't know how customs is where you are and if you would really trust the "random internet person" here but I think there are enough people you could reach out to who would buy & reship for you. Also, when are you coming / where in the US are you going to be? Have it shipped to a trusted member and you can do a F2F, have a cup of coffee or whatever and get it.

Just a thought.

-Dave

It's a good idea, I would trust a person here with reputation, most of people here are amazing and share tha same ideals than me.
But I'm afraid I don't have the time to do this anymore, and the Trezor on Amazon will be a good choice to solve my problem.

Oh boy, easy solution, and nobody was thinking about this before you  
However, I would suggest to be aware of scammers and use some escrow for making transactions.
I am sure there are several members from US that would help if they are located in same city as OP.

This is the reason I posted here, to hear another solutions, and glad I found some.

I'll keep you guys updated ok, and thank you for your time.

[n0nce]

But I'm afraid I don't have the time to do this anymore, and the Trezor on Amazon will be a good choice to solve my problem.

Regarding ordering hardware wallets from Amazon; make sure not to get scammed. There are definitely fake Ledgers and Trezors made in China, not so sure about other wallets. In general, on Amazon and other untrusted resellers, there's risk of even a legit device being compromised and repackaged.

Trezor has some information about this, though, as they have their own Amazon store. Do make sure to get it from there and not from another seller. When just searching for the device, Amazon may show you a listing from a different seller, if such a seller is cheaper than the official Trezor (Satoshilabs) Amazon account.
https://wiki.trezor.io/FAQ:Ordering_and_shipping#Is_it_safe_to_buy_a_Trezor_on_Amazon.3F

Make sure that you see this below the order button before  you buy and click on the hyperlink for good measure; they should have exactly 2 products in stock (Trezor One and Trezor T).

[Pmalek]

Or, and I am just putting it out there you can have a trusted member buy one and ship it to you.

krogothmanhattan and minerjones do plenty of giveaways and raffles that involve physical coins. krogothmanhattan ships such items for free within the United States, but if the other party lives outside of the USA, the products get shipped to minerjones who handles the rest. Both individuals are trustworthy and if OP decides to have the HW shipped to his country and is OK with another forum member knowing his address, I would get in touch with those two dudes first. 

Regarding ordering hardware wallets from Amazon; make sure not to get scammed. There are definitely fake Ledgers and Trezors made in China, not so sure about other wallets.

Never open Amazon in your browser and type "Ledger" or "Trezor". OP needs to make sure he goes to the official website and finds the links to the official Amazon resellers from there. 

[Lucius]

Never open Amazon in your browser and type "Ledger" or "Trezor". OP needs to make sure he goes to the official website and finds the links to the official Amazon resellers from there. 

I don't see that the Trezor site lists official sellers on Amazon, but only says the following:

We also have Amazon warehouses in the US, Canada, UK, and EU.

The links exist only for direct resellers, so the OP will have to be careful about who he buys from. I've never bought anything from Amazon, but I guess there is some sort of seller rating system like on other platforms.

[Pmalek]

I don't see that the Trezor site lists official sellers on Amazon, but only says the following:

We also have Amazon warehouses in the US, Canada, UK, and EU.

I don't know why they don't, but they really should for the safety of their users. Especially the inexperienced ones that might not know the dangers of buying from unofficial sources. Anyways, n0nce shared the following link to Trezor's Wiki above: https://wiki.trezor.io/FAQ:Ordering_and_shipping#Is_it_safe_to_buy_a_Trezor_on_Amazon.3F. 

Trezor hardware wallets are also sold on the official Trezor Amazon store. Products sold through Amazon are kept separate from other inventory and are safe to use as long as they pass standard security checks.

There is a link in the Wiki that leads directly to the Trezor Amazon store. More precisely, it links to the Trezor Model T. It should however link to Satoshilabs' profile on Amazon where the customer can then select either the Model One or Model T. 

[rdluffy]

Guys I really appreciate your help.
I'm in US right now, and the only way I found to buy one was on Best Buy, but it was not easy
Some stores didn't have one, and workers didn't know too hehehe, most os stores have a lot of empty shells, and the only wallet I found was this one:



Yes, I know I said no Ledger, but it was the only one avaliable and I didn't get on Amazon, I have some difficulties to buy online and send to hotel.

[Lucius]

If that was the only choice, then you have no other option but to use what you bought - although I looked at the offer on that store and I see that there is also a Nano S Plus model available at a price of $79, which is only $20 more than the Nano S. The newer model will not only have longer support, but is also significantly improved in terms of storage space and screen size.

[satscraper]

Guys I really appreciate your help.
I'm in US right now, and the only way I found to buy one was on Best Buy, but it was not easy
Some stores didn't have one, and workers didn't know too hehehe, most os stores have a lot of empty shells, and the only wallet I found was this one:



Yes, I know I said no Ledger, but it was the only one avaliable and I didn't get on Amazon, I have some difficulties to buy online and send to hotel.

Nice. If it is not a top secrets why s but not s+ which is more advanced model? I have both models and can compare. The only disadvantage  I saw in s+ is the necessity to push buttons every time when you need to change display reading  relevant to PIN.  When pushing down the button on s model  the display readings are changing continually until that button is released.

[rdluffy]

If that was the only choice, then you have no other option but to use what you bought - although I looked at the offer on that store and I see that there is also a Nano S Plus model available at a price of $79, which is only $20 more than the Nano S. The newer model will not only have longer support, but is also significantly improved in terms of storage space and screen size.

The S Plus model was sold out, unfortunately
There was exactly 4 pieces at the store, all Nano S non plus
To be honest, the entire store had a lot of empty shelves, for example no ps5, missing a lot of games, only a few laptops available. I felt that they won't sell more hardware wallets, it's probably the last ones

The ledger wallet was near to pc zone and flashsticks, and these 4 nano s are the only ones in the shelves

It looks easy to buy online etc, but as a foreigner I found some difficult with credit card, us adress, phone number...
I'll not complain, the next bull run I'll try to get a better wallet, I'll have money hehehe

In a few days I'll get back to my country and I'll make a post here and end the thread.