How to buy bitcoin and stuff on the dark web (anonymously)
The two main ways to buy bitcoin are through bitcoin wallet apps and cryptocurrency centralized exchanges (CEXs) that accept fiat currencies. Using a self-custodial bitcoin wallet app that accepts fiat is the safest because CEXs come with real risks related to control and security of your digital assets. Due to issues some of our customers face in buying bitcoins we made this guide.
If you decide to use a CEX, keeping your bitcoin on a CEX for a prolonged period of time is strongly advised against.
Get bitcoin in minutes with the self-custodial Bitcoin.com Wallet app:
1. Download the Bitcoin.com Wallet app.
2. Follow the instructions to buy bitcoin.
Buying bitcoin with the Bitcoin.com Wallet
Crypto wallets allow you to buy bitcoin conveniently from within the wallet app, and the Bitcoin.com Wallet is no exception. Importantly, the Bitcoin.com Wallet is self-custodial. This means you’re always in complete control of your bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Here’s the process for buying bitcoin using our app:
- Open the Bitcoin.com Wallet app on your device.
- Select Bitcoin (BTC) and tap the “Buy” button. Note: you can also buy other digital assets.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to choose your preferred wallet for depositing. The Bitcoin.com Wallet actually consists of separate wallets for each digital asset we support (eg. BTC, BCH, etc.). Additionally, you can make as many individual wallets as you want, a feature that can help you to organize your funds. For example, you can make one Bitcoin wallet called My BTC Savings and another Bitcoin wallet called Everyday BTC Spending.
- If it’s your first purchase, you may be asked to verify your identity. Future purchases are completed in seconds! Once complete, your purchase will proceed.
Buying bitcoin from the Bitcoin.com website
You can buy bitcoin from the Bitcoin.com website using your credit/debit card or other payment method (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.). When you buy bitcoin from our website, you’ll need to decide where to receive it. This means you’ll need to input a Bitcoin ‘address’ when prompted.
A Bitcoin address looks something like this:
3J57t1XpEZ73CZmQvfksriyiWrnqLhGTLy
Here’s the process for buying from our website:
Visit our Buy Bitcoin page.
Select Bitcoin (BTC). Note: you can also purchase a range of other digital assets.
Choose whether you want to pay in USD or another local currency, and enter the currency amount (eg. $100).
Click the BUY button.
Enter your wallet address. Here’s where you’ll decide where the bitcoin you’re buying goes. For example, you can send bitcoin straight to your Bitcoin.com Wallet. To do so, you just need to know your Bitcoin address. To get the right address:
- Open the app
- Tap the receive icon
- Select Bitcoin (BTC) and choose the Bitcoin wallet you want to receive it to (eg. My BTC Wallet)
- Tap the copy button to save the address to your clipboard. You’ll need to paste that address into the Bitcoin.com Buy website. If you’re accessing the website from your desktop or laptop, you can, for example, email the address to yourself then paste it in the wallet address field on our site.
Complete the purchase process by providing your payment details.
There are many other ways to buy Bitcoins:
www.binance.com
www.coinbase.com
www.bybit.com
Buying bitcoin using a peer-to-peer trading platform
A variety of platforms facilitate the trading of bitcoin and other digital assets by offering 1) a venue for buyers and sellers to post their buy and sell orders, and 2) an escrow and dispute resolution service.
Since these platforms principally help people find each other, in many jurisdictions they aren’t technically classified as exchanges or ‘money transmitters,’ so in some cases they don’t require you to reveal your identity in order to use them. For privacy-conscious buyers, therefore, P2P platforms can be an effective method for obtaining bitcoin despite being generally less convenient, and often more costly overall (it can be hard to get the “correct” market rate using this method due to lack of liquidity). Note however, that as a seller, using a peer-to-peer platform to engage in the commercial sale of bitcoin (beyond, say, a few small transactions here and there) may find you on the wrong side of the law in your country.
Read more: How does Bitcoin exchange work?
Most peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchanges integrate a reputation system, meaning they track and display the trading history of their users. If you’re looking to buy using a P2P exchange, you’ll want to choose sellers who have a good reputation, meaning they’ve completed several trades and never had a complaint.
The process for buying bitcoin using a peer-to-peer exchange is typically as follows:
- Browse through listings by payment type (eg. bank transfer, PayPal, etc.), amount, location of seller, reputation, and so on.
- Initiate a trade. Doing so locks up the bitcoin in an escrow account.
- Send the agreed payment amount via the agreed payment method. Note, this could potentially even mean meeting the seller in person and handing over cash directly.
- The seller then confirms receipt of the payment via the website or app .This triggers the bitcoin to be released from escrow to your Bitcoin wallet.
- In some cases, the purchased bitcoin will be released from escrow directly to the Bitcoin wallet of your choosing. In other cases, it will first be sent to your peer-to-peer platform account wallet (which is typically a custodial web wallet). In that case, you’d then want to withdraw it to a Bitcoin wallet you control. Note that this final step often incurs a fee, which typically constitutes the peer-to-peer platform’s business model.