How to Trade Crypto in Coinbase
How to send and receive cryptocurrency
You can use your Coinbase wallets to send and receive supported cryptocurrencies. Sends and receives are available on both mobile and web. Please note that Coinbase cannot be used to receive ETH or ETC mining rewards.
Send
If you’re sending to a crypto address that belongs to another Coinbase user who has opted into Instant sends, you can use off-chain sends. Off-chain sends are instant and incur no transaction fees.
On-chain sends will incur network fees.
Web
1. From the Dashboard, select Pay from the left side of the screen.
2. Select Send.
3. Enter the amount of crypto youd like to send. You can toggle between the fiat value or crypto amount you’d like to send.
4. Enter the crypto address, phone number, or email address of the person you would like to send the crypto to.
5. Leave a note (optional).
6. Select Pay with and choose the asset to send the funds from.
7. Select Continue to review the details.
Select Send now.
Note: All sends to crypto addresses are irreversible.
Coinbase mobile app
1. Tap the icon below or Pay.
2. Tap Send.
3. Tap your selected asset and enter the amount of crypto youd like to send.
4. You can toggle between the fiat value or crypto amount you’d like to send:
5. Tap Continue to review and confirm the transaction details.
6. You can tap the recipient under Contacts; enter their email, phone number, or crypto address; or snap their QR code.
7. Leave a note (optional), then tap Preview.
8. Follow the remaining prompts.
If youre trying to send more crypto than you have in your crypto wallet, youll be prompted to top up.
Important: All sends to crypto addresses are irreversible.
Note: If the crypto address belongs to a Coinbase customer and the Receiver has NOT opted into Instant sends in their privacy settings, these sends will be made on-chain and incur network fees. If you’re sending to a crypto address not associated with a Coinbase customer at all, these sends will be made on-chain, will be sent on the respective currency’s network, and will incur network fees.
Receive
You can share your unique cryptocurrency address to receive funds through your web browser or mobile device after signing in. By opting into Instant sends in your privacy settings, you can control whether or not you want your crypto address to be verifiable as a Coinbase user. If you opt in, then other users can send you money instantly and for free. If you opt out, then any sends to your crypto address will remain on-chain.
Web
1. From the Dashboard, select Pay from the left side of the screen.
2. Select Receive.
3. Select Asset and choose the asset youd like to receive.
4. Once the asset is selected, the QR code and address will populate.
Coinbase mobile app
1. Tap the icon below or Pay.
2. In the pop-up window, select Receive.
3. Under Currency, select the asset youd like to receive.
4. Once the asset is selected, the QR code and address will populate.
Note: To receive cryptocurrency, you can share your address, select Copy Address, or allow the sender to scan your QR code.
How to convert cryptocurrency
How does converting cryptocurrency work?
Users can trade between two cryptocurrencies directly. For example: exchanging Ethereum (ETH) with Bitcoin (BTC), or vice versa.
- All trades are executed immediately and therefore cannot be canceled
- Fiat currency (ex: USD) is not needed to trade
How do I convert cryptocurrency?
On the Coinbase mobile app
1. Tap the icon below
2. Select Convert.
3. From the panel, select the cryptocurrency youd like to convert to another crypto.
4. Enter the fiat amount of cryptocurrency you would like to convert in your local currency. For example, $10 worth of BTC to convert into XRP.
5. Select Preview convert.
- If you do not have enough crypto to complete the transaction, you will not be able to complete this transaction.
6. Confirm the conversion transaction.
On a web browser
1. Sign in to your Coinbase account.
2. At the top, click Buy/Sell Convert.
3. There will be a panel with the option to convert one cryptocurrency to another.
4. Enter the fiat amount of cryptocurrency you would like to convert in your local currency. For example, $10 worth of BTC to convert into XRP.
- If you do not have enough crypto to complete the transaction, you will not be able to complete this transaction.
5. Click Preview Convert.
6. Confirm the conversion transaction.
Advanced trading dashboard: Buy and Sell Crypto
Advanced trading is currently available to a limited audience and only accessible on web. We’re working hard to make this feature available to more customers soon.
Advanced trading gives you more robust tools to make better trading decisions. You have access to real-time market information through interactive charts, order books, and live trade history on the advanced trade view.
Depth chart: The depth chart is a visual representation of the order book, showing bid and ask orders over a range of prices, along with the cumulative size.
Order book: The order book panel shows the current open orders on Coinbase in a ladder format.
Order panel: The order (buy/sell) panel is where you place orders on the order book.
Open orders: The open orders panel displays maker orders that have been posted, but not filled, canceled, or expired. To view all of your order history, select the order history button and view all.
Price chart
The price chart is a fast and easy way to view historical pricing. You can customize your price chart display by time range and chart type, as well as use a series of indicators to provide additional insight into pricing trends.
Time range
You can see the pricing history and trading volume of an asset over a specific span of time. You can adjust your view by selecting one of the time frames from the upper right-hand corner. This will adjust the x-axis (the horizontal line) to see the trading volume over that specific length of time. If you change the time from the drop-down menu, this will change the y-axis (the vertical line) so you can see the price of an asset in that time frame.
Chart types
The candlestick chart displays the high, low, open, and closing prices of an asset for a specific time frame.
- O (open) is the opening price of the asset at the beginning of the specified period.
- H (high) is the highest trading price of the asset in that period.
- L (low) is the lowest trading price of the asset in that period.
- C (close) is the closing price of the asset at the end of the specific period.
Check out this guide on how to read candlestick charts for more information.
- The line chart captures an assets historical price by connecting a series of data points with a continuous line.
Indicators
These indicators track market trends and patterns to help inform your trading decisions. You can select multiple indicators to give you a better perspective of an asset’s buy and sell price.
- RSI (relative strength index) shows a trend’s duration and helps you spot when it will reverse.
- EMA (exponential moving average) captures how quickly a trend is moving and its strength. EMA measures the average price points of an asset.
- SMA (smooth moving average) is like an EMA but measures the average price points of an asset over a longer period of time.
- MACD (moving average convergence/divergence) measures the relationship between the highest and lowest average price points. When a trend is forming, the graph will converge or meet at a specific value.
Disclosures
Coinbase offers simple and advanced trading platforms on Coinbase.com. Advanced trading is intended for a more experienced trader and enables traders to interact directly with the order book. Fees vary based on the trading platform. Content in our trading and educational materials are for informational purposes and is not investment advice. Investing in cryptocurrency comes with risk.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did Coinbase cancel my order?
In order to ensure the security of Coinbase users accounts and transactions, Coinbase may decline certain transactions (buys or deposits) if Coinbase observes suspicious activity.If you believe your transaction should not have been canceled, please follow these steps:
- Complete all verification steps, including verifying your identity
- Email Coinbase Support so your case can be further reviewed.
Order management
Advanced trading is currently available to a limited audience and only accessible on web. We’re working hard to make this feature available to more customers soon.
To view all of your open orders, select Orders under the Order management section on web—advanced trading is not available on the Coinbase mobile app yet. You’ll see each of your orders that are currently awaiting fulfillment as well as your complete order history.
How do I cancel an open order?
To cancel an open order, make sure youre viewing the market your order was placed (e.g. BTC-USD, LTC-BTC, etc). Your open orders will be listed in the Open Orders panel on the trading dashboard. Select X to cancel individual orders or select CANCEL ALL to cancel a group of orders.
Why are my funds on hold?
Funds reserved for open orders are placed on hold and will not appear in your available balance until the order is executed or canceled. If you would like to release your funds from being on "hold," you will need to cancel the associated open order.
Why is my order being partially filled?
When an order is partially filled, it means that there is not enough liquidity (trading activity) in the market to fill your entire order, so it may take several orders to execute in order to fill your order completely.
My order executed incorrectly
If your order is a limit order, it will only fill at the specified price or a better price. So if your limit price is much higher or lower than the current trading price of an asset, the order will likely execute closer to the current trading price.Additionally, depending on the volume and prices of orders on the Order Book at the time when a market order is posted, the market order may fill at a price less favorable than the most recent trade price—this is called slippage.
