Before your first bitcoin

You don't need much money, special software or a whole bitcoin to start. What helps most is knowing a handful of things before your first purchase, because nearly every painful story beginners tell comes from one of the same few mistakes.

Live from a public market feed

Small amounts are normalLoading live figures…

1 bitcoin

…US dollars

$1 is about

…satoshis

$20 is about

…satoshis

Most people start with an amount they wouldn't miss. You can learn everything here with a few dollars' worth, or none at all.

See it on satoshis.watch →

A sensible order

1. Read how it works first: what Bitcoin is, what a satoshi is and why the price moves so much.
2. Learn the scam rules before anyone can try them on you: rules that catch most scams.
3. Understand who will hold the keys: on an exchange or in your own wallet.
4. Only then buy a small amount, and try sending some of it to a wallet of your own.

The mistakes beginners make most

Not seeing the fees	Many people buy and see an instant loss of a few percent. That is usually the spread and fees, not the price. See how buying bitcoin works.
Trusting a stranger	A friendly contact, a "mentor", a trading group or a support agent who messages first. This is where the biggest losses start. See the common scams.
Storing the words badly	Backup words photographed, emailed or saved in the cloud, or never written down at all. See seed phrases and backups.
Wrong address or network	Pasting without checking, or withdrawing on a network other than Bitcoin. See sending and receiving.
Borrowed money	Trading with leverage, where a normal price swing can wipe out the whole stake automatically.
Money needed soon	Buying with money needed for bills, then being forced to sell after a fall.
No records	Not keeping dates and prices of purchases, which makes taxes hard later. See taxes and records.
Watching the price all day	Many beginners describe selling in a panic during a fall, then regretting it. The price moves a lot; see why.

What people say they wish they'd known

That you can own any amount, down to one satoshi. That a payment can't be reversed. That an exchange holds the keys for you. That no one legitimate ever asks for your backup words. And that understanding comes before buying, not after.