Learn before you trade

Crypto cost guides

What sits between a displayed price and what you actually receive, in plain English with worked examples. Each guide links to the CoinWharf tool that answers it with live data.

• What buying crypto really costs in Australia

  The trading fee is only one of four costs between your dollars and your coins. Here's what each one is, and how to compare exchanges fairly.

• Spreads and trading fees: what's the difference?

  A fee is charged on top of the trade. A spread is built into the price itself. You pay both, but only one of them is usually labelled.

• Slippage: why larger crypto orders cost more per coin

  The best price on an exchange only covers so many coins. A bigger order buys the next, dearer ones too, so its average price is higher.

• Bitcoin withdrawal fees: what reaches your wallet

  If you move Bitcoin to your own wallet, the exchange takes a withdrawal fee in BTC. On a small purchase that can cost more than the trading fee.

• Sell Bitcoin where it is, or transfer it first?

  If another exchange pays more for Bitcoin, or charges less to sell, moving it there first can leave you with more AUD, after the withdrawal fee.

• Swapping crypto through AUD: the cost of both trades

  Australian exchanges usually swap one coin for another in two trades: sell for AUD, then buy. Each trade has its own fee and spread.

• Recurring crypto buys: what the fees add up to

  Buying a little every week spreads your timing, but every purchase pays its own fee. Over a year, small fees add up.

• Crypto records for Australian tax

  The ATO generally treats crypto as a capital gains tax asset, so it needs a record of every transaction, not just your sales.

• How fresh is a crypto price? Reading the timestamps

  A crypto price is only true at the moment it was fetched. Every figure on CoinWharf carries its time, and old data is set aside, not shown as current.