How to Buy Stellar Lumens (XLM) - Beginner's Guide 2024

How to Buy Stellar Lumens - Step-by-Step Guide

If your strategy is to hold your XLM tokens for long, it is suggested that you utilise a cryptocurrency exchange rather than relying on a broker for trading through instruments.

As referenced before, this method is for those investors who are playing the long game or need to exhibit their contribution to the blockchain by investing in their native token and supporting development and growth.

Whatever the reason may be for such a long-term strategy, you have to pick the crypto exchange cautiously to guarantee that you are getting the best experience.

Much the same as you’d consider various factors while picking a broker, you should also consider different features before you select a crypto exchange.

These may include service quality consistency, reputation, cost of buying and selling XLM, transactional costs, dependability, security, and client assistance. Remember that some crypto exchanges aren’t regulatory compliant and may sound promising, but they also pose more risk to your investment.

1. Set Up a Stellar Wallet

You can’t go on a cryptocurrency exchange and purchase Stellar simply like that, particularly if you are hoping to hold on to it for some time. You will require a cryptocurrency wallet that will guarantee the security of your XLM coins.

It might appear to be a bit complex, but it is quite a simple process. Depending upon your investment goals and strategy, you can select different crypto wallets, including:

• Exchange/Web Wallets – These are the most convenient and easy to access wallets as they are built into your Stellar exchange or trading platform’s account, or you can log into them through a browser. However, the security aspect isn’t that strong as your coins are stored on a server that is exposed to cyberattacks at all times.
• Desktop/Mobile Wallets – These are software wallets that you can get for your mobile as well as PC devices. Software wallets often offer support across the board for all operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux.
• Hardware Wallets – These wallets are also called ‘cold wallets’ since they are completely disconnected from any network. They feature built-in security-oriented hardware that keeps your XLM tokens safe.

Apart from relying on these wallets, you also need to be mindful of your responsibilities as an investor to keep your funds safe. Use different and strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, use passphrases, and don’t write down anything on your computer that can be accessed through the internet.

2. Choose and Join an Exchange That Sells Stellar

With regards to crypto exchanges, there are numerous mainstream services that we recommend, including Coinmama, Coinbase, Binance, and CEX.io. Not only can you purchase Stellar Lumens on such exchanges but also a wide range of other altcoins as well.

Ensure that you assess the advantages and disadvantages of each crypto exchange before you make your final choice. When making such a decision, you should also consider a wide scope of elements, for example, transaction charges, deposit and withdrawal charges, client assistance, ease of use, service quality, and regulatory adherence to ensure that you are making the right decision.

3. Choose Your Payment Methods to Buy Stellar Lumens

Crypto exchanges offer a wide range of payment modes, and you have to assess every one of them to ensure that you are picking the most affordable and convenient one. It also depends on what features you prefer the most.

For example, if you want affordability, you can choose wire transfer, but it’s rather slow. However, if you want quicker deposits, you can use your debit or credit card, but it is also expensive. There are pros and cons of each payment mode, and you need to weigh them all.

Some crypto exchanges also allow you to connect your bank account with an exchange account. This way, you always have access to your conventional money to buy Stellar Lumens.

4. Place an Order to Buy Stellar Lumens

If you are looking to purchase XLM, you may need to buy a more popular token like Bitcoin or Ethereum first on the exchange. Few reputed cryptocurrency exchanges will allow you to buy Stellar directly without having to deal with any other cryptocurrency.

To submit an order, simply use your fiat money while ensuring that the exchange rates are reasonable and then choose the amount of XLM coins you need to purchase. An automatic calculator will tell you the amount of XLM you can buy with the sum that you’ve set up.

When you’re fulfilled, you can submit your buy demand and the coins will appear in your account in no time. If your 2FA is enabled, you will have to provide the one time password to process the transaction.

5. Safely Storing Your Stellar in a Wallet

If you are into short or midterm trading and will be holding XLM for a few days, it is alright to use your exchange wallet as it will spare you withdrawal expenses.

If you need to hold your Stellar tokens for long, you have to move them to your software or hardware wallet to ensure better security. You should enter the public key in the beneficiary or recipient field and put in the sum that you want to move to your wallet.

If your two-factor authentication is on, you should enter the one time code before your transfer is processed.

5 Things to Consider If You Want to Buy Stellar Lumens

Before buying any cryptocurrency there are a number of factors you must consider that will ultimately affect your investment.

When choosing a crypto exchange or platform to use, you’ll need to identify your priorities in terms of convenience, speed, and expenditure as different platforms involve different levels of complexity and fees.

Carefully choose your preferred secure payment method

Choosing a payment method, goes hand-in-hand with choosing an exchange or broker, as not all platforms offer a variety of payment methods.

Whether you deposit your funds to an exchange or broker using PayPal, a bank transfer, or your credit or debit card – all methods have different processing times and fees that can bite into your investment.

Will you need to set up your own wallet?

Depending on the type of investor or trader you are, you will need to think about how you want to gain exposure to Stellar Lumens and the risks involved.

Generally speaking, if you buy Stellar Lumens on an exchange you will need to transfer your coins off the exchange and into your wallet for safekeeping. While convenient, leaving your coins on a crypto exchange is dangerous as exchanges can be hacked or go out of business.

If you are merely interested in trading Stellar Lumens without the hassle and risks of holding the coins, a broker is a popular option. Brokers enable you price exposure to XLM without the requirement to own or store coins.

Comparing costs

When comparing costs of buying Stellar Lumens you will need to take into account three types of fees: blockchain processing fees, exchange or brokerage fees and payment method fees.

Fortunately, processing fees for the average user are negligible on the Stellar Lumens blockchain and don’t need to be factored into your investment decision.

Safety and security

Stellar’s consensus mechanism is a kind of Federated Byzantine Agreement (FBA) known as the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP).

It sounds complicated, but all it really means is the network is designed to be secure enough to handle commercial transactions.

Lumens (XLM) – the native currency of the Stellar Lumens blockchain – performs two important roles.

A small base fee is required for every transaction – set at 0.00001 Lumens, which performs an anti-spam role on the network and keeps transactions running smoothly.

Lumens are also needed to secure the network, with a minimum balance of 0.5 lumens required in every account on the Stellar network, helping to foster token demand.

If you select a cryptocurrency exchange, do your due diligence as they vary from a usability or security standpoint and can be unregulated.

If you only want to speculate on the price of XLM, without the rigmarole of moving and managing your digital assets, buy XLM for trading purposes via a broker. It is generally a more simple process with fewer fees.

These platforms are established and offer advanced security systems like two-factor authentication (2FA), malleable automated trading systems, and professional help.

Can you understand and navigate the platform?

For the inexperienced, cryptocurrency exchanges can be daunting to navigate. Failure to understand them fully can result in crucial mistakes. Make sure you understand the mechanics of any platform before risking capital.

This means understanding the difference between market orders and limit orders, how to set a stop loss and best practice measures to minimize the risk of a critical error like leaving a zero off a buy order.

If you aren’t comfortable with the intricacies of an exchange, we recommend trading through a broker, as the user interface is generally a lot more user-friendly and you won’t have to secure your assets.

What is the Best Payment Method for Buying Stellar Lumens?

Depending on whether you have selected an exchange or broker you will be presented with various options to deposit funds to the platform.

You’ll need to carefully select a payment method that suits you as some come with a cost that will impact your investment.

Buying Stellar Lumens with PayPal

While PayPal is a trusted payment provider the world over and one of the most convenient on this list, it is neither the cheapest method nor the one accepted by most exchanges.

Regulated cryptocurrency brokers are more likely to offer PayPal. Buying Stellar Lumen in bulk with PayPal is generally more economical than buying smaller amounts.

Make sure to calculate the fees required before investing to avoid any nasty surprises as fees vary from platform to platform.

Purchasing with Cash

Unfortunately, purchasing Stellar Lumens with cash isn’t really a practical option. This is because Stellar Lumens is not typically offered as a market on peer-to-peer exchanges where you would normally arrange to meet people in person to exchange cryptocurrency for cash.

Via Bank Transfer

Buying Stellar Lumens with a bank transfer is the preferred method for the majority of cryptocurrency investors because it is one of the most affordable methods.

With your bank account linked to an exchange or broker, you can transfer funds back and forth with ease.

Bank transfers can take time to process depending on your bank, so don’t expect to be able to buy Stellar Lumens as quickly as some other methods.

Purchase Stellar Lumens with credit cards or debit cards

Credit cards and debit cards might be the fastest and most convenient method of all. The downside is credit cards and debit cards also typically incur the highest fees of all payment methods available.

There are positives to this payment method, however. When you buy Stellar Lumens with a debit card or credit card, you tend to earn rewards.

What Fees are Involved?

No matter if you are purchasing Stellar Lumens on an exchange or through a recommended broker you will encounter fees of some kind. These businesses need to charge fees to provide a safe cryptocurrency trading platform.

It’s best to think of fees as a service charge that makes it possible for you to buy Stellar Lumens conveniently.

Unfortunately, these same fees that allow you to easily buy and sell cryptocurrency can also eat into your total trading profits.

Exchanges tend to have higher fees than brokers as they have greater overheads in providing the infrastructure to move and store coins.

Transaction Fees

To send Lumens from one address to another, Stellar blockchain fees are negligible and not a factor in most people’s decisions.

If you trade Stellar Lumens on an exchange, you’ll be faced with both ‘taker’ and ‘maker’ fees. Taker fees are usually around 0.25% while maker fees are a little lower at approximately 0.20%.

Brokers charge a trading or brokerage fee for the services they provide.

Deposit Fees

In addition to trading fees, exchanges also typically charge deposit and withdrawal fees. If conducting numerous transactions these can add up.

Brokers generally come with fewer deposit fees. In some cases, they will only have a minimum deposit and no deposit fee, to encourage signups.

Withdrawal Fees

If you want to take your profits off an exchange you will be charged a withdrawal fee, regardless of its fiat or crypto.

Brokers are less likely to charge withdrawal fees, as they are a platform more expressly designed for trading CFDs only. The fees you will be charged also depend on your payment method.

Safely Storing Your Stellar Lumens

In order to store your Lumens, you will need a Stellar wallet that can hold them safely out of the prying hands of a would-be hacker

There are a number of wallets that support Stellar, let’s take a look at the different options step by step.

Web Wallet

Web wallets are the custodial wallets held on exchange platform servers, whereby the centralized exchange holds your private keys.

This is a high risk as exchanges can go bankrupt, get hacked or exit scam. Only ever use web wallets as a short-term solution.

Mobile Wallet

Known as a ‘hot wallet’ because it is connected to the Internet, mobile wallets are widely considered a better option than leaving coins and keys with an exchange. Mobile wallets are a versatile solution offering some convenience and a degree of safety.

The issue is that being a ‘hot wallet’, it is potentially susceptible to hacks. Reinforce your mobile phone’s security with pin codes or fingerprint ID. The most respected mobile wallets for storing Stellar Lumens are Solar Wallet, Keybase, and Stellar X.

Desktop Wallet

Desktop Wallets are another type of ‘hot wallet’ that are less convenient than mobile phone wallets but can be more secure. It’s always a good idea to add security measures like 2FA to beef up your desktop security. Lumenshine and Solar Wallet are two reputable wallets that will allow you to store Stellar Lumens on a desktop.

Hardware Wallet

This wallet is known as a ‘cold wallet’ as it stores your coins and private keys on a device that is not connected to the Internet.

For this reason, it is the most secure method you can employ. If you need to move your Lumens coins they connect to the Internet through a USB. Trezor and Ledger Nano X are two of the leading types of hardware wallets.

Wallet Combinations

You may do everything right, purchase your XLM, store your XLM in a hardware wallet offline, only to lose the pocket-sized device.

For this reason, you should consider diversifying between different wallets, so a mistake or hack won’t cause easily avoided heartbreak.

What Other Coins Can I Trade or Use to Buy Stellar Lumens?

As we mentioned earlier, XLM is not readily available with fiat pairs, so if you want to buy XLM you will have to buy one of the big boys first, usually Ethereum (ETH) or Bitcoin (BTC) using a Bitcoin exchange.

What’s the Smallest and Largest Amount of Stellar Lumens I Can Buy?

Each unit of Stellar Lumens is divisible by seven decimal places. The smallest unit of measurement is called a ‘Stroop’ being 0.0000001 XLM. The name Stroop is taken from the Stellar mascot, Stroopy.

There is no minimum purchase of Stellar Lumens. How little XLM you can buy is really only limited to how economical it is when you consider trading fees.

Likewise, there is no maximum XLM you can buy. Users can buy Stellar Lumens without limit.

Can I Buy Anonymously with no ID? Is it Safe and Legal?

Cryptocurrency is a new asset class and like many people, you are probably wondering if it is safe to buy Stellar Lumens.

With the popularity of cryptocurrency spreading they are becoming more accepted by governments. It is both safe and legal to buy Stellar in many places around the world now.

Normally, when a person wants to buy a cryptocurrency anonymously with no ID, they use an anonymous exchange without verification. With increasing regulations, these exchanges are ceasing to exist and we don’t recommend using them.

Unlike Bitcoin, it is virtually impossible to buy Stellar Lumens anonymously on a peer-to-peer market or escrow service.

To purchase Stellar Lumens safely, it is better to go through an exchange or broker with verification for a secure Stellar Lumens purchase.

Will Buying Stellar Lumens Make Me Money?

Does purchasing Stellar Lumens make you money? Unfortunately, it is never as clear-cut as ‘buy Stellar, get rich’.

When considering whether to purchase Stellar Lumens you need to look at different metrics including price history, recent developments, and coin supply.

Based on recent reports, Stellar is working to expand its market share and conducting initiatives to bring more people to build financial applications on the network.

Stellar is working with many countries worldwide to boost its ecosystem, use cases and strategic partnerships.

Recently, German cryptocurrency lender Bitbond released its security token offering (STO), called BB1, on the Stellar network. This was a watershed moment for the crypto industry and could pave the way for further STOs.

Check out our Stellar Lumens Price Page for more detailed information before deciding to invest.

Long Vs Short Term Investment

Two types of investors carry out long term investment in Stellar – one group of traders are those who believe that there is a lot of potential in the concept and that will continue to drive the price growth while the second group of traders are those individuals who stand behind the principles of the blockchain and want to show their financial support.

For long term investment, cryptocurrency exchanges are a better platform.

Temporary investment or shorting is made by the investors who essentially need to utilise the unpredictability of the market to earn fast gains. They are not keen on the long haul potential of the XLM coin. For such clients, regulatory compliant brokers are an ideal platform.

Pros and Cons of Buying Stellar Lumens

Pros

• An altruistic goal: It is typical with cryptocurrencies to have goals that have little if anything to do with the average person. The guiding aim in Stellar’s many features is to provide affordable and reliable money transfer to the common person.
• Not-for-Profit: On top of its noble goal is its not-for-profit status. Most crypto investors focus on the money, which has led to the over-valuing of many digital assets. Stellar founders also do not share in the proceeds of the network. Therefore, there is a limited risk of the coin failing due to failure to meet investors’ bottom line.
• Effective partnerships: Stellar has forged working relationships with other corporations to launch its service in different regions. The most notable one is its recent partnership with IBM. It has also partnered with Flutterwave, Coins.ph, ICICI Bank, and Tempo Money to further its services in Africa, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe, respectively.
• Inflationary currency: Stellar has promised to keep generating more XLM to ensure a 1% inflation each year. The goal is to avoid hoarding the coins as is common with other cryptocurrencies.

Cons

• Market share: Stellar Lumens’ primary limitation is that it does not enjoy the same market share as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and other major coins. Consequently, one can only purchase it using fiat currency on specific exchanges such as CEX.io, Kraken, and Coinbase among others.
• Inflation rates: XLM is not worth investing in if you are looking for coins to hoard with the hope the prices get better. Stellar has already programmed the value of the coins to depreciate annually. Consequently, you can only hold them for a short duration and use them as soon as you get an opportunity.

What Are the Fees Involved in Buying Stellar Lumens?

Exchanges charge fees based on the percentage of the total transaction, and it is always dependent on the method of payment. Below are details on the different types of fees you’ll encounter.

• Transaction fees: These are the charges you pay for exchanging coins or fiat currency for your chosen coin. An example is exchanging Ethereum for XLM or XLM to USD. It varies from exchange to exchange.
• Deposit fees: These are mainly the charges you pay an exchange for depositing fiat currency or cryptocurrencies on its account. It also includes the charges by the payment method you are using such as a debit card, credit card and bank transfers, among others.
• Withdrawal fees: Nearly all exchanges and trading platforms charge fees on all withdrawals to another platform, coin wallet or bank account. These change depending on both withdrawal type and exchange/broker platform.

It is crucial to analyse the entire fee structure of an exchange or brokerage before settling for it. Some platforms use hidden fees to make up for the low initial fees at one that you first see. Trading platforms have better payment methods and fees than exchanges, meaning it’s usually far easier to start investing in cryptocurrency on a broker platform.

3 Tips to Buy Stellar Lumens

Now that you have grasped the fundamentals of buying Stellar Lumens both through the exchanges and the brokerage websites, it is now time to learn a few tips about investing in XLM and other cryptocurrencies.

Choose the Right Time and Do Your Own Research

Try not to depend on a single information source. Go through various articles from a wide variety of industry analysts and take a position on the price developments. This way, you will be in a superior situation to create fruitful trading plans.

Comparing Costs to Buy Stellar Lumens

Beginner financial investors aren’t cautious enough to review the cost and expense structures that wind up tearing up their earnings. Continuously analyse the expenses across various exchanges, including commissions, spreads, exchange charges, store/withdrawal charges, and other fees.

Safety and Security When

As a financial investor, you have a responsibility for guaranteeing the security of your XLM tokens. Ensure that you have the best wallet, and you are limiting your risk through a diversified portfolio. Try not to debilitate features like 2FA and passphrase insurance.

What Is the Best Payment Method for Buying Stellar Lumens

• Buy Stellar with Cash – You are required to purchase Bitcoin first with Cash through ATM, and afterwards, you can exchange it for Stellar.
• Buy Stellar with Credit Card/Debit Card – One of the easiest to understand and quick techniques to purchase Stellar although a bit higher on the fee side.
• Buy Stellar with Bank Transfer – Easy and affordable. However, it can be slower than other payment methods.
• Buy Stellar with Bitcoin – Just trade Bitcoin for Stellar Lumens.
• Buy Stellar with PayPal – Swift and reasonable yet restricted and contingent on the region.

Other Ways to Buy Stellar

You can purchase Stellar utilising the previously mentioned methods, but there are other lesser-known sources that you can use to buy XLM tokens. Despite the fact that these may not be as advantageous as the traditional exchanges, these are still dependable.

• Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Exchanges – These are the third-party websites that connect individual buyers and sellers of Stellar who can agree upon their own set of terms and conditions. It gives buyers more versatility, and they can buy directly from a person. This also allows them to choose their terms and payment mode with ease.
• Stellar tokens cannot be mined as of now.

Since we have pretty much covered all the crucial aspects of buying Stellar, you are more prepared than ever to begin your first purchase of XLM tokens.

How to Spend Your Lumens

The Stellar network offers users and businesses an extremely versatile tool for sending a transaction in one currency and have it arrive in a matter of seconds in another, anywhere in the world.

The Stellar network is also looking to support the other classes of transactions like merchant payments or remittances. Applications are also being built on the Stellar Network that will utilize the native currency XLM.

How to Sell Your Lumens

If you are new to cryptocurrency, the process of selling Stellar Lumens on an exchange can be a little nerve-racking.

It is crucial that you fully understand the process so that you don’t make any mistakes. Remember, you will have to trade into another coin like Bitcoin or Ethereum before you can sell for fiat currency.

If you are only interested in benefiting from XLM price movements then going through a broker is easier.

CFDs simplify the process of trading Stellar Lumens and provide a level of security that some cryptocurrency exchanges don’t.