An Introduction To NFT Trading

August 19, 2022
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We wrote this article to help you learn about NFT trading on the internet. NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, are growing in popularity immensely. There is no doubt that NFTs are colossal news right now. 

Each NFT has no specific value; it's all about supply and demand, like most commodities. Your aim should be to buy them at the lowest price possible and sell them when the price peaks. Therefore, view NFTs as digital assets to be traded as you would with any cryptocurrency, stock, or commodity.

image featuring a NFT trading chart

Understanding NFTs | What Are NFTs

NFT tokens are merely cryptographic assets within a blockchain; each has a unique identification code and metadata distinguishing them from the other. However, you are unable to trade them at equivalency, as you can with cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies are identical and act as a means of enabling commercial transactions.

NFTs are unique and cannot be replicated. However, they can represent people's property rights, identities, and more. Values initially rose swiftly but have since calmed down. A large market for NFT token use at the moment is in collectibles like artwork, sports cards, and other rarities. For example, people can collect nonfungible NBA moments in digital card form at NBA Top Shot. The tokenized version of the first ever tweet sold for almost $3 million. 

An Introduction to NFT Trading (for beginners)

The success of sports card games saw considerable investments in NFTs in 2021. Hundreds of millions of dollars poured into the business. Buying and selling NFTs is the most straightforward introduction to trading. Search for NFTs online, and you'll find plenty of areas of interest with differing benefits. 

Traders use digital wallets; therefore, finding one that supports NFTs is imperative. You need to credit your wallet with a cryptocurrency of your choice, and you're ready to start. After your purchase is verified, it’s recorded on the blockchain and available in your wallet. 

Trading NFT marketplace tokens and cryptocurrencies is the way that most people start. It enables you to begin trading without directly being involved in NFT trading. Then, as the marketplace grows, your tokens gain value. 

NFT Trading | How to Get Started

If you want to get involved with NFT trading, there are three primary stages:

1: Obtain a crypto wallet. It is vital to ensure that you choose a wallet that supports nonfungible tokens. First, check which wallets are recommended by your chosen coin's community. Then, you simply download the relevant app on your phone or install the browser on your laptop. Finally, you give your wallet a name and choose a password. That's it. If you create a secret recovery phrase, always remember to write it down and store it somewhere safe. 

2: Acquire some NFTs. After you have purchased some cryptocurrency, like Ethereum, connect your wallet to a marketplace. There are many marketplaces to choose from, but they all do a similar job. OpenSea is one of the more well-known. Increasingly crypto brokers are including lists of marketplaces on their sites for NFT trading. 

3: Create your user account on your chosen marketplace. At this point, it is merely a case of browsing the NFTs you may wish to purchase, then listing the ones you want to sell. 

graphic featuring the process of NFT trading

Popular NFT Marketplaces for Trading, Buying, and Selling

There are many marketplaces and crypto / NFTs apps from which to choose. However, don't be over-faced by them. There are also many comparison sites giving good advice on which ones will suit your NFT trading needs best. 

All NFT marketplaces permit users to buy and sell NFTs. However, the better ones also allow you to mint, share and promote your tokens on external sites such as social media. It is also a good idea to look for one that accepts fiat currencies and crypto and offers top security. 

OpenSea NFT

OpenSea was the first marketplace for NFTs and is still the largest. Alex Atallah and Devin Finzer founded the company in New York in 2017. It has been ahead of the curve ever since. It allows users to sell NFTs at a fixed price or by auction using Ethereum as a base. 

OpenSea marketplace raised US$2.1 million in capital in late 2019. Soon after, it announced that users would be able to mint NFTs using the platform at no cost. The company launched an NFT app for Android and iOS users in September 2021. A few months later, the Ethereum wallet production company Dharma Labs was purchased. In January 2022, the company was valued at $13.3 billion, incredible for a company that employs less than one hundred people. 

Since its early days of trading CryptoKitties, OpenSea has expanded exponentially. It is known for having low fees and gas-free transactions. With over two hundred different payment options, it offers a large number of collectibles. Users, of course, need a crypto wallet and make payments in cryptocurrency. 

OpenSea supports over a dozen wallets, including Coinbase, MetaMask, and TrustWallet. In addition, it supports several Blockchains, like KlatYen (KLAY) and Polygon (MATIC). The marketplace is open to everyone with a large variety of payment options. If you are new to NFT trading, it's a great place to start your journey.

Binance NFT

New kids on the block Binance NFT marketplace launched in June 2021. Binance iOS is a mixed marketplace with many NFT categories, including sports, entertainment, art, gaming, and 'Mystery Boxes,' which have surprise NFTs with varying rarities.

Creating and verifying your Binance account costs nothing. Once open, you can use your account over the entire Binance network. In addition, it is a friendly site for users that are unfamiliar with NFT trading, with easy navigation and execution of processes. Furthermore, it allows users to mint nonfungible tokens with some of the lowest minting fees available, as the whole Binance ecosystem supports it. Security systems are excellent.

Although minting fees are low, the permissions required are a little more restrictive than other marketplaces. Additionally, the company only allows creators to collect 1% in royalty payments. Such a small percentage compares poorly with the 10% offered by OpenSea and Foundation. 

Crypto.com NFT

The Crypto.com currency exchange owns Singapore-based Crypto.com NFT. It launched in 2021 as a mixed marketplace offering multiple kinds of NFTs and mainly targets collectors rather than creators. Crypto.com NFT provides support from four blockchains and has various payment options, including debit and credit cards, with no gas fees. This relatively new company is doing exceptionally well, with over 10 million users. 

Rarible

Rarible is a multi-chain Ethereum-based marketplace facilitating NFT trading and minting on various blockchains. The company currently supports Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Tezos, and Flow. Rarible enables the creation, purchase, and sale of ownership rights to digital artworks using NFTs.

SuperRare

SuperRare lists a curated collection of digital artwork, mainly produced by established NFT artists, but also creating a platform for up-and-coming creators. In its own words, this exclusive crypto art marketplace is "Instagram meets Christie's." SuperRare operates on Ethereum and is an excellent place for finding NFT collectibles.

Solana NFT Marketplace

Solanart is the first complete secondary marketplace on Solana. Furthermore, it is also the largest. This marketplace provides simple access to digital collectibles, enabling users to buy and sell NFTs quickly. Costs are very competitive and have facilitated opportunities for creators and artists alike. Solanart allows users to create digitally-certified NFTs of their digital assets with authentic ownership. 

Coinbase NFTs

Coinbase NFT is a peer-to-peer market that claims to enable the easier minting, buying, and showcasing of NFTs. They are creating a social marketplace on Web3. Usernames and passwords will be obsolete as users employ self-custody-styled wallets, which act as passwords upon logging in. 

Minting An NFT

Minting an NFT is the descriptive term for uniquely publishing a purchasable token on the blockchain. After creating a digital wallet that stores cryptocurrency, it is an easy process to move towards minting. It is just a case of creating a smart contract, deploying it on a blockchain, and away you go. 

Most marketplaces that enable the minting of NFTs can complete the process in less than 30 minutes. However, the costs involved vary considerably, typically between $1:00 and $1000:00. Once created, your NFT can profit from its sale and ongoing royalties on further sales. 

Primary NFT Market

In short, the primary NFT market is when a collector purchases an NFT for the first time, usually from the creator. The creator of the NFT, a crypto artist, may sell to a collector in a marketplace or from their website. 

Secondary NFT Market

A secondary market is when a person resells an NFT to another crypto investor in a marketplace. The secondary market is still in the early stages of development. The creator of the original NFT will earn subsequent follow-on royalties anytime the work sells again. 

In short, the original artist/owner first sells the NFT in the primary market. Then the buyer/investor may then sell it to another buyer/investor in the secondary market.

Pro Tips For Buying and Selling NFTs

Always check the info on the smart contract. First, check with the creator to ensure the smart contract and the token ID are the same as it appears in the info section on the NFT page. Then, check to see if they have a verified collection badge for extra verification. Not all collections do, but it's an additional security feature that comes in handy when engaging in NFT trading. 

As with all things these days, collectors will have a high social media presence; check it out for yourself. Don't forget, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Ridiculously low prices should sound alarm bells. Always be on the lookout for fake Web3 wallets. Find trusted review sites for collectors and marketplaces. In addition, download a high-rated NFT app. Happy NFT trading!

Crypto Wallets

Of course, before you purchase, sell or trade any NFTs, you will need a crypto wallet. You will see terms like hot and cold. Hot wallets may require a transaction fee each time you buy or sell currency. Cold wallets like KeepKey or Trezor do not. You can purchase them from either the brand's websites or, in some cases, from sites like Amazon.

It's important to remember that you can only send cryptocurrencies of a specific type to wallets that support them. For example, you may only send Bitcoin to a Bitcoin wallet. To send currency, enter the recipient's wallet address and choose the amount to send. Then, use your private key to sign the transaction (accounting for any transaction fees) and send it. 

photo of a Trezor crypto wallet with instructions for the recovery seed

3 Strategies for NFT Trading

The NFT industry is a $21 billion market at this point. In total, users have traded almost $62 billion worth of NFTs. So to get in on NFT trading, it is crucial to have some strategy up your sleeve. 

Projects with a big-name backer developed by notable artists will hold their value better. Always ensure that the developer team is credible and transparent within the community. Try to be among the first ones in but also the topmost in the community.

1. Pinpoint assets with NFT use cases

Since the early days of 2021, the use of NFTs has grown. This year we are beginning to see other creative use cases bringing added benefits to traders. There is now a lot more to NFT use than simply pictures. 

Wearables are 3d clothing you can buy for your avatar to wear during games. A Decentralized Autonomous Organisation or DAO is a community-led organization. LinksDAO is creating a digital golf and country club. Memberships sold out quickly, and you can now only buy them on the secondary market. Now NFTs are also used in loyalty or reward schemes. It appears that NFT use cases are endless. 

2. Explore NFT auctions

After purchasing an NFT, users can resell it for a profit (hopefully) by setting up an auction. A fixed price auction means you set a price and sell when the bid reaches your price. An unlimited auction means that people continue bidding until you decide to accept the price and sell. Either way, if nobody bids, the auction will simply end. 

3. Get in early by minting NFTs

Minting your own NFTs and selling them is a direct and effective method of making money. You can create and sell anything digital such as arts, images, videos, properties, memes, and more, as NFTs. If you are creative, you can now monetize all your creations by selling them as a nonfungible token.

Final Thoughts About NFT Trading

Like anything else, you may not make a profit from NFT trading. However, such is the rate of growth in the NFT market, now seems like a good time to get involved. You can gain wealth by creating NFTs or buying and flipping them. Long-term investment seems like an excellent way to go in these early days of NFT trading. You can start your own business and incorporate NFTs into your brand. 

The NFT market is vast. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, it was worth $2.1 billion. During the last year, NFT marketplaces like OpenSea, and SuperRare have experienced record amounts of trade and transactions. There have sadly been reports of scammers. However, by following the safety protocols mentioned in this NFT trading article, it is not difficult to avoid them. Use trusted sites and dealers, and all will be well when engaging in NFT trading. 

*Disclaimer: This article is not investment advice. It is published for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you decide to engage in NFT trading, please practice due diligence and conduct independent research before investing. 

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