Your first trade
A walkthrough of one spot order: pick a venue, read the ticket, set an exit, confirm.
This walkthrough places one small spot order. Start with an amount you are willing to lose entirely while you learn the interface.
1. Choose the venue #
Open Trading. The venue bar across the top lists connected exchanges. If a venue shows connect API keys, add them first — see Create your account.
2. Pick the market #
Search for a pair (for example BTC/USDT) in the pair selector. The chart, order book and recent trades all follow the selection.
3. Fill the ticket #
The ticket is shared between spot and futures so the controls stay in the same place.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Side | Buy or sell |
| Order type | Market, limit, or a conditional variant where the venue supports it |
| Size | Quote amount or base quantity — the ticket shows both, linked by price |
| Limit price | Your price for limit orders; ignored for market |
| Leverage and margin mode | Futures only: cross or isolated, and the multiplier |
| Reduce only | Futures only: the order can shrink a position but never flip it |
A running estimate shows notional, the fee the venue will charge and what you receive after fees. Read it before sending: it is computed from the venue's own fee schedule where available.
4. Consider the exit before the entry #
Open the Exits panel on the ticket and add a stop, a take-profit, or both. Setting a stop at entry time is the difference between a plan and a hope.
- Stop — a trigger price plus distance; the venue holds the order, so it survives a
closed browser.
- Take-profit — one or more legs, each with its own size.
- Trailing stop — available on venues that support native trailing orders.
Exits are explained in detail in Orders, stops and exits.
5. Review and send #
Press the send button. A confirmation panel restates side, size, price, estimated fee and the exits attached to the order. Nothing is sent until you confirm there.
Warning
A market order can fill far from the last price in thin books. On illiquid pairs use a
limit order and let it work.
6. Watch it land #
Open positions appear on the Trading page and in Portfolio. Every fill is written to the Diary automatically, with the reasoning you added — so the trade is reviewable later even if you forget it.
Common first-trade mistakes #
- Sending size in the wrong unit. Check whether the ticket is showing base or quote.
- Skipping the stop. A position without an exit depends on you watching it.
- Trading a pair with no depth. Check the order book spread before sizing up.
- Ignoring the fee line. On small targets, taker fees can exceed the edge.
Checklist
- Exchange API keys connected
- Order ticket filled with size and type
- Protective exit considered before sending