How to purchase NFTs?
A guide to MetaMask, Torus and the AkoinNFT marketplace
NFTs are a fun new part of our world but purchasing your first NFT can seem difficult. We’re going to help simplify that for you. In this article, we’ll be summarizing all of the steps you need to take while providing instructions with picture guides, hopefully making that first time process just a little bit easier for newcomers to this exciting and nascent space.
To purchase Open Collection NFTs on the AkoinNFT marketplace, you’ll need to set up a web 3.0 wallet using your computer and then you’ll need to deposit Ether (ETH) into it. The most common web 3.0 wallet is MetaMask, created by ConsenSys and widely — if not indisputably — considered to be the best wallet for interacting with dApps and smart contracts based on the Ethereum blockchain used by websites such as decentralized NFT marketplaces.
Alternatively, you can also purchase NFTs with credit or debit card as opposed to Ether (ETH) by using Torus, which is fully integrated into the AkoinNFT marketplace so that you don’t need to download any app, browser extension or software in order to utilize the wallet.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ve split this guide into two parts: one covering the purchase flow with MetaMask, and one covering the purchase flow with Torus. Let’s get into it!
Using MetaMask with AkoinNFT
Step 1. Downloading MetaMask
To download MetaMask, you need to be using a Chromium based browser such as Google Chrome or Brave. If you’re using one of these, access the web store listing (make sure you’re downloading the real extension) by clicking here, and then click “Add to Chrome”, or “Add to Brave” if you’re using the Brave Browser.
Step 2. Creating a MetaMask Wallet
Once MetaMask is downloaded, click “get started” on the popup that appears in your browser. Then, click “create a wallet” as shown below.
After clicking this button, you’ll be prompted with setting up a password. This is a password to access your MetaMask wallet, so make sure you configure a secure password. Once you confirm your password, you’ll be taken to a page that contains your secret backup phrase.
Click the button to reveal the secret words and note them down — these are needed for the next step. It is very important that you store this phrase securely, outside of reach or view of anyone other than yourself. If someone else has access to this secret phrase, they will be able to access your wallet to withdraw or transfer funds, NFTs and anything else you store in it.
Now that you’ve got the secret backup phrase, click “next” and you’ll be taken to a screen where you have to click the listed words so that they appear in the same order as the secret backup phrase you noted down from the prior stage of the wallet set up process. Once done, click “confirm” and you’ve successfully created your MetaMask wallet!
Step 3. Funding your MetaMask Wallet
Now that you’ve created your wallet, you need to fund it with Ether (ETH). This is the fuel of the Ethereum blockchain and is required to transfer tokens and ETH, to purchase NFTs, and to interact with decentralized apps (dApps). Any action on Ethereum requires using Ether as gas.
From within MetaMask itself, it’s possible to fund your wallet using debit and credit cards, as well as Apple Pay. This is done through their partner, Wyre, and to access this feature you just need to click “buy” from within your wallet, then “continue to Wyre”, as seen below.
After this, you’ll be taken to a brand new page with Wyre where you input how much ETH (in USD, EUR, GBP or other currencies) that you want to purchase, along with which payment method you wish to utilize for the transaction. Once confirmed you can click “next” and continue with Wyre’s payment process, which we won’t cover more of in this specific guide. One point to note, however, is that if you’re using a credit card, then you might want to call your credit card company and let them know in advance that you’ll be using the cryptocurrency gateway. If not, your transaction might get blocked from going through if it’s your first time using Wyre.
Once you’ve completed this process, you should receive the Ether (ETH) to your MetaMask wallet after waiting for the transfer to arrive. The time it takes for a transfer to confirm depends on how much gas has been provided by the sender, in this case Wyre, but should only take a few minutes. If you would prefer an alternative to Wyre, you can also purchase Ether (ETH) on an exchange such as Coinbase, Binance, FTX, Kraken or with another trusted provider.
Regardless of how you purchase Ether (ETH), your MetaMask wallet should now look something like the above, and you’re ready to proceed in your NFT adventure.
Step 4. Creating an AkoinNFT account
To purchase NFTs on the AkoinNFT marketplace, you need to first go to AkoinNFT.io, then register for an account. This can be initiated easily by navigating to the homepage and clicking “Connect” in the upper right corner. This will take you to the “Connect Wallet” page shown above. Then, you click the “MetaMask/Web3'’ button which brings you to the signup page.
On the signup page you need to input your name, email and birth date. It’s important to provide real information here as we use this information to contact lucky NFT purchasers that have won exciting prizes such as AkoinNFT gallery tickets, auction spots and more for their support of our artists and through their participation in the marketplace. Once you’re done filling in your information, click “Create Account”.
At this point, you’ll be asked to sign a transaction. This is free and does not cost any Ether to complete. Just click “sign”, and you’ve successfully created an AkoinNFT account and are ready to proceed with your NFT purchase!
Step 5. Purchasing NFTs on the AkoinNFT marketplace
After creating an account, click “Home” in the upper left corner to navigate back to the homescreen. Once you’ve found a collection you’re interested in, click “View Collection” underneath the collection description.
This will take you to the collection page, seen above. If there is more than one NFT listed in the collection, you’ll be able to view them all on this page by scrolling down. Once you find an NFT you’d like to purchase, click “Buy Now”, and you’ll be taken to the specific NFT’s product page.
If you wish to purchase the NFT, click “Buy Now” again. This will prompt a MetaMask popup (seen below) asking you to confirm the purchase. Click “Confirm”, and you’ll submit a transaction to the Ethereum network confirming your purchase.
Now, you just need to wait for the transaction to confirm, which should only take a couple of minutes or less. Once it confirms, you’ll see a small MetaMask notification popup in the bottom right corner of your screen.
And that’s it, you’ve successfully purchased an NFT!
Using MetaMask with Torus
Step 1. Creating an AkoinNFT account
To purchase NFTs on the AkoinNFT marketplace with debit or credit card, you need to first go to AkoinNFT.io, then register for an account. This can be initiated easily by navigating to the homepage and clicking “Connect” in the upper right corner. This will take you to the “Connect Wallet” page shown above. Then, you click the “Connect With Credit Card’’ button which will prompt a Torus popup.
On this page, you need to sign in with a secure Google/Gmail account. We highly recommend only using an account which you’ve set up 2FA / multi-factor authentication on, meaning that you can only log into the account by using one-time passwords sent over applications such as Google Authenticator, Authy, or similar.
Once you’ve logged into Torus with your Google/Gmail account, you then need to designate a recovery email. It’s very important that you select another secure email account that you have access to. This can be a Gmail, Outlook, or any other type of email account. Click “Confirm” to complete the initial Torus setup, bringing you to the AkoinNFT signup page.
On the signup page you need to input your name, email and birth date. It’s important to provide real information here as we use this information to contact lucky NFT purchasers that have won exciting prizes such as AkoinNFT gallery tickets, auction spots and more for their support of our artists and through their participation in the marketplace. Once you’re done filling in your information, click “Create Account”.
At this point, you’ll be asked to confirm again through a Torus popup. Just click “Confirm”, and you’ve successfully created an AkoinNFT account and Torus wallet and are ready to proceed.
Step 2. Funding your Torus wallet
Now you’ll need to fund your account with Ether (ETH) using a debit or credit card. Ether is the fuel of the Ethereum blockchain and is required to transfer tokens and ETH, to purchase NFTs, and to interact with decentralized apps (dApps). Any action on Ethereum requires using Ether as gas, such as submitting a transaction to purchase an NFT on the AkoinNFT marketplace.
After wallet and account setup, you’ll be taken to the account page. Here you can see your wallet address and balance. Click “Add funds” to deposit funds into your account.
This will take you to a brand new page with Wyre where you input how much ETH (in USD, EUR, GBP or other currencies) that you want to purchase, along with which payment method you wish to utilize for the transaction. Once confirmed you can click “next” and continue with Wyre’s payment process, which we won’t cover more of in this specific guide. One point to note, however, is that if you’re using a credit card, then you might want to call your credit card company and let them know in advance that you’ll be using the cryptocurrency gateway. If not, your transaction might get blocked from going through if it’s your first time using Wyre.
Once you’ve completed this process, you should receive the Ether (ETH) to your account after waiting for the transfer to arrive. The time it takes for a transfer to confirm depends on how much gas has been provided by the sender, in this case Wyre, but should only take a few minutes. Once the Ether arrives, you’re ready to purchase NFTs!
Step 3. Purchasing NFTs on the AkoinNFT marketplace
After creating an account, click “Home” in the upper left corner to navigate back to the homescreen. Once you’ve found a collection you’re interested in, click “View Collection” underneath the collection description.
This will take you to the collection page, seen above. If there is more than one NFT listed in the collection, you’ll be able to view them all on this page by scrolling down. Once you find an NFT you’d like to purchase, click “Buy Now”, and you’ll be taken to the specific NFT’s product page.
If you wish to purchase the NFT, click “Buy Now” again. This will prompt a Torus popup (seen below) asking you to confirm the purchase. Click “Confirm”, and you’ll submit a transaction to the Ethereum network confirming your purchase.
Now, you just need to wait for the transaction to confirm, which should only take a couple of minutes or less. Once it confirms, you’ve successfully purchased an NFT!
So, what now?
After you’ve purchased one or more NFTs, you can access your collections using the top right dropdown of the AkoinNFT marketplace after your transaction has been confirmed. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on how congested the Ethereum network is at the time of purchase. Once confirmed, however, you will have full control of your purchased NFT(s). If desired, you can list NFTs you purchase for resale on OpenSea, Rarible or another secondary marketplace for NFTs, or you can transfer the NFT(s) to a different Ethereum address. The choice is yours as the NFTs you purchase are your property!
