advice from a good samaritan & bitcoin enthusiast/investor/convert
nearly everyone in the US who became interested in Bitcoin the past year, has undoubtedly on that journey found Coinbase/GDAX. its the big flashing neon sign saying "buy bitcoin here". A tourist trap of the internet IMHO. but they are an option, just not a good one.
if you are in a hurry today/this week/right this very minute, or you want to use a credit card to buy bitcoin, coinbase is your answer. but the amount you've indicated you want to buy tells me you should be using the Gemini exchange.
i started at coinbase in march, had too many issues with them and discovered Gemini. took a few days to verify, including wiring funds from approved bank account (only the first time) before I was fully approved. I have been very satisfied with it from that point on and coinbase has only gotten worse.
i don't work for Gemini or get paid by them in any way, just a happy customer. i've been following BITCF and GBTC on these message boards for awhile and own a little of each plus a few coins. i've come to appreciate the advice and info you and others have contributed in that time.
i normally just lurk on here and soak up all the info i can find on crypto and crypto-related stocks, but i felt compelled to share nonetheless.
Finally, remember this if nothing else.
you should not leave your bitcoin on the exchange, especially not in any large amount. bitcoin has never been hacked, but exchanges have in the past and certainly will in the future. Coinbase and Gemini are very safe compared to outside US, but it is still a tip worth remembering.
Best is to buy a hardware wallet such as Trezor or Ledger nano, and move your coins there under your control. there's a saying besides "hodl" in this community, "not your keys = not your coins". if bitcoin forks again, exchanges aren't obligated to give you the new coin that is created.
If any of that sounds too uncomfortable to follow or a pain in the ass to bother with, i would just keep owning GBTC instead for now. it's actually a good trade-off, the premium vs. dealing with actual coin ownership.
i'll try to answer more questions if you, or others on here, have any, but there is so much about this subject (bitcoin, blockchain, crypto-assets, etc) to learn its hard to explain it to some folks totally set in their thinking.
anyways, best of luck, keep hodling!
Dan
