The Beginning: My First XRP Purchase
The Decision to Dive In
Every investor remembers their first buy. For me, it was supposed to be simple: log in, click “purchase,” and boom—I’d own my first XRP. Easy, right?
Wrong.
Back in early 2017, deciding to buy XRP meant entering a maze. It wasn’t just a financial decision—it was a leap into uncharted territory. I had no idea that the moment I hit “go,” I was about to stumble into a world that felt like the Wild West of the digital frontier.
The Hunt for XRP
I quickly realized that buying XRP wasn’t like buying Apple stock or swiping a card for groceries. No U.S. exchange made it easy. Most didn’t list XRP at all, and the ones that did seemed shady, confusing, or unreliable.
The frustration set in. Here I was, ready to invest, but everywhere I turned I hit a wall of government red tape and lack of access. U.S. citizens had zero direct on-ramps—no bank account links, no debit cards, no credit cards. Just a bunch of dead ends.
Enter Binance (and the VPN)
After scouring forums, Reddit threads, and late-night Google searches, I discovered Binance—a relatively new exchange at the time. Hope sparked… until I realized another obstacle: Binance wouldn’t just take my cash. To buy XRP there, I first had to own Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin.
Even creating an account wasn’t straightforward. As a U.S. citizen, I had to use a VPN just to sneak past restrictions. It felt like playing cat-and-mouse with the system, doing whatever I could just to get in the door.
My First Detour: Bitcoin
With no other choice, I went hunting for Bitcoin. I ended up on an app called Abra, where I wired $500 straight from my bank account. A nerve-wracking wait later, I finally had about 0.45 BTC in my hands.
At the time, Bitcoin was trading around $1,100—a number that almost feels unreal today. Still, I wasn’t here for Bitcoin. I was on a mission for XRP. And to get it, I had to move that BTC across the blockchain, through exchanges, and finally into the waiting arms of Binance.
The Longest Wait of My Life
If you’ve ever transferred crypto, you know the feeling. You hit “send,” and then… nothing. Just waiting.
Watching my Bitcoin leave Abra and waiting for it to land in Binance was excruciating. Every second felt like an hour. What if it got lost? What if I copied the wrong wallet address? Would my $500 just vanish into the digital abyss?
Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
And then—it arrived.
The Big Moment: Trading for XRP
My heart raced as I pulled up Binance’s trading screen. It was clunky, confusing, and intimidating. But I was determined. With shaky hands, I entered my trade: all of my Bitcoin into XRP, then hovering around $0.11.
After spreads, fees, and a crash course in trial-by-fire, it was done. Sitting in my account, gleaming on the screen, was my very first bag of XRP: 4,100 coins.
Frustration Turned Into Fire
That moment was electric. All the VPN headaches, endless searching, and transfer delays suddenly felt worth it. I hadn’t just bought crypto—I had fought for it.
I walked away that day not just as a new investor, but as someone who had wrestled with the chaos of a brand-new financial system and claimed a stake in its future.
And that first bag of XRP? It wasn’t just digital currency. It was the spark that lit the fire for everything that came after.
