I’m new to all of this. I need help with just about everything. I have a wallet - with nothing in it. Is there a step-by-step guide to Firo?
Hey there, Patty Prepper! Welcome to Firo!
There isn’t a step-by-step guide, but I am more than happy to help!
Are you new to just Firo, or are you new to cryptocurrencies as a whole?
Which wallet did you select?
1 Like
I’m new to crypto altogether. However, I’m learning a lot just by poking around a little. What I need to know is how to connect my bank to Firo and buy something.
I chose the QT Wallet.
Congratulations on taking your first step, then! How’d you find out about crypto and Firo, if I may ask?
Excellent choice! QT is one of our full node (blockchain) wallets and therefore supports our privacy features, but as you may have already noticed it requires a period to sync up to the blockchain. This will be a process that happens any time the wallet is off for a period of time.
As for your question, you cannot connect a bank account to the wallet. The two modes to getting Firo are through mining, or through buying/swapping. Here is our page with exchanges that support Firo: Buy firo | Firo - Privacy-preserving cryptocurrency
You’ll notice that there are categories. DEXes, Firo/Fiat pairings, Firo/Crypto pairings, and coin swapping. To use money, you will need to choose Firo/fiat. Unfortunately, because of regulation, this can be a bit problematic as not everywhere is supported.
1 Like
Thank you. You’re making me feel like maybe I can do this.
I found out about Firo through Mike Adams who uses Firo as one of his tipping systems on his site.
What does “requires a period to sync up to the blockchain” mean? Is that why it says 97% synced? Is there anything I can do to help it along? So do I need to wait for it to completely sync before I can go further?
I will probably need to use the Firo/fiat pairing. So how do I solve the problematic aspect of this?
I REALLY appreciate your help.
For example, do I need to buy some Bitcoin first and then trade it for Firo?
You certainly can. 
There’s a little bit of a steep learning curve, but once you get over that hump, you’ll be golden. I’m glad to see someone else heard of us through Brighteon and Mike Adams. It was awesome to see Firo added as one of the options to tip creators anonymously.
So, the blockchain is where transaction information is stored. A giant ledger. This video can give you a good amount of information in a short format if you’re interested: How does a blockchain work - Simply Explained - YouTube; however, it is worth noting that Firo does differ from the video as we’re a privacy coin. Nevertheless, you’re correct - that’s why it says 97% synced. There’s nothing you can do to speed it up, but from now on it will be much briefer to sync up since it will only need to catch up to the blockchain from the last time you used the wallet. For example, if you close the wallet, wait a few hours, and open it back up you’ll only need to sync up from when you closed the wallet to when you opened it back up - not from scratch.
When it is syncing, your balance will likely not show correctly, and you will not be able to send, but you can still use a receiving address and once your wallet catches up to the blockchain you’ll see any transactions you received.
The problematic element depends on where you are. For example, most of the world can use Binance for their crypto needs. The US cannot, and instead has binance.us, which does not even list Firo while Binance for the rest of the world does. Recently, though, Binance delisted Firo, as well as several other privacy coins, from 4 countries: Italy, Poland, France, and Spain. If you’re US bound like I am, using fiat to get Firo isn’t currently possible to my knowledge, and as you just suggested you’ll be forced to either mine or buy a different coin - such as BTC - and swap it for Firo.
While I personally mine in the winter myself, I have also bought BTC with fiat. Swapping from time to time to Firo. When buying with fiat, or at least in the US, this introduces KYC. This stands for Know Your Customer. In order to complete the transaction, they will require your information, a picture of a document (such as your driver’s license), etc. Swapping and DEXes do not have this, but they also do not have fiat options.
As an American, this is what I do when I buy with fiat. I use a multi-coin mobile wallet called Stack Wallet - you’ll see them on our supported wallets page. They not only support Firo, but they even support our privacy features. Their wallet also has a built-in swap feature, and they have an exchange section. I use this since it is all in one place: I hold some Firo there, I hold my bitcoin there, I can swap on demand, and I can use them to buy with fiat. The last time I used their exchange, it used: https://buy.simplex.com/ Also be aware that you don’t have to use BTC, either. You could potentially get a different coin and swap that instead. I did it with some Doge I had won in the past.
The good news is that Guardarian, one of the sites that supports Firo and fiat purchases, claims to be working on being available in the US.
1 Like
If you post a receiving address, I will send you a little bit of Firo, so you can mess with it. To generate a receiving address, go to the “receive” tab in the wallet, at the top. You’ll see label, amount, and message. Underneath those, it will say “request payment”. Click that and a window will pop up. You can simply click the “copy address” option and post that here.
I’ve checked out Guardarian and have a pending purchase. I tried Coinbase to buy Bitcoin first, but there were some issues in getting it. So I also tried Exodus, which I may use instead to purchase Bitcoin because I don’t want to wait for Guardarian. Their prices are about the same.
I believe I need to move NOW. I took the day off to finalize this first step in my goal, which is to open a business that uses ONLY cryptocurrency. I’m an herbalist. My goal is to help people get at least an herbalist in their neighborhood. I no longer trust the medical system, but we still need to be healthy, don’t we. So I’m going to provide a way to help people get the skills they need to be their community’s herbalist.
By taking a day off, I mean that all I did outside today was weed the corn patch. I didn’t water (which I should do daily because we live in a very dry climate). But I feel this is more important to at least get the money end of my business started.
Sorry to bore you with my personal goals and challenges. You have been very helpful, and I will be eternally grateful.
I’m glad you know Mike Adams. He has been a great help to me also. He says nothing but good things about you and your company.
My email is [EMAIL REDACTED]. I would be happy to hear from you.
If you’re in a country where you’re able to buy from Guardarian you can buy Firo directly from them rather than having to buy BTC first. It will save you time and money. You will want to make sure you’re buying native Firo, though, not Binance Smart Chain (BSC) version.
You should also check to see if you can get their G-Card. Guardarian crypto card. Purchases accepted globally it is their pre-paid card, and it supports Firo, so you can fill it up with Firo! (Another reason I hope they come to the US soon 
)
That’s very cool of you! I take it that you’ll be teaching courses, then? Or will you be selling supplies? You can check out these two options for accepting Firo payments: https://nowpayments.io/ & https://www.coinpayments.net/ and once you’re set up, certainly reach out to let us know - we’d love to have you on our merchants’ page of people who accept Firo as payment! You can check it out here: Merchants | Firo - Privacy-preserving cryptocurrency
You didn’t bore me at all, I’m glad to see someone who is just getting into crypto who is grabbing the bull by the horns and already planning on using not only Firo but crypto as a whole for exactly what it was intended to be: money as well as a parallel economy. Further still, it helped me understand what you are trying to accomplish, and I hope some of what I offered above helps you achieve those goals.
I’m glad to hear that he says nothing but good things about us and that because of that, our reputation precedes us, haha. By the way, when you receive your Firo, make sure to anonymize it. That is our privacy protocol and makes the coins private. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need more help or have more questions.
1 Like
Will do. It’s nice to have a contact with a company I admire.
Blessings!
1 Like
I removed your e-mail for your safety