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I was reading Where can I buy Ether? and they mention "least resistance" as a criterion for an exchange:

Where are the best places to buy ether with the least resistance and lowest fees?

What does this mean exactly?

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Shelvacu
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  • Could you quote the original question/usage of "least resistance" beyond just linking it to improve its readability? – J-B Jan 24 '16 at 21:28

2 Answers2

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When buying ether, "resistance" is a measure of factors such as:

  • do you need to have a credit card
  • do you need to have some other cryptocurrency to make the payment
  • do you need to provide your passport and other ID documents
  • do you need to wait days before your account is approved and you can buy ether

If you have to wait days before you can buy ether, that would be quite high resistance.

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For example, currently, the least resistant method may be the following:

1) Attend ethereum meet up;and 2) Purchase from a trusted seller in person with cash.

If you're not able to meet someone in person or you believe there are safety risks with in-person exchange, the next least resistant may be:

1) Wire funds (CAD, USD, or Eur) to Kraken (fees may apply); 2) Wait a few days for funds to arrive; and 3) Purchase ETH with cash in their account on the Kraken or CAvirtex (recently purchased by Kraken) (fees will apply).

Compared to bitcoin, which is likely the least resistance digital currency to purchase (i.e. there are several more ways to purchase BTC, more locations, and higher volume of exchange), there are several more steps or more resistance to purchasing ETH.

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