Helios Labs

Guide·Never done this before? Start here

Four steps.
That’s the whole thing.

Dollars in your bank, through to a paid order. We take Bitcoin, Litecoin and Monero — this walkthrough uses Bitcoin, and the other two work the same way.

  • About 40 minutes, first time
  • Two free apps
  • No experience needed

Where your money goes

  1. Your bankAustralian dollars
  2. An exchangeCoinSpot
  3. Your walletExodus — only you
  4. UsOrder paid

The middle step is the one people ask about. Crypto sitting on an exchange is held by the exchange; moving it to a wallet of your own first means the payment comes from you and nobody else.

Have these ready

  • Photo ID

    Licence or passport. Exchanges are legally required to check.

  • Your banking app

    With PayID set up — it makes the deposit near-instant.

  • Your phone

    Plus an authenticator app. Google Authenticator or Authy.

  • An email address

    One you actually read. Verification links go there.

The walkthrough

Tap a step for the detail

  1. 01Buy the BitcoinTurn dollars into Bitcoin on an Australian exchange. Bank transfer in, Bitcoin out.CoinSpot20 min5 steps
    1. 01

      Open a CoinSpot account

      Download the CoinSpot app or go to coinspot.com.au. Register with a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication.

    2. 02

      Verify your identity

      Upload your licence or passport when prompted. Usually approved within minutes, but leave room for it to take longer the first time.

    3. 03

      Deposit your dollars

      Use the PayID shown in CoinSpot and send from your banking app. Copy their reference code exactly — a deposit without it can go missing. Transfers to an exchange are sometimes held for review by your bank, which is normal and clears on its own.

    4. 04

      Add a little extra

      Deposit roughly 5–10% more than your order total. That covers the exchange's fee and the network fee, so you are not left a few dollars short at the end.

    5. 05

      Swap it for Bitcoin

      Tap Buy/Sell, choose Bitcoin, enter the amount, confirm. It lands in your CoinSpot wallet straight away.

  2. 02Get your own walletA wallet only you control. This is the step most people skip and later regret.Exodus5 min2 steps
    1. 01

      Install Exodus

      Free, from the App Store or Google Play. Open it, choose Create New Wallet, then set a passcode.

    2. 02

      Write down your recovery phrase

      Twelve words, on paper, kept somewhere safe. Do not screenshot it and do not store it in your notes or photos. Anyone with those words can take everything in the wallet, and nobody can restore it for you if you lose them.

  3. 03Move it acrossOff the exchange and into the wallet you control.CoinSpot → Exodus10 min2 steps
    1. 01

      Find your receiving address

      In Exodus tap Bitcoin, then Receive. Make sure it is Bitcoin (BTC), not Bitcoin Cash or anything else. Copy the address — it starts with bc1.

    2. 02

      Send it across

      Back in CoinSpot go to Wallets, Bitcoin, Send, and paste the address in. Check the first four and last four characters match what Exodus showed you, then send.

  4. 04Pay for your orderStraight from your wallet to us. No processor in between.Exodus → Helios5 min3 steps
    1. 01

      Copy the address from your invoice

      Checkout gives you an address for that order specifically. Use the one on the invoice in front of you, never an old one from a previous order.

    2. 02

      Send the exact amount shown

      Enter the amount the invoice asks for. Do not subtract the network fee — Exodus takes that separately, which is what the extra you deposited earlier is for.

    3. 03

      Confirm, then wait for the network

      Slide to send. The payment needs a confirmation or two on the blockchain before it settles, usually minutes. Your order updates on its own once it does.

Read this bit twice

Rules that cost people money

  • Your recovery phrase is the money

    Those twelve words are the wallet. Share them and your funds are gone; lose them and they are gone just the same. Nobody from Helios will ever ask you for them.

  • Nothing can be reversed

    A blockchain payment cannot be cancelled or charged back. Check the address before you send, every time.

  • Check both ends of the address

    Compare the first four and last four characters against what you copied. Clipboard-hijacking malware swaps addresses, and the middle looks convincing.

  • Not on public Wi-Fi

    Use mobile data or a VPN when you are moving money around.

Shop the range

Stuck partway through? Message us on Threema or email [email protected] and we’ll walk you through it.

Same guide as a PDF, with screenshots