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Analysis · Bitcoin

How do you sell bitcoin? Exchanges, broker apps, P2P and ATMs, with each provider's own fees

Published 2026-10-14By the CryptoGuardz Register Desk6 min read16 sources

Photo: Emilio Takas / Unsplash

In short, from the documents

How to sell bitcoin, four ways and their fees

Bitcoin is sold through an exchange, a broker app, a peer-to-peer market or a bitcoin ATM. Stated fees on 14 October 2026 run from 0% plus a spread of up to 0.75% on a Cash App sale of $2,000 or more to 4.99% at a CoinFlip kiosk. Every sale is a capital gain or loss event for US tax.

Piece published 2026-10-14Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk

You sell bitcoin through an exchange, a broker app, a peer-to-peer market or a bitcoin ATM. On fee pages read on 14 October 2026, the stated cost runs from 0% plus a spread of up to 0.75% on a Cash App sale of $2,000 or more, to a 4.99% fee to sell at a CoinFlip kiosk. Every sale is a capital gain or loss for US tax.

The cheaper routes take longer to reach a bank; the quicker ones charge for it. Each figure below is from the provider's own help centre, fee schedule or terms. Nothing here says whether to sell. It sets out what selling costs and what the rules are.

What are the ways to sell bitcoin?

Route	Provider read	Stated fee to sell	Spread	Cash reaches you
Exchange, simple sell	Coinbase	Not printed for market sells; 1.875% stated for simple limit orders	Included, not quantified	ACH 1-5 business days
Exchange, instant sell	Kraken	Fixed 1%	Included, not quantified	Not stated on page read
Broker app	Cash App	2.0% under $500, 1.5% to $999, 0.9% to $1,999, 0% at $2,000+	0% to 0.75% (1% on a second help page)	Not stated on page read
Broker app	Robinhood	No commission by default; 0.95% taker on exchange routing at the lowest tier	Not stated	Not stated on page read
Peer to peer	Bisq	1.15% taker, 0.15% maker (Bisq 1); none on Bisq Easy	Set by the trade	Paid directly by the buyer
Bitcoin ATM	CoinFlip	4.99%	Included in the rate	Cash at the machine

"Not quantified" means the provider says a spread exists and does not print a figure. The fee on the review screen before confirming is the binding one.

How do you sell bitcoin on an exchange?

Sell to the cash balance, then withdraw. On Coinbase, the help centre steps are: Buy & Sell, Sell, choose the asset and amount, check the destination (which "defaults to your local currency balance (USD)"), Review order, then Sell now. The page says "You can sell your crypto to your cash balance at any time without restriction."

The cost is in two parts. Coinbase's pricing page says "Coinbase includes a spread in the quoted price" for simple orders. It prints no percentage fee for a simple market sell; its "1.875% Coinbase fee (varies by payment method)" appears in the section on simple limit orders, alongside a 1% limit order fee. The review screen shows the fee for a given order. Getting the dollars out is a second step with its own clock: Coinbase's US table lists ACH at 1-5 business days and instant cashouts as instant. The detail is in Coinbase withdrawal time and fees.

Kraken's instant buy and sell page says "Kraken charges a fixed 1% trading fee, which is waived for Kraken+ members on trading volume up to $10,000 per month", with a spread "included in the price". The minimum sell is 1 USD. Exchange order books, such as Kraken Pro or Coinbase Advanced, use maker and taker fees instead; those schedules were not read for this piece. The two exchanges' terms are side by side on Coinbase vs Kraken.

How do you sell bitcoin on Cash App or Robinhood?

In the app, as a market sell. Cash App's fee page lists its "Market Buy/Sell" tiers: 2.0% for $1-499, 1.5% for $500-$999, 0.9% for $1000-$1999 and 0% for $2000 and over. It adds: "Depending on market conditions, the spread may be anywhere between 0% and 0.75%." A separate Cash App help article, Bitcoin Spread, puts the ceiling at 1%. Selling $400 of bitcoin therefore costs a 2.0% fee plus up to 0.75% spread; selling $2,000 costs the spread alone.

Robinhood's support page says crypto "Fees range from 0.00%-0.95%." Its fee schedule lists the default Market Maker Routing as "No commissions", with Robinhood receiving rebates from market makers, and Exchange Routing at a 0.95% taker and 0.50% maker fee for trailing 30-day volume up to $10,000. How the two apps compare with Coinbase is on Cash App vs Coinbase and Coinbase vs Robinhood Crypto.

How do you sell bitcoin peer to peer?

Through a marketplace that matches a seller with a buyer who pays by bank transfer or another method, while the bitcoin is locked until payment arrives. Bisq's wiki states for its main protocol: "Combined BTC trading fee rate is 1.3% (0.15% by maker and 1.15% by taker)." Its newer Bisq Easy has "no trade fees for buyers or sellers", a range from the equivalent of 6 USD to 600 USD per trade, and security that is "proportional to the reputation of the seller."

Two people shaking hands in front of a white tiled wall, faces out of frame — Illustration: a handshake. A peer-to-peer sale matches two strangers, which is why the marketplace locks the bitcoin until payment arrives. Photo: Chris Liverani / Unsplash

The risk in P2P selling is the buyer's payment. A bank transfer can be reversed after the bitcoin is released; a bitcoin send cannot. Releasing only after the money has cleared in the seller's own account, not on a screenshot, is the protection the protocol leaves to the seller.

How do you sell bitcoin at an ATM?

Only at a two-way machine. The customer sends bitcoin to an address the kiosk shows and collects cash. CoinFlip's terms list "21.90% to purchase cryptocurrency and 4.99% to sell cryptocurrency" and a network fee from $2.49. Fees, state caps and the scam pattern at kiosks are in bitcoin ATMs, fees and scams.

A worn numeric keypad and card slot on a self-service machine — Illustration only: a kiosk keypad, not a bitcoin ATM. Only two-way machines buy bitcoin back for cash. Photo: fr0ggy5 / Unsplash

Do you pay tax when you sell bitcoin?

In the US, yes, on any gain. IRS digital asset FAQ Q49 says a seller "must recognize any capital gain or loss on the sale subject to any limitations". Q52 sets the gain as the amount realised, reduced by transaction costs, less adjusted basis. Q50 makes a holding of one year or less short-term and more than one year long-term. US brokers file Form 1099-DA: the IRS page says that for 2025 "the Form 1099-DA filing requirements generally apply to U.S. brokers", covering sales "For U.S. dollars or other currency". A P2P sale is reportable by the seller whether or not a form arrives. Not tax advice.

Scam warnings when selling bitcoin

Fake buyers and fake support are the two common ones. The FTC says "Cryptocurrency payments typically are not reversible" and "Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency", and its job-scam section warns against any role that involves "helping convert cash to crypto". A buyer who overpays and asks for the difference back, or a "support agent" who needs the seed phrase to release a sale, fits the pattern. Paid recovery offers after a loss are covered on the crypto scam recovery page.

Quick answers

How do you sell bitcoin?

On an exchange or broker app, sell to the cash balance and withdraw to a bank. Peer to peer, a buyer pays you directly. At a two-way ATM, send bitcoin and collect cash. Each exchange is on the exchange register.

What does it cost to sell bitcoin?

Stated fees range from 0% plus up to 0.75% spread on Cash App sales of $2,000 or more, to 1% on Kraken's instant sell, to 4.99% at a CoinFlip ATM.

How long does it take to get cash after selling bitcoin?

The sale itself settles at once on Coinbase. A Coinbase ACH withdrawal then takes 1-5 business days; an instant cashout typically about 30 minutes, per Coinbase withdrawal times.

Is selling bitcoin taxable?

Yes. IRS FAQ Q49 requires recognising the capital gain or loss, short-term at one year or less. Not tax advice.

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Sources

About this piece

Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.