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How to Send Cryptocurrency: From Wallet to Exchange and Beyond

· 6 min read

You’ve already learned how to buy and receive cryptocurrency. Now let’s see how to send it.
You can send crypto to anyone who provides you with their wallet address and specifies the network they want to receive the asset on.

In this example, I’ll first send tokens to an exchange and then create a new wallet to show how to send from my wallet to another MetaMask installed in a different browser.

Sending Crypto to an Exchange​

To send crypto, log in to your exchange account.
In my case, I’m funding my balance.

Steps:​

  1. Go to Assets → Spot → Deposit.
  2. Choose the coin or token you want to transfer — for example, USDT.
  3. Select the Avalanche C-Chain network.
  4. The exchange generates an address for you to send your USDT to.
  5. Copy this address, open your wallet, select USDT, and click Send.
  6. Paste the copied address, enter the amount (e.g., 10 USDT).

The fee is 0.04 AVAX (around $0.04). Confirm the transaction and send it.

✅ Done — the transaction is on its way. Now wait a few minutes until the exchange processes it and the balance appears in your spot account.

This way, you can send cryptocurrency to anyone in the world.
All you need is their address and the network they use. After that, the transfer takes just a couple of clicks.

Sending AVAX or Other Tokens​

For example, I can also send AVAX tokens.
I select them from the list, again choose the Avalanche C-Chain network.

The address is the same because — as mentioned before — many networks (Ethereum, Avalanche, Fantom, and other EVM-compatible chains) use identical wallet addresses.
The only difference is the network you select when sending.

I copy the exchange’s address, paste it, enter the amount, and send with a fee of 0.01 AVAX (about $0.01).
Confirm — and the transaction is sent.

Then I check if the funds have arrived on my exchange account.
USDT should show up first — I go to Deposit History where I already see the transaction marked as “Pending,” waiting for confirmations.

Understanding Confirmations​

Keep in mind: every transaction requires a certain number of confirmations before funds are fully credited on an exchange.
This number varies depending on the blockchain.
The balance updates only after the transaction has enough confirmations.

Now AVAX should also arrive. It requires 120 confirmations.

How do you check how many confirmations your transaction has received?
Besides seeing the number on the exchange, you can also go into your wallet’s transaction history and check all transfers.

For example:

  • I open the transaction where I sent USDT.
  • Click the details icon — it opens in a blockchain explorer.
  • There I see everything: how many tokens were sent, from where, and to where.

By the way, I mistakenly sent 1 token instead of 10 — but that’s not a problem.
The explorer also shows the number of confirmations.
Right now, it’s 70, and as more blocks are added to the blockchain, the confirmations increase.
The more blocks since your transaction, the more confirmations it has.

For the exchange to credit the funds, 120 confirmations are required.
After that, the balance appears in my account.

Choosing the Correct Network​

You can send any assets to any addresses — for example, to another person or to fund an exchange account.
But it’s very important to pay attention to networks.

For instance, in my Core Wallet, I have Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC) on Avalanche.
If I try to deposit it to the exchange and type “wBTC” in the search, I see that deposits are only supported on ERC-20.
That means the exchange only accepts Wrapped Bitcoin on the Ethereum network.

If I accidentally send wBTC from Avalanche, the balance won’t show up.

Why? Because the exchange doesn’t support that asset on that network.
That’s why you always need to double-check which networks are supported for deposits and withdrawals.

If you make a mistake with the network, don’t panic — contact the exchange’s support team, and they may be able to credit the balance manually.

Sending to Another Wallet​

Now my 1 USDT has arrived. The history shows “Completed,” and the balance is credited.

Next, let’s send tokens to another wallet.
I’ll open a different browser, install MetaMask, and create a new wallet.

During setup:

  • Create a password.
  • Write down the seed phrase on paper — do not lose it.

You can also back up the recovery phrase later.
The wallet is now created and ready.

Here’s an important point: I’m going to send tokens on the Avalanche network.
But by default, MetaMask only has Ethereum.
That means if I send tokens right now, they’ll arrive but won’t show up in the wallet.

Adding a New Network​

To make them visible, add the Avalanche network.
I use Chainlist, a tool that lets you add any network to MetaMask in one click.

  1. Open Chainlist.
  2. Search for Avalanche.
  3. Click Connect.
  4. Approve it in MetaMask.

Now you have two networks: Ethereum and Avalanche.

Importing Tokens Manually​

Even after switching to Avalanche, your balance may still show 0.
Why? Because you need to import the token manually.

Here’s how:

  1. Go to the Avalanche blockchain explorer (SnowTrace).
  2. Search for USDT and copy its contract address.
  3. Return to MetaMask → click Import Tokens.
  4. Paste the contract → click Add Custom Token.
  5. Confirm the import.

Now the balance shows 5 USDT.
The wallet list displays 0 AVAX and 5 USDT.

Sending Tokens Back to Core Wallet​

Next, I want to send these 5 USDT back to Core Wallet.
I copy the Core Wallet address, go into MetaMask, choose Send, paste the address, and select USDT.

But remember: every transaction requires gas — paid in the network’s native token.
On Avalanche, that’s AVAX.

Right now, I can’t send USDT because my MetaMask has no AVAX for gas fees.
So I need to send some AVAX to this wallet first — around 0.02–0.05 AVAX is more than enough.

After a short wait, the AVAX balance shows up.
Perfect — now I can safely send my 5 USDT back to Core Wallet.

  1. Click Send.
  2. Paste the address.
  3. Select USDT.
  4. Set the amount (e.g., maximum).
  5. Confirm.

The transaction is sent. ✅

In the blockchain explorer, the status shows Success.
In Core Wallet under Activity, I see that my 5 USDT have arrived back.

Key Takeaways​

You can send any tokens to any wallet that supports the chosen network.
For example:

  • You can’t send AVAX to a wallet that doesn’t support Avalanche.
    The transaction may go through, but tokens won’t appear.

There are many types of wallets — multi-currency, single-currency, with enhanced features or extra security.

Which wallet is best to start with — and how to store crypto safely — I explain in detail in the modules:

  • Security Basics
  • Security PRO

These materials are created for educational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice.