Don't Rush Into ICOs

in #lesson7 years ago (edited)

So recently I got into quite a number of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) just to diversify. But it seems that I've lost out on some great opportunities rushing out to relieve funds from some maturing coins like STEEM and Bitcoin, putting them into completely new ones instead. Here are some key insights to serve as a reminder for anyone else, including myself:-

  • Remember that sales pitches and bonuses are mostly to cause anyone to FOMO and buy into the hype. Project incubation periods are usually longer than expected.

  • There's really no point buying into ICOs early on especially if they're expected not to sell out like hot cakes. Even if there are bonuses earlier on, consider the potential value of the coins you're giving out. They can appreciate in value during the course of any crowdsale campaigns, so you may even end up with more tokens if you buy later. It really depends on what value the tokens are attached to.

  • All in all - patience is key! Don't need to rush. Although to be fair, the situation may end up being the other way around if Bitcoin goes down in value instead of up during the ICO. But who are we kidding? The belief in Bitcoin keeps piling on and on to no end.. so please consider the near-future value of the "old" token you're planning to give out. And now we may have a new problem - many great ICO opportunities will be gone if you aren't quick enough ;)


Here are some great, relevant resources:-
Smith & Crown - https://smithandcrown.com/icos/
CryptoPortfolio - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI9POyyP-f93JHfkhr2ma2g
Crypto Judgement - https://medium.com/@cryptojudgement

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Madly off in all directions. Charge!

(((trumpets blaring)))

If this continues, I may have to ration 0.001 bitcoin per ICO lol!

true, well said!

Yeah agree totally.... I would even fo way further and compared industry VC rounds with ICOs - wrote that article yesterday :-)

https://steemit.com/steem/@hastla/ico-scams-usd12m-invested-usd7m-invested-take-care-about-that-bullshit-going-on

Hahah.. I'd definitely check out the core team members. If they've work spanning years trying to solve the problem they're trying to, then it's most definitely a good bet..

Yeah but can that the "average" steemit-guy valuate? no, of course not :-)

Look what bullshit people vote nowadays worldwide - haha.

anyway @kevinwong - good article.... followed you!

Happened to me too :) But many ICO tokens I hold still have great potential.

Yes, holding and going for a holiday is a fine strategy in itself! lol

I stopped participating in ICO's after Rise. I got smoked on that one and said, "never again".

Ah sorry to hear that! There's a good chance it can happen to any projects anyway.. I'd usually go for those who's left plenty of content online revolving around their workscope in the ICO.

Some nice advice! With so many amazing blockchain projects around you can get a little bit like a kid in a candy store wanting one of everything, seriously exiting times ahead though!

I don't go to the shopping mall, but this is quite like shopping for the new age. Lol..

This is very accurate!

Same thing with ETH T_T

Invested into Matchpool and eth pumped high in the meantime even with the 30% early bonus.

Good thing to read ill be holding on Steem token from now..thanks!

yup, holding my bitcoin and ether through this sweet ride is been great. Wont be patient with Ripple though, since i just wanted a quick profit and completely disagree with the corrupt banking system. ^-^

We got a RISK taker here.

Not mad atcha...

Hodling is indeed a not too bad strategy. I've been doing it for STEEM for close to a year now, and it's improving :)

All the best with your Ripples... lol

awesome man! and yeah im using them for vacation in August :) hahA

So that's what ICO stands for!
It seems a very risky business. I don't know much about trading at all and am just going for the quick wins for now. buying low, selling a bit higher... other than that, I invested in a couple of well established coins that I read a lot about on Steemit.

Yeah it is. So far my ICOs have been doing good though, it's nice to support projects that you like. Which are the well established coins that you went after?

Next to keeping most my steem locked up in steem power, I invested in some Ethereum and Dash mainly.

Intriguing! So, it's best to go the long haul! Patience is indeed a virtue. :)

I prefer buying in thirds 33% instead 100% ALL at once.

ICOs are definitely long haul unless they've done most of the work and risk-taking (which is sadly not very common these days..)

I've been getting interested in ICO investing, I know what you mean though. Are there any good resources to study/compare ICOs?

Or, with so many tokens running on the ethereum network, just buy & hold eth?

Yes.. check out www.smithandcrown.com - they've got some great articles and sometimes even research on ICOs..

Here's another great one: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI9POyyP-f93JHfkhr2ma2g

And another: https://medium.com/@cryptojudgement

That's great, thank you...I'll have a look.

"thirds rule strategy"

Cough

Sold all my ETH and ETC for $2 STEEM.

Cough

I am now going to press a button Wongster that will put you up to $99! This will help your mood :)

Enjoy!

Great vid on the flow man!

Yes. If you can't assess the value of a project, it's better to stay completely away.

Everything is kinda up there in the billions potential (well most of the popular icos anyway..). It's hard not to stay away.. lol

Due Diligence is crucial in this phase of ICO overloads. There will be a handful of winners, at best, but the majority are going to be money vacuums for investors.

The best ones, I find, are devs that seem to have been spending years trying to solve their problem. Many don't even have proof they've been at it.. so yeah i usually stay away from those :)

I Couldn't agree more!

FlippidyFlop

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Hahah common ICO buyer's remorse.

As yesterday BOScoin ICO 276,614,906.9644 BOS were distributed fund raised 6,915.372674110 BTC and just few hours you are right"many great ICO opportunities will be gone if you aren't quick enough ;)"

Ah i completely missed that, if their development horizon is close enough then it should be good :)

Don't miss their 2nd phase date will be announced later on.

I totally agree with the cautious approach to ICOs. There are many out there for sure, and we need to look at them from many angles. And then there is the opportunity cost where we have to convert out of crypto-currencies that can appreciate while our funds are 'locked in' until the new coins start trading on exchanges (which can be immediately after ICO but oftentimes many months later). Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for the useful information! I learn from you!

Oh Kev! There you were being MY voice of reason. Mum says she's still calling you Kevin Wang tho (get it? lol). Now you know for next time.

I was thinking about investing in PeerPlay but after reading this I will wait. It also looks like they won't even sell out, so maybe a good chance to buy cheap once released.

I am still a cryptonoob so...

@dana-edwards wrote a great post recently,

"Why we need to end the practice of ICOs. Why the "ICO" model is stupid and the ICD is better"

SO many coming out. time to upgrade the discernment skills. some definitely are legit, alot semi-sketchy. in all likelihood, there are telltale signs as to which may be good investments and which may be better to stay away from. (but even then, it's hard to tell sometimes, as traders don't always follow investment logic). personally, I'm only considering ICOs with simple, powerful value propositions at this point - forgetting about the marketing hype and focusing on whether I'd feel good having them as part of a long-term portfolio, supporting them morally as much as financially. I may still be pretty new in the investment game, but that strategy has seemed to prove better so far than earlier investments where I was merely buying marketing hype and going for the profits...