How to Buy Bitcoin

Step 1. Register

Register an account with LocalBitcoins. You get a free and secure online bitcoin wallet. No additional apps are needed. If you already have an account, skip to the next step.

Step 2. Search for advertisements

Go to the main page and in the search box fill in the form with the amount you want to buy in your currency, your location and choose a payment method. If you're unsure how you want to pay, choose "All online offers" as your payment method. The site will list bitcoin traders available in your region.

Step 3. Select an advertisement

From the list of advertisements, choose one from a trader with a good reputation score and a high amount of trades. The response time indicator shows if a trader replies within five minutes (green), within 30 minutes (yellow) or slower than 30 minutes (grey). You can click the 'Buy' button to view more information about an advertisement.

Step 4. Pay the seller

After you press the 'Buy' button you'll see more information about the advertisement, including the terms of the trade. Read through them before submitting the trade request, if you don't agree with them you can go back to the previous page and choose another advertisement.
To start the trade, type in the blue box how much you want to buy, enter a message for the seller and click the Accept terms and send trade request button to the start the trade. Be sure you're ready to pay when clicking the button, if you don't pay before the payment window is over, the trade will be automatically cancelled.

Step 5. Mark payment complete

Once you have made the payment, click the I have paid button. Once the trader has verified that your payment has been received your Bitcoin will be released from escrow and they are instantly available in your LocalBitcoins wallet.
And that's all there is to it, congratulations on your first Bitcoin trade!