# How to Deposit on Ethereum

Ethereum mainnet is the most battle-tested network for your deposits. Best for larger transfers where security matters most.

## When to Use Ethereum

### Choose Ethereum When:

- Making large transfers ($1,000+)
- You want the most decentralized option
- Your funds are already on Ethereum

### Consider Base Instead When:

- Making regular, smaller transactions
- You want to minimize fees
- Speed is important

## Supported Tokens on Ethereum

Fanbase supports the following tokens on Ethereum:

- **USDC** \- USD Coin
- **USDT** \- Tether USD

## Understanding Gas Fees

Ethereum transactions require gas fees paid in ETH:

- **Low traffic**: $1-5 per transaction
- **Normal traffic**: $5-15 per transaction
- **High traffic**: $15-50+ per transaction

### Checking Gas Prices

Before transacting, check current gas prices:

- **etherscan.io/gastracker** \- Real-time gas prices
- **blocknative.com/gas-estimator** \- Fee predictions
- **Your wallet** \- Shows estimated fee before confirming

### Saving on Gas

- **Time your transactions** \- Gas is often lower on weekends and late night (UTC)
- **Set gas limit carefully** \- Don't overpay, but don't set too low
- **Consider Base** \- For regular transactions, bridge to Base for lower fees

## Depositing from Exchanges

### From Coinbase

1. **Log into Coinbase**
2. **Select your token** (USDC, ETH, etc.)
3. **Click "Send"**
4. **Copy your Fanbase wallet address**
5. **Paste the address**
6. **Select "Ethereum" network** (ERC-20)
7. **Enter amount**
8. **Confirm transaction**
9. **Wait 1-5 minutes** for confirmation

### From Binance

1. **Log into Binance**
2. **Go to Wallet > Fiat and Spot**
3. **Select your token**
4. **Click "Withdraw"**
5. **Choose "ETH / ERC20" network**
6. **Paste your Fanbase wallet address**
7. **Enter amount**
8. **Complete verification**
9. **Wait for processing**

### From Kraken, Gemini, etc.

The process is similar:

1. Find the token to withdraw
2. Select Ethereum/ERC-20 network
3. Paste your Fanbase address
4. Confirm and wait for processing

## Depositing from MetaMask

### Steps

1. **Open MetaMask**
2. **Ensure you're on Ethereum Mainnet**
3. **Click "Send"**
4. **Paste your Fanbase wallet address**
5. **Select token** from dropdown
6. **Enter amount**
7. **Review gas fee** \- adjust if needed
8. **Confirm transaction**
9. **Wait for confirmation** (1-5 minutes typical)

### Adjusting Gas

If gas is too high:

- Click "Edit" on the gas fee
- Lower the "Max Fee" (slower confirmation)
- Or wait for network to clear

If transaction is stuck:

- Speed up by increasing gas
- Or cancel and try again later

## ETH for Gas

You need ETH in your wallet to pay for transaction fees on Ethereum.

### How Much ETH?

- **Minimum**: 0.01 ETH ($25-40) for a few transactions
- **Comfortable**: 0.05 ETH for regular use
- **Heavy user**: 0.1+ ETH

### Getting ETH

1. **Buy on an exchange** and transfer to your wallet
2. **Swap** other tokens for ETH on Uniswap
3. **Bridge** ETH from other networks

## Finding Your Ethereum Address

Your Fanbase wallet address is the same for Ethereum and Base:

1. **Open the wallet dialog** on Fanbase (click your balance in the header)
2. **Click the copy icon** next to your wallet name in the wallet selector at the top
3. **Use this address** for both Ethereum and Base deposits

## Verifying Deposits

### On Etherscan

1. Go to **etherscan.io**
2. **Search your wallet address** or transaction hash
3. **View all tokens** and transactions
4. **Confirm** your deposit arrived

### In Fanbase

1. **Open the wallet dialog** to check your balances
2. **Go to Transactions** in the sidebar to view your transaction history

## Troubleshooting

### Transaction pending for long time

Ethereum transactions can be slow during high traffic:

- Check etherscan.io for your transaction status
- If "pending," wait or speed up with more gas
- Most transactions confirm within 15 minutes

### Transaction failed

Common reasons:

- **Out of gas** \- Gas limit was too low
- **Reverted** \- Contract issue, try again
- **Nonce error** \- Previous transaction pending

Solutions:

- Increase gas limit and try again
- Wait for pending transactions to clear
- Reset your wallet's transaction count

### Wrong token received

If you expected USDC but see a different token:

- Verify the contract address on etherscan
- Scam tokens sometimes appear - don't interact with unknown tokens
- Your real tokens should still be there

### Sent to wrong address

Unfortunately, Ethereum transactions are irreversible:

- If sent to wrong address: Cannot be recovered
- If sent to your address on wrong network: May be recoverable
- Always double-check addresses before sending

## Cost Comparison

For the same transaction:

| Network | Fee | Speed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ethereum | $5-20 | 1-5 min |
| Base | $0.01 | 5 sec |
| Solana | $0.001 | <1 sec |

## When to Bridge to Base

If you frequently transact on Fanbase:

1. **Deposit on Ethereum** (one-time gas cost)
2. **Bridge to Base** via bridge.base.org
3. **Enjoy low fees** on all future transactions

This makes sense if you'll make more than a few transactions.

## Next Steps

Once your Ethereum deposit arrives:

- **Unlock content** from your favorite creators
- **Send tips** to support creators directly
- **Pay for messages** in creator DMs