How to buy new crypto before listing on major exchanges
Dec 15, 2025・6 min read
Some of the biggest token runs start before a coin ever reaches an exchange. That’s what happened with Polygon (POL) when its Binance Launchpad sale priced the token at $0.00263. That number later climbed above $2.90, more than one thousand times its early price. This kind of growth motivates many traders to learn how to buy new crypto before listing and get access to projects long before they become popular.
In this article, you’ll learn where to buy new crypto coins, how early-stage sales work, and what to look for in pre-listing opportunities.
Understanding key terms: Pre-sale, pre-listing, and listing
A new crypto project moves through several stages before it’s available to the general public. The process usually starts with a pre-sale, continues through a pre-listing phase, and ends with a full listing on a dedicated platform.
The pre-sale is the crypto project’s first distribution event. This is where early supporters, private investors, and/or whitelisted participants can buy tokens before they go live. It often takes place through initial coin offerings (ICOs) or initial DEX offerings (IDOs), and it offers the lowest entry prices but also the highest uncertainty.
After pre-sale, a project enters the pre-listing stage. The token can already exist on-chain, but it’s not publicly tradable yet because it’s not listed on major exchanges and usually lacks liquidity. Access is often limited to private or whitelisted participants until the official listing date. This period is used to raise additional funding and expand the community of supporters.
The listing is the final step – once a crypto token appears on an exchange, almost anyone can trade it. Liquidity often improves, and the crypto market sets a transparent price.
Why do traders invest in crypto before listing?
Many traders like to invest in new crypto before it appears on major exchanges. Once a token is listed on a well-known centralized exchange (CEX), it’s easier for millions of crypto enthusiasts to buy it. That spike in visibility and demand tends to push the price higher – a pattern often referred to as the “Coinbase effect.”
So pre-listing investments can be a great opportunity to buy new coins at lower prices. But they still come with uncertainty, since even the best crypto projects may face delays, regulatory issues, market downturns, or technical setbacks.
Benefits of pre-listing
Here are the main benefits of buying pre-listed crypto.
Potential for huge price appreciation
Early-stage investing lets you buy tokens at a fraction of their later market prices. For example, during the Ethereum (ETH) 2014 ICO, early backers purchased the currency at around $0.31. By late 2021, ETH had climbed above $4,600.
Other ICOs like Tezos (XTZ) and Polkadot (DOT) saw meaningful gains after their launches. Filecoin (FIL) also generated significant early interest due to its decentralized storage model, and it attracted strong trading volumes after listing.
Incentive opportunities
Pre-listing stages often come with incentives designed to attract early supporters. Projects might offer token bonuses, discounted sale prices, or higher staking rewards for participants willing to join before the wider public. Launchpads and early-access rounds frequently use tiered reward systems, where committed backers gain better entry prices or allocation sizes.
Early participation benefits
Initial investors sometimes receive exclusive access to private community channels, enhanced voting rights in decentralized autonomous organizations, or direct communication with the development team. These perks can provide valuable insights and privileges that later traders miss out on.
Risks of pre-listing
And here are some pre-listing concerns you’ll want to keep in mind.
No track record
Even with experienced leadership, new crypto projects offer no guarantees. Without a track record to ease their concerns, investors must trust in the team's expertise and commitment to turning their vision into reality.
Potential scams and frauds
The earliest stages of crypto attract legitimate builders and opportunistic scammers alike. Rug pulls are still a serious risk, especially when teams hold large amounts of unlocked tokens or when liquidity is controlled centrally.
The Squid Game (SQUID) token is one example, which saw a surge in price before investors discovered they couldn’t sell their holdings. The project creators disappeared with an estimated $3.3 million, showing how easy it is for scammers to exploit hype.
Risk of high volatility, lack of liquidity, and market manipulation
Pre-listing tokens often have small liquidity pools, which makes them sensitive to buying or selling pressure. A single large holder or “whale” can move the market significantly, and early interest may quickly collapse if confidence fades.
2025
Crypto Tax
Guide is here
CoinTracker's definitive guide to Bitcoin & crypto taxes provides everything you need to know to file your 2024 crypto taxes accurately.
How to buy new crypto before listing: 7 options
Here are seven top methods for getting new coins.
1. Crypto pre-sales
A pre-sale is an early-stage token offering hosted directly by a project, often through its official website. This round usually offers a discounted price to early supporters. Investors send accepted cryptocurrency to a designated address and receive tokens once the sale ends or the claim window opens. Pre-sales may require whitelisting or identity verification.
2. Initial exchange offerings (IEOs)
IEOs occur on CEXs rather than through project websites. Releasing new coins through a CEX boosts accessibility and provides more security, since the exchange's reputation is at stake.
3. IDOs
IDOs take place on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap and PancakeSwap. Investors connect their self-custodial wallets, approve transactions, and swap accepted tokens for the early-stage asset.
4. Security token offerings (STOs)
STOs distribute blockchain-based assets that qualify as regulated securities. These tokens represent ownership in a company or revenue structure, and many follow strict legal requirements. This includes the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States and other regional equivalents. STOs are offered on licensed platforms like tZERO and Securitize, and they typically require investor accreditation or platform approval.
5. Crypto airdrops
Instead of selling tokens, some projects distribute free crypto through airdrops. Traders usually need to meet specific criteria, such as making swaps, providing liquidity, or testing features, to qualify for these rewards.
6. Liquidity mining
Compound (COMP) popularized the concept of rewarding contributors, or liquidity providers, with a proprietary token. This "liquidity mining" has since spread to other decentralized applications like Aave (AAVE) and SushiSwap (SUSHI). Early contributors may get first access to newly minted tokens.
7. Launchpad initiatives
Launchpads organize and support token sales for vetted projects, and they structure token distribution so it’s easier for users to buy. For example, you can use the Binance Launchpad to find upcoming or active sales. Most of the time, you’ll have to hold Binance Coin (BNB) and stake a specific amount of it to receive new tokens.
Where to find crypto pre-sales
If you’re especially interested in pre-sales, here’s where to find new crypto projects before listing:
- Crypto news feeds: Check out news feeds on reputable outlets like CoinDesk and Cointelegraph to spot early projects that are gaining traction.
- Social media: Most crypto projects announce presales on X, Discord, and Telegram. You can follow official project accounts or updates from platforms like @CoinMarketCap to discover new launches early.
- ICO calendar sites: You can use platforms like ICO Drops and CoinMarketCap’s ICO calendar to track upcoming token sales. You’ll get access to dates, soft caps, tokenomics, and valid registration links.
- Blockchain forums: Another option is to browse forums and look for opinions from experienced traders. For example, you might join BitcoinTalk or a subreddit like r/CryptoCurrency to read about community interests and early concerns, and to find out when investors have “diamond hands” or plan to sell soon.
CoinTracker: The easiest way to monitor all your digital assets
Knowing how to find new crypto coins early and the various ways to access them helps you make the most of pre-listing opportunities. Just keep in mind that these early moves often come with tax implications, whether you’re joining a pre-sale, receiving an airdrop, or earning staking rewards. Worried about reporting crypto taxes? CoinTracker makes it simple. Join over three million users and process millions of transactions for hassle-free tax reporting. Start for free today!
Disclaimer: This post is informational only and is not intended as tax advice. For tax advice, please consult a tax professional.
FAQ
How do I buy crypto before its listing on Binance?
You can access pre-listing tokens through pre-sales, IDOs, or launchpads that support the relevant project. Once the token is listed on a platform like Binance, you can trade it directly.
How do I buy unlisted crypto coins?
Unlisted tokens are usually available on DEXs and through early-access programs. To buy those coins, you’ll use the project’s verified contract or sale link, and you’ll need a self-custodial crypto wallet and the accepted funding currency.
How do I find new crypto projects early?
Most early crypto opportunities appear on X, Discord, Telegram, ICO calendars, launchpads, and forums. Follow reputable and official project accounts, and use trusted listing platforms to spot new tokens and avoid scams.
How do gas fees impact buying crypto at launch?
Gas fees usually rise during token launches, because many people try to process transactions at the same time. Higher fees can reduce your total allocation, increase your cost basis, or delay your transaction if it’s underpriced.