Back to Guides
Intermediate · 10 minutes

How to Trade Tokens

Buy and sell IP tokens on the IPX decentralized exchange

Navigate to the Trading Page

1

Access the Trading Interface

Click "Trading" in the main navigation, or go directly to:

ipx.exchange/trading

You can also access trading directly from any project page by clicking the "Trade" button.

2

Select a Trading Pair

The trading page shows available token pairs. Each IP token is paired against USDC (a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar). Select the token you want to trade from the dropdown or search bar at the top of the page.

Understanding the DEX Interface

What Is a DEX?

The IPX DEX (Decentralized Exchange) is a non-custodial trading platform built on Base L2. Unlike centralized exchanges, your tokens stay in your wallet until the moment of trade. All trades are executed by smart contracts, providing transparency and security.

Price Chart

The main chart shows the token price history. Switch between candlestick, line, and area chart styles. Adjust time frames from 1 minute to 1 month.

Order Book

Shows open buy orders (bids) in green and sell orders (asks) in red. The spread between the best bid and best ask indicates liquidity depth.

Trade History

Real-time feed of executed trades. Shows price, quantity, time, and whether the trade was a buy or sell. Helps you gauge current market activity.

Trade Panel

The buy/sell interface on the right side. Toggle between Market Orders and Limit Orders. Enter your amount and review before confirming.

Placing a Buy Order

1

Select the Buy Tab

In the trade panel, click the "Buy" tab (highlighted in green). This prepares the interface for purchasing tokens with USDC from your wallet.

2

Choose Order Type

Select your order type:

Market Order

Executes immediately at the current best available price. Fastest way to buy, but you accept whatever price the market offers.

Limit Order

Sets a maximum price you're willing to pay. The order only executes if the price reaches your limit. May not fill immediately — or at all.

3

Enter Amount

Enter how much you want to buy:

  • By USDC amount: Specify how much you want to spend (e.g., $500)
  • By token quantity: Specify how many tokens you want (e.g., 1,000 tokens)

For limit orders, also enter your target price per token.

4

Review & Confirm

Review the order summary showing:

  • • Estimated tokens received
  • • Price per token (average for market orders)
  • • Price impact percentage
  • • Gas fee estimate
  • • Total cost including fees

Click "Confirm Buy" to execute. The transaction processes on Base L2 within seconds.

Placing a Sell Order

1

Select the Sell Tab

Click the "Sell" tab (highlighted in red) in the trade panel. Your available balance of the selected token is shown.

2

Choose Order Type & Enter Amount

Same as buying — choose between Market (instant) or Limit (set your minimum price). Enter the number of tokens you want to sell, or use the percentage buttons (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) to sell a portion of your holdings.

Tip: Selling 100% exits your position entirely. You'll no longer receive revenue distributions for that project after selling.

3

Review & Confirm

Review the order summary including USDC you'll receive, price impact, and fees. Click "Confirm Sell" to execute. The USDC proceeds are credited to your wallet immediately upon confirmation.

Slippage & Price Impact

What Is Slippage?

Slippage is the difference between the expected price when you place a trade and the actual price when it executes. This happens because prices can change between when you submit an order and when the blockchain confirms it. While Base L2 is fast (1-2 seconds), price can still move during that window.

Price Impact

Price impact measures how much your individual order moves the market price. It depends on:

  • Order size: Larger orders have more impact
  • Available liquidity: Thin order books amplify impact
  • Bonding curve steepness: Steeper curves mean more price movement per token

Setting Slippage Tolerance

Click the gear icon in the trade panel to adjust your slippage tolerance:

0.5%

Conservative — may fail if price moves

1%

Recommended — good balance

3%+

Aggressive — guarantees fill, higher cost

Reading Charts & Indicators

The IPX trading interface provides several chart types and technical indicators to help you make informed trading decisions.

Candlestick Charts

Each candlestick represents a time period (1 min, 5 min, 1 hour, 1 day, etc.) and shows four data points:

  • Open: Price at the start of the period
  • Close: Price at the end of the period
  • High: Highest price during the period (top of the wick)
  • Low: Lowest price during the period (bottom of the wick)

Green candles indicate the price went up during the period; red candles indicate it went down.

Key Indicators

Volume Bars

Shows trading volume per period. High volume confirms price moves; low volume suggests weak trends.

Moving Averages

Smooth price data to show trends. When short-term MA crosses above long-term MA, it may signal upward momentum.

Support & Resistance

Price levels where buying (support) or selling (resistance) pressure has historically been strong.

24h Stats

High, low, volume, and price change over the last 24 hours. Quick snapshot of recent activity.

Trading Fees on Base L2

Why Base L2?

IPX operates on Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 built by Coinbase. Base inherits Ethereum's security while offering dramatically lower transaction costs — typically under $0.01 per trade. This makes frequent trading practical and cost-effective.

Gas Fees

< $0.01

Per transaction on Base L2

Trading Fee

0.3%

Per trade, goes to liquidity providers

Speed

~2s

Average transaction confirmation

Best Practices for Trading IP Tokens

Set Entry & Exit Targets

Decide your buy price and sell price before entering a trade. Emotional trading leads to poor decisions.

Start with Small Trades

Test the interface with small amounts first. Familiarize yourself with order types and execution before scaling up.

Watch the Volume

Trade during active periods when there's more liquidity. Low-volume periods may result in higher slippage.

Use Limit Orders

For larger trades, use limit orders to control your price. You avoid the surprise of high slippage on market orders.

Don't Day-Trade IP Tokens

IP tokens are designed for medium to long-term holding with revenue share. Frequent trading incurs costs and may not suit the asset class.

Consider Revenue Context

Token prices often move around revenue distribution dates. Factor upcoming payouts into your trading decisions.

Troubleshooting

Trade Transaction Failed

Problem: Your trade was submitted but the transaction failed.

Solution:

Common causes:

  • Insufficient USDC balance for buy orders, or insufficient token balance for sell orders
  • Price moved beyond your slippage tolerance — increase the slippage setting and retry
  • Insufficient ETH for gas — you need a tiny amount of ETH on Base L2 for transaction fees
  • Token contract may be paused for maintenance — wait a few minutes and retry

Limit Order Not Filling

Problem: Your limit order has been sitting for a while without executing.

Solution:

Limit orders only execute when the market price reaches your target:

  • Check if the current price has actually reached your limit price
  • Your order may be in the queue behind others at the same price
  • Consider adjusting your limit price closer to the current market price
  • You can cancel a pending limit order at any time without cost (except gas)

Price Impact Warning

Problem: You see a high price impact warning on your order.

Solution:

High price impact means your order is large relative to available liquidity:

  • Split your order into multiple smaller trades to reduce impact
  • Use limit orders to control the maximum price you pay
  • Wait for a period with higher liquidity or trading volume
  • Generally, price impact over 5% suggests you should reduce order size

Chart Data Not Loading

Problem: The price chart shows blank or stale data.

Solution:

Try these steps:

  • Refresh the page — chart data streams in real-time and may need reconnection
  • Try a different time frame (switching from 1m to 1h and back can force a reload)
  • Clear browser cache and cookies
  • Very new tokens may have limited chart history

Related Guides

Ready to Start Trading?

Head to the trading page and make your first trade