How to Sell Crypto from a Cold Wallet

Cold wallets are considered the best hardware wallets available for protecting your crypto.

Different from hot wallets, cold wallets store your private keys offline.

As over $2 billion worth of crypto has been stolen in the start of 2025 alone from internet-connected wallets and platforms, keeping your crypto in cold storage is a no-brainer.

But what happens when you want to sell your crypto?

If a cold wallet doesn’t connect to the internet, you can’t sell crypto directly from it, right?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of how to sell crypto from cold wallet, with real examples from some of the most popular devices.

Step 1️⃣: Understand the Process of Selling Crypto from a Cold Wallet

If you’re looking to sell crypto from your cold wallet, you need to understand one key point:

You can’t sell directly from the device itself.

Cold wallets are offline by design.

They’re made to store your private keys securely without internet access.

While this provides added protection from online threats, it also means that you need to take an extra step to access liquidity.

Luckily, the steps are easy.

To sell crypto, you’ll need to transfer your assets from your offline crypto wallet to an exchange or hot wallet that supports selling and fiat withdrawals.

Cold wallets like Material Bitcoin, Trezor Safe 5, and Arculus are all excellent examples of secure storage, but none of them allow you to sell directly without first transferring crypto to an exchange or associated app.

Cold storage gives you the needed protection required for your crypto, but selling means connecting to online platforms carefully and securely.

In the next steps, we’ll walk you through exactly how to do that with each major cold wallet and how to use exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken to complete your transaction.

Step 2️⃣: Choose Where You Want to Sell

Once you’re ready to sell crypto from cold wallet, the next step is deciding where to send it.

Your two main options are:

☝️A centralized exchange like Coinbase, Kraken, or Binance
✌️A hot wallet like MetaMask, which can be used with decentralized exchanges (DEXs)

Note: Some crypto wallets have their own third-party exchanges that you must use.

Each option has its pros and cons depending on your goals.

Popular Crypto Exchanges and Hot Wallets

Comment
byu/New-Dealer3131 from discussion
inBitcoin

Things to consider when choosing your platform

💸Fees(both network and platform)
🪙Supported coins
💶Fiat withdrawal options
🖱️Ease of use
🌍Local availability

Choose the one that works best with your needs.

Step 3️⃣: Transfer Crypto from a Cold Wallet to an Exchange

To sell crypto from a cold wallet, you first need to transfer your funds to an exchange or hot wallet.

Here’s a step-by-step guide using five popular cold wallets: Material Bitcoin, Ledger Nano X, Trezor Safe 5, Arculus, and D’Cent.

Material Bitcoin

Material Bitcoin is a non-electronic metal wallet that stores your private keys offline.

Steps:

1. Use a BIP39-compatible wallet interface, such as Sparrow Wallet or Exodus.
2. Input your private key.
3. You have now moved your Material Bitcoin wallet’s assets to the platform.
4. Select the amount of Bitcoin, or its fiat currency rate, that you wish to sell.
5. Enter the exchange wallet address that you wish to send your crypto to or link to an existing bank account for a fiat transfer.

For a step-by-step look into withdrawing crypto from Exodus, check out our complete guide.

Ledger Nano X

Ledger Nano X is a Bluetooth/USB hardware wallet that syncs with the Ledger Live app.

Steps:

1. Go to the Discover section of Ledger Live.
2. Click BTC Direct.
3. Select Sell.
4. In the Create Order window, select the currency you want to sell and the amount.
5. Enter your bank account’s IBAN.
6. Confirm the transaction.

Trezor Safe 5

Trezor Suite now allows you to sell supported cryptocurrencies (limited to Bitcoin and some other altcoins only) directly through its integrated third-party providers like BTC Direct and Banxa.

Steps:

1. Open Trezor Suite on your desktop and connect your Trezor device.
2. Go to the Trade tab in the left-hand menu and select the Sell option.
3. Choose the crypto you want to sell.
4. Enter the amount you want to sell.
5. Choose your local currency and country to see available provider offers.
6. Select a provider and follow the instructions.

⚠️Warning: You’ll be redirected to their platform to complete KYC (identity verification) if you haven’t already.

7. Provide your bank account details for the fiat payout.
8. Confirm the transaction on your Trezor device and send the crypto to the provider’s address.

Arculus Wallet

Arculus is a crypto card wallet that works with a mobile app and NFC tap-to-use system.

Steps:

1. Select the currency you want to sell for fiat and then tap Swap on the currency page.
2. Select your local currency, and make sure it appears in the Amount to field.
3. Enter the amount of crypto to sell in the Amount from field, and the conversion to fiat will show.
4. Click Next.

❗Important: Arculus must access your exact location. The transaction will not be completed if location is not enabled.

5. The app will redirect you to their third-party partner, Transak. Tap Sell Now to confirm the transaction.
6. Enter your email address on the next screen and enter the verification code sent to it.
7. Enter your billing address on the next screen.
8. Enter your credit or debit card information on the next screen and confirm. You will be redirected back to the Arculus send screen with all of the send information filled out. Hit the Next button to proceed.
9. Enter your PIN code and sign the transaction.
10. Your crypto will be converted to fiat and sent to the account you previously provided.

D’Cent Wallet

D’Cent Wallet allows you to sell crypto through its in-app exchange service via its partners like Changelly and Changex.

Steps:

1. Open the D’Cent mobile app and connect your wallet.
2. Tap the Service tab at the bottom, then select Exchange.
3. Choose the crypto you want to sell and the token or fiat you want to receive.
4. Select a provider (Changelly or Changex), then follow the prompts.
5. Complete KYC with the provider if required.
6. Enter your bank account or wallet address for receiving funds.
7. Confirm and sign the transaction using your D’Cent wallet.

Each of these wallets uses a secure process to sign transactions locally before broadcasting them to the blockchain.

Make sure to confirm all transactions on the blockchain.

Step 4️⃣: Selling Crypto on the Exchange

If you’re using a crypto cold card wallet that doesn’t have its own built-in selling feature or third-party integration, like Material Bitcoin, you’ll need to sell your crypto through an external platform.

Once your funds have been transferred to a hot wallet or exchange, here’s how to sell:

Using Coinbase

1. Go to Assets
2. Select the crypto you received
3. Click Sell
4. Choose the amount and fiat currency (USD, EUR…)
5. Confirm and receive funds in your Coinbase account
6. Withdraw to your bank

Using Kraken

1. Go to Funding, then Balances
2. Click Trade, then Sell
3. Choose a market or limit order
4. After selling, withdraw fiat via SEPA, SWIFT, or other methods

Why Cold Wallet Security Is Worth the Extra Step

Selling crypto from a cold wallet takes a few extra steps, but it’s worth the trade-off for stronger protection.

If security is your top priority, Material Bitcoin is one of the best cold storage solutions available.

Its durable offline design means that your private keys are never exposed to the internet, apps, or third-party services.