an easy & simple
NFT BEGINNER'S GUIDE
Jump into the metaverse
A PLATOON ORIGINAL
BY CLEOVANNAA
Dear reader,
I know more than anyone how overwhelming
this process can seem, so I created something
you can always keep on you.
This guide will focus on simplifying the
necessary basics, tips and tricks to get anyone
started, while also keeping a calm mind.
love,
Cleo
INTRODUCTION
Bridging the gap between Web3.0,
NFTs, and Crypto. What's the point?
It cannot be argued that the internet is the most important
invention of our modern day.
At your fingertips, you have the access to anything from
ancient knowledge to new knowledge, to millions of people,
and millions of ways to make money.
Web2.0, used by the entire world, is a pioneer and what
paved the way for Web3.0.
Like most things, the internet has to evolve as well. So, what
is the connection between Web3.0, crypto, and NFTs?
In a few simple words, Web3.0 consists of three main utilities:
1) AI-driven services
2) Decentralized data structures
3) Edge computing infrastructures
This book is mostly created to simplify NFTs, so I will not get
too technical with explaining Web3.0; all you need to
understand is Web3.0 focuses on decentralization and
putting the power back into our hands.
In a similar way, both cryptocurrencies and NFTs focus on the
same thing: a decentralized way to live and make money on
Web3.0 and the Metaverse.
1
NFTs, Crypto, and Security
THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS
First, it is important to define and explain exactly what
decentralization focuses on, as it is truly the bigger picture.
Everything we do in NFTs, crypto or Web3.0 goes back to one
purpose: to push decentralization.
Decentralization: a peer-to-peer infrastructure that focuses
on sharing the power of the web between people versus
large data or company entities; prevents censorship or one
major party ruling.
Thus, the people will collectively control both the narratives as
well as the currencies that are pushed out. Simply said, THE
POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS.
Understand that having a crypto wallet is nothing like having
a bank; you are solely responsible. For instance, you can call
the bank and report loss of funds or order a card
replacement; due to the decentralized nature of this industry,
you cannot do that with a crypto wallet. Every single
transaction is permanent, and once it leaves your wallet, you
can never get it back.
It is highly important to understand the security as well as
the decentralized essence of this space before you begin to
make large money moves.
2
LET'S DEFINE BASIC TERMS
Like most industries, the NFT space has developed its own
language that is commonly used between people, on social
media as well as on news sites. It's important to learn and
remember these terms, as it will make navigating the space
much easier.
NFT: a non-fungible token a digital asset
Ethereum: The blockchain that the NFT is stored on
Wallet: an electronic wallet used to exchange crypto
OpenSea: a popular, secondary NFT sale market
Alpha: useful and strong information you may receive
Mint: original NFT you buy directly from a project
Pre-Sale: whitelisters mint directly from the project
Public Sale: public mints directly from the project
White List: a private sale list initiated by the project
ETH: Ethereum, pronounced ee-th
BTC: Bitcoin
Bull-Market: market is rising or expected to rise
Bear-Market: market prices are steadily declining
Web3.0: the next step of web evolution, 2.0 but better
MetaMask: most common wallet used for NFTS
Coinbase: a user-friendly crypto exchange app
Discord: a program used for communities to
communicate
Dox/Doxxed: a revealed identity versus anonymous
gm: good morning
FOMO: fear of missing out
FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt
DYOR: do your own research
Gas: cost of traveling on the blockchain
Metaverse: the digital universe
ENS: Ethereum Name Service
3
DELVE IN DEEPER
What are NFTs?
What makes them so special?
A non-fungible token,
essentially, is a digital asset.
This digital asset comes in
many forms; it may range
from being art pieces to
music to contracts, to really
any sort of digital asset you
may think of.
Most people may release
these NFTs in different ways.
For instance, some are
released in five to ten
thousand piece collections, to
even 1/1 unique pieces.
There are many different
factors that determine the
value of an NFT. Being the
reputation of the artist and
team, overall mission
statement, utilities, and
history in the space. There are
moments when stable, bluechip projects are the trend;
other times, quick flips,
games, derivative projects,
and others take over.
When purchasing an NFT,
you are not only purchasing
a piece of art or a collectible.
Rather, you are buying into
a community or utilitybased service. Communities
serve many different
purposes; whether those
benefits be friendship,
connections, network,
trading, gambling, gaming,
or other utilities.
But as I suggest, never
purchase an NFT that you
wouldn't mind keeping longterm for art.
Simply said, crypto is the
currency in the Metaverse.
NFTs are things in the
Metaverse.
4
THE NFT FLOW
(for whitelist method)
Find the
project you
believe in.
Collect ETH,
and either
convert into
USD or
reinvest.
Join the
official
Discord.
Reach
benchmarks
to recieve
whitelist.
Sell NFT(s)
on a
secondary
market.
Mint
designated
NFTs on
pre-sale
day.
(for public sale method)
Buy the NFT
either from
public mint
or
secondary.
Sell NFT(s)
on a
secondary
market.
Collect ETH
and either
convert into
USD or
reinvest.
Both methods look extremely similar, and they
are. The first method explains the big picture in
pursuing a project from beginning to end.
The second method explains how to profit
money simply by buying and selling NFTs in
the public market.
5
HOW TO BEGIN
COLLECTING
As the crypto world, in general, is very new, people are often
overwhelmed with the technical aspect of how to purchase
and sell. This simple guide will show you exactly the steps you
need to take for both successful buying and selling, and
coverting to USD and vice versa.
Step One: Setting up a MetaMask wallet
Setting up a MetaMask wallet is essential for the
cleanest and easiest purchase/sell process on
OpenSea. This will be the wallet you use to load
Ethereum into to buy NFTs on the secondary market,
OpenSea, or other.
Download Google Chrome or Firefox.
Go to the web store,
https://chrome.google.com/webstore.
Search MetaMask and download.
Follow registration protocol, most importantly, save
your SECRET KEY PHRASE in a secret spot. This will
be the only phrase you can use to access your
wallet and all of your NFTs or funds.
On the top right of your browser, click to PIN
MetaMask to show up on your extensions.
At this point, your wallet should be loaded into
Chrome or Firefox, and able to be connected to
either OpenSea or individual websites.
6
SETTING UP BOTH
WALLETS
There is a bit of a difference between setting up a MetaMask
wallet and a Coinbase wallet. One wallet (Coinbase) is used to
convert USD to Ethereum and vice versa. Then, that Ethereum
is transferred to your MetaMask wallet for NFT buying and
selling purposes.
Step Two: Setting up a Coinbase wallet
Download the Coinbase app or access the website,
https://www.coinbase.com/ and follow the sign-up
protocol.
Connect your bank account to transfer funds and
convert to Ethereum.
Watch for different times of the day, week or cycle
to find the best-valued price to convert.
Step Three: Sending Ethereum to MetaMask
Open up the MetaMask extension in google chrome, and
copy the wallet address. the copy address area can be
hard to locate, but it is listed under your "Account" and
above the ETH symbol. Your wallet address will be a
long, random combination of letters and numbers.
Example:
0x75ff39d0286c29dc77101f9879c66d35c82ba134.
Enter the wallet address into your Coinbase wallet, and
transfer over the funds.
Fees are normal for these types of transactions!
7
AND FINALLY...
BUYING THE NFTS
For a first-timer, setting up these wallets can be a little pesky.
however, once those two steps are completed, buying and
selling NFTs becomes as simple as logging onto Amazon and
ordering something. Wallet saved, all you need to do is
purchase or sell your NFTs.
Step Four: Opening an OpenSea account
Setting up an OpenSea account is simple. You don't
actually have to register, you just need to connect your
MetaMask wallet.
Initially, to buy and sell, you will have to pay a gas fee
one time so begin trading. The gas fee varies.
Find the correct NFT you want. Be extra careful, as there
are many collections that pop up during your search
that are scams. Please follow official links that are
posted in the Discord, Twitter or Website of the project.
To buy an NFT, you may either 'Buy Now' at a listed price
that the seller might have, or you may offer a bid or
participate in a bid war.
Once you have signed off on the purchase, please
consider that it does take time for the transaction to go
through and have the NFT pop up in your OpenSea
wallet.
In order to sell an NFT, you must head over to your
wallet on OpenSea, select the NFT you want, and list it
for sale with a fitting price.
8
SECURITY
Security Knowledge is Essential
Understanding security and its risks are essential to surviving in
this space. Everything is performed through the blockchain, so
leaving yourself vulnerable or falling for scams will clean your
wallet out.
While I am no security expert, there are a few key rules all
should follow:
Do not click on ANY links that are not from the official
Discord or Twitter of the NFT collection.
Do not ever click on links that people may send you on
Discord. It has become popular for scammers to pose as
team members of collections as well as plenty of other
schemes. The bottom line is to never click on links people
DM you.
Always double-check the websites you connect your wallet
to, as well as Discords. There often may be security attacks
that target vulnerabilities and your wallet, so to be safe,
always disconnect it from where you have used it.
Use Two-Factor-Authentication on all of your social media
accounts.
Never, under any circumstances, share your seed phrase
with anyone who asks. Also, never lose your seed phrase.
Please ask people for help on security when you are
unsure. It is better to annoy people or spend extra time
asking rather than be in a situation where you lose
everything.
9
NFT ETIQUETTE
NFT etiquette?
What in the world can that be?
Etiquette, as well as
relationships and social
rules,
However, etiquette inside
the NFT world takes you
very far, and at many
moments, can either make
or break your success. I feel
like this topic is not
discussed nearly as enough
as it should be; perhaps
because it is a given to
many of us who naturally
flowed into the industry.
But be warned normies,
etiquette will take you very
far and lack thereof will not.
As the @thedropnft
powerfully wrote,
NFTs aren't just art.
NFTs aren't just games.
NFTs aren't just royalties.
NFTs aren't just streetwear.
NFTs aren't just
communities.
NFTs aren't just special
access.
NFTs aren't just media
companies.
NFTs are all of the above.
It is so true. The NFT space
is composed of many
creatives and investors; all
skilled and talented.
Connecting is everything.
10
ETIQUETTE LAW
Rule #1:
BE YOURSELF.
As cliche as this sounds, everyone should heed these
words. see, the thing about the NFT space is nothing
can be faked.
In the real world, people can buy fake designer clothes,
rent cars and jets, and appear as rich as they want to.
However, due to every little transaction publically living
on a blockchain, it is quite easy to find out if someone is
the real deal or not.
In this world, you won't see people faking a persona
even if they are not fully doxxed. be yourself, because
getting caught up can be embarrassing.
Rule #2:
TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WANT TO BE TREATED.
Another cliche saying but so important to list. The
beautiful thing about this NFT world is how generous it
can be; people will openly give you free game, free
NFTs, free investments and free connections.
But the favors should always be mutual. A person who
is always receiving help but rarely offering any is doing
themselves a great disservice in the long run.
Look out for others. treat people with respect, even
things do not work out for you. Having positive and
selfless energy will absolutely guarantee you success
here.
11
Rule #3:
GM.
Ahh, the good 'ole "gm" and its significance in our
community. It is proper etiquette to always tweet "gm"
(good morning) when you log onto Twitter or Discord.
Oftentimes, many friends will reply and greet you. In
the same way, you should always politely respond to
others' "gm" tweets with your own good morning.
As iIve previously said, why wait on good morning texts
when the entire community tells you good morning
every day? Consistently too.
From here on out, remember Twitter and Discord as
your main social networks.
Rule #4:
BE RESPECTFUL TOWARDS OTHERS' INVESTMENT
DECISIONS.
While the NFT space is incredible, it is not perfect. A lot
in this space rides on group psychology. You will see
certain people, especially in hype-projects, shaming
people for selling too early by calling them "paperhands".
At the end of the day, everyone is doing the best they
can in this space. Remain respectful and supportive
towards others. If a community is too invasive on
people's investment decisions, it's probably not a great
one to be in.
12
INVESTING
The decades-old question...
how do you find the right
project to invest into?
Everyone, across the
board, uses different
techniques to find the
next, upcoming project
to invest in.
Not a single person is
right nor wrong, you
have to find a method or
certain factors to look for
that make sense to you.
One solid role: never
jump on a hype train.
Perform due diligence on
any NFT as you would
on a stock before
investing, or a startup
before funding.
Just because someone
tells you that something
is the next "blue-chip",
doesn't make it true.
More often than not, we
are starting to see a
trend of rug-pulls in the
industry. I won't hide or
deny that fact, because
it is normal on the path
to finding an equilibrium.
Not all rugpulls are
intentional; some leaders
just did not expect the
amount of work it takes
to pull off a project.
But always remember
this: like any other
investment industry, this
space can be cutthroat.
Don't ever assume for a
moment that people
won't take your money
and run with it—because
they will.
13
INVESTMENT METHOD
DGEN vs. Conservative
You must set an investment strategy and stick to it. This
biggest mistake and largest losses people take is when
they do not have an exit plan strategy.
Are you full dgen? Dgens will hold a risky trade long term.
85% of the time it does not work out but the 15% that does is
VERY rewarding.
I’m conservative (as "conservative" as you get in NFTs), so
for me, I sell during the hype period (3-12 hours post-launch)
to profit in a safe zone. I would rather consistently profit in
the safe zone and not find many losses versus risk bigger
profits and bigger losses.
My personal findings:
NFTs will dump when the floor starts to near a
round number. So, sell around 1 - 1.3 eth before
it hits 2 (major dump-point) or at .5 before it
hits 1 eth (major dump-point), you can shoot
for the .7 or 1.7 range but again, that’s when it
gets risky.
Sell on the hype; most projects begin to take a
down-turn after the hype passes, except for
stable blue-chip projects.
14
THE LIST
A strong and simple list to follow when doing your due
diligence on an NFT.
C o m m u n it y +
Hype
f th e
C o m m u n it y is o n e o
m a in k e y fa c to rs o f
e c ti o n
ll
o
c
T
F
N
n
a
r
e
th
e
h
w
is s u c c e s s fu l o r n o t.
I w o u ld h ig h ly
g
re c o m m e n d o b s e rv in
th e D is c o rd fo r a fe w
.
h o u rs to g e t th e v ib e
in
They may have 40k
w is
th e ir D is c o rd , b u t h o
th a t re fl e c te d in th e
o n li n e s o c ia l h y p e ?
R e p u ta ti o n +
Te a m
W h ile y o u m a y b e b u
y in g
a n a rt p ie c e , y o u a re
e s s e n ti a lly in v e s ti n g in
th e te a m a n d th e ir v is
io n .
Is th e te a m d o x x e d ? A
re
th e a rt is t a n d th e
d e v e lo p e rs o n th e te a
m
re p u ta b le ?
R e s e a rc h th e e n ti re te
am
b e fo re in v e s ti n g , a s ru
g
p u lls a re u n fo rt u n a te ly
a
la rg e p a rt o f th e s p a c
e.
Tr a d in g H is to ry
Be for e inv es tin g in a
co llec tio n, ch ec k ou t the
bu yin g an d se llin g vo lum e
ac tiv ity on the se co nd ary
ma rke t.
Is the re a lar ge am ou nt of
vo lum e be ing tra de d ea ch
ho ur? Are the ir wh ale s or
po pu lar inv es tor s wh o are
sw ee pin g the flo ors ?
Th is is es pe cia lly
im po rta nt to wa tch
du rin g a lau nc h pe rio d, to
de ter mi ne wh eth er yo u
ho ld or se ll.
T y p e o f F li p
it is
M o s t im p o rt a n t ly ,
rm in e
im p o rt a n t t o d e t e
ween a
t h e d if fe re n c e b e t
q u ic k fl ip a n d a n
in v e s t m e n t .
aka a
,
ip
fl
k
ic
u
q
a
g
in
ld
Ho
lo n g
o
o
t
r
fo
,
t
c
je
ro
p
e
hyp
nts.
e
m
t
s
e
v
in
r
u
o
y
l
il
k
w il l
je c t
D e t e rm in e t h e p ro
ra
t y p e . Is t h is a fl ip , o
Your
?
ld
o
h
rm
e
t
re
g
n
lo
be
q u ic k fl ip s s h o u ld
-t e rm
g
n
lo
r
u
o
y
g
in
c
n
a
fi n
h o ld s .
15
IMPORTANT THINGS
A few key things to circle
deeper on or you're NGMI (not
going to make it).
GAS
ETH
A common topic I see many confused
about during the beginning stages of
buying NFTs is the gas on Ethereum
blockchain and its functions.
Firstly, for readers who do not completely understand how
the blockchain processes relate to gas, let me explain it in
a simple way:
Imagine you are at destination A trying to get to
destination B. Between these two destinations, there is
only one safe, reliable road for you to transport on. To
travel on this road, from Point A to Point B, you need to pay
for gas. Sometimes, when the road is extremely busy and
overfilled, you might need to spend more on gas to make
it through.
In the same way, transactions travel on the blockchain,
you need to pay gas. A tax, if you will. Many times, during
very popular or large launches, gas wars begin.
True to its name, a gas war is when so many transactions
are being attempted at once, gas adjusts itself so the
buyer who is willing to pay the highest amount, achieves a
successful purchase. Additionally, know that during these
competitive moments, you risk losing the gas fee on failed
tx (transactions).
17
Reserving a whitelist spot
COMMUNITY
When you are buying an NFT, you are
also buying a pass into their community.
Buying into a community can mean
numerous things...
Simply said, I would compare these types of communities
to either having an alumni-type network system, a
fraternity/sorority type of network (where both
professional needs and friendship needs are served), or a
friendship network system. Some people buy into
communities because they simply share the love they
have for the art. Others buy into communities that have
gaming and utility systems implemented. Another popular
utility is shown in VeeFriends, where people buy NFTs to
access high-level events and knowledge.
Simply put: there are never-ending reasons someone
buys into these communities. However, once someone
buys their first NFT and joins these vibrant communities,
they never go back.
There are many benefits to earning a WL (whitelist) spot
for the pre-sale of any project launch. Firstly, almost
always, you will pay a flat price much lower than what it
will sell for in the secondary market. Highest profitability
value (usually). Secondly, you will be able to avoid any gas
wars for popular projects.
Earning a whitelist spot can be a challenge sometimes.
Depending on the project and its popularity, different
benchmarks will have to be achieved inside their private
Discord, to earn a spot. Sometimes it may be as simple as
joining early, sometimes you have to grind for weeks.
18
Different types of NFTs, from
super rares to 10k collections
TYPES OF NFTs
Honestly, NFTs can really be anything
that can be turned into a digital asset.
That can vary from art, to event tickets,
to music, to contracts, to collectibles, etc.
Let's begin with the most common type of NFT: a 10k pfp
(profile picture) collection. The most popular NFT
collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club and
CryptoPunks are examples of pfp collections. The topperforming collections are usually labeled "blue-chip", due
to the collection's long-standing power through multiple
market changes. These are usually safe to invest in, but
usually expensive to begin with.
The next most popular type of NFT are rare, 1/1 art pieces.
These can usually be collected on https://rarible.com/ or
https://superrare.com/. For collectors who are looking for a
powerful piece to invest in, this would be the place to look.
Some of these more rare 1/1 pieces or rare 10k collectible
NFTs can go from hundreds of thousands to millions of
dollars.
Typically, more trading is performed on the 10k collectible
pieces. Also, not every collection is 10,000 pieces; in fact,
some maybe 3,000, or 8,888, or any other number for that
matter. The point being: is that it is a collection, rather than
a single NFT.
19
NAVIGATE DISCORD
Navigating different Discord servers is one of the most
important things to know when starting out in the NFT
space.
Join the Discord and verify
Every Discord is different, but usually strong
projects will have a # - verify option in the channel
before you get full access.
Read up on # - announcments and # - about
Before heading into the chat and asking questions
that get asked there thousands of times, go the
extra step and read the announcements and
important info to get an overview of the project.
Read and follow the Discord rules
Read up on the rules right away, and do your best
to follow them. I have found that most
communities are very intolerant to people who do
not follow rules in the Discord and often ban them.
Better to avoid the extra work, and follow the few
rules.
20
HELPFUL TOOLS
Knowing the right tools as well as how to really utilize
them, can sometimes be key in your most successful
purchases.
WWW.RARITYTOOLS.COM
Raritytools, what a blessing you have been to us
all! This website is used to check the rarity of an
NFT relative to its collection. Every collection has
traits that make up the NFTs, and those traits are
usually weighed and formulated to present a
rarity score.
One feature I love about raritytools is being able to
click on a collection and filter it to show me the
rarest items listed for the cheapest price. I refresh
this constantly and snipe the moment I see a
good opportunity.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT INFLUENCERS
And no, I'm not talking about celebrities that are
beginning to dip their toes in the game, nor
influencers looking to move in. I'm referring to
crypto influencers, people who are tried, true and
tested for their successes in the crypto world. The
best alpha and hottest new information will be
learned following the right people.
CHECK OUT WALLET ACTIVITIES
Don't be shy to locate the wallets of successful
traders and check out their activities. This
shouldn't be a sole aspect to look at, but definitely
helps when doing research, especially if you trust
them.
21
PLATOON DAO
NFT alpha, crypto trading analysis, community NFT
vault, charity/donation, security/rug pull warnings,
mental health help, casino, a spiritual center, a
strong friend group and a lot of big-brained people
here who work endlessly to put this group on.
@printmymint and I started this group, the OGs
helped us build it, and here we are. We put in a lot
of effort, and we expect the same from our
members. We all want to come up together, turn
everything we touch into gold, and that can only
happen with the magic and talent of all of us
together.
Stick around, have fun, enjoy the free alpha and
make some friends—because this group has some
of the coolest people around. LOOK OUT FOR
EACH OTHER AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER, we
are building a long-term community here first and
foremost.
As written by @nonfungiblefab , “Saved the best
for last. There is a new community that is quickly
grasping a high level of attention. It was built to be
a space for everyone by people for the people. No
matter where you may find yourself within your
crypto or NFT journey. Whether you're looking for
crypto trade analysis, NFT alpha, or simply a place
to kick back and form truly meaningful
relationships, PLATOON DAO is the space to join.
https://discord.gg/platoondao
22
Dear reader,
We reach the end of our little beginner's
journey. By no means have I given you all the
information you need to know, but I have
certainly provided you with a head start.
At the end of the day, a week in this space
can amount to the type of change you
would see in a year.
So truly, we are all beginners, helping each
other, learning and spreading love. Be well,
good luck and hopefully, I'll be back in the
future to create more guides for you.
Don't forget to rest, take breaks, drink water,
consume sunshine, exercise; as this world
can become very addicting.
love,
Cleo
connect with me on Twitter: @cleovannaa
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