I use the Metamask wallet a lot and it is one of the easiest wallets to use as it supports most blockchains. If you want to buy Avax on Metamask you will have to connect your wallet to a Decentralized Exchange or a DEX.
But here is where I was really confused when I first started my crypto journey. In order to buy Avax on Metamask you already need Avax in your Metamask account. I know that makes no sense but here is why:
Avax is Needed For a Gas Fee (i.e. Transaction Fee)
Every DEX that supports Avax will require a small amount of Avax as a gas fee when you use their platform. Think of it like a small transaction fee. If I want to send money to someone using my bank or PayPal, I get charged a small transaction fee.
The same applies here. If you want to buy crypto on a DEX, they will charge you a small transaction fee every time you make a buy or sell transaction. The crypto that is required depends on which blockchain you are using. For example, if you are buying crypto tokens on the Avalanche blockchain you will need Avax as a gas fee. If you are using the Polygon blockchain, you will need Matic and so on.
So in this case, we want to learn how to buy Avax using Metamask. As I mentioned above, you will need some Avax in your meta mask account. How do we do that? If you go to the beginning of the article you can buy a small amount of Avax from Coinbase and transfer it to your Metamask account. What do I mean by a small amount? Five to ten dollars will cover a good amount of transaction on Avalanche.
Send Avax to Your Metamask Wallet
After you buy Avax on a centralized exchanged, then you need to transfer it to your Metamask account. Now This part is really IMPORTANT. Not every centralized exchange will support a transfer to the Avalanche blockchain. If this is the case and you send your Avax from a centralized echange that does not support the Avalanche blockchain then you will lose all of your Avax.
If you are unsure you can always do a test transaction to see if it works. Send 0.01 Avax to Metamask and check that it shows up in your Metamask wallet. Make sure you are connected to the Avalanche blockchain.
The good thing is that, with Coinbase, you are able to directly transfer Avax to your Metamask wallet. The transfer process is easy and most exchanges make it easy for you to withdraw or transfer your crypto out to another wallet or exchange.