Crypto presales, often touted as golden investment opportunities, are emerging across a wide range of platforms.
One of the most talked-about projects in its early phases is Best Wallet, which ties its value directly to a growing wallet ecosystem and aims to reward active users.
Finding presales “is not hard if you know where the chatter lives,” Sami Andreani, CFO of Oppizi, a New York-based startup offering data-driven offline marketing solutions, told The Post.
“Launchpads such as Binance Launchpad and CoinList act like curated cinemas that screen projects before selling tickets.”
Andrew Gosselin, a CPA and senior contributor at Save My Cent, a platform focused on saving money through coupons and shopping tools, agreed.
“The best places to spot a new presale are established launchpads such as Binance Launchpad or CoinList,” Gosselin told The Post.
Sam Mudie, founder of Savea, a company behind the SAVW token that tracks the wine market, offered a sharper take, adding: “Launchpads such as Binance Launchpad or CoinList, or aggregators like CoinSniper are where more credible projects can be found.”
“Discord and X are murky swamps filled with projects all claiming to be the next Ethereum,” Mudie said.
When asked what crypto stands out right now, Mudie did not hesitate.
“Without doubt SAVW. It’s the world’s first ERC-20 token that tracks the performance of the wine market, is 100% backed by physical wines and as a financial vehicle is compliant in Jersey, the UK and EU,” he said.
Andreani pointed to Solaxy, a Layer 2 project on Solana, telling The Post: “It addresses congestion on the parent chain and offers lower fees without sacrificing speed, a combo that many developers crave.”
Dat Ngo, a licensed CPA and senior contributor at Prop Firm App, a site dedicated to proprietary trading and investing strategies, took a more conservative view.
“There’s no one best pick, but focusing on projects with real utility, a working product, and strong backing is more reliable than chasing trends,” Ngo said.
The process typically begins with connecting your wallet and reading the whitepaper.
“You examine the whitepaper, verify the smart contract audit, and decide if the tokenomics make sense,” said Gosselin.
“You fill your wallet with the accepted currency, complete any know-your-customer requirements, and follow the project’s guide step by step.”
Ashley Akin, a CPA and senior contributor at Gold IRA Companies, which helps seniors diversify retirement savings through precious metals and alternative investments, noted: “You sign up on the project’s presale site, send your crypto to the wallet they give you, then wait to receive the new tokens once the sale ends.”
Ngo broke it down further, telling The Post: “You connect a digital wallet like MetaMask to the presale platform, fund it with crypto like ETH or USDT, and follow the project’s steps to complete the purchase.”
Expert opinions diverge widely on this point.
“They can offer high upside if the project succeeds,” said Ngo, “but the risk of loss is also much higher than with established cryptocurrencies.”
Andreani likened it to a rollercoaster, saying: “Early birds can see life-changing gains when a token lists at a higher price, yet many projects drop below the presale price once trading begins. Wise participants limit their stake to an amount they can afford to see locked or even lost.”
Mudie offered a harsher assessment.
“Only if you treat them like scratch cards you buy from a petrol station: a tiny chance of a jackpot, a large chance your ticket ends up worthless,” he said.
The inner mechanics of a crypto presale are fairly standardized.
“The project team offers tokens to early supporters to raise funds,” Akin said.
“Investors send established crypto like Ethereum, then get the new tokens later, often after the project launches.”
Gosselin said that “presales unfold in a set rhythm.”
“Developers release a whitepaper that covers every moving part, from utility to supply. They spend weeks or even months nurturing a community… When the sale starts, tokens move at a discount,” according to Gosselin.
Andreani added a metaphorical twist, saying: “Presales usually open with a whitepaper that lays out the ride in detail, from the engine under the hood to the route on the map. Curious buyers often sign up for a whitelist and complete basic identity checks.”
Mudie was blunt.
“Speculators deposit accepted coins (e.g., USDC, ETH) into a smart contract with the promise that they’ll get tokens at a discount when trading starts, hoping the price rockets,” he said.
“No shareholder contract, just faith.”
Buying into a presale means doing due diligence and preparing technically.
“Buying into a presale starts with homework,” said Andreani.
“A cautious investor reads the whitepaper, checks the backgrounds of the founders, and verifies that the code has been audited.”
Gosselin said, “Participation is straightforward once the groundwork is done,” adding that when the sale window opens, “you confirm the transfer and keep the transaction hash (a unique ID recorded on the blockchain) safe.”
Akin underscored the simplicity of the process, saying: “You send your crypto to the wallet they give you, then wait to receive the new tokens.”
Presale durations can vary considerably.
“Most presales run from a few days to several weeks,” said Ngo, “depending on how many funding rounds the project plans.”
Andreani added that “a presale can wrap up in three days or stretch into two months. Short windows usually show a confident team… longer windows indicate ambitious funding targets.”
Mudie agreed, telling The Post: “Most are several days to weeks, some stretch to months if the funding cap isn’t met sooner.”
In the simplest terms, “a crypto presale is when a new cryptocurrency project sells its tokens to early investors before the public launch,” said Ngo.
Akin added: “It’s basically a chance to buy a new project’s tokens early, usually at a lower price than when they hit public markets.”
Andreani vividly described a presale as something that “feels a lot like the opening night of a small town fair… It gives the project seed money and gives those first ticket holders a chance to lock in a lower price.”
Gosselin said that presales “unfold in a set rhythm… the team funnels the raised capital into development, marketing, and exchange listings.”
Mudie remained skeptical, telling The Post: “Normally crowdfunding stunts that sell IOU-tokens pitched as ground-floor equity, even though they confer no legal ownership, real voting rights, or tangible value.”
This is where the warnings grow loudest.
“Unfortunately, mostly yes,” said Mudie. “Rug pulls, and fake teams are common. Demand audits, doxxed founders, and realistic promises.”
Ngo concurred, telling The Post: “Yes, many are unregulated and lack transparency, so it’s important to do due diligence and not rely only on hype.”
Andreani flagged common danger signs, saying: “Anonymous teams that refuse video calls, lofty promises of triple-digit returns… a missing smart contract audit or a roadmap that leaps from concept to global domination in a single quarter deserves extra suspicion.”
Gosselin urged those interested to look for “transparent teams that reveal their identities, sign contracts with reputable launchpads, and open their code to third-party audits send positive signals.”
When asked for their top five, responses varied by outlook.
Ngo favored proven contenders, citing “projects like Ethereum, Solana, Chainlink, Avalanche, and Arbitrum continue to show strong development and user growth.”
Gosselin leaned on themes rather than names, saying: “I keep an eye on projects pushing AI, decentralized finance, NFTs with real utility, and infrastructure upgrades.”
Andreani listed: Snorter Bot, BTC Bull Token, Best Wallet, ApeMax and Solaxy.
“Each of these still sits in an early phase, so the upside is matched by execution risk,” he said.
Mudie ended on a cautious note, telling The Post: “Bitcoin and Ethereum are the foundation. Anything else is a bet, not an investment thesis, but on my radar: Ethena, Hyperliquid and Fetch (ASA).”
While the allure of presales lies in early access and discounted tokens, experts warned that flashy marketing and hyped communities should not replace careful research and common sense.
Whether you’re a believer, skeptic, or somewhere in between, one thing is certain: in crypto presales, due diligence isn’t optional — it’s survival.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
