I'd like to invest in bit coin, now that I'm 18
What do
There's pretty much three ways you can do it. None of them are particularly easy.
1. Use an exchange. You can create a MtGox account and provide a photo of government identification and a utility bill in your name for identity verification which is required. This is the "easiest" way, but since you're 18 I doubt you have a utility bill in your name. There are
other exchanges, but MtGox is the biggest and bestest one. The primary issue with exchanges is that they require a deposit in the form of a bank wire usually.
2. Purchase bitcoins at a hyperinflated rate via
VirWoX. This is the simplest way, all that you have to do is put in your credit card number and buy Linden Dollars then convert to Bitcoin. Then you can ship your bitcoins off to your wallet. The issue is that you get smacked with multiple transaction fees AND you're going to be paying more per bitcoin. This method is virtually useless.
3. Purchase bitcoins directly from a seller. The easiest way to find a seller is using
bitcoin-otc, but this is not easy to do. You have to set up an IRC client and configure your account with this trade facilitation bot, then use that to find someone who's selling bitcoins for an acceptable price using an acceptable method and purchase from them. Further complicating this is a user "rating" system, and since you start out with no rating not everyone will be willing to trade with you. Alternatively, you can find someone that has a verified MtGox account, and have them purchase your bitcoins for you.
Unfortunately, getting into the world of bitcoin trading is not easy.
