Pump.fun FAQ
Everything you need to know to lose money efficiently
🚀 Getting Started (For Beginners)
It's a token trading platform on Solana where anyone can launch and trade memecoins. Uses bonding curves for automatic pricing and liquidity. High risk, high volatility - most tokens fail but some see massive gains. Always DYOR and trade responsibly.
Token creation costs 0.02 SOL¹. Trading fees: 0.5% per trade (before slippage), 1% swap fee on all tokens¹. Plus tiny Solana gas fees (~$0.01)². Always start small and only risk what you can afford to lose completely.
Phantom and Solflare are the most popular Solana wallets. Connect your wallet to start trading. Pro tip: Use a separate wallet for high-risk trading, not your main holdings. Start learning here →
📈 Trading (Degen Plays)
It's the math that makes number go up when degens buy in. More buyers = higher price. When mcap hits ~$69,000³, your memecoin "graduates" to Raydium with real liquidity. Then the real dumping begins. It's basically a ponzi with extra steps but we're all here for it.
- Check the holders: If top wallet has >20%, you're the exit liquidity
- Watch the chart: If it already 100x'd, you're too late (ngmi)
- Set stop losses: Or don't, and watch your bags go to zero
- Take profits: Diamond hands is a meme invented by bagholders
- Never go all in: Unless you hate money
- Do your research: Even "doxxed" teams can make bad decisions
Bots can provide faster execution but come with high fees and complexity. Popular options include Photon, BullX, and Trojan⁴. Remember: bots compete against each other, and automated trading requires technical knowledge and risk management.
🔒 Security (Don't Get Rekt)
Watch for red flags: Dev holds >30% of supply, no social media presence, copy-paste website, unrealistic promises like "1000x guaranteed returns". Research the team, check tokenomics, and never invest more than you can afford to lose completely.
Bots buy the millisecond a token launches, pump it 10-100x in seconds, then dump on manual traders (you). By the time you click buy, you're already buying their bags. Either use a bot or wait for the initial dump. There's ALWAYS an initial dump.
The platform itself is relatively secure. However, connecting to suspicious sites, clicking random links, or using unverified bots can compromise your wallet. Use a separate wallet for trading, revoke permissions regularly, and never share your seed phrase.
🧠 Advanced Degeneracy
When your memecoin hits ~$69,000 market cap³, it graduates to Raydium with locked liquidity. This usually causes a pump as degens FOMO in, followed by a massive dump as early holders take profits. It's the circle of degen life.
US market hours (9 AM - 5 PM EST) for volume, Asian hours for sniping new launches, weekends for max degeneracy. But real talk: it's a 24/7 casino. The best time is when you're feeling lucky and have money to lose.
DexScreener for charts, Birdeye for analytics, your wallet for depression. Most degens use portfolio trackers like Step Finance to see exactly how much they've lost⁵. Spoiler: it's always more than you think.
💎 Pro Tips (Still Gonna Lose)
The meta changes faster than your girlfriend's mood. One day it's cat coins, next day it's AI tokens, then it's back to Pepe derivatives. Follow the volume, not the narrative. When normies start talking about a meta, it's already over.
However much you're comfortable watching go to zero in 30 seconds. Real degens say 1-5% of portfolio per ape, but we all know you're going all in on that "guaranteed moonshot" anyway. At least use a stop loss (you won't).
- Follow smart money wallets, not influencers
- First 5 minutes determine if it's going to run
- Volume > everything else
- Be cautious of projects with anonymous or unresponsive teams
- Research thoroughly before any "community takeover" claims
- When everyone's euphoric, it's time to sell
⚠️ Reality Check
98-99% of tokens never graduate from pump.fun (estimated 1-2% graduation rate as of October 2025)⁶. You're probably not going to make it. This is gambling, not investing. Only play with money you can afford to lose (and you will lose it).