You created a wallet, you can see your address, and the balance says zero. This guide covers the three easiest ways to change that. Everything below applies to any Base wallet, including Simple Base Swap.
One thing before we start. ETH on Base is the same asset as ETH on Ethereum, but it lives on a different network. When you move funds, the network you pick matters more than anything else in this guide.
Option 1: withdraw from an exchange directly to Base
If you already use an exchange like Coinbase, Binance, Kraken or OKX, this is the cheapest and fastest route.
- Open the withdrawal screen for ETH on your exchange.
- Paste your wallet address. You can copy it from the Receive screen, or scan the QR code.
- In the network dropdown, choose Base. Not Ethereum, not Arbitrum, not Optimism. Base.
- Confirm and wait. Withdrawals on Base usually arrive within a couple of minutes.
Coinbase has the deepest Base integration, which is no surprise since Coinbase incubated the network, and its Base withdrawals are typically free. Other large exchanges charge a small flat fee.
Option 2: bridge from another network
If your ETH already sits in a wallet on Ethereum mainnet or another network, you can bridge it.
The official route is the Base Bridge at bridge.base.org. You connect your wallet, choose an amount, and the bridge locks your ETH on Ethereum and credits it on Base. Third-party bridges like Across or Relay are often faster and cheaper for small amounts.
Bridging from Ethereum mainnet means paying an Ethereum gas fee, which can be a few dollars. If your funds are on an exchange anyway, option 1 skips that cost entirely.
Option 3: buy with a card
Several on-ramp providers sell crypto directly to a wallet address on Base, including Coinbase Onramp, MoonPay and Ramp. You pay with a card, they deliver ETH or USDC to your address.
This is the most convenient route if you do not have an exchange account, but fees are the highest of the three options, often a few percent. For larger amounts, an exchange account pays for itself quickly.
The mistake to avoid
Never send funds to your Base address over a network your wallet does not support. If you withdraw ETH and select the Ethereum network, the funds will arrive at the same address but on a different chain, and a Base-only wallet will not show them. The funds are not destroyed, your recovery phrase controls the same address on every EVM network, but getting them back requires importing your phrase into a multi-network wallet and bridging manually. It is a hassle you can avoid with one careful look at the network dropdown.
What about tokens other than ETH?
The same three routes work for USDC and other popular tokens. One practical note: keep at least a little ETH in your wallet at all times. Every transaction on Base, including sending USDC or swapping tokens, pays its network fee in ETH. The fees are tiny, usually a fraction of a cent, but they cannot be paid in anything else.