What is a limit order? How it differs from a market order
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
A limit order is an instruction to buy or sell only at a price you choose or better. It gives you control over the price, but not over whether or when the trade happens.
The main order types
- Market order: buy or sell straight away at the best price on offer.
- Limit order: buy at your price or lower, or sell at your price or higher.
- Stop order: becomes a market order once the price reaches a level you set, often used to limit losses.
When a limit order helps
It stops you paying more, or selling for less, than you planned, which matters in fast or thin markets where slippage is common. It also lets you set a price and walk away.
The catch
If the price never reaches your limit, the order does not fill, and you can miss the trade altogether. A limit order that only partly fills is also possible.
Where SendPay fits
SendPay platforms let your customers buy, sell and hold crypto under your own brand, with assets held with regulated partners and a trading fee you set.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
Where would my trailing stop be now?
Work out the stop level after a price rise and what it locks in.
Trailing stop calculator →What did slippage cost me?
Work out slippage and the worst price your tolerance allows.
Slippage calculator →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.