<p>You don't have a Coinbase wallet address, you have a Coinbase <em>deposit</em> address that's used to deposit bitcoins into your wallet. Coinbase sweeps funds from deposit addresses into their secure holding accounts.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-12T18:55:49.700Z
Thanks for this answer, do you have any sources that explain this point about "deposit address" in more detail? Do you work for coinbase or can you point to coinbase docs? I ask because Coinbase itself describes the addresses in the OP as "wallet addresses", which is why I presumed that what they are wallet addresses. Clearly they are something different, but I wish it was documented somewhere...
hft
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-12T21:24:40.240Z
It is unfortunate that Coinbase uses the term "wallet address". Coinbase mentions in several places that they are a hosted Bitcoin wallet. A hosted wallet cannot have a Bitcoin address, only a native wallet can.
David Schwartz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-11T08:14:52.803Z
2015-12-11T08:14:52.803Z
David Schwartz
<p>I don't use coinbase, but Xapo does exactly what you describe. They instantly transfer the funds to another wallet and move them around.  Probably some algos deciding what goes into cold storage and what stays, based on current outgoing flow demand.  </p>

<p>At the same time that you're sending btc to coinbase, many users will be withdrawing; hence they probably have developed attempts to optimize this flow of funds in the blockchain--while still retaining a number of transactions off-hot wallets.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-12T18:56:42.267Z
Thanks, this sounds reasonable to me. Do you know of any coinbase docs describing the process? I can't find any...
hft
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-11T07:30:33.470Z
2017-08-20T07:27:17.240Z
2017-08-20T07:27:17.240Z
linhares
<p>I created a coinbase account and a new wallet that only had one address "A" associated with it. </p>

<p>I then gave that address to a friend and had them send me some amount "B" of bitcoin. </p>

<p>Shortly thereafter my coinbase wallet was listed as having the correct amount "B" of funds and the address "A" associated with my coinbase wallet shows up in the blockchain as having the correct amount "B" sent to it. However, my address "A" immediately showed up in the next block spending the funds, and the address "A" is listed as spent (e.g., on blockchain.info shows up as "spent"). There are a large number of subsequent transactions spending the funds to a bunch of addresses that I have never seen before.</p>

<p>Does anyone know why this is happening? Is this some attempt at coinbase to perform some mixing and try to anonymize transactions? Or does coinbase send the funds to a "cold storage" or something and just pretend like they are "in" the address listed in my coinbase wallet... very curious...</p>

<coinbase.com><e-wallet>
Coinbase wallet address listed as spent without spending
hft
# Coinbase wallet address listed as spent without spending

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-12-10)

I created a coinbase account and a new wallet that only had one address "A" associated with it.

I then gave that address to a friend and had them send me some amount "B" of bitcoin.

Shortly thereafter my coinbase wallet was listed as having the correct amount "B" of funds and the address "A" associated with my coinbase wallet shows up in the blockchain as having the correct amount "B" sent to it. However, my address "A" immediately showed up in the next block spending the funds, and the address "A" is listed as spent (e.g., on blockchain.info shows up as "spent"). There are a large number of subsequent transactions spending the funds to a bunch of addresses that I have never seen before.

Does anyone know why this is happening? Is this some attempt at coinbase to perform some mixing and try to anonymize transactions? Or does coinbase send the funds to a "cold storage" or something and just pretend like they are "in" the address listed in my coinbase wallet... very curious...

**Tags:** coinbase.com, e-wallet


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-12-11. Score: 3

You don't have a Coinbase wallet address, you have a Coinbase *deposit* address that's used to deposit bitcoins into your wallet. Coinbase sweeps funds from deposit addresses into their secure holding accounts.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for this answer, do you have any sources that explain this point about "deposit address" in more detail? Do you work for coinbase or can you point to coinbase docs? I ask because Coinbase itself describes the addresses in the OP as "wallet addresses", which is why I presumed that what they are wallet addresses. Clearly they are something different, but I wish it was documented somewhere...  
> **username_1**: It is unfortunate that Coinbase uses the term "wallet address". Coinbase mentions in several places that they are a hosted Bitcoin wallet. A hosted wallet cannot have a Bitcoin address, only a native wallet can.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-12-11. Score: 2

I don't use coinbase, but Xapo does exactly what you describe. They instantly transfer the funds to another wallet and move them around. Probably some algos deciding what goes into cold storage and what stays, based on current outgoing flow demand.

At the same time that you're sending btc to coinbase, many users will be withdrawing; hence they probably have developed attempts to optimize this flow of funds in the blockchain--while still retaining a number of transactions off-hot wallets.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, this sounds reasonable to me. Do you know of any coinbase docs describing the process? I can't find any...  

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