Myth #1: “Self-custody is too risky for regular users.”

Self-custody changes your risk profile—it doesn’t automatically increase it. Instead of account compromise risk at a custodian, your main risks become key management and signing what you understand. With a few simple habits—offline backups, hardware wallets for meaningful balances, and limiting token approvals—self-custody becomes predictable and routine.

Want the fundamentals? Read our guide Why Self-Custody Matters in DeFi for design principles, trade-offs, and safer workflows.

Myth #2: “DEX prices are always worse than CEX.”

Routing quality—not venue branding—drives execution. Aggregators and modern DEX infrastructure source liquidity across multiple pools, reduce price impact on larger orders, and can outperform a single centralized book—especially on long-tail assets and at certain sizes. The more venues a router can tap safely, the better your odds of a sharp fill.

We built Brick-Chain Swap to route through reputable decentralized liquidity networks with an eye on price impact and gas efficiency. For a plain-English walkthrough of how routing works, see How Brick-Chain Finds the Best Swap Route.

Myth #3: “Gas fees are random—and always expensive.”

Gas reflects network demand and the computational cost of what you’re doing. On Base, fees are typically low and predictable because transactions are rolled up before settling to Ethereum. You’ll still see fluctuations during bursts of activity, but understanding gas used versus effective gas price goes a long way toward making costs boring again.

We cover gas fields and how to read them in Reading a DeFi Transaction. Once you know where to look on a block explorer, “random” becomes “explainable.”

Myth #4: “On-chain activity is anonymous.”

It’s pseudonymous, not anonymous. Wallets are public by default; anyone can examine flows across addresses. That transparency is a feature—it allows users to verify routes, approvals, and outcomes. If you want stronger privacy, you need explicit tools and practices; assuming secrecy because addresses look like random strings is how people leak more data than they realize.

Myth #5: “DeFi is only for developers.”

Modern wallets and interfaces abstract most of the complexity. You don’t need to decode bytecode to stay safe—you need the right habits: verify URLs and contracts, read what you sign, limit approvals, and start small on first use. Confidence comes from process, not from having a CS degree.

Two helpful starters: How to Use Brick-Chain Swap for a step-by-step flow, and Reading a DeFi Transaction for explorer literacy.

Turning Myths into Practical Habits

• Control the keys: store seed phrases offline; use a hardware wallet for meaningful balances.
• Verify before you sign: check contract addresses and decode inputs on a trusted explorer.
• Right-size approvals: approve only what you need; periodically revoke stale allowances.
• Expectable gas: watch gas used and price; Base helps keep smaller actions economical.
• Route quality matters: better routing can beat single-venue pricing at the sizes that matter.