Investor Guide

Everything You Need to Know as an Investor

This guide walks you through how to find presales and fair launches, invest safely, claim your tokens, and understand what happens after a sale ends.

What is Moonsale?

Moonsale is a multi-chain token launchpad. Projects launch their tokens here before they list on a decentralized exchange. As an investor, you can participate in early sales and receive tokens once the sale succeeds.

Moonsale supports two types of sales. A Presale has a fixed token price set by the creator. A Fair Launch lets the market determine the price: all contributors share the token pool proportionally based on how much each person contributed.

We support BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum (plus their testnets). Every sale is a smart contract, meaning the rules are coded on-chain and cannot be changed once deployed.

Moonsale does not hold your funds. Everything goes directly into the sale smart contract. You stay in control at all times.

Finding a Sale

Go to the All Presales page from the sidebar. You can filter by status (Live, Upcoming, Ended), by type (Presale or Fair Launch), and by chain. Each card shows the token name, how much has been raised, and the time remaining. The page shows 12 listings by default. Click View More to load 8 additional listings at a time.

Things to check before investing:

KYC badge -- the project team has been identity verified

Audit badge -- the smart contract has been reviewed by a third party

Liquidity lock duration -- how long liquidity will be locked after listing

Softcap -- the minimum the project needs to raise for it to succeed

Vesting schedule -- when and how you will receive your tokens after a presale

Team token locks -- check the Security tab for links to on-chain proof that team tokens are locked

Whitelist -- some sales restrict who can participate. Check if your wallet is eligible.

Always do your own research. A sale being listed on Moonsale does not mean it is endorsed or guaranteed by us.

How to Invest

Investing in a presale or fair launch takes just a few steps. Make sure your wallet is connected to the correct network before you start.

Connect your wallet

Click the Connect Wallet button at the top right. We support MetaMask, WalletConnect, and most popular wallets.

Switch to the right network

Each sale runs on a specific chain. The page will show a warning if you are on the wrong chain.

Enter your contribution

Type the amount you want to invest in the contribution box on the right side of the sale page. Min and max limits are shown.

Click Buy / Contribute

Confirm the transaction in your wallet. Once confirmed, your contribution is recorded on-chain. The page updates immediately to show your contribution and estimated token amount.

Your contribution summary (amount contributed, estimated tokens, estimated allocation) updates instantly after each transaction -- no page reload needed.

If you already contributed and want to add more, just enter the additional amount and click Contribute again. Your total will accumulate.

Fair Launch

A Fair Launch is different from a standard presale. Instead of a fixed token price, the price is determined at finalization by dividing the total raised by the total token pool. Everyone who contributes gets the same price per token.

How the price works

If a fair launch has 1,000,000 tokens and raises 10 BNB total, each token costs 0.00001 BNB. The more people contribute, the more the price rises. Your estimated token amount updates live as others contribute.

Sale countdown

An active fair launch shows a live "Sale Ends In" countdown on the page. When it reaches zero and the softcap has been met, the creator can finalize and you can claim your tokens.

Early withdrawal penalty

If you withdraw your contribution from an active fair launch before it ends, a penalty is deducted from your refund. The exact penalty percentage is shown on the sale page before you confirm. Withdrawals after a failed sale have no penalty.

On a fair launch page, your contribution summary (Your Contribution, Est. Tokens at Current Price, Estimated Allocation) refreshes automatically every few seconds as the price changes.

After the Sale

Once a sale ends or the hardcap is reached, two things can happen depending on whether the softcap was met.

Sale Succeeds

The project creator finalizes the sale. For presales, liquidity is added to a DEX and tokens become claimable. For fair launches, the final token price is set and tokens become claimable. You will see a Claim button appear on the page automatically within a few seconds of finalization -- no page reload needed.

Sale Fails or is Cancelled

If the softcap is not reached by the end time, or the creator cancels, the sale fails. A Withdraw / Get Refund button appears automatically on the page within a few seconds. You can claim your full contribution back with no fees (unless you are withdrawing early from an active fair launch, in which case a penalty applies).

The page detects the sale outcome automatically using on-chain polling. You do not need to refresh -- just wait a few seconds and the correct action button will appear.

Unsold Tokens

When a presale finalizes after reaching softcap but before hitting hardcap, there are leftover tokens in the contract that nobody bought. The creator picks what happens to those tokens at presale-creation time, and the choice is locked in on-chain. You can see which mode a presale uses on its Info tab under Liquidity & Vesting.

Burn (default)

Unsold tokens are sent to a dead address (0x...dEaD) and effectively removed from circulation. Reduces total supply, no creator clawback. Most defensible option for holders worried about post-sale dumps.

Refund to creator

Unsold tokens are returned to the creator's wallet at finalize. Common when the creator plans to use those tokens for future incentives, marketing, or staking. Creators picking this should be ready to explain how they'll use the recovered supply.

Lock in contract

Unsold tokens stay locked inside the presale contract permanently. Functionally similar to a burn since the contract has no way to move them out, but the supply is technically still "in circulation" on-chain. This was the only behavior in the v1 contract and is shown as Lock (legacy) on older sales.

This setting only matters when a sale fills between softcap and hardcap. If a sale hits hardcap exactly, every token is allocated and there is nothing unsold. If a sale fails (softcap not reached), all tokens are returned to the creator via the standard withdraw flow regardless of this setting.

Use this as one signal alongside Security Score and audit status when evaluating a sale. Burn is friendliest to holders. Refund is normal but means the creator keeps the unsold supply. Either is legitimate as long as it is disclosed.

Claiming Your Tokens

After a successful sale is finalized, go back to the sale page. You will see a Claim button where the Buy/Contribute button used to be. Click it and confirm the transaction.

Go to the sale page

Find it in My Contributions in the sidebar, or browse All Presales and filter by status.

Wait for finalization

The creator needs to finalize the sale first. This usually happens within a few hours of the sale ending. The Claim button appears automatically once done.

Click Claim

Confirm the transaction in your wallet. Tokens are sent to your wallet instantly.

Check for vesting (presale only)

Some presales release tokens gradually over time using a TGE unlock, cliff, and linear vesting duration. If yours has a vesting schedule, the presale page will show your claimable amount and the schedule details.

Fair launches do not have vesting. All your tokens are claimable in one transaction after the creator finalizes.

Getting a Refund

If a sale fails (softcap not reached) or is cancelled by the creator, you can get your full investment back at any time. There is no deadline on refunds.

Go to the sale page

The status will show Failed or Cancelled and a Withdraw / Get Refund button will be visible.

Click Withdraw / Get Refund

Confirm in your wallet. Your full contribution is returned instantly with no deductions.

If you withdraw from a live fair launch before it ends, an early withdrawal penalty applies. The exact penalty percentage is shown on the page before you confirm. There is no penalty for withdrawing after a sale has already failed or been cancelled.

For standard presales, early withdrawal may also incur a small penalty. Check the presale page for the current penalty amount before withdrawing early.

Whitelist Sales

Some fair launches and presales have a whitelist enabled. Only wallet addresses that the creator has approved can contribute. If you try to contribute to a whitelisted sale and your wallet is not on the list, the transaction will be rejected.

How to check if you are whitelisted:

Open the sale page and look for a Whitelist tab in the Info section.

The Whitelist tab shows all approved addresses. Check if yours is listed.

If you are not listed, contact the project team directly via their social links.

The creator can add your address at any time before the sale ends.

If a sale has no Whitelist tab, it is open to everyone and no approval is needed.

Token Locks and Vesting

Two mechanisms protect investors after a sale ends: token locks and vesting schedules.

Liquidity Lock

After listing, the project's liquidity (the trading pool) is locked for a set number of days. This prevents the team from pulling liquidity right after launch (a rug pull). You can see the lock duration on each presale page. Click the View Lock button on any lock record to open a dedicated page showing the exact unlock date, amount, and a live countdown you can bookmark and share as proof.

Vesting Schedule (Presales only)

Some presales release investor tokens gradually using a three-stage vesting schedule. First, a TGE unlock releases a percentage of your tokens immediately when vesting starts. Then a cliff period passes with no additional releases. Finally, the remaining tokens unlock linearly day by day over the vesting duration. The full schedule is shown on the presale page before you invest.

Vesting schedules on Moonsale are non-revocable. Once a schedule is created, no one (including the project team) can cancel it or take tokens back. Your allocation is guaranteed by the smart contract.

If you are assigned a vesting schedule, it appears in the My Schedules section at /vesting. Each schedule has its own detail page showing a live countdown, vesting progress bar, timeline, and a Claim button for your available tokens.

Team Token Locks

Projects can also lock their own team tokens using the Moonsale Token Lock tool. Each lock has a dedicated page at /token-lock/[id] showing the locked amount, unlock date, and a live countdown. Look for a "View Lock" link in the presale's Security tab to verify team token locks independently.

Fair launches do not have built-in vesting for contributors. All tokens are claimable at once after finalization. If you want to verify team token locks for a fair launch, check the Security tab on the fair launch page.

Sale Statuses

Every presale and fair launch has a status badge that tells you where it is in its lifecycle.

Upcoming

The sale has not started yet. You cannot buy but you can bookmark it.

Live

The sale is active right now. Connect your wallet and contribute.

Filled

The hardcap has been reached (presale only). No more contributions accepted. Waiting for creator to finalize.

Finalized

The sale succeeded and the creator has finalized it. Claim your tokens now.

Failed

The softcap was not reached. Withdraw your full contribution with no penalty.

Cancelled

The creator cancelled the sale. Withdraw your full contribution with no penalty.

The page polls the blockchain every few seconds while you are viewing a live sale. Status changes (finalization, cancellation) appear automatically without a page reload.

Reading the Security Score

Every sale on MoonSale has a Security tab that shows a score out of 50 across eleven weighted categories. The score is computed from on-chain data and platform metadata, and is the same for every viewer of a project (no personalization).

How to read it before contributing:

Check critical risks first. A red “Critical Risks Detected” banner overrides any green total.
Pay attention to Liquidity Lock and Team Token Lock, these are the textbook rug-pull setups when set short or absent.
Read the actual values, not just the score. “180 days” is a real commitment. “30 days” is barely better than nothing.
30+/50 with no critical risks is a reasonable baseline. 40+/50 with all critical checks green is strong.

The Security Score measures structural protections. It does not measure team execution, market timing, or whether the token will appreciate. Always do your own research.

For the full methodology, exact thresholds per category, and the math behind the weights, see the Security Score Methodology page.

Staying Safe

Always make sure you are on the official website. The real URL is moonsale.app. Bookmark it and never click links from unknown sources. Every page on Moonsale shows this reminder in the contribution panel.

Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone, including support staff.

Check the presale contract address on the block explorer before investing.

Look for KYC and Audit badges -- they add an extra layer of accountability.

Be cautious of sales with very short liquidity lock periods or no team token vesting.

Verify team token locks by clicking the View Lock button in the Security tab. You can confirm the unlock date on-chain independently.

For fair launches, watch the live price estimate. A large number of contributors means a higher final price.

If a sale is whitelisted, confirm your address is on the list before the sale starts.

Vesting schedules on Moonsale are non-revocable by contract. Once set, the team cannot cancel or reclaim vested tokens.

If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.