What's the difference between placing an order and Buy Now / Sell Now?

Order vs Buy Now / Sell Now

The secondary market offers two ways to trade:

Place an Order

You set your own target price and quantity, and your order sits on the book until someone else's order matches it. You're not guaranteed execution — it depends on whether a counterparty is willing to trade at your price.

• Best for: getting a specific price, or being patient
• Risk: order may not fill

Buy Now / Sell Now

You immediately match against the best existing offer on the other side of the book. Execution is essentially instant, but you take the price the market is offering rather than setting your own.

• Best for: getting in or out quickly
• Risk: market price may be worse than you'd like

When to use which

If you have a strong view on price, place an order. If liquidity matters more than price precision, use Buy Now or Sell Now. You can also place an order, then convert it to immediate execution later if the market moves toward you.