Web3 Basics

Your wallet, explained

Digital goods on The Fridge — NFTs, collectibles, items you trade — can carry real-world value. Your wallet is where that value lives. Here's what you need to know.

First — what even is a wallet?

A crypto wallet is two things at once: an address (like a username other people can send digital items to) and a private key(a secret that proves those items are yours and lets you move them). It doesn't literally hold your NFTs — those live on the blockchain — it's the keychain that controls them. No bank, no account number: the key is the ownership.

Good news — you already have one

When you signed up for The Fridge, we created a wallet for you automatically (it's powered by a service called Privy). You didn't install anything or write anything down — you're already set up to collect, earn magnets, and look around. That starter wallet is the one quietly working behind the scenes right now.

Two flavors: custodial vs. self-custody

Custodial— a trusted service safeguards the key for you and gets you back in with your email or a passkey if you're ever locked out. Easy and beginner-friendly. Your Fridge wallet works this way.

Self-custody — you hold the key yourself (think MetaMask). Total control, no middleman — but the backup is entirely on you. That backup is the seed phraseeveryone warns you about. Here's what it actually is. 👇

What's a seed phrase?

A seed phrase is a set of 12 or 24 random words (e.g. “carpet orange thunder...”) that is the master key to your wallet. Anyone who has these words has full access to everything in your wallet — forever, no password needed. Never share it, never screenshot it, never type it into any website. Write it on paper and store it somewhere safe — like a fireproof safe or safety deposit box.

So… does MY Fridge wallet have a seed phrase?

No — and that's on purpose.Because your Fridge wallet is custodial, there's no seed phrase for you to write down or lose. If you ever can't get in, you recover with the email or passkey you signed up with. Perfect for getting started. The trade-off: a custodial wallet leans on its provider, so as you start holding higher-value NFTs, many collectors add a self-custody wallet (below) and keep their valuables there. You can link one any time — it never replaces your Fridge wallet.

Your options

When you're ready to go further, here are the main kinds of wallet and what each is best at.

Your Privy Wallet

Custodial

What you have right now

Pros

+Free — created automatically when you signed up
+No seed phrase to write down or lose
+Works on any device you log in from
+Great for getting started and exploring

Cons

–Privy holds the keys on your behalf
–You rely on Privy's security and uptime
–Not ideal for storing high-value assets long term

MetaMask

Self-custody

The most popular choice

Pros

+You control your own keys — no middleman
+Free browser extension + mobile app
+Works with almost every Web3 app
+Industry standard — widely trusted

Cons

–You must back up your seed phrase safely
–Losing your seed phrase = losing access forever
–Hot wallet — connected to the internet

Get MetaMask →

Hardware Wallet

Cold storage

Ledger or Trezor — maximum security

Pros

+Private keys never touch the internet
+Best protection against hacks and malware
+Ideal for holding valuable NFTs or large amounts
+Works alongside MetaMask (connect via USB/Bluetooth)

Cons

–Costs $50–$150 to purchase the device
–Takes a few minutes to set up
–Physical device — can be lost or damaged

Ledger.com →

Mobile Wallet

Self-custody

Rainbow, Coinbase Wallet, or Trust Wallet

Pros

+You control your own keys
+Beautiful, user-friendly interfaces
+Great for on-the-go use
+Rainbow is popular with NFT collectors specifically

Cons

–Phone can be lost, stolen, or broken
–You must still back up your seed phrase
–Hot wallet — connected to the internet

Rainbow.me →

Our recommendation for new users

Keep using your Privy wallet to explore The Fridge for now — it's fine for beta

Download MetaMask (free) when you're ready to take ownership of your keys

Back up your MetaMask seed phrase on paper before you store anything valuable

Consider a hardware wallet (Ledger/Trezor) if you accumulate high-value NFTs

How The Fridge connects your wallets

Many wallets, one account

You can link as many wallets as you want to your Fridge account. Each one has a job — and the jobs are independent, so you can mix and match. Here's what each job means.

Anchor

Your account key

The wallet that proves your account is yours. Created automatically when you sign up. You never have to touch it — it lives behind the scenes and lets you recover your account if you ever lose your other wallets.

Primary

Your public identity

The wallet whose address (or ENS name) shows publicly on your profile. This is the one buyers see when they look at your listings. You can swap this any time — change it like you change a profile photo.

Delivery

Where Fridge mints land

When The Fridge sends you something — a minted magnet, a partner airdrop, an event ticket — it goes here. By default it's the same as your primary, but you can split them so mints land in a different (e.g. cold-storage) wallet.

Common questions

Why does The Fridge give me a wallet on sign-up?

The wallet we generate for you (called your anchor) is what proves the account is yours. If you ever lose your other wallets — phone broken, seed phrase lost, MetaMask uninstalled — you can sign back in with your email or passkey and get your account back. Without an anchor, losing your wallet means losing your account permanently.

Can I delete the anchor wallet?

No, and that's intentional. The anchor is your safety net. But once you've linked another wallet and promoted it to primary, you can archive the anchor — it disappears from your day-to-day view but stays valid as your recovery method. Think safety deposit box, not closet clutter.

What's the difference between primary and delivery?

Primary is about identity — what people SEE on your profile. Deliveryis about destination — where stuff GOES when The Fridge sends it. By default they're the same, but power users often split them: identity on a hot wallet (so the profile shows their cool ENS name), mint destination in a cold wallet (so valuable items go straight into deeper storage).

If I switch primary wallets, do I lose my @handle, followers, or notes?

No. Your @handle, followers, follows, notes, magnets, and reactions all live on your account itself — not on any wallet. You can swap primary wallets whenever you want and everything keeps working. The only thing that changes is which address shows up next to your @handle on your public profile.

Do NFTs in my secondary wallets show up on my profile?

Yes — by default, ALL wallets you link contribute to your collection shelves on your profile. Visitors see the combined inventory. If you don't want a particular wallet's NFTs visible (say it's an alt or a vault), open Settings → Account → Wallets, expand the wallet's settings, and turn off “Contribute NFTs to my profile.”

What happens to my OTC listings if I switch primary wallets?

They keep working. OTC listings are signed by the wallet that owns the NFT — not by your primary. So even if you swap primaries, your old listings remain valid and buyers see them as “Listed by @handle” because identity comes from your account, not the wallet.

Can I make my own wallet the anchor instead of Privy's?

Today, no — the anchor is always the Privy-managed embedded wallet because that's what lets us recover your account via email or passkey. A self-custody wallet wouldn't give us a recovery path: if you lose it, no one (including us) can get you back in.

What does 'release' a wallet do?

Releasing unlinks a wallet from your account. You can't release your anchor (use Archive instead) or your primary (promote another wallet to primary first). After release, your wallet is freed up — if you sign into The Fridge with that wallet later under a different identity, you can claim it on a new account. We keep the history so old listings still resolve correctly.

What does 'archive' the anchor do?

Archive tucks your anchor wallet into a Backup & Recovery section so your day-to-day picker stays clean. The anchor is still 100% valid for account recovery — Privy login still works, your email/passkey still gets you back in. You can un-archive any time. We recommend archiving once you've set a comfortable primary so you don't see the anchor every time you open Settings.

What if I lose access to all my wallets?

Go to the sign-in page and use “Sign in with email” (or passkey, if you set one up). Privy will authenticate you against your anchor wallet and sign you back into your Fridge account. Once you're in, you can link a new wallet and promote it to primary.

Why is my embedded wallet's address ugly and ENS-less?

Embedded wallets are generated randomly when you sign up, so they get whatever address the keys land on — no human-chosen vanity. That's why we don't show your anchor on your public profile by default. Once you link an external wallet that has a nice ENS name, promoting it to primary gives you the public-facing display you want.

How do I rename a wallet?

In Settings → Account → Wallets, expand a wallet's settings panel and edit the Nickname. Only you see it — visitors never see your private labels. Useful when you have several wallets (“Main”, “Vault”, “Trading”).

Do my secondary wallets show up to other people?

Only the ones you've marked “Show on my public profile” in their settings. By default, only your primary is shown — secondaries are private. Their NFTs still contribute to your collection (unless you also turn off “Contribute NFTs to my profile”), but the wallet address itself stays hidden.

When I sell an NFT, where does the ETH go?

To the wallet that owned the NFT — not to your delivery wallet. OTC listings are signed by the owning wallet, and ETH goes back to that same wallet when the sale fulfills. The delivery wallet is only for items The Fridge mints to you (magnets, airdrops), not marketplace sales.

Manage your wallets

Set primary, change delivery, archive your anchor, or link more.

Open Account Settings →

This guide will grow as The Fridge does. More resources coming soon.