You don't have to accept Ethereum-mainnet gas prices. The biggest lever a beginner has is simply where they trade.
Use a cheaper network
The single most effective move is to trade on a layer-2 or a low-fee chain:
- Layer-2s (Arbitrum, Base, Optimism) bundle many transactions and settle them on Ethereum, inheriting much of its security while cutting fees to cents.
- Solana keeps fees at a fraction of a cent by design.
For most everyday swaps there's little reason to pay mainnet gas when an L2 offers the same tokens far cheaper.
Time it
Gas is a live auction, so quieter periods are cheaper. If a trade isn't urgent, checking a gas tracker and waiting out a spike can cut the cost sharply. Weekends and off-peak hours are often calmer.
Mind the trade size
Gas is a flat cost per transaction, not a percentage — so a fixed fee is brutal on a tiny trade and negligible on a large one:
| Trade size | A $2 gas fee equals… |
|---|---|
| $20 swap | 10% of the trade |
| $200 swap | 1% |
| $2,000 swap | 0.1% |
On an expensive chain, batching errands into fewer, larger transactions saves real money.
Other levers
- Aggregators can find routes that cost less overall, fees included.
- Reuse trusted approvals rather than re-approving constantly.
- Don't over-tip — a large priority fee only makes sense when you genuinely need speed.
Put together, a beginner trading on Base or Solana, off-peak, in sensible sizes, will rarely think about gas at all.
- Doing many tiny swaps on Ethereum mainnet, where gas can exceed the trade's value.
- Paying mainnet fees out of habit when the same token trades on a cheap L2.
- Over-tipping for speed on trades that aren't time-sensitive.
Written and reviewed by the dexwatch editorial team. Last updated 2026-05-30. Educational content, not financial advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.