user106697: I have held bitcoin since 2010.
At the time coinbase opened one could type in the bitcoin address and public and private keys from paper into their wallet and voila the coins were available for trading.
However, it appears that nowadays one is asked to transfer bitcoins when moving to another exchange and that option has evaporated.
It makes no sense at all that I should pay mining fees when I already own the coins.
I certainly believe the fact that there always seems to be a mining fee involved even though one may not spend the coins is one reason that bitcoin is still useless in day to day economy.
I can give someone 100$ in cash, but I cannot do the same with bitcoin because I loose a fraction due to the middleman taking a cut.
I can’t believe that there is no way to avoid the mining fees when moving from one exchange to another.
I am happy for any useful advice.

user104978: If you have given the private keys to the exchange, then the coins do not belong to you, do they? So when you move them to another exchange, they will change owners to the new exchange (i.e. new keys) and that involves the transaction being placed in a block which requires confirmation (or mining).
This is why it is never a good idea to keep bitcoin on an exchange, they are not really yours. Use your own hardware wallet. Or at least a wallet on your computer...
If you use BTC for smaller purchases then read up about the Lightning Network. I made a purchase yesterday for $100 and paid 0.001c in fees, which is negligible.

106697: <p>I have held bitcoin since 2010.
At the time coinbase opened one could type in the bitcoin address and public and private keys from paper into their wallet and voila the coins were available for trading.
However, it appears that nowadays one is asked to transfer bitcoins when moving to another exchange and that option has evaporated.
It makes no sense at all that I should pay mining fees when I already own the coins.
I certainly believe the fact that there always seems to be a mining fee involved even though one may not spend the coins is one reason that bitcoin is still useless in day to day economy.
I can give someone 100$ in cash, but I cannot do the same with bitcoin because I loose a fraction due to the middleman taking a cut.
I can’t believe that there is no way to avoid the mining fees when moving from one exchange to another.
I am happy for any useful advice.</p>
 104978: <p>If you have given the private keys to the exchange, then the coins do not belong to you, do they? So when you move them to another exchange, they will change owners to the new exchange (i.e. new keys) and that involves the transaction being placed in a block which requires confirmation (or mining).</p>

<p>This is why it is <strong>never</strong> a good idea to keep bitcoin on an exchange, they are not really yours. Use your own hardware wallet. Or at least a wallet on your computer...</p>

<p>If you use BTC for smaller purchases then read up about the Lightning Network. I made a purchase yesterday for $100 and paid 0.001c in fees, which is negligible.</p>
