• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBitcoin

Bitcoin: Coinbase Goes Down Amid Skyrocketing Prices

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 7, 2017, 1:03 PM ET

Popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is having a rough Thursday morning amid bitcoin’s huge gain in price.

The company said via Twitter that its service is “currently experiencing record high traffic” that is “resulting in some customers having slow performance or issues logging into their Coinbase.com accounts.”

Although Coinbase didn’t say why it’s experiencing so much traffic, it’s pretty clear it has something to do with bitcoin’s skyrocketing prices over the past few days. The cryptocurrency’s value went past $19,000 on Thursday morning, just hours after it topped $15,000.

We are currently experiencing record high traffic. This is resulting in some customers having slow performance or issues logging into their https://t.co/bCG11KveHS accounts. We are actively working to resolve this as quickly as possible.

— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) December 7, 2017

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Bitcoin has consistently reached record highs over the past week despite some economists’ concerns about a bitcoin bubble. Meanwhile, other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Ripple were declining in value as of Thursday morning.

Numerous people voiced their frustration over Coinbase’s snafu on Thursday.

If you bought $BTC a few minutes ago @coinbase @CoinbaseSupport you over paid by more than $2,000 per. But of course it is worth it since its web site is usually down and you cannot reach tech support pic.twitter.com/DG7AkLVCfJ

— Peter Brandt (@PeterLBrandt) December 7, 2017

 

Coinbase trying its hardest to stop the runaway BTC train. pic.twitter.com/FOMIRFuqGB

— Jameson Lopp (@lopp) December 7, 2017

 

Coinbase keeps crashing on me. Guess lots of people are cashing out (or In, I suppose). pic.twitter.com/t802K3suyo

— briankrebs (@briankrebs) December 7, 2017

 

Coinbase server pic.twitter.com/A8YVEs70UX

— Gabriele (@Gabry89) December 6, 2017

Some Twitter users also said that other digital asset exchanges like GDAX are also experiences problems.

https://twitter.com/urboijackie/status/938816407067856896

"Price can't crash it you can't sell." – Coinbase/GDAX pic.twitter.com/jxlz8QKkjI

— Rob Paone (@crypto_bobby) December 7, 2017

Coinbase said it is trying to resolve the problem, but it did not say when it would be fixed.

On Wednesday, the popular video game distribution service Steam said it would longer accept bitcoin as a payment method, citing price volatility and rising transaction fees.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Trump standing waving hi at a crowd
AIDonald Trump
The White House has a plan for AI regulation, and it starts with keeping states out of it
By The Associated Press and Seung Min KimMarch 20, 2026
26 minutes ago
london
Commentaryinvestment banking
The 19th century banking problem that AI hasn’t solved yet
By Silvio Savarese and Sabastian NilesMarch 20, 2026
53 minutes ago
spreng
CommentaryVenture Capital
Unicorns are flush with cash and stuck. A new kind of startup crisis is taking hold in 2026
By David SprengMarch 20, 2026
1 hour ago
Photo: A-10 Thunderbolt Warthog.
BankingMarkets
As the U.S. gears up for a potential ground war in Iran, $100-plus oil threatens ‘demand destruction’ — starting in Asia
By Jim EdwardsMarch 20, 2026
3 hours ago
Elon Musk stares
NewslettersTerm Sheet
SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic could be 3 of the biggest venture-backed IPOs of all time
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 20, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
After pulling the plug on its own robotaxis, Uber is building a fleet with Rivian
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 20, 2026
4 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.