Recently, I saw many stories in the community about people getting "harvested" in crypto, so I thought I’d organize this topic because it’s really the most common trap for new investors.

First, let’s talk about what "harvesting" means. The term "chive" first appeared in China’s financial circles, used to describe retail investors who lose money in the market. Why call them chives? Because chives grow quickly, are very resilient, and can regrow after being cut. Retail investors are like chives—one wave gets cut, but a new wave comes in, cycle after cycle. Basically, "harvesting" means big players and institutions use various methods to profit from retail investors.

So, who is most likely to get "harvested"? Mainly retail investors like us, especially beginners. Compared to large investors and institutions, we are far behind in information, experience, and capital scale. Many retail investors jump in with short-term trading mindsets, follow trends, chase gains, sell in panic, and end up losing a lot. The big players and institutions are the ones doing the harvesting—they leverage their advantages to take retail investors’ chips at high prices.

There are many tactics for harvesting in the market. The most classic is pushing prices up to sell, which involves four steps: accumulating chips quietly at low prices, creating a false sense of activity through wash trading, spreading positive news in communities, and inducing FOMO (fear of missing out). Retail investors, afraid of missing out, impulsively buy in. Once the big players successfully transfer their chips, they quickly dump, causing the price to crash. There are also scams like "pig butchering," where scammers pose as authoritative mentors, post fake profit screenshots, and after convincing retail investors to invest, they run off with the money. In the crypto space, there are also "air coins" and schemes like "left hand, right hand," which directly wipe out token value or fake high trading volumes to create a false sense of prosperity.

How to tell if you’ve become a "chive"? If you often follow trends to buy, lack market awareness, don’t know how to take profits or cut losses, and frequently buy high and sell low, then you’ve probably been caught. These are the weaknesses that harvesters target precisely.

To avoid being harvested, I think these five steps are most important. First, develop your own investment methodology and maintain a strong mindset. Don’t blindly trust so-called experts’ analysis; listen more, think more, observe more, and finally make your own decisions. Buffett said, "Be greedy when others are fearful, be fearful when others are greedy," which is key to staying rational.

Second, know when to take profits and cut losses. Set clear take-profit and stop-loss levels—for example, a 30% profit target and then decisively exit, or cut losses when the loss reaches a certain percentage. Many trading platforms have these functions.

Third, learn to diversify investments to reduce risk. Don’t put all your money into one asset. Consider both long and short positions, so you can find opportunities even in a declining market.

Fourth, stay updated with market information and adjust your positions accordingly. Look at both technical and fundamental analysis; don’t rely solely on technicals and ignore fundamentals. The most direct way is to use investment tools provided by trading platforms, like economic calendars, real-time news, and sentiment indices, to quickly grasp first-hand market conditions.

Fifth, always choose legitimate and compliant trading platforms. Never trust unregulated platforms or advice from unknown mentors. Opt for reputable, well-established platforms with proper licenses to ensure your funds’ safety.

In summary, the biggest reason people get "harvested" is the lack of rational thinking among retail investors. As long as you follow these points, you can greatly reduce the risk of being harvested. If you’ve already experienced being "harvested," it’s also important to reset your mindset, review your trades, and avoid making the same mistakes again. There are no shortcuts in investing; continuous learning and experience accumulation are essential.