So just a couple tricks i've learned from using coinbase.
1) add a debit card
(it might be wise to use a debit card you can keep a good eye on just in case or one you dont have a ton of money on but can transfer to easily) If you add a debit card you can have instant access to up to $100, least that's what mine is, but if i link a bank account and use that instead of a debit card it takes a long time before your money is available, last time I made that mistake I waited two weeks for those funds to be available. I believe it is possible to link several debit cards so you could have instant access to send bitcoin for several hundred dollars but im to paranoid to link my other debit card to be honest.
2) Add a BTC vault ..
When you do this you can keep some bitcoin in there until ready to use and its a little bit safer this way from what I've heard, its still subject to market swings but harder for someone to hack your account n shit and steal your money...least I heard that anyway. I wouldn't put a ton of money in there but depends on your needs. Also mine even makes me wait to pull from the vault and put in my bitcoin wallet so that i can send it (have to wait 48 hours) but thats better than two weeks. Also coinbase will want you to approve the transaction of moving money from the vault to your bitcoin wallet (where you send it from) in your email or it cancels after 24 hours, make sure to approve it from every email you have linked to your coinbase, if you have two, you will get two approval emails and if you ignore one the transaction cancels after 24 hours and you have to redo it, which means you just added a day to your process of getting gear.
3) there are some benefits to linking an account instead of just using the debit cards.
If you have a checking account that you dont use much or keep much money in, link it to coinbase so if you need to pull money back out of bitcoin you can do so, after a waiting period.....there is waiting periods for everything, it kind of sucks. Just be careful you dont use the account to put money in if you want to have instant access to the funds, i did that one time and I was so pissed. I ended up adding even more money but used my debit so i could send it right away and then when the other amount came through like a week later I transferred it back to my bank.
Sorry for the long post, thought that might help maybe. Either way its kind of a bitch and i guess you could leave the money in cash form in your coinbase account but I can't remember if that's another damn waiting period to buy bitcoin...I think you could buy a shitload but not be able to send it immediately...anyway once you figure it out and get into a rhythm you can make your transactions happen a lot quicker overall rather than western union because you dont wait long for the person on the other end to pickup the money.
