you did the right thing when you bought your coins at ATMs. Well worth the fees, you often wrote about. (I think it was you, or I'm getting old)
Both?
Yeah, it was me.
Those were the days. I used multiple ATMs depending on their rates. The one closest to me in a 24-hour convenience store usually had the best buy rates, often actually paying me to buy their coins. Another one a short cab ride away usually had the best sell rates, again often paying me to buy their dollars. I was not only making money from holding, but also from buying and selling, all anonymously.
Those days are gone. Now I use both over-the-counter and under-the-counter exchanges dealing directly with individuals. The OTC exchange has extreme KYC/AML and I use them for my bank account. The UTC exchange is totally anonymous and pays me cash dollars. Fees are negligible if there's any fee at all. Sometimes the UTC charges me no fee during times of higher demand just to avoid having to pay a fee themselves. They make a small amount converting USD to CAD as all prices are based on Bitstamp USD prices. Even that is much less than what banks or currency exchanges usually charge.
Life goes on.