What a transaction costs, and why nothing is instant

Two different fees, who gets each one, and what «pending» means when you are waiting for the chain rather than for us.

Every action that touches the chain costs two different things, and they go to different people.

Fee Who gets it How big
Network fee The miners who write your transaction A fraction of a cent on BSV
Platform fee Zoide, for the service Depends on the action — see Fees

Nobody charges you a fee for browsing, and there is no monthly cost to have a wallet.

Fixed fees are quoted in satoshis because they are small, and always shown with what they are worth:

0.000400 ($0.01)
A fixed fee as Zoide shows it: BSV, with its equivalent

Why an action is not instant

When you confirm something, your transaction is broadcast: it goes out to the network and waits to be included in a block. That normally takes moments, but it is not a database write you control.

Then there is a second wait that catches everybody out: the index. Zoide reads the chain through a service that keeps track of what is where. Your transaction can be perfectly valid and confirmed while that index has not caught up, and during that gap the site can show you the old state.

So «pending» on Zoide means one of two very different things:

  • Waiting for the chain. Nothing to do but wait.
  • Waiting for the index. Already done; the display is behind.

Neither is your money in limbo — see Mint states, and what "pending" really means.

What this changes in how you use the site

  • Do not repeat an action because it looks like nothing happened. Check your balance first: if it moved, the action went through. Repeating a mint buys a second piece.
  • Do not expect a refund button. There is no such thing on a chain. What is sent is sent.
  • Confirm the amount before signing, not after. That is the last moment anything is reversible.