Network fee
Every onchain action — deposits in, trades, sends, listings, and withdrawals — pays a fee to Bitcoin miners. This is the network fee, and it’s set by network conditions, not by OPALE.
Where you pay it
Section titled “Where you pay it”| Action | Who pays the network fee |
|---|---|
| Depositing BTC into OPALE | You (on the wallet you send from) |
| 🛒 Buy and 🧹 Sweep floor | Deducted from your OPALE BTC balance, shown in the quote |
| 🏷️ Sell (posting a listing) | Deducted from your OPALE BTC balance, shown in the quote |
| 📨 Send Tokens | Deducted from your OPALE BTC balance, shown in the quote |
| 📨 Send BTC | Deducted from the swept amount, shown in the preview |
Fee rate selection
Section titled “Fee rate selection”OPALE pulls recommended fee rates from mempool.space and picks a rate that aims for timely confirmation under current conditions. You’ll see the BTC amount in every quote and preview before you confirm.
In high-congestion periods, the network fee can become a meaningful portion of small trades. For a $5 buy, paying $2 in network fees is real. OPALE shows the absolute number; the call on whether it’s worth it is yours.
Why network fees vary
Section titled “Why network fees vary”Bitcoin block space is auctioned by fee rate. When the network is busy, fees climb; when it’s quiet, fees fall.
- Quiet times — fees small, transactions confirm quickly.
- Busy times — fees climb; small trades can become unviable temporarily.
- OPALE has no control over this. It just reads current rates and picks accordingly.
What about fee bumps?
Section titled “What about fee bumps?”OPALE does not currently expose a fee-bump button for stuck transactions. If a transaction stalls, the only path is to wait. This is by design: confused fee bidding leads to worse outcomes for inexperienced users than just waiting.
If your trade is stuck and you’re worried, see troubleshooting.
Why a higher fee doesn’t help you “win”
Section titled “Why a higher fee doesn’t help you “win””A common misconception: paying more network fee will make your trade win a race. It doesn’t.
Bitcoin network admission is first-broadcast-wins. Whoever’s transaction reaches a node first gets in. Once it’s in, the fee determines confirmation order, but if you and someone else are racing for the same listing, the one whose tx hit the network first wins regardless of fee.
That’s why OPALE doesn’t show a “boost” button or suggest paying more to compete — it would mislead you into spending more for no benefit.