Bitcoin fees and small orders

The fee you pay to move Bitcoin is set by how crowded the network is, measured in the cost per unit of space a transaction takes. It is not a percentage of your order, so a small purchase and a large one can carry the same fee. That is the trap, because a small order can end up paying more in fees than the item is worth.

During a busy period the cost per byte rises and a deposit of a few dollars can be mostly fee by the time it lands. The practical rule is to batch small intended purchases into one transfer rather than sending them one at a time, or to wait for a quieter window if the order is not urgent.

Large orders are less affected because the fee is a smaller share of the total. The fee is a real cost, not a rounding error, and it is the one number on a checkout that most people underestimate.