Paying a proforma in Bitcoin or USDT: exact amounts, exchange fees and confirmation

Written 23 September 2026, last changed 6 November 2026 by the trade desk. About 6 minutes to read.

Pay the exact amount on the proforma, to the address and on the network it names, and enter it as the amount to be received: many exchanges take their fee out of the figure you type, and that is where most short payments come from. Bitcoin, or USDT on Tron (TRC-20) or Ethereum (ERC-20); a bank payment instead (Wise or Interac e-Transfer from Canada) carries the 4-digit code on the proforma, and a card is paid on the card page the order opens.

What the proforma gives you

The address to pay, the network to use, and the exact amount in Bitcoin or USDT at the moment of the quote. Bitcoin addresses are never reused between customers, so whatever lands on yours is yours; USDT payments are matched to the order by the exact amount, down to the last decimals, which is why the figure must arrive unchanged.

The exchange fee mistake

Most exchanges charge a withdrawal fee, and some take it out of the amount you enter rather than on top of it. Enter 0.00138 BTC and 0.00120 arrives. The order then reads as short and waits. Enter the amount as the amount to be received, or send the fee on top; the exchange's confirmation screen usually shows both figures.

If a payment arrives short

Nothing is lost. For Bitcoin, the order page shows what arrived and what is still owed, and a second payment of the balance to the same address completes it; for USDT, write to the desk with the transaction hash and the balance is matched by hand. The desk can also accept a payment that is a few dollars short if it chooses to.

Confirmation

A payment is recognised when it appears on the chain and is taken once it has confirmed. Bitcoin confirmation depends on the fee your wallet paid; a low fee can wait an hour or more when the network is busy. USDT on Tron confirms in minutes; USDT on Ethereum in a few minutes more, depending on the gas paid. Nothing needs to be done on your side while it waits.

What is not accepted

Credit cards are taken on a secure card page, and so are Wise and Interac e-Transfer (from Canada), each matched by the 4-digit code on the proforma; PayPal is not (terms, clause 4). Coins sent on a network other than the one quoted cannot be recovered, so check the network before sending.

A worked proforma

Take a first order of two boxes of P41, PT-141 (bremelanotide) 10mg x 10 vials, at $73.96 a box from today’s list: goods $147.92, which clears the $100 floor on a first order. For a US address, freight is quoted at checkout for the carton and the address, or a flat $35.00 when no live quote is available, so the proforma at the flat rate is $182.92; for an order to Canada or another country, the desk quotes the freight on the proforma instead. The proforma states that total in USD and how to pay it: the secure card page for a credit card, the 4-digit code for Wise or Interac e-Transfer (from Canada, as its Canadian-dollar figure), or the exact Bitcoin or USDT amount at the moment of the quote and the address to send it to. Paying from outside the United States works the same way: the proforma is in US dollars.

Step	What you see	What to do
Proforma	$182.92 USD (goods $147.92, US freight $35.00); the crypto amount; the address; the network	Copy the address and the amount exactly
At the exchange	A withdrawal form with an amount field and a fee	Enter the amount as the amount to be received, or add the fee on top
On the chain	The payment appears; the order page shows what arrived	Nothing; the order moves on when the total is there
Short by the fee	The order page shows the balance owed	Bitcoin: send the balance to the same address. USDT: write to the desk with the transaction hash
Confirmed	Payment received; packing starts	Watch for the tracking number

Questions about paying

What is a proforma invoice?

The invoice issued for your order before you pay: it lists the goods, the freight and the total in US dollars, the delivery address, and how to pay it: the card page for a credit card, the 4-digit code for Wise or e-Transfer, or the exact Bitcoin or USDT amount with the address and network. It is the proforma, not the order form, that binds the order (clause 3 of the terms of sale), and the goods are released once it is paid.

Can I pay by card?

Yes: choose Credit card when you place the order and a secure card page opens for the proforma figure, charged in US dollars to a US delivery address and in Canadian dollars to any other, at the figure the card page shows before you pay. Every order is paid against a proforma fixed in US dollars, by credit card, Wise, Interac e-Transfer (from Canada), Bitcoin or USDT; PayPal is not taken. A transfer or a coin payment cannot be pulled back once it is sent, so the protections come before it: the proforma shows the goods, the freight, the total and the address before you pay, a first order can be as small as $100, the terms of sale say how a shortage, damage or a wrong item is put to the desk and handled, and an order that cannot be fulfilled is cancelled and repaid in full by the same route the money came (clause 5). It is not about anonymity: the proforma names the order, the amount and the address, and the desk knows exactly who paid what.

I have never paid in Bitcoin or USDT. What do I do?

Open an account at an exchange that serves your country, complete its identity check, and buy USDT with a bank transfer or card there. When the proforma arrives, choose a withdrawal to the address it gives, on the network it names (Tron, shown as TRC-20, or Ethereum, shown as ERC-20, for USDT), and enter the proforma figure as the amount to be received. The exchange shows its fee before you confirm; the transfer settles in minutes on Tron and the desk emails you when it is seen. Keep the proforma open while you do it and copy the address rather than typing it.

Do you accept cards, PayPal or bank transfer?

Cards, yes: a secure card page for the proforma figure, charged in US dollars to a US delivery address and in Canadian dollars to any other, at the figure the card page shows. Not PayPal. Bank payment, yes: Wise in US dollars, or Interac e-Transfer from Canada as the Canadian-dollar figure, each matched by the 4-digit code on the proforma; Bitcoin and USDT are taken too. What protects a buyer here is seeing the goods, the freight, the whole figure and the address before anything is sent, and an order that moves on only when the payment lands.

What happens if my payment arrives short?

It is the commonest mistake and it is usually the exchange fee, deducted from the amount sent rather than added to it. A short payment is not lost: the order is held and its page shows the difference. For Bitcoin, send the difference to the same address; for USDT, write to the desk with the transaction hash before sending anything more. Send the figure on the proforma as the amount received, not the amount entered.

How long until the order is confirmed?

As soon as the payment confirms on the chain: minutes for USDT on Tron, a few minutes more on Ethereum, usually within the hour for Bitcoin, and longer when the wallet paid a low fee. The order then moves to packing on its own; no one has to be at a desk for it to happen.

Is the price fixed in dollars or in crypto?

In dollars. The proforma states a USD figure and the crypto amount is worked from it at the time the address is issued, so a move in the rate while you are paying does not change what you owe. That is the whole reason the invoice is denominated in USD.