Transaction stuck for several months due to low fees

[KingsizeBlues]

Hi all

I have tried searching for this answer, but I couldn't find a clear solution to my problem, so I decided to make a post.

Around the time of the recent halvening, I paid a friend for some BTC. They use Electrum wallet, I do not. Neither of us have ever used Electrum wallet to send coins, they have only used it to receive BTC. They asked me what level of fees to set - foolishly, I said as low as possible. My wallet does not allow a choice of fees.

At the time, I did not understand that would mean no miners would process the transaction. I know that, technically, one day the fees could come down low enough for it to send. However in the meantime those coins are effectively unavailable to either me or my friend.

From the research I have done, it seems that the only solution for me to receive my coins is to make a new transaction with a higher fee. However, that does not return the stuck coins to my friend's wallet. As far as I can tell, those coins are now in limbo somewhere, leaving either them or me out of pocket. They are not prepared to send more coins without a clear explanation of how to get the first transaction cancelled (fair enough, it is a large amount of money at stake for both of us).

Is there a way to cancel this stuck transaction? Or I guess, how do we "unstick" those coins?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Apocollapse]

Correct, that solution is called Child pays for parent (CPFP).

Which wallet you use? if your transaction support RBF, you can bump it using wallet that support it e.g. Electrum. Copy paste the TXID on mempool.space to know it.



There's no way to cancel Bitcoin transaction, it's either your friends make new transaction with higher fee, use third party acceleration service, or wait till the mempool empty.

If the size of your transaction is below ≤0.5 KB and the fee you paid ≥ 0.0001 BTC/KB you can use viabtc free accerelation https://www.viabtc.com/tools/txaccelerator

[promise444c5]

Correct, that solution is called Child pays for parent (CPFP).

There's no way to cancel Bitcoin transaction, it's either your friends make new transaction with higher fee, use third party acceleration service, or wait till the mempool empty.

Double-spend  can invalidate the transaction , since the friend did the transaction then they could just Double-spend it back to the friends wallet.

Is there a way to cancel this stuck transaction? Or I guess, how do we "unstick" those coins?

You can cancel a transaction on Electrum (not really cancel but) in such a way that you will be spending back to the initiator wallet, which means a new transaction spending same input is done to invalidate the stucked one(you will only pay high fee).

[Darker45]

I'm a bit confused. You paid your friend some BTC. Your friend uses Electrum while you don't. Your wallet doesn't allow personalized fees. How, then, did it end up that a very low fee was paid? Also, how did it end up that you're the one paying and yet your friend was the one asking the level of fee? And you answered the lowest. It doesn't seem coherent.

Anyway, if your friend is really the initiator of this transaction and he/she uses Electrum, he/she can resend it but with a higher fee. Electrum supports RBF. Your friend shouldn't worry about sending more coins. RBF isn't sending more coins. It is basically just sending the same input, the same money. With a higher fee, miners would prioritize it thereby cancelling the earlier transaction.

[mocacinno]

As far as i remember, electrum does not rebroadcast transactions... A transaction stuck for several months is rare, it should have been pruned from the mempool of allmost every node by now, unless somebody keeps rebroadcasting it. Are you sure your friend isn't seeing this transaction as a "local" transaction?

The other members gave some good advice, but maybe it's a good idear to share the transaction id (unless it violates your privacy to much). That way, we can verify if it was opt-in rbf (it probably was), if there's change (so your friend can do a CPFP) or not (so you'll have to do an CPFP), what the fee was (so we can see if viabtc is an option).

[SilverCryptoBullet]

Which wallet you use? if your transaction support RBF, you can bump it using wallet that support it e.g. Electrum.

If the transaction is not RBF opt-in originally, there is a complicated procedure to replace an unconfirmed non-RBF transaction to Bitcoin nodes that has Full RBF enabled, and hope that Bitcoin miners will confirm it for you.

Turn non-RBF transaction to RBF enabled?

[Hatchy]

I'm a bit confused. You paid your friend some BTC. Your friend uses Electrum while you don't. Your wallet doesn't allow personalized fees. How, then, did it end up that a very low fee was paid? Also, how did it end up that you're the one paying and yet your friend was the one asking the level of fee? And you answered the lowest. It doesn't seem coherent.

I still tried to understand that part of ops story but haven't gotten it yet. I just find his story unbelievable. His question is valid though but the story op is trying to tell seems to me a fabricated one. If we remember closely, during the time of recent halving the transaction fees were extremely high, probably the highest we've seen. And for someone to broadcast a transaction and get confirmed back then would mean that he already knew what level of fee he will have to use.  Ops story just mixed up so many things I still don't want to believe here. He ask his friend to send BTC and told him to use the lowest of fees that they should wait for it, that it will be confirmed one day   And if his friend is the one sending the coins why ask him the level of fee to use??

[Amphenomenon]

The other members gave some good advice, but maybe it's a good idear to share the transaction id (unless it violates your privacy to much). That way, we can verify if it was opt-in rbf (it probably was), if there's change (so your friend can do a CPFP) or not (so you'll have to do an CPFP), what the fee was (so we can see if viabtc is an option).

This is most feasible way for we to come up with a straight solution.
 while Op if you still think  it will violate your privacy, I would advise sharing the Tx through pm with mocacinno since he is really knowledgeable about bitcoin technicals and reputable here, since I guessed  the amount is large base on your post

[promise444c5]

If the transaction is not RBF opt-in originally, there is a complicated procedure to replace an unconfirmed non-RBF transaction to Bitcoin nodes that has Full RBF enabled, and hope that Bitcoin miners will confirm it for you.

OP said he was trying to buy some BTC during the halving period and for sure fee should be high then...  and he said his friend used electrum which means it should definitely be RBFed , but at the end I don't seem to get his story any longer ,he got a stucked transaction and maybe they tried CPFP ....  yet they still have a stuck transaction (I don't know how that happened) so it will be best if he just provide a txid to really know what's happening ( if OP really haven't been scammed by his friend), he shouldn't be the one stressing but the sender although it's his money...

[Charles-Tim]

If you are not concerned about privacy, you need to let us know the txid just as mocacinno posted already. If Electrum wallet is used, the transaction would have been dropped from mempool and the sender will be able to rebroadcast the coins again in a new transaction.

[Findingnemo]

If you are not concerned about privacy, you need to let us know the txid just as mocacinno posted already. If Electrum wallet is used, the transaction would have been dropped from mempool and the sender will be able to rebroadcast the coins again in a new transaction.

OP provided lot of incorrect information or he just made up this story.

Cause every transaction created using electrum is RBF enabled default and this update rolled over for a while at least prior to the halving if I am not wrong.

Electrum also allows bump fee which is very simple so if OP found himself in a situation that stuck for month he simply can jump bumped it or use CPFP if the receiving end is also non custodial wallet.

Finally TX will likely to be purged in two weeks if it's not rebroadcasted and in electrum, it doesn't rebroadcast TX on it's own again.