Why do I pay gas for a failed transaction?

Validators perform the computational work of executing your transaction whether or not it succeeds. The gas fee compensates them for that work. A 'failed' transaction means execution started, did some work, then reverted. The work happened, so the fee applies. Standard EVM behavior.

What's the difference between gas limit and gas used?

Gas limit is the maximum gas you authorize. Gas used is what was actually consumed. You only pay for gas used. Setting limit higher than needed doesn't cost more. Setting too low risks the transaction failing with 'out of gas' mid-execution.

What does 'wei' mean and how does it relate to SEI?

Wei is the smallest unit on EVM-compatible chains. 1 SEI = 10^18 wei. The chain stores all values in wei to avoid floating-point precision issues. Wallets and explorers convert to SEI for display.

What does it mean if a contract is 'unverified' on the explorer?

An unverified contract is one whose source code hasn't been published to the explorer. The explorer can show that a transaction called the contract, but can't decode what the call did in human terms — only raw hex. Unverified contracts aren't necessarily malicious, but they make auditing harder.

Can I cancel a transaction after submitting it?

Once included in a block, no — it's permanent. Before inclusion, you can submit a 'cancel' — a new transaction with the same nonce and a higher gas price, sending zero value to your own address. Sei's fast block times mean the window for cancellation is short.

Reading a Sei Transaction

Why bother reading transactions

Most users never look at raw transaction details. Three situations make it worthwhile: troubleshooting a stuck transaction, verifying claims, understanding what you're signing.

A Sei transaction post-SIP-3 is an EVM transaction

Post-SIP-3, Sei's transaction format follows EVM conventions. A typical Sei transaction has these fields:

Hash — unique 32-byte hex identifier
Block number — the block that included this transaction
Status — succeeded or failed
From / To — sender's and recipient's addresses
Value — amount of SEI transferred (in wei)
Nonce — sender's transaction counter (replay prevention)
Gas limit / Gas used — max authorized vs actual consumed
Gas price (legacy) or Max fee per gas + Max priority fee per gas (EIP-1559)
Data — contract function call data
Logs — events emitted during execution

The fields, in plain English

Status

Success means the transaction executed without error. Failed means it was included but execution reverted. The sender still pays gas even on failure.

From / To

From is the sender — the address that signed. To is what receives: a recipient (simple transfer), a contract address (contract call), or null/empty (contract creation).

Value

Amount of SEI transferred. Stored in wei (1 SEI = 10^18 wei). For contract calls, value may be zero (the call invokes contract logic, doesn't transfer SEI directly).

Nonce

Each address has a transaction counter. Nonces serve replay protection and ordering. The chain processes transactions from a single sender in nonce order.

Gas limit and gas used

Gas measures computational work. A simple transfer is ~21,000 gas; complex contract calls can be hundreds of thousands. Gas limit is what you authorize; gas used is actual. You only pay for gas used.

Gas price (legacy) vs max fee per gas (EIP-1559)

Sei supports EIP-1559. Modern wallets default to it. EIP-1559 has two fields: max fee per gas (ceiling) and max priority fee per gas (validator tip). Total fee = gas used × (base fee + priority fee), capped at gas used × max fee.

Data (calldata)

For simple transfers, data is empty. For contract calls, the first 4 bytes are the function selector; the rest is encoded arguments. Block explorers decode this if the contract has its ABI uploaded.

Logs / events

Contract calls can emit events. For ERC-20 transfers, the standard Transfer(from, to, value) event lets you see what tokens moved.

Reading a transaction on seitrace.com

Open seitrace.com
Paste the transaction hash in the search box
The page shows status, block, from, to, value, gas, fees, and decoded calldata + events

Common confusions

"Success but funds didn't arrive." Check the events — funds may have moved via a contract intermediary.

"Transfer event but transaction value is zero." Normal for token transfers — native SEI is zero, but the ERC-20 transfer happens via contract call.

"Why am I paying gas for a failed transaction?" Gas pays for validator work regardless of outcome.

Sei-specific notes

Gas prices on Sei tend to be very low compared to Ethereum mainnet
Sei block confirmations are fast (sub-second target)
Both 0x... and legacy sei1... may appear in older transactions — see SIP-3 address handling

When to look deeper

For most users, the wallet's transaction summary is enough. Reading raw transactions becomes useful when behavior is unexpected, you're verifying contract interaction independently, or auditing a contract before approving ongoing use.

Reading a Sei transaction: gas, fees, and EVM mechanics