You've already (bought/mined/been given/won a government police auction) an undisclosed quantity of Bitcoin (btc), and have those digital coins secured in your digital wallet.

The btc value is high today (or might soon plummet!) so you are ready to convert your cryptocurrency into something more stable ... educational electronics kits, parts, and components from Adafruit!

Here are the stages your order will navigate on its way to you:

1. STAGE 1: Placing An Order
2. STAGE 2: Initiating Payment
3. STAGE 3: Validating Payment
4. STAGE 4: Shipping!

STAGE 1: PLACING AN ORDER

Paying by Bitcoin is just as easy as selecting any other payment method in the Adafruit Store.

• After adding items into your cart, proceed through the the stages of CHECKOUT until you reach STEP 4, selecting a payment method.
  
• Select the option "PAY WITH BITCOIN" to see the current BTC to USD exchange rate, as well as USD & btc cost for the order.
• If the exchange rate is acceptable, choose "PAY WITH BITCOIN." Welcome to the future of ca$h [email protected]! :)

STAGE 2: INITIATING PAYMENT

After checkout, the store will direct you immediately to the BitPay online invoice page for your order. This page includes the Bitcoin address where you can send payment, the terms of the exchange, and a 15-min countdown counter marking the remaining time that the invoice remains valid.

• As long as you initiate payment for the order within the 15min window, BitPay commits to accepting exchange rate terms listed on the invoice.
• "What happens if the bottom drops out of the Bitcoin market seconds after I place my order?" For a few more minutes, Bitpay will accept your btc at the invoice exchange rate, no matter what.
• What happens if you do not initiate payment fast enough -- or you use a wallet service that has additional validation stages and delays on the way over to BitPay? Contact us or contact BitPay and we will investigate.

At this stage, BitPay sends notice to Adafruit that the payment process has begun, and the dance of the internet coins and validating "coin-counters" begins!

STAGE 4: VALIDATING PAYMENT

Above is a snapshot of the information Adafruit receives for your order while we wait for the payment to be validated.

• The moment you click to start the Bitcoin transfer process, BitPay receives a notice that you have declared to pay.
• We receive an update after each stage is complete --first that BitPay has created the invoice, next that BitPay has received word that the invoice will be paid, and last that the payment has been validated.
• It may take time for the transfer and validation within the Bitcoin network to complete so that your transaction can be listed in the public ledger.
  
• Payment for a large order can take several hours, so we appreciate your patience -- the rewards of payment validation await your order in a few more minutes ...

STAGE 4: SHIPPING!

Now that BitPay can confirm that all Bitcoin payment stages are complete, they pass the final payment over to Adafruit. We get paid in USD currency at the exchange rate listed on the invoice, and we can begin the process of activating your order for packing and shipping.

• Bitcoin orders may take up to 1-2 days to process completely. Once the order has processed we will ship it out.
  
• Note that while we offer expedited shipping for Bitcoin purchases, orders are not finalized until Bitcoin payment has cleared through BitPay.
• Because this payment process can take longer than more traditional payment methods, we encourage you to use other options if you want your package to ship and arrive quickly.