Read inputs and outputs as a transaction
The Bitcoin developer guide describes a transaction as spending previous outputs and creating new outputs. A wallet can use one or several inputs to make a payment. An output returning unused value is commonly called change.
This means the largest number on an explorer is not necessarily the amount paid to a merchant. Similarly, a new output address is not necessarily a new counterparty. An explorer view alone may not reliably tell you which output is change.
Work through a simple example
Suppose a hypothetical transaction spends 0.80 BTC, creates a 0.25 BTC payment and a 0.5499 BTC change output, and leaves 0.0001 BTC as its fee. Adding the two outputs gives 0.7999 BTC. The difference from the input is the fee.
The example explains the arithmetic, not the ownership of real addresses. For an actual transaction, use the sender’s own records to identify the intended recipient. Avoid treating an assumed change address as proven ownership.
0.80 BTC input − 0.25 BTC payment − 0.5499 BTC change = 0.0001 BTC fee.
Apply the distinction in Skooby
Skooby reports the net change for the searched Bitcoin address. That is an address-level view and can include fees when applicable. Open the transaction evidence to see the listed input and output addresses, then use the explorer for the complete transaction structure.
- Write down the address you searched.
- Compare its presence among the transaction inputs and outputs.
- Keep the whole-transaction fee separate from the address’s net movement.
- Use Trace to look up another address only when that is the next question you need to investigate.
- Label any ownership inference as an inference.
Sources & scope
These guides combine Skooby product walkthroughs with the references below. Examples are illustrative. Skooby’s scans cover a limited recent window of native BTC or ETH activity.