Frequently Asked Questions

Bitcoin or Stuff is an interactive calculator that shows you how much Bitcoin you could have today if you had bought BTC instead of various consumer products, tech gadgets, or services. It uses historical Bitcoin prices at the time each product was released to calculate the opportunity cost of your purchase decisions.

Simply click the blue shuffle button to reveal a random product. The tool will show you the original price of that item, when it was released, and how much Bitcoin that money would have bought you. Then it calculates what that Bitcoin would be worth today at current market prices. Click again to see more comparisons, or use the back arrow to review previous items.

Yes! Bitcoin or Stuff is completely free to use. There are no hidden costs, subscriptions, or registration required. We believe everyone should have access to tools that help them understand Bitcoin's value proposition.

We calculate the Bitcoin amount by taking the original price of each product and dividing it by the Bitcoin price on the product's release date. For example, if a product cost $200 when released and Bitcoin was $10,000 at that time, you could have bought 0.02 BTC instead. We then multiply that Bitcoin amount by today's current price to show you what it would be worth now.

We fetch real-time Bitcoin prices from the CoinGecko API, one of the most reliable cryptocurrency data providers. The current BTC price updates automatically, so you're always seeing accurate, up-to-date calculations. Historical prices for each product are based on documented Bitcoin market data from the product's release date.

Yes! We've carefully researched each product's original retail price and release date using official sources, press releases, and historical records. Our database includes tech flops like Google Glass and successful products like the Nintendo Switch to give you a diverse range of comparisons.

Products released when Bitcoin was very expensive (like in 2021 during the bull run) will show smaller Bitcoin amounts because Bitcoin was worth more per coin. Conversely, cheaper products or those released when Bitcoin was less expensive will show larger BTC amounts. This demonstrates Bitcoin's price volatility and growth over time.

Bitcoin is the world's first decentralized digital currency, created in 2009 by an anonymous person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. It operates on a peer-to-peer network without central banks or administrators. Bitcoin can be sent from user to user directly without intermediaries, and all transactions are recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain.

Bitcoin's value has increased due to several factors: limited supply (only 21 million will ever exist), growing adoption by individuals and institutions, increasing recognition as 'digital gold,' network effects, halvings that reduce new supply every four years, and its use as a hedge against inflation. As more people recognize these properties, demand has increased relative to the fixed supply.

Bitcoin is a highly volatile asset with significant risk. While it has provided substantial returns for early adopters, past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Bitcoin should be considered a high-risk investment, and you should never invest more than you can afford to lose. This tool is educational and not financial advice. Always do your own research and consider consulting with a financial advisor.

Opportunity cost is the potential benefit you miss out on when choosing one alternative over another. In the context of this tool, the opportunity cost is what you could have gained by buying Bitcoin instead of a consumer product. It's a way to visualize the trade-offs of spending decisions, though it's important to remember this is hindsight and no one can predict future price movements.

While some early Bitcoin adopters have seen life-changing gains, getting rich is never guaranteed with any investment. Bitcoin remains highly volatile, and significant losses are possible. The tool shows historical 'what if' scenarios, but these don't predict future performance. A disciplined approach like dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is generally considered less risky than trying to time the market.

Not at all! This tool is meant to be educational and entertaining, not to create regret. You can't change the past, and at the time you made those purchases, you were making decisions with the information available. Many of these products provided value, entertainment, or utility. The goal is to think more critically about future spending and investment decisions.

Dollar-Cost Averaging is an investment strategy where you invest a fixed amount at regular intervals (weekly, monthly, etc.) regardless of the asset's price. This approach reduces the impact of volatility and removes the stress of trying to time the market. Many Bitcoin investors prefer DCA because it smooths out price fluctuations and builds positions gradually over time.

No one can predict the perfect time to buy Bitcoin. Historically, consistent accumulation through strategies like DCA has worked better than trying to time market tops and bottoms. As the saying goes, 'time in the market beats timing the market.' The best time to start learning about Bitcoin and making informed decisions is now.

This is a personal decision based on your financial situation, risk tolerance, and investment goals. A common guideline is to invest only what you can afford to lose, as Bitcoin is volatile. Some experts suggest allocating 1-5% of your investment portfolio to Bitcoin, but this varies widely. Never invest emergency funds or money needed for essential expenses.

Traditional saving keeps your money safe but inflation erodes its purchasing power over time. Investing in Bitcoin carries higher risk but offers potential for significant appreciation. Bitcoin is often viewed as a hedge against inflation due to its fixed supply. However, its volatility means it shouldn't replace traditional emergency savings. A balanced approach uses both savings and strategic investments.

This tool is inspired by the original bitcoinorshit.net. We've rebuilt it with modern technology to provide a fast, responsive experience across all devices. Our goal is to help people understand Bitcoin's growth and the opportunity cost of spending decisions in an engaging, interactive way.

The current Bitcoin price updates in real-time from the CoinGecko API, so you're always seeing the most current calculations. We regularly add new products to the database to keep the comparisons fresh and relevant. If you have suggestions for products to add, we'd love to hear them!

We encourage sharing the tool with friends and family. While we don't currently have a built-in sharing feature for individual results, you can share the main page URL and let others discover their own surprising comparisons. We've optimized the site for social sharing with proper preview images on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Telegram.

We respect your privacy. We use Vercel Analytics for basic, anonymous traffic insights to improve the tool, but we don't collect personal information, sell data to third parties, or use invasive tracking. Your interaction with the tool is private.

No! This tool is purely educational and for entertainment purposes. We are not financial advisors, and nothing on this site should be construed as investment advice. Always do your own research and consider consulting with a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions.

We believe Bitcoin represents a paradigm shift in how we think about money, scarcity, and financial sovereignty. We're passionate about education and helping people understand Bitcoin's potential. That said, whether to buy Bitcoin is a personal decision. Our goal is to provide information and perspective, not to pressure anyone into investing.