How to use Etherscan to verify an NFT transaction?

Accessing the Transaction on Etherscan

1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://etherscan.io.

2. Locate the search bar at the top of the page and paste the transaction hash associated with the NFT transfer.

3. Press Enter or click the search icon to load the transaction details page.

4. Confirm the transaction status displays “Success” in green text beneath the hash field.

5. Scroll down to the “Input Data” section to verify if the transaction corresponds to an ERC-721 or ERC-1155 standard call.

Identifying NFT-Specific Transfer Events

1. Expand the “Events” tab located below the transaction summary.

2. Look for an event labeled Transfer emitted by the NFT contract address.

3. Verify the indexed parameters: from, to, and tokenId — all must be present and non-zero.

4. Cross-check the contract address shown in the event against the known NFT collection’s verified contract on Etherscan.

5. Click the contract address link to open its page and confirm it is verified and displays the correct token standard.

Validating Token Ownership Post-Transaction

1. Navigate to the recipient’s Ethereum address page by clicking the “to” address in the transaction overview.

2. Scroll down to the “Token Holdings” section and locate the NFT contract under “ERC-721 Tokens” or “ERC-1155 Tokens”.

3. Click the token name to enter the contract’s token holdings view and search for the specific tokenId transferred.

4. Confirm the owner address listed for that tokenId matches the intended recipient’s address.

5. Repeat the same steps for the sender’s address to ensure the tokenId no longer appears in their holdings.

Checking Contract Verification Status

1. On the NFT contract’s main page, locate the “Contract” tab and check for a green checkmark beside “Verified”.

2. If unverified, the source code cannot be trusted — avoid assuming legitimacy based solely on transaction success.

3. Click “Read Contract” to interact with public functions like ownerOf(uint256) and input the tokenId to retrieve current ownership.

4. Compare the returned address with the “to” address from the transaction event.

5. Use “Write Contract” (if connected via wallet) to call getApproved(uint256) and confirm no pending approvals interfere with finality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I verify an NFT transaction without knowing the transaction hash?A: No. The transaction hash is mandatory to locate the exact record on-chain. Without it, Etherscan cannot retrieve the transaction data.

Q: Why does my NFT not appear in the recipient’s token list immediately after the transaction shows “Success”?A: Etherscan may take several minutes to index token balances. Refresh the recipient’s address page or wait up to 5 minutes before rechecking.

Q: What does it mean if the “To” field shows a contract address instead of an EOA?A: This often indicates the NFT was sent to a marketplace smart contract (e.g., OpenSea’s proxy), a wallet aggregator, or a vault — not an end-user wallet.

Q: Is a successful transaction on Etherscan enough to prove full NFT ownership rights?A: No. Success only confirms on-chain execution. Legal or platform-level ownership (e.g., marketplace listing eligibility) depends on additional factors like metadata availability and contract compliance.