When and when not to FE

There seems to be an ongoing conflict in the DarkNet Market community about when it is acceptable to FE. In every Moronic Monday post there is inevitably that one person who asks the question of "Is it okay to FE for vendor so-and-so?", followed by the arguments. I'd like to shed some light on this and post my opinion. Keyword here is opinion. Do as you please, and your experiences may not match with mine, but I'd like to share.

WHEN IT IS OKAY TO FE

  1. When you are okay with possibly never seeing your money or product again. Example: I see a new vendor who is offering an eighth of medical bud for $15 as an introductory offer. I have extra money left in my account, I'm not gonna be in a bind if the vendor doesn't come through, so I FE per his requirements. Whether the product comes or not, the worst thing is that I lose $15.

  2. When you are confident, absolutely positive that the vendor will still ship the product. I have to put an asterisk beside this one because even upstanding, well-known vendors have made FE a requirement and then split with the money. Anyone remember LucyDrop from SR? Most popular LSD vendor in his time. Required FE. Three months went by without a single complaint. Then BOOM! The vendor stopped shipping and walked away with over a million in BTC. Point is that even if a vendor is "trusted", there's still a chance that they will steal your BTC; but 99% of the time, trusted vendors will be honest and send your product.

WHEN IT IS NOT OKAY TO FE

  1. When you cannot afford to lose the money. This seems so common sense to me, but I continue to be amazed at the number of people who FE, get scammed, and lose money that either wasn't theirs to begin with or money that they just couldn't afford to lose. Example: If you're a dealer and you borrow money from either customers or someone higher in the chain to make a purchase on a QP of some dank, you should NOT FE. If the vendor doesn't send your product, you now owe money to many people. It doesn't matter how good the deal looks or how reputable the vendor is, DO NOT FE.

  2. When the vendor is shady or there are reports of scamming. Since RCI is fresh on everyone's mind, I will use him as an example. Someone posted a couple of days ago, angry that RCI had not sent his product. He had FE'd on one of the markets and therefore could do nothing about it except get upset and post here. Why FE in this situation? His order was placed after there were bad reviews coming in for RCI. Another example is the vendor Heisenberg. He's a known selective scammer who loves when you go ahead and FE for him. You're already taking a chance by ordering from him anyway, why increase that chance by FE'ing?

These are my views. Questions and comments are welcome and appreciated.


Comments


[30 Points] Blowcaineiac:

Back in my day, people used to say never FE...


[11 Points] lucyskyhigher:

I'm going to link to this in our "Informative Community Posts" wiki, hugs. High five. Preach. Hallelujah. ;)


[9 Points] StuffyKnows2Much:

Excellent post, hugs.

Also, I think the rule about "Don't FE if you cannot afford to lose the money" should come with a footnote: DON'T use any darknet if you cannot afford to lose the money.

Because so many things could happen. The market could get shut down with your coins inside. The price of bitcoin could collapse and the vendor refuse to send anything (so at least you get some $ back). The vendor could inexplicably turn scammer and send you an empty cardboard box.

Bottom line: treat all money spent on internet drugs like money you put into a slot machine that wins 9/10 times.


[8 Points] eblees:

what does fe mean


[7 Points] ciphersexual:

Nice post. As a user of BlueSky I'm a big fan of that market's "partial FE" or "down payment" option. You can, for example release 50% of your escrow right away and the other 50% on delivery.

It's so obvious when you see it that I don't know why all the escrow-based markets don't implement something similar.


[5 Points] FunlnTheSun:

When I started ordering from darknet markets, I approached it like buying drugs off the streets. Maybe I used to take more risks in the past, but I've lost my money in face to face bulk deals before. At least here nobody sticks a gun in your face, right? It's a trade in safety/convenience/cost/security. Don't get pissed you lost your money, be happy you still have a car. ;-)

Seems like you're a little more likely to get robbed (scam seems like it's not a harsh enough term) here than in real life, but you're not going to get taken for any more than you put out there. It's a concrete risk (DNMs) versus an unknown risk (street distributor). I've known too many people who went to score and ended up getting robbed. Worst that happens here is you get no drugs.

As for when I FE, if I want to have a relationship with the vendor, I chat them up. I think you can tell a bit about a person by their answers, questions, spelling and punctuation ;-) If I feel real warm and cozy about it, I might FE. I used to mail envelopes of cash and wait for boxes of herb, so I'm a little used to the wait. Your nerves get accustomed to the tenseness. Drugs help, too.


[4 Points] nikez2:

Good post. unfortunately some people here insist on bashing EVERY person they see who FE'd.


[3 Points] enterathrowaway:

Use your judgement, and be sure to do your research. I support escrow and always use it when it's available. I understand the times have changed, but I've only been burned once on an FE order and that was only for a sample.


[3 Points] None:

Also , dont FE just because you see a bunch of "FE will update upon arrival" feedback on the vendors page. Unfortunatelly there are more idiots than people with common sense. You dont jump off a bridge becasue you see 10 morons do the same.

Always use the forums and check for shill accounts. Look for good standing members of the hidden forums and subreddits so you have an idea of how good of bad a vendor is, before you decide to FE.


[2 Points] phunkyprez:

very nice HUGS. I have been lurking around for awhile now and it seems to me, as shitty as this may sound, that one may significantly reduce the chance of getting "SCAMMED" by a "SCAMMING CUNT, FAGGOT, etc.." by doing a little research. Feels nice just to have this confirmed for me by someone else.


[2 Points] None:

[deleted]


[1 Points] DuckDuckTNT:

Thank you for the great post. I'be been away for a few days but had a few minutes to kill today and looked here. I logged in tonight for the single purpose of say thanks and great post.


[1 Points] None:

JoR and IMB. Are they truly trustworthy for that kind of weight at that price... shipping from Netherlands and warning some packages need signature? I don't believe they "require" FE but they are on SR2 and then in TMG so I question this particular situation. Say the goal is 100g+. Worst case scenario is Felony charges with minimum 5 years. Best case scenario is you flip it for 4x the price lol.


[1 Points] h3ct1k:

Any info on Heisenberg?


[1 Points] always_in_love:

What's FE? like PGP is preferred over this right? like encryption? omg i'm so confused


[0 Points] stickchewer:

FE is a risk you don't have to take. Don't take it. There's always someone else, somewhere else ready to sell the same shit by escrow.

If customers insisted on escrow, it would become nigh on mandatory (again, as it should be), accepting FE breeds scammers.

Oh, and it might stem the "oh I FE'ed but I got scammed oh woe is me" posts.


[0 Points] A_HOT_SHIT:

If you asked me I could have saved you from doing a lot of typing dude.

When to FE: never.