For Vendors: My Setup [vending since SR1]

Hey /r/DNMs!

I've been operating since SR1 in 2011. I've been operating freely since then, and I feel I have a somewhat secure setup for vending. This post is specifically for vendors, buyers will not need this level of security or planning.

Your handle

The longest I have kept a single handle is 6 months. The long-standing, large players are always the first targets of LE. The benefit of Tor is you CAN create a new identity! If you were able to delete or disown yourself from your past mistakes, wouldn't you? This is firstly about minimizing impact of being caught. Why get sentenced for 4 years worth of breaking the law, when it could just be a couple of months?

I have actually discussed the above with other vendors, and some have admitted to pulling their BTC out and burning the handle in the past. I personally have not scammed my customers. You don't bite the hand that feeds, and I make plenty enough money as it is. However greed is something we'll never get rid of in this market, and is present in any aspect of life.

The less people, the better

Next, I operate entirely on my own. In terms of sourcing, I have only had to contact my suppliers twice in the past year (to increase shipment sizes). We have a system which includes a "warrant canary"-type scenario, where if they do not act on something within a time-frame, I know something has gone wrong on their end.

I implemented this system with my suppliers more than 2 years ago and have not had a false positive since. Plan ahead. There's millions of dollars invested in catching you each year.

Your office

I have a semi-legitimate business in IT. I have my own office and warehouse. This not only allows me to separate vending from personal at even a physical level, but also allows for me to have shipping/packaging equipment and all of the large-scale vending necessities without raising suspicion.

My office environment includes 24-hour live surveillance and alarms which I've installed myself. There are motion sensors on the inside that notify me when there is movement in the office when I am not present. The majority of the camera's and sensor's aren't visible from outside, just enough to detract burglars.

Your computers and network

My network and computer setup includes:

Other thoughts

There are many pro's and con's of having a separate place for packing and shipping your products, and conducting your DNM business on the computer (taking orders, responding to queries, etc).

My entire IT setup is pretty water-tight. However having product on-premises can be somewhat risky. It's always a good idea to have the minimum amount of product at your regular place of packaging. Separate the bulk of your product from your day-to-day requirements. You may want to even go to a level of splitting month, with week, with day product-requirements in separate locations.

Why share this?

I've been extremely lucky. I started off with a decent amount of capital and happened to already have a reliable supplier who I've continued to do business with since starting. I started vending for the money and it has been more lucrative than I thought possible.

However I am now at a point in my life where I can retire, raise a family and do what I like. So I plan to close-up shop and cash out my remaining BTC in the next few months and work on my own projects. Vending isn't an enjoyable life, I work a monotonous 9-5 40-hour week like everyone else. My advice to vendors is to set your limit and quit once you reach it.

Finally, tell no one what you do. Have a good cover for your business. I do occasionally do legitimate work which is obtained by word-of-mouth. You can't avoid that without raising suspicion. I have been in a relationship for 3 years and I wouldn't dare put the responsibility of knowing what I do on my SO, or my family, or my friends.

Good luck, be safe.


Comments


[24 Points] The_Dark_Nark_Marc:

Very interesting to read. There is such a allure to being a vendor but I feel a lot of it is just romanticized in my head haha. Glad you had a good run man, and even more glad to hear your getting out safe and sound.


[8 Points] None:

Now tell us a solid way to luander your profits? This is something thats always stumped me. Easy for a small scale but I hear claims of vendors making 30k each month or more...wtf do they do with all that bitcoin?


[9 Points] herbman4g20:

yet i have javascript enabled in my browser to post my drug life stories on the web


[4 Points] ceeeeeakiu:

It's always a good idea to have the minimum amount of product at your regular place of packaging.

Thats actually a terrible idea, if anyone caught on you have no protections, cops can come right in with their dogs as you do not have 4th amendment rights in a public workplace. The only safe place to pack is at home or a private office by appt only.

. I have a small RFID device attached to my wristwatch. If I walk away from my terminal, the work station closes all applications, nulls the memory and shuts down.

You got the softwares/schematics on how to do that?


[4 Points] druggieslut:

Thanks


[3 Points] chillwinstone:

Fascinating, thanks for sharing.


[2 Points] Technohitler:

thanks for this


[-1 Points] Vendor_BBMC:

You sound a lot like a serial scammer who I've known since Silkroad1. His vendor accounts never work saturday or Sunday, but he has an enormous workload. On agora he was setting up a new vendor account every month, trading for a few weeks, then hanging it up to mature for 6 months, whilst also having a couple of "Welcome to our shop" scams at various stages of exit.

He works as hard as any legit vendor, peddling disappointment on an industrial scale. He's an ex-pat US citizen, ex-army, living in the north east of England with his Chinese bird. But his SO must know what he does. He's a monster, makes my skin crawl .

He's a server guy, too. He uses virtualization technology so each account he uses is always logged in on a virtual windows box via VMware.

He's be a really excellent vendor, but for one thing:- He's an evil con-man with zero empathy for the people who trust his word. I know there will be no clean happy retirement there, I believe in karma.

Nobody burns a good name, at least that's what I always thought. Do you just decide one day "I'm going to complete all my outstanding orders, and open up tomorrow under a different name"? Completely spontaneously?

I can't imagine that day ever happening, unless you've done something you're not proud of.

Husbands and wives shouldn't have secrets, in my opinion. Having to lie to her every day of your relationship must be a constant drag i would imagine. Do you pretend to go to work every day?

I also don't understand your reticence here, because you are very open about being a vendor on your marketplace. What vendor are you right now, and what do you sell? We are all about the drugs, and 5% about our home network

I'm RedBook of BBMC. See? That didn't hurt


[1 Points] TheOneThatFUCKS:

Would you give more details about point 2 the mini computer with whonix and the next one about the opsec on the main workstation?


[1 Points] Dreamdom0fKings:

Damn your not on a branch or even fruit in the first place, much less hanging anywhere. I guess you could be a potato, or a gourd. Thanks for the tips, Vendor_potato


[0 Points] pastebinmirror:

http://pastebin.ca/3212886


[-1 Points] None:

(Be sure to goto the toilet before you start.)

Yeah, or learn to take off your wristwatch, genius.