I've understood everything in the process of ordering and how it remains anonymous, but I'm still confused on how shipping remains anonymous. I searched around but surprisingly found little on how the process works.
My questions are: - What return addresses do vendors use? - Do they drop it off in a box or do they go up to a counter, show their face, and drop off the package? - If they do go up to a counter, isn't a red flag that they make so many shipments?
Why isn't this a dangerous scenario for the vendor: Say I, Bob, am an LE official, and order something from a black market. I then inform all USPS offices to put a flag on my account, such that if anyone attempts to send me a package at this particular address, stop them there at the post office and call the police.
What is wrong with my scenario?
Packages are dropped off at random boxes or depots, in multiple locations, at random times, so as to never set a pattern.
The scenario you're wondering about will not occur since what evidence do they have at that point of time that the parcel contains illegal goods? They will allow it into the system, inspect, and slowly build a case against the shipper and carry out CDs for customers.
[Smart vendors will use drops as return addresses with fake names.]