[GUIDE] Syscoin TOR Setup - Fully Decentralized Marketplace In-Wallet

I've used DNMs for a while from SilkRoad to Nucleus and I've hated having to follow/find vendors on new sites as oldies go down, exit scam or just vanish taking all our $$ held on the DNM or in escrow with them. I've been watching for decentralized alternatives (aka DNMs that can never be taken down or exit scam users). OpenBazaar was the first thing I found. I tried using it and had issues getting it to run, which was disappointing, also it seems like items can just randomly vanish if the merchant doesn't keep their app open which I didn't like either.

 

I did some more digging and found this thing called Syscoin. Its different than OB because it does have its own blockchain, and its own coin (SYS is the symbol) which surprisingly has a fully decentralized marketplace built into the wallet, with support for escrow and some other stuff. Anyway- I was able to get it running and even though the UI is crappy it works! And I read they're working on a major overhaul to fix that. I lurk in their Slack channel since I found them (join.syscoin.org) you can get info and there and their community seems good at answering questions/fixing problems quickly.

 

An important note I found when reading up on SYS was that it isn't implicitly anonymous- it will encrypt all your information so only buyer and seller can see the relevant bits but unless you have it setup to use TOR your still partially exposed. I couldn't find any info on how to set it up, so I figured it out and thought I'd share. I also recommend adding a VPN to the equation, and if you really want to be super-anon you can ask you vendor to list item only in ZEC (ZCash, an anonymous currency for which the Syscoin market has some kind of direct support.

 


 

First time setup:
1. Install TOR on your machine Note: I also recommend you run a VPN - Private Internet Access, which can be paid for in BTC - on top of TOR for maximum privacy.
2. Download the latest Syscoin Wallet
3. Run the wallet, it'll take a while to sync but let it completely sync before flipping it to TOR mode, its just faster.
4. Configure the wallet to use TOR for all traffic - open the "Preferences" menu and then click the "Network" tab. Check the "Connect through SOCKS5 Proxy" checkbox. Enter "127.0.0.1" as Proxy IP and "9150" as Port.
5. After the wallet is fully synced up, close the wallet. The wallet is now configured to always use TOR.

 

Before each run:
1. Always start TOR and wait for it to fully connect before you run Syscoin otherwise you'll have connection issues in TOR mode.
2. Start Syscoin after TOR is fully up and running. You must keep the TOR browser running the entire time Syscoin is running to maintain the secure connection!

 

To verify TOR is active:
1. Open the debug console and run the command "getnetworkinfo" you should see output matching this image. Make sure "onion" is present, and reachable.

 

I purchase an item on Syscoin marketplace as a test (an electronic device) and it arrived. I used escrow even tho the arbiter wasn't needed (used someone from their team as an arbiter). I'm hoping by posting this guide more vendors will list their items on the marketplace as I'd really prefer to shop using this rather than a centralized site that can vanish or get taken down by the feds.

 

Here are some pic of the wallet. You should read more info on the Syscoin because it can do other thing like encrypted message and stuff too. I like the Alias feature, makes address easy to remember and recover too (if u setup alias with password). In-Wallet Item Search. In-Wallet Create Item


Comments


[9 Points] samwhiskey:

I've been following syscoin from the beginning and it is probably the most viable option for decentralized buying and selling there is. Supports bitcoin payment. Lots of great features.


[3 Points] hellomea:

Doesn't electrum has this same feature?


[2 Points] wtfnigger:

It would be a lot nice of you if you just said "check out our marketplace please, it's very safe"