Silk Road forums
Discussion => Newbie discussion => Topic started by: CincoBros on January 22, 2013, 01:29 am
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My Travels on the Silkroad: A Newby Narrative
This story is quite boring, so my publisher thinks we should break it up to artificially build suspense. I agree, and apologize in advance but this is what needs to happen.
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Table of Contents
Part I: Pre-Transaction Activities
Part II: Purchases
Part III: Appendix
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Part I, Introduction: Pre-Purchase Narrative
I like to get stoned and watch Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! We moved to another state and had no reliable connection. I learned about Silkroad from a friend and decided to try it, but it would be months before I placed my first order . . .
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Part I, Ch. 1: Tor and Tormail
I downloaded the Tor browser, set up a tormail account, and created my account for Silkroad. I looked at the types stuff they had for sale and browsed the weed section.
At this time I established my routine filter choices, although the option to sort by BTC or size would be nice, needless to say. [Cannabis > Weed --> opt. Domestic Only --> sort Newest].
Once I was adequately convinced that Silkroad existed and weed was to be had, I began the research process.
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Part I, Ch. 2: Bitcoin Research
I discovered that bitcoin is difficult to purchase using a debit/credit card or paypal. This is because btc sellers surrender any claim to the bitcoin at the time of transaction, whereas paypal or credit/debit card users can initiate chargebacks on such purchases.
There are, however, bitcoin exchanges that withdrawal money directly from your checking account, but it takes about 5 business days before you can finally spend your coin. Other options that are quicker involve wire transfers/cash deposits to seller’s bank, local in-person bitcoin purchase, moneygram, moneypack (I don’t know why people use moneypack, really, but I think they get ripped off a lot).
You can hold your bitcoin locally (on your pc or on removable “cold storage”), or online (in a “hosted wallet”). If using a hosted wallet, you run the risk of hackers, but a lot of web wallet sites store users’ bitcoin offline (again, cold storage).
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Part I, Ch. 3: Gen. Research
Next, I researched the SR market. I found some good .pdfs online, including a very comprehensive set of user instructions and marketplace research published in an academic journal.
I also reviewed the buyer’s guide and wiki on Silkroad, and browsed vendor reviews to see what disgruntled buyers seem to frequently hate on.
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opened thread, didn't read.
full of win
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I can't understand why no one will publish that, seems like an interesting subject, maybe a bit more content and you can make a million bucks becoming a respectable writer
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Part I, Ch. 4: SR Forums Research
I reviewed the forums, primarily the Discussions board and the Rumor Mill. Researching the forums helped me to identify additional things to consider/precautions, and gave me the opportunity to observe the climate in that (forums) part of the SR community.
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Part I, Ch. 5: Forum Notes
I learned that pgp was not an option, fe was a poor decision, and that virowex was a scam (as if that wasn’t obvious by simply looking at the font and formatting/content of their thread titles). My automatic decision to only purchase domestically was confirmed. I saw some of the ways that both vendors and buyers scam one another.
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Part I, Ch. 6: Forum Chatter
I discovered a mixed vibe on the road, but one characterized by a ton of casual posters and reviewers, lots of people with helpful information, and also some people with online egos to protect (but that makes the reading funner). I like the honest reviewers and informative contributors best. Reading the linguistic/rhetorical analyses by contributors linking old (usually bad vendor) accounts to newer accounts is enthralling.
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Part I, Ch. 7: An Early Forum Observation
I also noticed that it’s slightly hierarchical and can be dramatic in these forums. For example, Many contributors sign their forum posts with their vendor or buyer stats, and other such indicators of street cred. People tend to get on each others’ asses for any perceived (and sometimes real) neglect for security. The anti-police police be on watch! Yet the 5-0 are conspicuously absent on threads I’ve noticed with discussion of unencrypted lists that are allegedly shared by vendors which include names and addresses of (albeit, “bad”) buyers, but anyway.
I then asked myself why the forums weren’t tied to a buyer’s account, and noted that I could be reading the words of someone who has never purchased anything from SR.
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Part I, Ch. 8: Wish
I found a measure of distrust that, while not unwarranted, largely associated w/ international transactions, or involving bitcoin, or (and especially) drugs other than weed.
I then imagined how nice it would be to find a weed-only marketplace, having learned that cannabis purchases make up the lion’s share of transactions on Silkroad.
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Part I, Ch. 9: Encryption Research
Finally, I figured out pgp encryption, downloaded, configured, and tested it with tormail. This was slightly more difficult than I expected, but I got it done, no sweat. You generate a private key (cuff it) and a public key (flash it), and can import public keys of other users (like vendors). Then, you can type a message in only that user’s “language” and paste it as your message (like in the address box when you make purchases or in messages).
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Part II: Introduction
I spent a lot of time researching on my own, and did not ask one question on the main forums. Being a responsible consumer has gotten me nowhere in terms of my ability to post vendor reviews.
Anyway, I now knew I was ready to buy from the road! Of course, the research and discovery process never ends, and I still have a research backlog, if you will, but I couldn’t wait to start learning from my own experience.
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Part II, Ch. 10: Selecting my First Purchase
I decided to get small amounts at first, and learned that most new buyers and those selling to them outside of FE prefer this approach as well, which made me feel like less of a busta.
I reviewed appropriate weed listings, and narrowed it down by routine research and analysis. I looked at shipping costs and used excel to figure out the total cost (in btc and USD) per gram. I considered value in terms of cost (see Appendix 1 for my math), quality, and vendor credibility/consistency, and identified what I would then purchase.
Finally, I closely read the reviews on the vendor’s page, and I also searched for them on the forums and read reviews on their official thread.
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I just got a blowjob
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trippin BILLIES
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This is why we're here, Meg. This is why we're here.
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Part II, Ch. 11: Purchase 1
I sent my bitcoin to my SR address, and obtained the seller’s pgp key. I purchased my weed and encrypted my address. The seller followed up about 12 hours later indicating that the order was shipped (message was not encrypted), and to expect it in three shipping days.
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Part II, Ch. 12: Purchase 2
I spent the rest of my bitcoin on weed from a different vendor, according to the steps mentioned in Chapters 6 & 7, above.
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22 post and OWRGHRWEKJGNSAKJLNVSDJVNADS.KJVND
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Part II, Ch. 13: Delivery 1
Four shipping days after ordering, I received my 1st purchase. As soon as I got it, I finalized and reviewed the sale. The vendor also messaged me confirming delivery. I replied, and later posted a favorable review on their official forum thread.
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Part II, Ch. 14: Delivery 2
My second purchase arrived five shipping days after placing the order. Again, I finalized and left a product review right away on SR, and proceeded to post a vendor review on the seller’s official forums thread.
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Anyone else having connection problems with the main site?
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Part II, Ch. 15: Purchase 3
Re-upped on my bitcoin and made another order. This time I got more, and from a different vendor.
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Part II, Ch. 16: Purchase 4
I had enough BTC left to purchase an eighth, from a self-described new vendor using an old account. The recent reviews were fine, and I placed my order as usual.
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Part II, Ch. 17: Delivery 3
I received the 3rd item in 4 shipping days. I finalized and reviewed the product right away. I later composed a lengthy review, and went to post it on the official vendor review thread in the forums, but could not locate the reply button on the page. This is when I learned that I would not be posting any reviews in those forums for a while.
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Part II, Ch. 18: Delivery 4
I received my 4th item 5 shipping days after ordering it. I added a clause to the product review I left when finalizing, knowing I wouldn’t be allowed to share any details of the transaction on the vendor’s official review thread.
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Part II: Conclusion
I’m still placing and receiving orders, and after reaching 50 I’ll continue to post vendor reviews upon delivery, as usual.
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keep em coming
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CincoBros even if this is just for reaching your 50 posts, it's the most helpful newbie thread I've read so far.
Bumping for a future star writer ;)
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Nice!
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TL;DR