×
top 200 commentsshow all 268

[–]psychicnameguesser 86 points87 points  (35 children)

Tim?

[–]silkroadmagic[S] 44 points45 points  (27 children)

Nope, sorry. Not Tim.

Edit: I just noticed your username. That made me chuckle. Thanks for that.

[–]psychicnameguesser 38 points39 points  (26 children)

Anytime Phil.

[–][deleted]  (25 children)

[deleted]

    [–]psychicnameguesser 45 points46 points  (24 children)

    That's the plan.

    [–][deleted]  (10 children)

    [deleted]

      [–]psychicnameguesser 24 points25 points  (9 children)

      Good call, Paul.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 27 points28 points  (6 children)

      Seriously, if he had guessed my real name, I would have literally shit a brick. I'm not kidding. A big, rectangular, rock-hard red brick would have come tumbling out of my ass.

      [–]bitcoinfan 5 points6 points  (2 children)

      He should just collect the statistics of the most common first names and use them. I guess "Tim" isn't the most common name. Great way to freak out people though.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 11 points12 points  (1 child)

      Very true, Stu.

      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      This is also a great way to freak people out.

      [–]ArcticRohtosFtw 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      I could not stop laughing after reading this post, too funny! you would have had no fucking idea what to say if he got ur name right, right chris?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Oh, my! What a compliment! Thanks, Frank!

      [–]xStaabOnMyKnobx 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      Not a chance, Lance.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Are you doing the Tour de France?

      [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (12 children)

      My name is tim. Didn't freak me out, but I did do a double take.

      [–]psychicnameguesser 8 points9 points  (11 children)

      Nice try Dan...

      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (10 children)

      No really, my name is tim. Cowboy Dan is a song. However I know some Guys named Dan.

      [–]Mofeux 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Everyone from r/trees just stopped eating their munchies and got up to look outside for suspicious unmarked vans.

      [–]HBorel 1 point2 points  (6 children)

      Are you a major player in the cowboy scene?

      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (5 children)

      Are you horrible?

      [–]psychicnameguesser 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      You do realize I never guessed your name, right?

      [–]JeanNaRH 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      You sir, still owe me that duel!

      [–]woomobile 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Yes?

      [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (15 children)

      Any advice on we should look out for aside from the standard "stick with reputable sellers etc" stuff. Is there anything specific to Tor/Silk Road?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 15 points16 points  (14 children)

      Look at the seller's description of the product. If they're very detailed, then they're probably more serious. If they give one sentence, they probably don't care as much.

      Look at the seller's own page. The address will look something like "http://ianxz6zefk72ulzz.onion/index.php/silkroad/user/1914" (That's mine. The only difference will be the "1914", which is the unique number for me. Other sellers will have a different number there). Again, you want detail. They should say a bit about the kinds of products they sell, accepted payments, how to contact them, etc.

      Check if they have a PGP key. If they don't have a PGP key, don't buy anything illegal from them. If somehow Silk Road's servers are seized (which is very unlikely), the authorities will be able to read ALL of the unencrypted information that's on the site. If you send your information in PGP, the authorities will NEVER be able to read that information unless they beat the passwords out of the seller.

      There are people on Silk Road who are selling things on it that aren't illegal. Computers, Xboxes, iPods, jewelry, etc. There shouldn't be a need to use PGP with them.

      Lastly, I realize that you already mentioned it, but look at their reviews. If they have four bad reviews and one brilliant review, then they made a fake account. If they have no reviews, wait for someone else to try it.

      As one of the Silk Road admins put it, "DO NOT get comfortable! This is not wal-mart, or even amazon.com. It is the wild west and there are as many crooks as there are honest businessmen and women." Just be careful. Use common sense. Silk Road is perfectly safe is you look carefully and really try to find out if the seller is honest.

      [–]bitcoinfan 5 points6 points  (2 children)

      However, remember that faking reviews costs money to the sellers.

      [–]Shinhan 5 points6 points  (3 children)

      There are people on Silk Road who are selling things on it that aren't illegal. Computers, Xboxes, iPods, jewelry, etc. There shouldn't be a need to use PGP with them.

      You sure those are not stolen?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      Some of them might be. I have no way of knowing.

      There was another website similar to Silk Road, except not as good (so it didn't catch on and almost no one uses it) called BlackMarket. I mentioned it somewhere else here in this AMA. I remember there was a guy who was selling a MacBook Air (or maybe a MacBook Pro, but it doesn't matter). He mentioned IN THE AD that he wanted to get rid of it fast because it was stolen.

      So it's quite likely that at least some of these things are stolen.

      [–]gaia12 5 points6 points  (6 children)

      is it worth it for the adv person? or is it just an opportunity to further grow bitcoin and an internet black market.

      seems so risky, especially for someone not very versed in it, that buying on the silk road just isn't worth it.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

      I'm not sure whether "adv" means "adventurous" or "average" (or something else), but I'll try to answer that.

      If you're feeling adventurous and you know enough about technology to get your hands on some bitcoins and you're able to get to the Silk Road homepage and you want drugs, then maybe you should give it a shot.

      If you're average, then maybe you shouldn't come here yet. It's pretty easy to make a simple mistake. If you put your address in the wrong box, you might accidentally make it public (and I'm sure that law enforcement is watching everything listed on Silk Road).

      It is definitely a brilliant opportunity to further grow bitcoin, and it is an Internet black market. But, yes, it is pretty risky if you make a small mistake. Silk Road is pretty easy to use, but you can never be too careful.

      If it seems too risky, maybe buying on the Silk Road isn't worth it for you. If it's not worth it, don't do it. It's pretty safe, but it's ok to be cautious.

      [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (4 children)

      It's fairly safe if you're only buying small amounts and aren't buying anything especially illegal - especially if you stick to trusted sellers.

      You have deniability you don't really get with physical transactions - if you order something and don't open the package for a couple of days, no one would ever be able to prove that it was you who ordered it or that you knew what it was.

      [–]gaia12 2 points3 points  (3 children)

      I feel like there would be ways to trace this. Is it really that secure?

      Also, what is the point of using the service except to buy contraband/drugs/stolen goods? I can just find an ad on kijiji for ipods and shit, but there seems to be a lack of a good drug marketplace on craigslist

      [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      By especially illegal, I mean most drugs are fine. The DEA's not going to break down your door on suspicion that you have a bit of cannabis or amphetamines; they have to be able to get a search warrant to do anything.

      Technologically, tor is very secure for clients - there are some possible attacks on the network, but generally it's much easier to identify a server than to identify a client - yet the server is still running so far. There's some danger that your browser could leak very identifying information (which would probably only be a problem if the SilkRoad server were compromised by the authorities) - the easiest way to avoid this is to get the Tor+Portable Firefox bundle that's already set up to be safe from that kind of leak.

      I think this article is a good starting place for learning about buying on SR - the author has some helpful safety tips, like encrypting against the seller's private key (which increases safety if the seller happens to be busted before they receive your message, or has an insecure network setup).

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      It's a good marketplace for selling products in return for Bitcoins, rather than a regular currency.

      [–]cybrbeast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Why would Bitcoins be better than regular currency? Where else are they used?

      [–]thrudaroof 3 points4 points  (3 children)

      So do you just ship to people's real address? What's the best way to actually receive a package?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 13 points14 points  (2 children)

      I don't know if I'm shipping to someone's real address. I'm just shipping to the address they told me to send to. It might be their friend's address or their mom's address. Or it could be their own.

      I've also sent to a few PO boxes.

      I suggest that if you're going to receive a package, you should have it sent to a PO box instead of your own house. Don't use your real address, and DEFINITELY don't use your real name. What if you buy some drugs and suddenly the seller sends you a Facebook friend request? That would be terrifying.

      [–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (1 child)

      Then I could have a facebook friend!

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

      Well... yes... I guess if I had no friends it would be ok.

      [–]Shinhan 6 points7 points  (1 child)

      Hello to all the DEA agents reading this thread. Hope you're having fun :)

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

      I'm doing it for them!

      [–][deleted] 20 points21 points  (53 children)

      Why are you telling the public about Silk Road? Don't you worry that having too many people in on this shit is going to lead to it getting shut down or having independent sellers get busted? I got an ounce of shrooms from Silk Road (the dudes) back in the day and it just seems like such a fucking mess nowadays with the inflated Bitcoin prices and publicity.

      [–]internetsuperstar 21 points22 points  (28 children)

      There was a huge front page post about Silk Road about a month ago. It was all over Google News and various other tech blogs. It's not exactly a secret anymore.

      [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (27 children)

      Thanks to people bragging about how cool it was that they got acid from the internet.

      [–]internetsuperstar 10 points11 points  (21 children)

      I don't see why it matters. It's not like the US govt can trace bitcoins or info over TOR.

      Even if they do crack down, the smart people will continue on as usual and the dumb people will get caught.

      [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (20 children)

      You can however figure out where packages are coming from and have feds busting people from an individual basis which is probably going to happen. I've figured out the locations of lots of people just from their inability to ship discretely and understand the concept of using a fake return address.

      [–]smileyman 6 points7 points  (19 children)

      Why would you even put a return address on something you're shipping that's illegal?

      No address at all and drop it in a different mailbox each time and you should be good to go.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 13 points14 points  (15 children)

      I use a fake mailing address now (I used to use no return address at all), and I put it in a different mailbox each time (there are several withing walking distance from my house).

      [–]lachiemx 21 points22 points  (4 children)

      It begins. TRIANGULATE! :)

      [–]vwgeist 10 points11 points  (3 children)

      Enhance 20%!

      [–]ultraelite 2 points3 points  (9 children)

      If there all within walking distance from your house, how is that going to help your case?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 5 points6 points  (8 children)

      *they're

      Law enforcement doesn't know what mailboxes the packages come from. Also, if they did find out the mailboxes I'm sending from, they still wouldn't be able to find me. There's tons of other houses here. They'd have to drill down to one of at least 50 different houses.

      [–]ProbablyBadNews 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Haven't you watched Numb3rs though? They can totaly backtrace and triangulate your location!!!

      [–]dirtymoney 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      I dont think you can do that anymore. Drop packages off in mail boxes. Especially without a return address. Because of the unibomber. I remember seeing several Large stickers on USPS mailboxes stating this a while back. I think you have to personally go to a post office & mail certain-size packages that way.

      Edit: small non-bomb-size packages may be exempt.

      [–]RicardoMartin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      There is a size restriction. I'm sure most of the stuff he is selling is small enough.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      It's very small. The packages are only about 10 pills. Sometimes 20, but not many more than that. Definitely not the size of a bomb.

      [–]Mofeux 6 points7 points  (1 child)

      You wouldn't download an LSD

      [–]ctzl 11 points12 points  (0 children)

      I so would.

      [–]bagofbones 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      I got an ounce of shrooms from Silk Road (the dudes) back in the day

      [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      It really doesn't matter anymore, it was the principle of the thing. Go ahead and call me a hypocrite.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 12 points13 points  (19 children)

      Having more people using it will make the market even better. More sellers and more customers means better products at lower costs. Today's drug sellers and buyers are almost completely disconnected from one another, so prices and quality vary widely.

      Because Silk Road's servers are delivering everything through Tor, I really really really really doubt that anyone could shut down the site. Tor makes it nearly impossible to find where the servers are, so the only people who could shut it down would be the Silk Road's own admins.

      I'm sure that some of Silk Road's rising publicity has hurt a little bit of the marketplace, but I think most of it is getting better. If someone sees this AMA and decides to go on Silk Road to sell some pot, they'll end up helping the market. More supply means lower prices, which means more trade, and this is all very good for the Bitcoin economy.

      I can completely understand why some people won't like the added publicity, but I believe that it's a good thing.

      [–]DavidFree 1 point2 points  (17 children)

      How did you deliver your product? Doesn't that necessarily remove the anonymity?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 12 points13 points  (16 children)

      I don't use my real return address (for a while I didn't use one at all, but that just looked way too sketchy). I don't keep information on a buyer's address. I realize I don't have any proof of that, but none of my customers have been arrested yet, so obviously I've been keeping my customers' addresses safe. (I realize that "none of my customers have been arrested yet" is a pretty stupid defense, but it's the only one I have at this point).

      To actually send them, I just put the pills in an airtight plastic bag, and then I fold that bag up and put it in another airtight plastic bag. Then I put that bag in a bubble mailer and drop it in the mail. It usually arrives in 2-10 days.

      [–]Baraka_Flocka_Flame 1 point2 points  (15 children)

      So it seems that sellers are the most protected ones since there's hardly any way to track it back to them if they use a fake return address. Buyers, on the other hand, have to deal with the fact that they might get a bunch of DEA agents at their doorstep instead of that eighth they ordered.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 4 points5 points  (7 children)

      Pretty much, yes. Unfortunately, there's really no way of getting around that unless we were to change the entire way that the postal service works.

      [–]grittycotton 2 points3 points  (2 children)

      P.O. Boxes doesnt work?

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      Actually, several people that I've mailed to were using PO boxes. Looks like they work just fine. I don't know why other people weren't using them.

      [–]Baraka_Flocka_Flame 0 points1 point  (3 children)

      Right. Either way though, it appears that the DEA and DOJ are already looking into it, so its only a matter of time before someone gets arrested.

      [–]silkroadmagic[S] 12 points13 points  (2 children)

      I'm sure the DEA is working hard to find a way to take advantage of that one weak point in Silk Road: the buyer's physical address. It's easy to find the buyers than the sellers.

      What I'm wondering is: shouldn't the DEA be scanning through the shipments of marijuana coming in from Mexico, instead of watching some goofball ship small amounts of Adderall around the country?

      [–]Baraka_Flocka_Flame 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Oh most definitely, but that doesn't mean they won't expend some of their resources in this area. Since the weakest point is the buyer, I could see them setting up stings if only to make it known that they have a presence on silk road. I'm sure that factor alone will be enough to discourage a lot of people from using the service, me included. Why would I buy an 1/8 of dank online for a higher price with a chance of getting caught by the dea when I can get my dealer to bring the same quality bud to my house for cheaper? For me, its a no brainer, but I could see how those that only have access to mexiweed would still be tempted to buy.

      Either way, its only a matter of time til someone gets caught somewhere, and that's enough for me. DEA = KEEP AWAY

      [–][deleted]  (2 children)

      [deleted]

        [–]Baraka_Flocka_Flame 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        Although what it amounts to are several small time deals going on, I don't think that's the biggest issue for the feds. They see it as an open market place where anything illegal can be traded, and they want to take it down. That's their rationale, and they're sticking with it, even if the drugs recovered are minuscule in the long run.

        [–]enterence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        you think the police care... its all about the stats these days. they probably are shit scared of the mexican cartel that they wont go close to them. just read yesterday hundreds of border security agents accept money from the cartels and let drugs though.

        so yea to make up stats, they go after the little guy, the consumer that buys an eighth.

        [–]bitcoinfan 1 point2 points  (3 children)

        Actually, buyers are pretty safe when they are ordering small amounts. Silk Road is great for small-time drug dealing, if not perfect. It's for the casual user.

        [–]workerbeee 1 point2 points  (2 children)

        Aren't buyers only safe as long as they are dealing with safe/honest sellers? There is know way to know this for sure. Doesn't seem so safe. Thoughts?

        [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

        If you're working with an honest seller, then you're pretty much safe, but if they can't be trusted, then you might end up with the DEA at your door.

        [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Or worse, sick or even dead.

        [–]bitcoinfan 2 points3 points  (3 children)

        If goverments really can crack out bitcoins and tor (which I highly doubt), it is better to be happen sooner or later. That way we can work out the weaknesses of the system and work for a better system in the future.

        [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

        That's actually a very good point. Luckily, I don't think there are really any flaws in the Bitcoin software, but there could be. It would be better for someone (possibly the government) to find it now rather than later, so we can just get working on a new cryptocurrency if necessary.

        [–]bitcoinfan 0 points1 point  (1 child)

        Tor might be the weaker link here. You could locate the servers with timing attacks or something. However, the Silk Road guy seems to do his homework pretty well how I see it. I would guess that even if the servers are located & seized, they can't be connected to anyone (if the Silk Road guy uses VPN & other technology). And Silk Road 2.0 would be running somewhere else.

        With bitcoins the most relevant technical issues might be scaling issues. If goverments try to DDOS the system with "fake" transactions. However, I guess that could be circumvented with rising transaction costs, and goverments should dump a lot of money to do that.

        Because running site like the Silk Road is good business (by taking small % from each sale), I guess some competing sites will pop up soon.

        [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        There was a site called BlackMarket, that was basically the same as Silk Road, except there weren't as many people selling there. I tried putting up all of my stuff there and only one guy ever purchased from me. Then their site was down for about a week for improvements or whatnot. It came back and everything had been reset and I had to re-list all of my sales. But since I didn't see anyone else there, I just left the site.

        Here it is, in case you're wondering about it: http://5onwnspjvuk7cwvk.onion/

        [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (3 children)

        All I can picture is this guy

        [–]discrepancy09 3 points4 points  (0 children)

        I'll buy that at a high price

        [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        How did you find that picture of my identical twin?

        [–]IViolateSocks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        Got some RARE things on sale, stranger!

        [–][deleted]  (13 children)

        [deleted]

          [–]silkroadmagic[S] 9 points10 points  (12 children)

          Damn. I knew you guys were on to me.

          Now that I think of it, those US Senators who were talking about how important it is that the DEA shut Silk Road down would be really pissed if they saw this AMA.

          [–][deleted]  (11 children)

          [deleted]

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 14 points15 points  (10 children)

            We only have drugs here. If I remember right, there were some folks on the Silk Road who were trying to sell child pornography a little while ago, but I think the admins cracked down on that (which is good. No one should have stuff like that).

            I don't think there's much here in terms of terrorism. Some people sell guns, but I think terrorism is more of WMDs and whatnot. But Senators like to stretch the truth from time to time just to get what they want.

            [–]El_Chupocabra 4 points5 points  (1 child)

            Senators like to stretch the truth from time to time just to get what they want.

            This is an understatement.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            I should have said "Senators love to lie all the time". That's more accurate.

            [–]rand2893 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            I have no idea what you're talking about. Who keeps spreading these rumors?
            There is no B-3 bomber!
            I just said that! There is no B-3 bomber. I don't know how these rumors get started!

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Pissed? More like extremely thankful, because they can use it as a tool to get their legislation passed.

            I don't care much about Silk Road or similar sites, but I'm afraid that one day bitcoins will be illegal.

            It seems like a great way to disconnect governments and banks from controlling the money, which perhaps could help to avoid situations like the current recession.

            It's a bit bad that the biggest use for it currently are drugs :(

            [–]vgry 2 points3 points  (4 children)

            What do you do with your Bitcoins?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 3 points4 points  (3 children)

            For now, I'm mostly just holding on to them. Bitcoins will likely become more valuable over time (even if only a little bit).

            So far the only thing I've purchased was some graphics hardware for Bitcoin mining. That's one of the few things you can buy with Bitcoins right now.

            There aren't many things that can be purchased with Bitcoins yet, but the Bitcoin economy is growing rapidly. Soon there will be lots of things that can be purchased with Bitcoins.

            [–]Blozi 2 points3 points  (2 children)

            Are there any bitcoin to USD services?

            [–]TrouserDemon 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            I was tempted, but things are more expensive than I could buy if I just spoke to my usual guy. I know some of that is the shipping costs, but there's not much incentive to use this unless all my contacts die in another gang war or I want something rare.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            For people who already have a good dealer, there really isn't a very good reason to move to Silk Road. For those who don't have a dealer (or those who have a dealer who sells crap), Silk Road is probably better. But I totally understand why you wouldn't want to use Silk Road. For some people it's just not that useful.

            [–]greenriver572 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            Can you explain why the package did not have cancelled stamps?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Actually, I've been trying to put that one together ever since I saw it earlier today. I have no idea.

            I've occasionally received letters with stamps that hadn't been canceled. I don't think the postal service cancels all stamps because people don't send letters as often anymore. Also, if I remember correctly, that package wasn't going very far (only about 100-ish miles -- I don't keep information on where packages are going, but I think it was going about that far). Maybe they didn't notice. Maybe it slid through.

            Postal service isn't paying much attention.

            Maybe the holiday-themed stamps had something to do with it. Probably not. I dunno.

            [–]orthogonality 2 points3 points  (2 children)

            Wait, you posted to admit that you sell illegal drugs, and to implicate Bitcoin and Tor as conduits?

            I mean, if I were a RIAA operative trying to discredit Tor, or a FedCop trying to undermine Bitcoin by whipping up hysteria that they only exist for illegal purposes, your is exactly the post I'd make.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

            I'd like to take this moment to point out how often people use cash for drug transactions. Cash is even more anonymous than Bitcoins, which makes it perfect for drug deals. Bitcoin is not completely anonymous. Anyone can see every single transaction that's ever been made. The only thing that keeps it anonymous is that no one can match a Bitcoin address to a name unless the owner of an address publicly tells someone their address.

            I'd also like to mention how many people are using Bitcoins for good. Many people are selling perfectly legal things with Bitcoins, including me. I can't say what I'm selling that's legal, because it could give away my identity, but I am selling legal things with Bitcoins. In fact, I'm selling a lot more of the legal stuff than the illegal stuff.

            Tor isn't an enemy of the RIAA, because Tor doesn't accept BitTorrent traffic, so it can't be used for downloading music. (If you're looking for a good anonymous BitTorrent client, look up I2P, which is basically Tor on steroids.) Tor is really something that a FedCop would be against, because it's used every day by whistle-blowing organizations, including and especially Wikileaks.

            So the RIAA wouldn't really have a problem with Tor. They hate BitTorrent, but not Tor (as far as I know).

            [–]bitcoinfan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            There are lots of legal merchants using bitcoins too. Of course bitcoins are used for illegal purposes, like real cash is.

            But the idea of not-state-controlled money is very dangerous to goverments, so I guess at some point when goverments realize how dangerous bitcoins (or future cryptocurrencies) are to them, they try to stop them at full force.

            [–]kroneland 2 points3 points  (8 children)

            What is a bitcoin?

            [–]bitcoinfan 3 points4 points  (7 children)

            [–]sit_I_piz 0 points1 point  (6 children)

            I'm kinda confused on the process of mining for bitcoins, what are you actually doing in order to get more bitcoins?

            [–]bitcoinfan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            The easiest way to get bitcoins is to buy them - exchange them for dollars. There are sites you can do that on, such as mtgox.com, tradehill.com and "decentralized" marketplaces such as bitcoin-otc.com.

            Mining nowadays requires serious hardware and big electricity bill. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you want to invest money & time to it. Easier way to get bitcoins is to buy them, or sell other services & products for them, as OP did.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (4 children)

            You buy really really really fast computer graphics cards, put them in your computer, and then you let them sit there and do calculations really fast. Basically, it has to find a specific set of numbers. If it guesses right, then you get 50 Bitcoins.

            There is a specific difficulty level to make sure that a new block of Bitcoins is unlocked every 10 minutes, so that an exact amount of Bitcoins will be released into the economy at a predictable and controlled rate.

            A quick Google search should give you more information if you're still interested.

            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            I still don't understand how you "mine" for them. Why do you get them for finding random numbers?

            [–]Toava 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            The network rewards you with 50 BTC if you find a hash (a product of a cryptographic algorithm) that meets certain conditions.

            The hash can only be found by running the hash function millions or billions of times until you randomly come across one that meets the conditions.

            The network, which consists of every other computer on the network, verifies that your hash meets those conditions, then your public key is rewarded with that 50 BTC.

            People work to find these hashes in teams, by contributing their hashes to a pool, where they share the 50 BTC payouts, because it is very difficult and you could spend months and not find one if you work alone.

            [–]dirtymoney 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            What's to stop the feds from setting up shop on the silkroad (as sellers) to get info on buyers & bust them?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Nothing.

            Only buy from trustworthy sellers.

            [–]kittenzryummy 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            Any crazy stories?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

            The only really crazy story is the story of how I started doing this AMA. I ran across this on Reddit. Take a look at it. The "Adderall seller" he mentions is me.

            I was reading the article and I saw the plastic bag of Adderall that I had made myself! That shocked me!

            And then I went to the comments on Reddit (which is here) and I said that I was the Adderall seller in question and I asked if anyone wanted me to do an AMA.

            The end.

            [–]superbyte 4 points5 points  (6 children)

            Are you aware that every Bitcoin transaction is publicly shared? Bitcoin recommends that every transaction take place with a newly-generated ID (i.e. public key), but I doubt you are doing that. If you ever conduct a transaction using that ID without using Tor, your IP can be linked to your Bitcoin ID. The IP can easily be used to determine to your location. Determining your real-world identity might require some cooperation from your ISP, but it could certainly be done.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            I use a different key for each transaction.

            I keep Bitcoin connected to the internet through Tor.

            [–]superbyte 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Awesome, I'm happy to hear that they are doing that. Although it is still quite possible that you can use the timing and volume of transactions to follow link keys. For example, suppose that immediately before or after payment you send that amount x, routing each coin different intermediaries, to your next ID. You can observe a certain key spending x coins and another key receiving x coins shortly afterwards, and thereby link them.

            [–]Skilleto 1 point2 points  (2 children)

            but I doubt you are doing that.

            What leads you to doubt that he is re-using the same public key?

            [–]superbyte 0 points1 point  (1 child)

            I doubt he is not reusing the same public key. And that is because, as far as I can tell, a hassle not facilitated by the way Bitcoin and Silk Road currently work.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            It's not a hassle at all. Every time I receive a transaction, the Bitcoin client automatically generates a new key for me.

            [–]bitcoinfan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            you can generate new keys endlessly. and it's easy to launder bitcoins with different services. silk road automatically mixes all outgoing bitcoins.

            [–]ImUsuallyWrong 5 points6 points  (11 children)

            You're probably going to get a lot of shit about talking about SR in a public forum. I agree with you however, the more attention this site gets more people are going to talk about the taboo subject and perhaps see through some lies. But then again I'm just the kind of guy who likes to see the world burn.

            Anyway, best of luck in all your future endeavours and try not got get v&.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 8 points9 points  (10 children)

            I'm sure there are people who don't think it's a good idea. But putting illegal drugs in a positive light is probably a good idea. I don't use illegal drugs myself, but I truly believe that there's no reason that they should be illegal. Hopefully this can help people see that not all drug dealers are completely terrible people. Some of us are just strapped for cash and have something other people want.

            [–]SharedAccount 1 point2 points  (2 children)

            If I were to purchase from you, how do I make sure I'm anonymous when I need to provide you a physical address I have access to? It seems like meeting a dealer IRL keeps things much more anonymous.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Trust. You have to trust the seller to keep your physical address a secret. That's why it's a bad idea to buy from someone who doesn't have any feedback. You don't know if you can trust them.

            [–]SharedAccount 12 points13 points  (0 children)

            I don't even trust myself lol.

            [–]LunacyNow 1 point2 points  (2 children)

            What stops people from making up BS reviews for the sellers on silk road?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            Nothing. Except it would be boring and long work to do that.

            But there's nothing stopping a seller from making a bunch of buyer accounts and faking reviews. Same as Ebay or Amazon or Yelp or any other online "community-reviewed" service.

            [–]bitcoinfan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            All reviews are tied to an actual sale, so you would pay 5% commission for every feedback. (Or I don't know how much Silk Roads commission actually is, but I have heard it is something like 5%).

            [–]cuffofizz 1 point2 points  (4 children)

            Does anyone happen to know if additional charges would be filed against a buyer because of the fact that the drugs were sent through the mail, or would you simply get slapped with possession in the chance that you get caught?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (3 children)

            Probably not. Possession is the crime, not mailing.

            [–]darrenwordmouth 2 points3 points  (2 children)

            First of all, great IAMA. But I'm not sure you're entirely correct about the legality of your mailings. I believe in the U.S. it is not only illegal but it also is a federal offense. I could not find a proper citation, however, with the few minutes I had available to google. It may be worth it to you to put some effort into finding that out, or rather, double efforts to insure your packages cannot be tracked. Here's one tip, don't use self-printed address labels from a printer you own. Don't mail from post office lots, or any other postbox outside or in a building that may lay under video surveillance. Also, I saw you mentioned elsewhere you offer to take payments from paypal. DON'T! Keep yourself safe out there!

            EDIT: Your mailings may not be illegal since you mentioned the drugs are prescribed to you. If that's the case, you may be in the clear, but having 'intent to distribute' may modify that.

            [–]cuffofizz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            So instead of spending 6 months in an Iowa prison, I'd spend 1 year in federal prison for the possession charge? And to be clear, no other charges other then the possession could be filed?

            [–]Tyler2191 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            He is correct. Selling something through the mail is essentially the same thing as taking drugs across state lines. You've no longer committed a state offense, but a federal offense and the punishment for that is more severe.

            [–]maestrotrex 1 point2 points  (2 children)

            Ive always wondered this and it bugged me. I know some people ship internationally...isnt that what customs is for? Wont it get caught easily?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            It's not a great idea to buy from someone in another country. Usually customs isn't too nosy, but if they're suspicious they CAN and might open a package.

            [–]maestrotrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Awesome thought so. Thanks!

            [–]longandshortofit 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Wow, this was a very informative IAMA. Since all the press about this I have been wondering how it worked. I don't think I would pull the trigger on purchasing but I might check the site out just to say I did.

            How long have you been on the site? Did you start when all the press came out or longer?

            [–]speakwithoutmeaning 1 point2 points  (2 children)

            Is buying drugs through this dangerous? My boyfriend is trying to convince me to buy some green but I'm worried we will get nothing or busted.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            It's relatively safe, but it really depends on what you're buying. If you really don't know much about shipping and receiving discreetly, I'd advise against it.

            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Is this mainly a USA website? Or would sellers ship worldwide.

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

            Lots of sellers are from the US. A few in the UK.

            I noticed a guy from Germany selling pretzels. He'll only ship to other people in Germany. Shame, too. They looked like good pretzels.

            [–]Supasing 1 point2 points  (2 children)

            How do you check if they have a PGP key? Go to their page and see it, or is there another away?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            You just go to their main page. A PGP key is a long string of random letters and numbers. You can't miss it.

            [–]Supasing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            I thought so. Thanks.

            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            I just want to say that this has successfully blown my mind. I use the term "mind blown" a lot but rarely does it hold true. It has been absolutely fascinating to read through this (and the plethora of subsequent google searches) and I really do thank you for sharing this.

            I will say that it seems to me that admitting what you do on a public forum in which it would be extremely easy for the authorities to get your information kind of nulls the whole campaign for anonymity that you've been on throughout your time doing this, but it seems as though you think things through so..

            Like I said, mind blown.

            [–]sdfgsdfgsgs 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            I kindof hope that online pharmacies start taking bitcoins.. I don't really care about recreational drugs but it would be great to not have to go to the doctor to get a prescription.

            [–]Demboys 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            can u buy bitcoins using credit cards?

            [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (12 children)

            Can you give a guide to silk road? Or is that against the rules...

            Definitely interested

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 13 points14 points  (11 children)

            I'm not sure what Reddit's rules are, but here goes...

            Download the Tor Browser Bundle from here and open it.

            Navigate to http://ianxz6zefk72ulzz.onion/

            Join Silk Road using the link under the login.

            From there, you'll need to get your hands on some Bitcoins before you can really do anything, but you can browse around the wide selection of products available on the Silk Road.

            I hope that's what you were looking for. A quick Google search should help with anything else. Once you manage to get on the site, it's pretty easy to find your way through it (the navigation within the site is a bit clunky, but it's pretty easy to learn how to use it). Also, the Silk Road admins and the community are all very helpful and willing to point potential customers and sellers in the right direction.

            [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (9 children)

            I'd give you a bitcoin if I had one for that. Do you need to protect your computer in any fancy way when using this "TOR" manifestation?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 6 points7 points  (6 children)

            I've heard of people who have had their identity discovered while using Tor because they were using Wi-fi, but I just heard that through word-of-mouth from someone who really doesn't know much about Tor. If that problem is true (and if it hasn't been fixed yet), then I'd suggest not using Wi-fi, and just connecting your computer directly to the internet, but it's probably not a serious problem.

            For the most part, there's not much you need to do to be completely safe, but do a bit of research if you're nervous. When you're using Tor, don't go on to sites that you don't think you can trust. Don't EVER give out your personal information (but that should be pretty obvious).

            I use a Linux LiveCD, so that if there are any remaining traces of what I was doing, it will all be wiped away once I restart the computer. If you're really paranoid, try that.

            Also, set up PGP. It took me a while to figure out how it works, but it's a great way to stay super-secure online, which is probably a good idea when you're selling illegal drugs on the internet.

            [–]Ekot 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Which Linux LiveCD do you use?

            [–]silkroadmagic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Ubuntu. It's really the only Linux distribution I can use easily. The others are too complex for me.

            I've been using Ubuntu for a couple of years now on my regular computer, so I know my way around it pretty well. I'm actually using it right now.

            I still stick with the LiveCD instead of the regular installation, just in case.

            [–][deleted]  (1 child)

            [deleted]

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Pretty Good Privacy. It's a way to encrypt information easily so that only the intended recipient can decrypt it.

              [–]eye_see_a_pun 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              Can you explain PGP?

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              It's a way to encrypt information easily so that only the intended recipient can decrypt it. I can't really explain much more than that, because I don't really understand how it works. I just know enough to use it (and barely enough to do that).

              If you're using Linux (like me), you can use this to learn how to encrypt and decrypt information using PGP. There are also ways to do it on Windows and Mac, but I don't know how.

              A quick Google search should point you in the right direction.

              [–]NecroSyphilis 4 points5 points  (1 child)

              you would also want to run the "noscript" browser addon, if an attaker was able to inject script onto the website they could easily find your IP.

              Donations appreciated ;)

              16uRXuBNTtYGYKyNVTZb8Zje56HuW9Rwdo

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Thanks, but I'm already using the Tor Browser Bundle to do this. I'm not completely stupid. But thanks for the suggestion. Here, have an upvote!

              [–]MowgliCSM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              I have been using TOR for a while now, but this problem only pops up on the SR site. Whenever I enter the correct name/pass and the captcha it just redirects me right back to the sign in page. I can't get in.

              [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (3 children)

              This whole thing sounds way more complicated than hitting any number of sources in RL...why try and circumvent the time tested process of finding a dealer? I mean, even if they don't have what you are looking for, you can always have them refer you somewhere...what you are doing sounds WAY too risky for the benefit of it.

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

              From a technical perspective, you're mostly correct. There are a lot more small steps to get pills. Set up Tor, open it, sign up for Silk Road, get Bitcoins, put Bitcoins in Silk Road account, buy product, wait for it to arrive. Lots of steps involved. If you already have a dealer, the only advantage that Silk Road might have is better prices and higher quality. They might be a lot better, or they might not be much better at all.

              I'm just selling, which means I don't have to hand out my physical address or real information to anyone, so it's pretty much no-risk. Buying involves more risk because you have to find a seller who you can trust with your personal information.

              I think the only way that law enforcement could possibly take down Silk Road would be a sting operation. That is, putting up fake ads for drugs and waiting for people to buy. Then the law enforcement officers know exactly where you are. Something like that would be expensive for them (they would have to buy tons of buyer accounts, and those are getting pricey!) and they would need to wait a little while for people to buy (people don't want to buy from new sellers for obvious reasons).

              Overall, I think it's a better way to trade illegal products, but it does have its drawbacks.

              [–]bitcoinfan 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Actually once you know how to use bitcoins, it's really easy and effortless. However it takes some time to know how to use bitcoins. I used to smoke some pot when I was younger, and dealing with RL dealers was very annoying, at least in my country. With Silk Road, things just work, and you don't have to meet your annoying dealer. You place an order, wait a couple of days and a package arrives.

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

              I know people say this all the time, but it really is true: Silk Road is a lot like Amazon. I order something, and then a few days later, it's just there, on my doorstep, waiting for me to open it up. There's no awkward "Where and when should I meet you?" It just works!

              [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

              It's too bad that has to be illegal. I took some in college to help with bouts of depression, and it helped me stay afloat through the homework. Never had much of a problem with its addictive properties. Have you ever felt like you're risking your ass by doing this?

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 12 points13 points  (1 child)

              It's a shame. It really helps a lot of people, including me.

              I don't think I'm risking much. It would be almost impossible for law enforcement to find me. They would need to find out where the package came from, and go to that mailbox, and have a police officer wait a few weeks for me to return to that mailbox. All just because they found a 100mg of a Schedule II drug in an envelope.

              Also, they wouldn't suspect me. My criminal record is perfectly clean. Not even a parking misdemeanor.

              And Adderall can really help people. Sure, some people can use it as a recreational drug, but most uses involve fixing conditions like Depression and Narcolepsy and ADHD. I think I'm doing a little bit of good by offering it at such a great price.

              Edit: I forgot to mention: I've also never had a problem with it being addictive. I've gone months at a time without ever using it and I've never had withdrawal symptoms. I've never felt a need to continue using it unless I have difficulty with procrastination.

              [–]Advicefromanidiot -1 points0 points  (2 children)

              Heres how to make more money. Take the pills, cut them in half and sell them. Instant double profit!

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 4 points5 points  (1 child)

              But I sell by the milligram. If I sell 10mg pills for one price, I would sell 5mg pills at half that price.

              [–]thegerbilking 8 points9 points  (0 children)

              You need to start looking at usernames.

              [–]questionmark101 0 points1 point  (9 children)

              Are you based in the U.S? Are you worried about being caught or anything?

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 6 points7 points  (8 children)

              Yes, I live in the U.S.

              I doubt that I could be caught. They would need to find out the mailbox that I've been putting the packages in, and then have someone wait there and watch me, and then they would need to prove that I was the one who put it in the mailbox. So if they could back-track and find out where the package came from, then maybe they could catch me.

              Also, there are many different mailboxes around me, so I put the packages in different mailboxes each time. Definitely can't hurt.

              [–]Eeshwan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Also, once it's in the mailbox, it's property of the US postal service, and they're VERY particular about what happens to it. No one (including other agencies) can carry weapons in a post office except for postal inspectors, nor can they investigate mail on their own; it has to go through the post office itself.

              [–]zombiehobo 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              They're gonna triangulate your position

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              First they have to find out what mailboxes I'm shipping from, which is pretty much impossible.

              Once they do that, they can't triangulate my position, because my house isn't exactly in the center of all of the mailboxes. There aren't that many mailboxes. In some cases I've walked or biked as much as two miles to get to a mailbox that I haven't been to before. I'm not in the exact center of them all.

              I wish I could show you where I live and where the mailboxes are with Google Maps, but... yeah...

              [–]FluxPhase 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              It was the blue mailbox by the road.

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              A couple of them have been blue. Others have been ones in the condo and office park developments near my home. Those mailboxes look like this.

              That link is just a picture I found with Google Images, not actually one that I used myself.

              [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              What exactly is bitcoin?

              [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              This is fascinating. I really want to go exploring the deep web one day. Thanks for doing this ama1

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              You're welcome!

              [–]roboplegicwrongcock 0 points1 point  (3 children)

              I hear you can buy anything from guns to fake passports through various Tor sites.

              Have you ever seen these products for sale?

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

              I've seen guns on Silk Road before. I've never seen fake passports, but I'm sure you can find plenty of those on Tor sites as well.

              [–]gwern 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              I saw one listing for passports; it was, I think, somewhere in the 30-80 btc range. I wondered if the passport was any good - surely a usable fake would be worth a lot more than that? (Checking my notes, it had something to do with http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=53.0 although the forum seems down right now so I can't see what that was about.)

              [–]roboplegicwrongcock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              Pretty scary...

              [–]Atsir 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              How do I see this website?

              [–]mrstone56 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              Get Tor and click on the link.

              [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              Does Silk Road work for buyers Canada? Do you know a site that does? I assume it would be nearly impossible to ship internationally with customs etc.

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              I've seen a few people shipping from within Canada, so I'm sure you can probably get something and have it shipped there.

              I don't know of any other sites except Silk Road where you can really get anything.

              [–]hoobaga 0 points1 point  (2 children)

              What's the furthest you've shipped to? Or the furthest you've heard drugs being shipped to?

              Because wouldn't be shipping across the globe pose a higher risk? Just curious, because i'm across the globe... hehehe

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              I think I had one customer from Santa Monica, CA (or somewhere around there). I'm in the New England area, so that's quite a hike. Took at least 8 days to get there by USPS First-Class Mail.

              [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Late to the party....but would you ship down under?

              [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

              How does I get invite to silk road?

              [–]silkroadmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

              You doesn't need one. Just goes to the home page and clicks on the "join" link.

              [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              When I try to login, it just refreshes the page..why?

              [–]dangerlouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              Is http://ianxz6zefk72ulzz.onion/index.php the correct URL? How can I be sure I'm not following a phishing address?