Basic tips: NEVER use the hidden wiki - you will hit phishing sites several times a day and your btc will be cleaned out in minutes.Bitcoins - if you are in US or Canada, the large exchanges are your best bet. MTGox accepts anonymous cash deposits at Chase bank branches (you have to print off their form from mtgox.com) and funds usually show up same day. From there you can have the coins in your account within a few hours and you aren't paying some crazy ass 15% exchange fee (more like 1%).As a new buyer, a lot of sellers (myself included) will ask you to either finalize early or use a direct-buy listing. This is because the majority of established sellers have been scammed by new buyers, not their regulars. Once you have some trust and some business behind you on here things ease up a bit.Participate in the forums. Before you have any questions, though, there are thousands of topics on here that cover probably anything you could think to ask. I recommend checking out the security forums as this will help you set up pgp (recommended for shipping information), know the safest way to address packages for receipt, etc. Questions are fine too though :)Lurk the Rumor Mill section of the forums. The best sellers on here have tons of customers who will back them up with detailed reviews of all aspects of doing business with them in the forums. These customers don't receive anything for doing this, they just want to share with the community - take advantage of it. You will quickly learn who and who not to deal with. Also check the scammer forum topic located in Rumor Mill - this is a regularly updated thread done by buyers. If you find a seller you like over on SR, check them out here and see what the latest customers are saying. Unfortunately with this business you can run into some inconsistencies in terms of performance, and you don't want to hit a seller going through a lapse.And finally, the most important advice: If you want cannabis or cyanescens mushrooms, come to me first :)Anarcho47