Silk Road forums
Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: Burning Babylon on September 24, 2013, 04:46 am
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Yesterday when scouring the Atlantis Forums randomly the topic of where Vendors where planning on going after Atlantis disappearing came up, and one of the answers was "Sheep Marketplace". Now I hadn't heard of this site at all which made me take notice, and this thread will be my perspective of this new site and how they operate. All images linked in this post will have been taken today, namely the date 2013-09-24. Due to the scale of this project I will make one post now and follow up with one later with the rest when I have the time. Now before I get on to the site itself apparently they've done an official thread in the Silk Road Forums called Sheep Marketplace safe alternative SilkRoad: http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=155291
The Original Poster has two posts since their registration which was roughly 144 days ago which does not exactly inspire confidence, unless they forgot their password after five days since they at the time of writing haven't logged in since May 8, 2013. Be it as it may their Introduction post is quoted in full below in case it gets changed later on:
Hello all users,
We are team of people who decided to make alternative anonymous Marketplace. Why not use a different server than Silkroad?
1) We have a secure and professionally programmed web. The entire project is programmed in Nette Framework and other things in Qt C + +.
2) Lower commission up to 6%
3) Registration of a new distributor is only $ 20
4) We protect both seller and customer. Our SheepSupport really solves problems!
5) We have lots of new features for both the customer and vendor
6) feedback rating has customer!
7) We have a gallery and you can share photos
8) We own API and external software (SheepMarketplace Pager) for the community of people
We want to move up the sales and will be happy for your support. We answer all your questions. Trolls not :)
Your SheepMarketplace Team
Web:
http://sheep5u64fi457aw.onion
Or
http://sheep5u64fi457aw.onion.to
Or
http://sheep5u64fi457aw.onion.sh
Or
http://sheep5u64fi457aw.tor2web.org
Now I could go into some length to analyze this post and criticize it but I'll just leave it at it's a poorly worded fluff piece - I'm sure it's been improved since and the information might not be up to date any longer.
So, I enter the official URL http://sheep5u64fi457aw.onion and get to their start page which looks like this: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/FSBR.png
So I'm not overly impressed by this appearance of this Start Page as it's kind of a cross between Silk Road and Atlantis in it's current state, with the exception it doesn't convey anything in particular. So, unto the Registration Screen which looks like this: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/SfEU.png Here one can see a few small differences, the first notable one being the field "(not required) Promo key" being included which is not explained and for some peculiar reason a red reset button is included. Other than that it's pretty much all the same, except it's starting to get noticeable the creators of this site are having some problems with english grammatical structures - from now on I will not refer to any problem of this nature as they can be corrected and I have a feeling there's going to be more of them later, no point in going over all of them.
So there's two types of Accounts which can be registered, "Customer" and "Vendor". Now since I'm going to write this fairly long post I figure I might as well spend the 40 dollars needed for the Vendor Bond/Fee so I can go more into detail on how the interface looks and operates. Said and done, I registered a Vendor Account named "Burning Babylon" along with a Customer Account named "Thalassa" so I could see if there were any noticeable differences between the two types. When logging into my (non-activated) Vendor Account I instantly came to the start screen, but when I logged into my Customer Account I was greeted by the following popup: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/kP0j.png - Ignoring the fact it somehow didn't appear for my Vendor Account this is the first big difference Versus other sites like Atlantis and Silk Road, namely keeping the users informed through the site itself what changes have been done recently, a commendable effort if you ask me. Before I commence further I'm running my Vendor Account in my main computer with the resolution 1920x1080 while the Customer Account is run in a VMWare Simulation with the resolution 1152x864. So this is what it looks like when first logging in for my Vendor/Customer Account respectively: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/llHS.png / http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/9sqE.png
First thing that should be noticeable is the upper green line which will always appear whenever there's a new status change of some sort, personally I feel it's very poorly situated design-wise but it disappears after switching page so at least there's that. The next noticeable thing is the Front Page Listings do not have a fixed Image Width, which makes it look kind of bad to be honest. Information-wise it seems to focus on the Title, Seller and curiously Shipment Information. Unfortunately the exact same Listing System as Atlantis and Silk Road is utilized here but I will make an attempt to make them convert to the Upgraded Listing Options: http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=182090 At the sidebar there's a small window detailing the current rates of USD, EUR and GPB against Bitcoin. Now this is actually half the job of applying a solution where one shows the Bitcoin Value versus the Value preferred by the Customer and the value preferred by the Vendor - for example see the thread Show prices both in BTC and in chosen currency: http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=189788 Now unfortunately it appears there's currently only support for showing four different currencies, namely: "$ - USD", "฿ - BTC", "€ - EUR" and "£ - GBP" - this could most likely be changed somewhat easily in the future though I assume.
So at the top there's the following Alternatives showing: "Account", "Orders", "Messages", "Gallery", "Forum" and "Help". Let's start by addressing "Gallery" and "Forum" since these two options are somewhat unique for Sheep Marketplace.
First off Gallery is a Service to upload images for others to see I presume, when attempting to upload one is stopped by the message "Your browser does not support Java Script or it is disabled. You can upload images in bulk." and it stops there as it does not seem capable of uploading images without activating Javascript. Now for the sake of experiment and a relatively small risk ( hopefully ) I've activated Javascript temporarily to see if the service works with it activated - I got a warning from TOR which looked like this: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/BxtL.png So there's a total limit of 100 mb and each file can't be larger than 1 mb in size. In conclusion this feature is extremely poorly thought out on so many levels there's no point in going into detail - however the concept itself has some merit if it can be reworked into working as an image-hosting service for Vendors/Buyers which automatically strips EXIF-information, however this would also require vastly better integration and some Advanced new Features and I'm not sure there's the will involved to fix this aspect.
Now for the "Forum" which I mentioned was Unique. This is because the Account on the site itself is combined with the Forum, in other words when you register a Buyer Account it serves as a Forum Account at the same time. An interesting notion but it would require the site itself has been built in such a way there would be no way of identifying Users buying and posting in the Forums, or at the very least give Users the option of staying hidden somehow. I will most likely return on this point at a later time as integration is a bold move and as I said before if done incorrectly it could be a huge liability.
Going right along to the "Account" Setting, which looks like this from a Vendor/Customer Perspective Respectively: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/YbET.png / http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/h85B.png - After I've activated my Vendor Account it changes into this: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/nxfp.png - So first thing that draws my attention is "Verified account: no", I click the green option "Check account" and I'm presented with the following screen: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/MrmZ.png - after submitting: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/l703.png If we go back to Account there's one more peculiar option called "Token", this appears to be the Unique ID for me as a Vendor, it's not explained anywhere so I will get back to this at a later date as it might be a potentially major difference.
Now before I proceed I've switched to another account named "Oneiros Distribution" as some screenshots will reveal a bit too much information about certain Bitcoin Transactions. Back to "Account" with the new Account Oneiros Distribution and the options "Withdraw" and "Deposit" ( after creating a new address ) which look like this: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/ZNYo.png / http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/jFHS.png - Noteworthy is the fact there's no possibility of sending Bitcoin internally and the fact the Tumbler Function might not be as advanced due to this fact, I don't have the required knowledge to investigate that Aspect further though so I will leave it at that. I'll leave the remaining Options for another post as that would be a bit too detailed.
So three Options left to go through, namely "Orders", "Messages" and "Help". "Orders" is simply straightforward as can be seen in this image: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/83cd.png - this is unfortunately a very basic type, but seeing as how it's programmed it seems it wouldn't be too hard to add new categories so it could look more like for example Atlantis ( reference image for Atlantis: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/LLh6.png ).
The option "Messages" is extremely bare boned as can be seen at: http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/oynh.png - it probably gets the job done but there's much room for potential innovation on this aspect.
Now unto the last Option "Help". It would be too complex for me to stitch up a Screenshot of this Entire Section so I'm quoting it below and saving/re hosting the images on torimages:
1) The first step is to login, the login screen looks as follows. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/EOqY.png ]
2) See the Account.
As a reseller, you must activate your account in the amount of 1 BTC. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/B4bA.png ]
3) See the Account > Add item.
Without activation, the system can try but you can not add new items. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/DEvH.png ]
4) See the Account > Deposit.
Deposit address is used to send BTC to your account. The new account does not address and must be regenerated. You can generate one address per 24 hours. Mostly everyone just one address. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/tohc.png ]
5) See the Account > Deposit.
This is how it looks when you generate a new address. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/769r.png ]
6) See the Account.
After you have sent 2BTC to your account to activate. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/mByN.png ]
7) See the Account.
If activation is ok looks like the following page. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/koNJ.png ]
8 ) See the Account > Postage.
Once your account is necessary to define the postage. It is very convenient and saves your time. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/Rpfv.png ]
9) See the Account > Postage.
Insert a new postage. We recommend that you add postage in EUR, USD or GBP. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/7pyl.png ]
10) See the Account > Add item. Very clear and simple. Nothing more to say. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/5Ftn.png ]
11) See the Account > Listed items. Only here you can set which items appear. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/l8um.png ]
12) The newly inserted item. Position items in the order are displayed either by filters or depending on how you good seller. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/RpEf.png ]
13) See the Orders. If your order will look like this. You have 7 days to take action. If you miss the customer may cancel the order. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/wlRp.png ]
14) See the Orders. Order has been approved and you can send. This information is ever really hear the customer order was sent. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/XM7d.png ]
15) See the Orders. The order has been submitted and is in transit. If 21 days inactive customer automatically receives money vendor. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/KmwZ.png ]
16) See the Orders. Customer order process set to "Never arrived." Be agreed within 5 days to spare. If it does not solve the problem support. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/Rzl7.png ]
17) See the Orders. Form for claim. You can negotiate the price for compensation. Each user will write here what percentage of the money he wants to return. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/ghpn.png ]
18) See the Orders. If everything solved awaiting an order for a customer and vendor evaluation. [ torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/YmlW.png ]
18) See the Orders. This is how the assessment form. Rating passes through our Support team and subsequent issues will be examined. [ http://torimagesbp2vt3u.onion/i/2mfM.png ]
Now there's some other interesting Features here which have the potential to go very far as neither Atlantis or Silk Road has anything resembling an API which apparently Sheep Marketplace offers in a limited way so far. I will have to go into that aspect later on though as this post is starting to become ridiculously long. :D
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So in conclusion if Silk Road were to suddenly go down tomorrow Sheep Marketplace would probably not have what it takes to take over the role as it's lacking in too many areas currently, however the fact they're trying to change and innovate constantly doesn't rule out they could potentially fix the current problems and come out on top - eventually. So my plan now is to present my thread Upgraded Listing Options: http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=182090 in an alternate customized form which will be written entirely for Sheep Marketplace. If they start doing things right relatively early and take in the suggestions to rewrite the entire system to work entirely differently I think they could have a chance to compete with Silk Road with a technically more Advanced Website which offers more options for Vendors and takes lower commission. We will see how things turn out. :)
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Dude that place has been round for ages but as atlantis has shown as long as SR is functioning all others will fail
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Damn your long post, skimmed right through it, honestly, short and sweet is nice you know? : )
Sheep is good for guns. I love guns and airsoft, but theres fuck all there right now.
Its like when you walk into a party, its what you make it....so dont expect everyone to light that place up, know what i mean?
I personally like the site, but there are vendors who are requesting FE...very lame.
More people should jump on, more the merrier/better.: )
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Dude that place has been round for ages but as atlantis has shown as long as SR is functioning all others will fail
I will admit this was news for me, the fact I didn't heard of it until now then makes it even more strange. :o
With Atlantis pretty much destroying the Trust Aspect for all future Sites established after this event they will have to provide something extraordinary or they won't stand a chance against Silk Road.
Damn your long post, skimmed right through it, honestly, short and sweet is nice you know? : )
Sheep is good for guns. I love guns and airsoft, but theres fuck all there right now.
Its like when you walk into a party, its what you make it....so dont expect everyone to light that place up, know what i mean?
I personally like the site, but there are vendors who are requesting FE...very lame.
More people should jump on, more the merrier/better.: )
I'm not very good with short posts, but either way it's more of a History/Recollection post in a couple of months or even years time. :)
As for the it is what you make, well I'm not sure I agree entirely. Sure the basics are the same, Buyers buying from Vendors with Bitcoin with Support provided by the Site in Question - however beyond that there's so many possible ways any Site could easily set itself apart from the competition. My point being currently there's very little incentive to join Sheep Marketplace beyond their lower Commission Rates but if they don't have much to offer beyond Silk Road and one is basically forbidden from advising Buyers to go there instead it will simply not take off on it's own. If there's a party going on at Silk Road and Sheep Marketplace currently Silk Road has the better DJs and the hot girls are all going to Silk Road. :P
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A short note I've suggested to Sheep Marketplace to read my proposal for Upgraded Listing Options: http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=182090.msg1570912#msg1570912 - if they answer Yes I will personally help them until the end of time until they've either implemented the System or until they've given up. If they say No most likely no one will implement a System like this for years to come. :(
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I really like Sheep Market, if more people vend there, then it will grow.
My friend is thinking about vending there selling airsoft and maybe weed, all depends if there is interest or not.
But other than that, it looks good and i like the direct link to the forums.