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Messages - Dread Pirate Roberts

Pages: 1 ... 34 35 [36] 37 38 ... 46
526
Silk Road discussion / Re: Problems on Silk Road ??? An explanation?
« on: January 19, 2012, 12:07 am »
We started caching the category, item and user pages to ease server load, so you may see some discrepancies between these three pages lasting up to an hour.  The other problems you mentioned were temporary and should be fixed now, except for the homepage images, haven't gotten to that yet.

527
Silk Road discussion / Forum outage
« on: January 16, 2012, 02:04 pm »
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Hey gang,

Sorry for the down-time there.  We ran into some technical difficulties while upgrading, but now the forum and wiki are on a faster and more stable system.  Enjoy!

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528
Feature requests / Re: Orders cancelled before shipping should not show up as "refund" on buyers record
« on: January 14, 2012, 11:05 am »
Canceling a buyer's order does NOT affect their stats in anyway.  It's as if the order never happened.

529
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road Address
« on: January 13, 2012, 11:35 pm »
Quote from: edgarb on January 13, 2012, 06:26 pm
could someone please clarify something for me ?  (i have read 90% of the thread and see no obvious answer)

if i buy 10x $49 items from one vendor in one transaction, is the commission paid to SR still 10% ?

also one point (to vendors mainly):  it seems pointless to pay the 4% hedging fee on escrow for items that are finalized early, since those coins are only hedged for a couple of hours or so.  an un-hedged, finalize-early-only listing would save that 4%, although i admit, it's not very elegant.

In this case the commission would be calculated for $490, not $49 and then multiplied by 10.  In other words, less commission is charged for larger orders whether it is one $490 item, or ten $49 items.

530
Silk Road discussion / Bulk reply feature
« on: January 13, 2012, 06:31 am »
Tired of spending hours per day keeping up with your Silk Road inbox?  Spend more time corresponding and lest time waiting for page loads with the new bulk reply feature!  Bulk reply will serve up the 10 oldest unread messages in your inbox ready for viewing and replying.  Send all of your replies with a single click and get the next 10 served up on the next page load.  Keep going until you are all caught up in a fraction of the time it used to take.  Talking to your customers is fun again!!!!

531
Silk Road discussion / Re: Seller Registration Closed
« on: January 13, 2012, 04:14 am »
Seller registration is back, sorry for the trouble.

532
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road Address
« on: January 13, 2012, 04:12 am »
Quote from: collapses on January 13, 2012, 03:40 am
has the new fee schedule been implemented?  it appears that it is being applied to my orders that were placed before implementation, ie still in escrow.  If that is the case then that is very disingenuous.  please correct me if i'm wrong.

It has been implemented and only applies to orders going forward, not ones currently in escrow.

533
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road comment
« on: January 12, 2012, 02:42 am »
Quote from: Paperchasing on January 11, 2012, 07:29 pm
Problem #1:  Several times I have been held hostage by people who said they would follow the early finalize rule if I would ship to them internationally.  When I clicked "in-transit" they then was like "im no supposed to finalize till I get it" then I could not cancel it without them 1/5'ing me and putting nasty comments in my feedback.  I was straight up blackmailed.  So finally I was like look if you want something internationally, send me the BTC and get a OOE listing and ill send it to you.   

This is a good point and one I hadn't heard raised yet.  Sorry if I missed it in another thread.  The system was never meant to support finalizing early, but it has developed in to a common practice and I appreciate the damage it would cause to ban it outright along with out of escrow transactions.  So, for the time being, issues like this will persist.  Again, we are working on a solution to this and plenty of notice will be given before changes take effect.

Quote from: Paperchasing on January 11, 2012, 07:29 pm
Problem #2 that I have with no OOE:  custom listings non-feature SUCKS MAJOR ASS.  Often times people will send me a PM "i have 56.92 BTC for cocaine, make me a custom listing"   Well, if you dont know, its like a guessing game to get the number to come out right cause you put your price in the list an item in and then you have to save it and then open the page to see what the FINAL price ENDS UP BEING.  What a major pain in the ass.  Took me forever and a day to get just one custom listing to come out exactly how much they wanted to spend so for those people I started saying just send me what you want and grab my OOE listing and Ill get it out to you.
Switch to post-commission pricing on your settings page, create the listing with the price your customer wants to pay.  switch back to pre-commission pricing if that's how you prefer it for your other listings or leave it as-is.

Quote from: Paperchasing on January 11, 2012, 07:29 pm
Problem #3:  What about the deals i make where im re-selling the items here?  I dont think its fair to pay taxes on items you plan to resell here and collect taxes on.
For now, that's how it will be, but we are also looking into treating bulk business to business transactions differently, beyond just charging less commission.

Quote from: Paperchasing on January 11, 2012, 07:29 pm
Problem #4:  What about the BTC's I send out to exchangers?  Is that taxed?
I'm not sure exactly what you are talking about here, but the practices of bitcoin exchangers on this site are not affected by the new policies.  Again, the site was never designed to support bitcoin exchange, but since people want to use it that way we will accommodate and are presently working on a solution.

Also, you are misusing the word tax which I think is why you were accused of acting like Silk Road is a government.  What you are referring to is more appropriately called a commission or broker's fee.  It would be a tax if I tried to take money from you based on a transaction I wasn't involved in.  You are free to sell whatever you want to whomever without my interference, but if you are going to use the Silk Road platform to meet your customers and advertise your wares, you will need to pay a commission.

Thank you everyone for your support!  It feels good to get back into the dialogue here on the forums :)

534
Silk Road discussion / Re: WTF is wrong with ordering on SR?
« on: January 12, 2012, 02:09 am »
try logging out and then back in.

535
Silk Road discussion / State of the Road comment
« on: January 11, 2012, 11:16 am »
To be honest, I am quite surprised by how negative the responses have been to the State of the Road Address and how little faith you put in me after I feel like I have done so much to deserve it.  I chose the words I wrote in the Address very carefully.  I reviewed it many times.  Every one of them is true, and my sentiment is valid.  Go through and re-read it along with the clarifications.  Every one of your concerns is addressed if you would only do me the courtesy of believing me.  This change IS about scam prevention.  We ARE working on solutions to the finalizing early and bitcoin exchange scams.  We DID do everything we could to keep the rates low while still addressing the present and future needs of the organization.  Everyone WILL be treated fairly under the new rules just as you have been all along.

We also need to be WAY more flexible on this kind of stuff.  It would be amazing if we could try out lots of different commission rates, some way too high, some way too low, to try to find out what works for everyone, but the minute we even mention changing rates everyone becomes an expert on the subject and puts up resistance to change.  There is lots about this organization that just isn't going to be made public and you have to TRUST us that we are doing our absolute best and will always work toward our stated goals, which include giving people the opportunity to choose freedom over tyranny, and to trade in just about any good or service they wish, securely and privately.  Our goals DO NOT include profiting personally at anyone else's expense, or the expense of our stated goals.  If I am greedy, I am greedy for freedom.  I am greedy for power.  Not force over others, but for a world where POWER resides in me and each and every individual, where it belongs.  If we can get to that world, I can die happy.

Silk Road is an ENTERPRISE that is just getting started.  It could literally change the world as we know it.  It is bigger than any one of us, and it is going to take the dedication and will of MANY talented people, a lot of luck, and RESOURCES to get from here to there.  Do you want to see this thing go all the way and take the absolute piss out of the power mongers of this world?  Do you want to give it every chance it needs to succeed?  Why aren't you telling me to raise the commission even further then?  I don't hear anyone refusing the commission break on high priced goods.  I don't hear anyone saying “don't do that, you need it, you keep this whole thing going, we're happy to do our part.”

As a community, if we are going to survive, we need to adopt a LONG TERM vision.  Getting the most out of this thing before it gets taken down is NOT going to bring us success.  In that world, Silk Road will be a  shooting star that burns out quickly and dies as little more than a dream, swallowed by the nightmare reality of an ever-expanding, all-powerful global oligarchy.  Planning ahead and doing everything we can NOW to prepare for the war to come is the only way we are going to have a shot at this.  We are still mostly ignored by our true enemies, but this incubation WILL NOT last forever.

I don't like writing this kind of stuff publicly because it taunts our enemies and might spur them into action, but I risk it because the context for what we are doing is too often lost in the day to day stuff that happens here and it needs to be put in from time to time.  Silk Road NEEDS our support.  It needs everything we have.  The return on what we put into it will be immeasurable if we can get through the months and years ahead and gain a real foothold on the global stage.  HELP ME GET US THERE!!!  Do it for me, do it for yourself, do it for your families and friends, and do it for mankind.

P.S.
Here's another thing that doesn't get said enough:  I love you.  This is the most fun I've ever had and I feel closer to the people I have met here than the vast majority of people I have to hide all of this from in real life.  Stay light, have fun, and please please please take this on as more than a way to score drugs.  Stand by me as we stand up for ourselves.

- Silk Road admin

536
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road Address
« on: January 10, 2012, 02:17 am »
Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions.  One suggestion I especially like is the one about commission being affected by trade volume.  To those of you that are either supportive of the change, or have faith in what I am doing regardless of whether you see the point or not, thank you for your support!  I have done everything I can to earn that trust and I cherish it.

To those of you chalking my actions up to pure greed and ignoring the context for the changes, I say shame on you.  When have I lied?  When have I cheated or stolen from anyone here?  When have I treated anyone unfairly?  When have I lead you astray?  Why do you turn on me now when I have poured my heart and soul into this community and project?

10% on $50 orders?  We are talking about an extra $1.88!  A $10 order?  An extra 38 cents!  Do you think this site built itself?  Do you think it runs itself?  Do you have any clue what goes on behind the scenes to keep this going?  Do you have any idea the risk the people operating this site are taking?  Do you have any clue what we've been through to get here today?  Do you have any clue what it's going to take to get through the next year?

Whether you like it or not, I am the captain of this ship.  You are here voluntarily and if you don't like the rules of the game, or you don't trust your captain, you can get off the boat.  For those that stay, we at Silk Road will continue to do everything in our power to keep this market running smoothly and safely, and thank you again for your support!

537
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road Address
« on: January 09, 2012, 10:25 am »
Quote from: CandyShop on January 09, 2012, 10:04 am
Are you telling me that i can't accept Ukash payments anymore from customers?? >:(
You know how many are struggling with Bitcoins and prefer paying me trough other paying methods?

that's right.  you can sell them bitcoins for ukash and then they can buy your item with bitcoins.

538
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road Address
« on: January 09, 2012, 06:08 am »
Quote from: godofall2 on January 09, 2012, 05:05 am
im good with no more OOE stuff i just did that when ppl ask for it so i dont care. but just want to know how can ppl like BTC buddy and sugarmama stay open with the new OOE rule? i myself use BTC Buddy to sell bitcoin to cash out what i fell is a lot safer and faster then using the other ways i can. so i dont want to see them gone they help a lot with ppl getting bitcoin fast and for vendor to cash out.

Another clarification.  Bitcoin exchangers will still be able to operate.  We are working to address the needs of the exchangers and prevent fraud on this front as well.

539
Silk Road discussion / Re: State of the Road Address
« on: January 09, 2012, 06:05 am »
Quote from: wumg00 on January 09, 2012, 04:57 am
I just received news about the fees increase. I have no problem with the fees increase HOWEVER if i MUST keep all my transactions in escrow, I am effectively out of business, I cannot afford to put that much money out of my pocket for a week some times ten days until the customer gets their packages! I would basically be able to sell for one day every two weeks and then I would have to wait for everyone to get their mail to finalize and I can reup and sell more. if we are really doing absolutely no out of escrows, im in the same boat as warweed but for diff reasons, I AM OUT OF BUSINESS!! Look at all my transactions so far, everyone has gotten their packages and most were done out of escrow and now I cant serve these same customers anymore!??!??! I believe it should be up to the buyer if they trust the vendor enough to finalizee early and, if not, to either agree to an escrow or just dont do business with that vendor!!! I thought this place was support to support the free market!! well, your killing my free market!! I HOPE THIS ISNT THE END OF WUMG00 ON SR!!!  :'(

Just to be clear, no mention of banning finalizing early was made.  We recognize the cash-flow needs of vendors and are working to address these needs while preventing scams arising from finalizing early.  At this point though, while we advise buyers to avoid finalizing early at all costs, vendors are still free to request it.

540
Silk Road discussion / State of the Road Address
« on: January 09, 2012, 03:56 am »
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- From it's humble beginnings, the Silk Road market was quickly populated with what has become a vibrant community full of interesting characters.  From our superstar vendors and ever helpful mods to all of the active folks on the forum, the people here are truly awesome.  Silk Road would not be what it is or possibly even exist without everyone who has stepped up along the way to point out security flaws, contribute their ideas, and take this experiment on as their own and stand with us.

It didn't take long before word got out.  Our little hidden market got the attention of the media and soon the politicians and law enforcement.  But Silk Road was never meant to be private and exclusive.  It is meant to grow into a force to be reckoned with that can challenge the powers that be and at last give people the option to choose freedom over tyranny.  We fundamentally believe that people can thrive and prosper under these conditions and so far tens of thousands have done so in the Silk Road market.  A revolution has been born.  So ideally, more participants means more prosperity.  What we've found in practice is that if there is an opportunity to cheat, steal or lie for personal short-term gain, someone, somewhere will exploit it.

So, we've had two major challenges to face as Silk Road grows and evolves.  One is making our systems tough enough and flexible enough to withstand and win a cyber-war with the most powerful organizations in the world, should they choose to start that war.  This is always and ever a top priority.  The other is making the market a place where people can quickly and easily buy and sell just about anything without worrying about being attacked by gun toting men in uniforms and thrown in a cage or worry about being ripped off by their trading partner.

I am proud to say we have been successful in achieving these goals up to this point.  The site remains up and functioning (despite a few screw ups on our part, like not having a full capacity backup server ready to go when a live server went down, and a poorly executed url switch, just to name a few).  And, over 99% of all transactions conducted within the escrow system are completed to the satisfaction of both both buyer and seller, or a mutually agreed upon resolution is found.

This success has in no way made us complacent however.  New members are still being lured into trading outside of escrow by scammers and getting ripped off, and “finalizing early”, effectively cutting out the escrow process, is common practice.  Still, I believe we can mitigate these risks and take our market to the next level in security, reliability, performance, and convenience for everyone involved.

First we must deal with trading out of escrow.  Up to this point we have charged a flat 6.23% commission on all trades.  This is much too high for transactions in the $300 and over range, making trading out of escrow for large transactions much more attractive than staying within the system.  Now, instead of charging a flat commission, we will charge a higher amount for low priced items and a lower amount for high priced items, similar to how eBay does it.

We've worked hard to come up with a commission schedule that should work for everyone and will give scammers no excuse to make people send money outside of escrow.  For some perspective, eBay and amazon charge the following rates:

eBay     - $0.50 to list, 11% of the first $50, 6% of $50.01-1000, 2% of $1000.01+
amazon - $1.35 + 15% (for almost all items)

We also went to the Silk Road independent sellers to see what they thought an appropriate commission schedule would look like.  The average response looked like this:

15% of the first $10
11% of $10 - $50
8.14% of $50 - $250
5.6% of $250 - $1000
3.7% of $1000 - $5000

We looked at past sales data and our current and future revenue needs and were able to bring these numbers down even further:

10% of the first $50
8.5% of $50 - 150
6% of $150 - 300
3% of $300 - 500
2% of $500 - 1000
1.5% for everything over $1000

With this change, there are no phoney excuses whatsoever for vendors to ask for out of escrow payment.  Any request should be interpreted as a scam attempt and reported to the Silk Road support team via the “contact us” link on the main site.  We are looking at several mechanisms for enforcing the ban on OOE transactions, from self-policing to bounties on offenders.

Together, we can beat the scammers and make the Silk Road market a place where you can buy with confidence and peace of mind.  If we stay true to our principles of integrity, virtue, mutual respect and camaraderie that have guided us to this point, I believe our future is bright and this revolutionary experiment will be a success!

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CLARIFICATION:  The new policy regarding out of escrow transactions stated in this address does not affect a vendor's ability to ask their customers to finalize their orders and release payment before shipment.  We still strongly recommend that buyers avoid doing this at all costs because we will be unable to protect you in case of fraud.

CLARIFICATION:  This new policy also does not affect vendors who use the market as a platform for Bitcoin exchange.  They may continue to operate as usual, but again we strongly recommend that you purchase bitcoins through a non-anonymous vendor because the market is not set up to facilitate bitcoin exchange and your money can be stolen without recourse.

FURTHER COMMENTARY: https://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion.to/index.php?topic=8539.0

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