Aaaah, that makes things a little clearer. Reading the earlier posts I was also like " "! You will get back the amount of Bitcoin that you pay into the bond, not a particular USD amount. The value of Bitcoin may rise or fall over the duration of the bond being held by Silk Road, but you will receive back exactly the amount that you paid in Bitcoin. Regarding an existing vendor account, once you satisfy the pre-requisites for receiving the bond refund then yes, you can apply to receive it back. If you are talking about a vendor account that you paid a fee for instead of a bond then no, the bond refund system does not apply. Vendors buying previously to the new system being introduced paid a $150 FEE to obtain vending privileges. Vendors buying after the new system was introduced are paying a $500 BOND to obtain vending privileges. A fee, by definition, is money paid as part of a special transaction, e.g., for a privilege or for admission to something. A bond, by definition, is a debt security under which the issuer owes the holder a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to repay the principal at a later date once those terms are met. Libertas