Welcome to Silk Road adde. A few things to keep in mind to make for an optimal experience here:1. Read the Wiki (http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page). Maybe not the most exciting read, but informative for new users and answers a lot of questions that have been asked many times before.2. Use the forums. Lots of good info in here. Want to improve your security? Check the Security section. Curious about shipping? Look in the Shipping Section. Thinking of buying? Check the Rumors threads out. Looking for good vendors for something specific? Check the review thread for that drug in the rumors section (http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=42088.0). Want to know more about a particular vendor your thinking of ordering from? Search the vendor name on the forums, check out what's been said about them.3. Learn to use PGP (PGP Club - http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=30938.0)4. Start small, don't risk more than you can afford to loose.5. Don't Finalize Early. This may be a tough one as a new buyer as many vendors have been scammed in the past by dishonorable buyers and many require FE for new buyers (myself included), but after a certain point/once your established in the community, it should not be required. Look out for vendors that require it. Just as their are scam buyers, there are many sellers who will FE scam buyers. Best bet would be to stick with established, reputable vendors when starting and once your established with some purchases under your belt, look to other vendors/new vendors for items you may be interested in.6. Finalize when you receive. Don't let your order auto-finalize, if there's an issue and your order wait time approaches 17 days, file in the resolution center. This allows you to get a delivery extension or negotiate a refund. If you FE, you don't have any recourse on non delivery.7. Read the vendors profile page on the SR main site. They will usually provide information regarding their product, their practices, links to review threads, etc. Read this info too. This will usually answer any remaining questions you may have. If you still have a question after reading up on the vendor info, then message them. Many top vendors deal with many orders and messages on a daily basis, and it's time consuming to answer the same question over and over again. Any vendor that wants to get away from these repetitive messages will typically address common questions/concerns on their Vendor page or on the forums and ignore these repetitive messages. Also, don't ask for specifics regarding shipping/packaging or anything else sensitive to a vendors operations. We value our security and shipping methods & packaging techniques are rarely shared. Don't ask for free samples. The established vendors typically have good product, there's no reason for them to send out samples. Most will offer some small quantity/low cost item that you can start with to see what it's like and won't leave you out of pocket too much. New vendors may offer samples, usually posted in either the Product Offers or Rumors sections of the forums8. If you have a problem, contact the vendor first and give them time to resolve the issue. Don't jump on the forums and start making accusations until you've tried working it out directly with the vendor. If you didn't receive your package, don't jump out and immediately accuse the vendor of scamming you and threatening to leave poor feedback, or worse, change your feedback. When the first thing a buyer does is accuse me of scamming them and threatening me with a feedback change, it makes me wonder who the scammer really is. If you start out with reasonable and polite, you will get a better response and result.9. If you're worried about customs clearance, stick with domestic vendors. This may or may not be an issue, depending or your location. If you're in the US, you should be OK sourcing a domestic vendor. If you're in Australia, you're either going to have to pay through the nose with domestic or take your chances with international delivery and customs. Anywhere else is pretty much up in the air. Most countries have at least 1 or 2 vendors representing, though that may not provide the variety/selection you're looking for. For best results, click the 'Domestic Only' checkbox in the SR listings. Make sure your home country is set in the Settings section on the Account page.10. There's probably more that others can point out, but those are the main items I can think of as a vendor who doesn't purchase much through the site. Others with more buying experience may be able to fill in more for you. Also, I needed to make the list 10. My OCD brain would not let me leave it at 9 items.In short, if you read the info available through the SR main site (http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/index.php - listings, vendor profiles & buyer feedback), the SR wiki (dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page - FAQ, Buyer's guide, Escrow, PGP, Scammed, Delivery, Successful Purchasing & Feedback Score) and the SR Forums (http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php - Security, Shipping, Offers, Rumors, Support, General Discussion and most important of all, Search), doing your homework and research on products/vendors before purchasing and avoid FE, you should have a pleasant, fruitful experience.Happy travelsMJMuse