Silk Road forums
Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: Madman2886 on February 01, 2013, 02:45 am
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First post here, and lurked the forums quite a bit on the subject. There weren't as many posts as I hoped to find, so perhaps inquiring further and consolidating what I've come across might aid others as well. I don't have many options to convert BTC due to geographic issues, and CIM is one of two available to me. Some advise wrapping the bill(s) multiple times in aluminum foil as this shields the money from xrays, thus preventing anyone from knowing what is in it, which in theory gives them less incentive to steal it. However, the opposite might also be true as it might make your letter look very suspicious, which may end up having it inspected. Another one I read was using carbon paper, and people have basically argued both sides of if it works or not. The majority of what I've found revolves around getting the money in the largest increment bill possible, and simply wrapping it with heavy paper so people can't hold it up to the light and see what's in it, nor can a mailman "feel" what's inside well. Multiple methods of taping the money to the side of the folded paper have also been suggested, as well as taping the opening of the letter as well (helping prevent the seal from opening in transit). Throwing tape over where you would write the return address was also advised, as it makes it much easier to spot tampering, but I was wondering if that would also be a telltale sign that there is something of value in there that you are trying to protect. I'm sure there's a point where if the entire letter looked like a mummy wrapped in tape, well that just wouldn't be very stealth, so moderation seems pretty key in a few of these variables. As to how many folded pieces of paper to include, this also seems to be the case. Too few and the money might be visible or too easy to recognize by touch. Too many and it's new girth might tip a greedy postman to potential bills waiting to be pilfered. In regards to a return address, would it be wise to use a real random address in the area, or use your own so if returned to you, the money might be recovered? It seems like express mail would be the safest option, however this also seems to cost a whole lot. If my goal is to transfer smaller amounts of money ($100) for BTC, then this would eventually end up defeating the purpose, and I could probably just go with MoneyPak as the fees of mailing would eventually outweigh the $5 charge to load a MP. I am not sure how much less secure priority or first class is, but hopefully not much more as they're much more economical. It also begs the question of what form of postage looks most likely to contain money. I'd assume priority/first class would blend in more, but then again express is sitting there for a much shorter time, which should give it less opportunity to be stolen. Registering the letter also seems like a good idea, but also seems to be a bit pricey. There seem to be a lot of variables all with their own pros/cons, and I am wondering what people with experience have found to be true/false, and most effective.
tl;dr: When sending money in the mail there seems to be many things to consider as it's risky, however what should one choose:
1. wrap bill(s) in foil.
2. simply use thick paper to prevent the bill(s) visibility.
3. tape open edge, across return address, or both. How much of either would look suspicious.
4. should a random address in the neighborhood be used, or your own.
5. what means of postage is most reasonable yet still effective (cost/benefit).
6. what extra services are essential/worth having (registered mail, DCN), or none at all.
Thanks for the opinions, and please feel free to point out anything I missed, or simply add new knowledge to what's already here. I would like to get this down solid, and hopefully help others who have the same concerns.
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TL:DR a single fucking word.
Paragraphs. Use them.
xoxo
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TL:DR a single fucking word.
Paragraphs. Use them.
xoxo
I tried condensing at the end with a summary, but it's difficult to do so in a single word. Sorry if it frustrated you, or if it didn't match up to your tldr standards. Just tried to get my questions out there.
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Paragraphs, still are important :)
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this is pathetic..
contact BTCmaster order from the guy and ask him how u should do it..
DONT FUCKING TALK ABOUT IT ON THE THREADS DUDE..
AND BTW NO ONE IS READING THAT FUCKING THING.. JESUS DONT U KNOW WE ARE ALMOST ALL HIGH AS FUCK..
GTFO AND GO MESSAGE BTCmaster OR
Rxking
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Heh..wow, ok sorry didn't know it was that big a deal. Will do.
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I send cash in the mail for BTC allllll the time. You're way over analyzing it. Track it, have it signed for, disguise it, double envelope... send the shit.
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I send cash in the mail for BTC allllll the time. You're way over analyzing it. Track it, have it signed for, disguise it, double envelope... send the shit.
Agreed on the over-analyzing comment.
OP -- there's no reason to wrap it in foil. The entire point is to draw as little attention to the package as possible. Doing a bunch of extra stuff isn't necessary - just make sure you package it well and professionally, track it, require signature, etc. You also don't want to put tape directly onto the cash as it can cause damage.
Also, there's no question about this: NEVER USE A RANDOM RETURN ADDRESS for cash-in-the-mail packages. Sending cash is not illegal, so there is no reason to risk it getting lost if for some reason it has to be returned to you!
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1. Simpler the better. Dont stuff inside a rats nest of paper and tape ... just lay the bills evenly in a vacuum seal bag and seal it up. The gallon bags fit the prepaid USPS, Fedex and UPS envelopes. Vacuum sealing tightens the bills together allowing you to fit 10's of thousands in an envelope.
2. Put inside a manila envelope and take to Fedex or wherever and send it. Use a real return addy as Scout said
Easy as that ... carbon paper, foil and all this other stuff isnt necessary.
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Thanks for the advice. When I was researching, I found a lot of people saying that money in mail is just a bad idea as it had a high chance of being snatched. Guess I took that and made it more complicated than it is.