Silk Road forums
Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: gustono on February 26, 2012, 01:39 pm
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From my understanding, you can get tracked postage without the need to sign.
I might be missing something, but for an extra 0.8 btc, this policy should become standard rules for SR - buyer cannot mug off seller, seller cannot pull a fast one on buyer.
Why aren't all sellers offering it?
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Its just preference some vendors dont like dcns, but i agree they should be on every package at the buyers request
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it depends on the country. I can put tracking on domestic orders fine, not requiring a sig, but as soon as it's international and I add tracking it bumps the package class up to expedited, which requires a signature to receive. Worse still, if it's over a minimum weight (which most packages are) and expedited class mail, you also need to add a customs declaration, which means I'm on camera in a post office somewhere, filling out paperwork.
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Most countries require you to go into a post office to get tracking. No vendor wants to do that, as camera's are everywhere. It usually also turns it into a package, which in some countries means that 'secrecy of correspondence' does not apply anymore. This makes it easier for customs to open the letter.
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Right, fair enough. Didn't know you had to go in to a post office to get tracking. Kinda sucks.
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My understanding is that you don't in the US for a lot of things - you can just get the stickers and add the postage stamps to cover it. In most countries using the "royal post" system (i.e. commonwealth, most of EU, etc.), a personal visit to the Post Office is unavoidable. It sucks, but it is what it is...
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You don't have to talk to an actual human for DCN. You actually don't even have to go during business hours. The lobby is usually open several hours beyond normal business hours so people can check their PO Boxes and what not.
But depending on how often you purchase on SR, you may not want a surge of mail containing DCNs. Completely "legit" mail is sent regularly with DCN but it still could potentially be a red flag.
Likewise, I think the cost of DCN just tripled.
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..another negative aspect is it attracts attention whereas if small and inconspicuous enough the postal service would just offload /deliver
it and it would be forgotten..
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Depends where you live. In Australia all Express Post envelopes come with a free basic DCN, which is great. I guess not everyone peels the labels off though. And these are pre-paid envelopes you can just buy and not need to go into the P.O with.
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someone mentioned it earlier but it is the cameras for me... I try and keep my packages small enough to fit in a bubble envelope, apply stamps and drop in blue box...
The receipt you are given at the post office for purchasing DCN has the date, time and register number... would be nothing for them to run the recording back and now they have your picture...
Ultimately I would like to have a bogus credit card I could use to pay for postal services via the web... then I could apply DCN and such without worrying about my pic making the most wanted list.
TJ
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reasons sellers don't use DCN:
1) As mentioned above, they are extremely traceable. You may not have to see the clerk to get them, but you still gotta go inside, and be on camera. Even so, they are traceable right down to the building they came out of. Maybe some sellers find that to be too close to home. Maybe they live in an isolated area, but use a metropolitan return addy, as that is where the post mark states?
2) Saves you money.
3) they have faith in humans not to cheat them out of a few btc
4) As mentioned above, you don't want a high influx of little green stickered packages.
A couple of my vendors use DCN, and always offer to send to me, but I always decline. I know it's coming. I don't need to look online.
A coupe of my vendors don't use DCN, don't require early finalize, and I know it's coming. I plan on going back to them, so ripping them off by saying it didn't come is actually a losing situation....unless, of course, you only plan to use once in your lifetime and quit directly after. Small time thieves are the worst...no respect, not even for themselves.
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DCN is not tracking, although some people use it that way.
As a buyer, I will never check a DCN even if I am given one. The damn package will get here or it won't. If it does, then great! If it doesn't, then I'll resolve it through Silk Road and let the vendor worry about the DCN.
I can't claim that I wasn't expecting the package when I've checked the damned DCN number for it twenty times a day, or even once, for that matter, from an IP address that links me to the physical address of the delivery. And checking through Tor could possibly get it flagged (who knows if there's any truth to that, but why take the chance?).
Plausible deniabilty can only work if the illusion of it remains seamless and no other evidence exists that can prove you knew about the delivery. DCNs are for the vendor, not the buyer.
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which vendors dont use tracking #s? Id rather the government did not have a number and records to locate my goodies! :)
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In UK I believe all tracked postage requires signature.
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DCN makes obvious sense for the sellers.
As a buyer it makes your mail stick out a little bit more. This isn't a big deal if you aren't ordering from 10 different vendors every week.
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If you use DCN as tracking, I found that 5-10% of the time your package may take VERY unusual detours. After reading on other seller forums like ebay, apparently this can happen occasionally. Such is the mystery of the post. However, a buyer may see this and panic. This is why I've learned to not obsessively check DCN.
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#1 reason I dont use it ... stealth. How can you sneak in unnoticed if your saying hey look at me check me out I'm special. Besides if your only dealing in the $5-$50 range $5. is a lot. (added) And I like to cultivate trust. (another thought) But if I were dealing in the $500+ range, trust may get too expensive. I may reconsider.