Quote from: jennyem on July 07, 2012, 02:24 pmHi, so maybe this is a silly question, but I'm new to using Silkroad and want to make sure I am doing it all correctly. I added Bitcoins to my account and made to purchases (order from and delivery to the UK). Since I am a brand new user, how will I know I have to finalize early? Will the seller contact me? Or do I automatically finalize and release funds? But then what if it is a scam and I never see the "product" in the mail or my money back? Or should I send a message to the seller to see how to handle the transaction? For my 2 transactions, 1 is showing as "shipped" and 1 still shows as "processing order". Ok ok.. I guess that was more than one question.. :) Any response on this would be appreciated. Many thanks!Hi JennyEm,Welcome to SR!In the first instance and at the risk of sounding like a shameless plug, I operate a service selling BTC for cash in the mail to people in the UK which is one of the few safe ways of obtaining Bitcoins safely. Exchanges like Intersango are all well and good in terms of speed but they can compromise your safety as the original purchase of your Bitcoins can be traced back to you, so please do bear me in mind next time you need to place an order.As anonaddict has already stated the policy varies from vendor to vendor. In the first instance I'd suggest you use some of your Bitcoins to buy a few low price digital goods like books and videos, a few users which sell these are :CaptainPicardWarweedechoDrawkwarDThis will boost your buying stats and show you're a good customer. Usually five is the right number to buy.If you're interested in a higher priced product, the best thing to do is to message the vendor in question and ask them if they're happy to accept an order from a new buyer. They may well say they don't require FE but it's good form to get in touch just in case.Any questions, please let me know.All the best,V.