Anonymity guide for vendors and buyers (For webs like silk

Steps:

1. purchase burner phone from craigslist with cash -- DO NOT USE YET

2. purchase coverage for the phone using cash with Boost prepaid, metroPCS, cricket. Any service that lets you prepay with cash. Make sure to give a fake name when they ask who to register it to.

3. purchase old laptop (netbook possibly, toshibas work well with linux)

4. Create live boot USB of tails -- the website can provide you with instructions, as it is quite an involved process. I'll do my best to break it down. You will need TWO usb drives.

4a. installation of tails:
1. download most recent .iso image file of tails from the boum website and make bootable USB
a. two methods of making first USB:
1. command line: `sudo dd if=/path/to/iso/file of=/path/to/drive bs=1m`
2. GUI tool 'etcher' (look up "etcher live usb" in the googles or the DDG)
2. boot purchased laptop or netbook from USB
a. press 'f2' on boot to get into the bios
b. navigate to the 'boot' section
c. move USB to the top of the boot order
d. save and exit, reboot -- tails should boot, if not, repeat steps and check boot order*
*change usb ports if the same port repeatedly fails to boot
3. pick the settings that are appropriate for the current task:
a. spoof all MAC addresses
b. turn networking off
c. do not require admin password (not necessary for now)
4. start tails
5. on the home computer, format your SECOND drive for "mac os extended, journaled GUID partition" (don't ask me WHY this works, but it does, and I found it after much browsing)
6. navigate to applications > tails > tails installer
a. insert SECOND newly-formatted drive
b. select install*
*NOTE: this will NOT work more often than it will. You have to keep reformatting with the mac in the same way described above, over and over again, until it actually installs on the second usb. it's pretty much a huge PITA, but worth it. I tried 30+ times until it finally stuck. ****EDIT**** DON'T USE KINGSTON, OR PNY USBs. Sandisk works in fewer attempts.
7. once installed, power down and boot tails using the SECOND drive.
8. navigate to Applications > tails > configure persistence.*
*Please consult the website for what each option of the persistence does (it's not too complicated, but not within the scope of this guide). these settings are what you want to save in the persistent partition (portion) of the usb. This effectively makes the space not used by the OS (tails), and formats it to be interacted with in the same way as just another external drive.
9. reboot tails*
*you have several options here to back up your data. You can trust in the singular persistence drive (which I do not recommend), create another external drive encrypted with LUKs and save relevant information there (second most secure), OR if you're feeling masochistically insecure about security: create a second tails from the tails you're booted into the same way that you made the first drive (applications > tails > tails installer. this is what I do.).

5. Buy walmart gift cards in person (or buying BTC for cash in person in your local area, in which case skip to the next step).

6. go to a coffee shop
a. turn on phone
b. register new gmail account with phone number
c. register new localbitcoins account with phone number
d. use gmail account to register with localbitcoins
e. TURN OFF PHONE AND NEVER USE AGAIN -- take it apart and throw it in the river, or woods, or burn it.

7. setup deal for exchanging BTC on localbitcoins, either with the walmart gift cards or cash for BTC in your local area.

8. Mix/tumble newly acquired BTC using tumbling service to another wallet.

The next steps are now split between vendors and buyers sections.

VENDORS:

Keep the acquired BTC on hand for vendor registration fees and shipping once you receive your first order.

1. Register as a vendor with the market.

2. take pictures / make logo for your profile and your product, then post the photos on their relevant listings
a. use exiftool to remove ALL exif and metadata from the photos BEFORE posting to market*
*VERY IMPORTANT

3. Participate and advertise on the forums. Be honest, be good to your customers, and handle customer service as if you were an employee at a fast food restaurant. Customer is more or less always right (with the few exceptions of scammers trying to double-dip). This attitude will go a long way towards making you successful.

4. Find your groove, your routine, and learn your customer base.

5. To get funds out of market, withdraw to off-market electrum wallet.
a. tumble funds to another wallet
b. move to one more wallet
c. move to your legitimate localbitcoins account
d. withdraw using method of your choice*
*do not go through the bank for deposits of more than a few thousand at a time (at 10k they report to the IRS...)

BUYERS:

Using your acquired BTC to purchase a product

1. View vendor profile for terms of service prior to placing an order*
*for first time buys from a new vendor, buy from escrow ads only.
*only buy from FE vendors who have high scores and are verified

2. IN A TEXT EDITOR, NOT IN THE BROWSER, PGP encrypt your shipping information
a. place your encrypted string inside the orders shipping information box*
*the vendor will have to decrypt twice, but since this can be a bit confusing, explain to the vendor that your information has been encrypted twice.

FOR BOTH VENDORS AND BUYERS:
NEVER use tor from home, always connect through a VPN, and go to a different public wifi every time you connect (if possible).

Hopefully this is helpful as a basic guide to staying anonymous. If there are any suggested changes, additions, or subtractions, feel free to comment and I'll be happy to add it to the guide.