I was one of those scammed on SR years ago. Got DNM-shy for years on account of that. Now I've waded in again and my luck has not been great...
The first vendor I used (on TR) ended up shipping late and then the package was damaged and returned to a bogus return address. He refunded me without hassle, though.
Then the other package from another vendor was marked "shipped" ten days ago, but has yet to arrive. There are two weekends and a holiday since then so I'm still hopeful.
Just in case, I ordered from yet another vendor in aother marker (AB)and will order from one more (DM) tonight.
I know it could be worse, but this feels like a shaky start. Especially since this involves extra waiting for substances for which users have an especially hard time waiting in the first place. Also, these are all domestic!
I turned to the DNM because local quality on my DOC is absolute garbage in my current region. So there really is no alternative as far as source. I have tried several sources over the last year. All garbage/ripoffs.
I'm mostly looking to vent. But any advice on future conduct is very appreciated.
I can understand how that would make you feel, but don't let it get you down. The first thing I'd recommend is researching a vendor exhaustively before committing to a purchase. Second, it's a vendor's market, so plan to be scammed every once and while.
I'm convinced the lifecycle of a typical vendor is growth, profit, and exit. The caveat to growth and profit is that eventually the law catches on and you're left with no choice but to take the money and retire the account.
You'll be fine, just be smart about where you put your BTC.