Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: gustapo on February 17, 2012, 05:18 pm

Title: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustapo on February 17, 2012, 05:18 pm
get-bitcoin seems to be quite expensive because of the 5% fee plus additional 10% for other currencies, didn't see a thread on this so asking away.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: wowzers on February 17, 2012, 05:36 pm
Intersango. You can make deposits in cash at any branch of Lloyds so it's reasonably anonymous and they only charge a 0.65% fee on buying and selling BTC.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 18, 2012, 02:09 am
Thank you sir, so if if I buy £50 worth of bitcoin they only charge 33p?

I forgot my username by the way so yeah :)
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: wowzers on February 18, 2012, 02:15 am
yeah :)

What you need to do is set up an intersango account, then note the bank details in accounts>GBP>add funds.
The reference number links deposits to your account so you need to make a note of that and give it to the cashier when you make a deposit.
They're pretty quick at crediting your account, usually within 4 hours of deposit. Don't get overexcited and pay too much for your BTC!
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 18, 2012, 02:19 am
That's really good, such a small charge rate! Just need to find a Lloyds around my area now :)
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: onestopshop on February 18, 2012, 02:51 am
bada bing

http://www.lloydstsb.com/branch_locator/search.asp
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 18, 2012, 03:00 am
It is becoming all too easy to start buyign stuff on here now :D
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: goangod on February 18, 2012, 06:37 pm
hi all im new here so be easy with me,,,,just getting my head round the bitcoin side of things,ive read here its intersango is the best way to go in the uk,when i register with them can i use a tormail addy ? once registered i then go to a lloyds branch and then deposit cash in exchange for bcs to be transferred to my intersango account.....is that correct  ?  once there i then shift them around a few ewallets then to sr ? hope i got this right....im itching to purchase from sr but i want to be 100% right from the start......could someone advise pls :)
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 18, 2012, 09:37 pm
hi all im new here so be easy with me,,,,just getting my head round the bitcoin side of things,ive read here its intersango is the best way to go in the uk,when i register with them can i use a tormail addy ? once registered i then go to a lloyds branch and then deposit cash in exchange for bcs to be transferred to my intersango account.....is that correct  ?  once there i then shift them around a few ewallets then to sr ? hope i got this right....im itching to purchase from sr but i want to be 100% right from the start......could someone advise pls :)

From my understanding of it, it seems like you are good to go!
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: onestopshop on February 18, 2012, 10:58 pm
whoa whoa, slow down jack, some BTC exchangers view tor/tor network as suspicious/fish (Mt Gox in particular) I would probably suggest not using a tormail addresses (just create one in hotmail e.t.c while connected to Tor and just use that for all your bitcoin business.

other then that, the rest of it seems all good!

Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 18, 2012, 11:03 pm
whoa whoa, slow down jack, some BTC exchangers view tor/tor network as suspicious/fish (Mt Gox in particular) I would probably suggest not using a tormail addresses (just create one in hotmail e.t.c while connected to Tor and just use that for all your bitcoin business.

other then that, the rest of it seems all good!
just make a new tormail every now and then, I would rather not do any sort of transaction on hotmail. intersango are apparently at the moment Tor friendly, but you are right don't go depositing +£200 until you know they are tor friendly.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 19, 2012, 01:18 am
Just found out about Blizzcoin (https://www.blizzcoin.com/) and I must say I love it. ;D
No registration required and I received my bitcoins instantly via sepa transfer!

can't beat 0.65% though
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: goangod on February 19, 2012, 01:25 pm
ok its starting to make sense now,,one other query i got is this
once inside a branch of lloyds bank what details do they want from the depositer ? apart from the intersango details do you have to give them any id and a name and address etc etc
banks are notoriously intrusive even when depositing small amounts of cash
anyone been to lloyds to make a cash deposit to intersango ?
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: onestopshop on February 19, 2012, 04:28 pm
they're not intrustive really...just write the details on the paying in slips they have and put your cash with it..
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: goangod on February 20, 2012, 02:08 pm
hi again,,,ok so im now registered on intersango and im about to make a deposit via lloyds,,only problem is that when i look around intersango i cant see how i can transfer my btc to instawallet or similiar,,,all i can see is withdraw via bank transfer or withdraw via paxum neither of which is any good to me,ami missing something here ? could someone advise me pls
also does the btc rate fluctuate a lot ? at the moment through intersango i would have to pay £3.50/1 btc which makes things quite expensive
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: wowzers on February 20, 2012, 02:33 pm
To withdraw to your wallet: Accounts>Bitcoin (BTC)> Withdraw Bitcoin

Yes the bitcoin price fluctuates wildly, buy about 15% more BTC than your item costs to protect yourself. Between June and August last year the price was between something like £18 and £8 and jumped by several pounds a day.
It's nothing like £3.50 at the moment  (though I'll happily sell you plenty of coins @ £3.50  ;) )

There's currently about 120BTC available between £2.84 - £2.87 on the orderbook.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: ukbenjy on February 20, 2012, 05:18 pm
Don't worry goangod, Lloyds don't want any of your info. Just turn up, write all the account info on a paying in slip, hand over the slip and the cash to the girl behind the counter and you're done! I paid in cash for the first time today at about 10am, and I had the cash in my Intersango account ready to purchase bitcoins by about 3pm. Definitely faster than Mt Gox.
One thing to be careful of though; Lloyds don't have a space on their paying in slip for a reference. I just wrote it on the slip in an empty space and told the cashier to pay it in with that reference. That needs to be on there, or Intersango won't know whos account the payment is for.
Good luck and happy shopping!
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 20, 2012, 05:45 pm
sorry for sounding like a dumb ass benjy but what do I ask for? do I just ask for a "paying slip" or should I just say I want to put this money into a bank account (and they hand me over a slip?)

also does anyone have a site for monitoring bit coin prices and things?
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: ukbenjy on February 20, 2012, 06:30 pm
No problem man! You don't have to ask for paying in slips, they're normally kept on a little desk thingy next to where you queue up for the cashiers. Just look for the pens, since they keep them on those little chains the slips can't be more than a foot away!! But if you can't find them, just ask the cashier, they're normally pretty helpful.
And I find that the best site for keeping track of BTC prices is mtgox.com. If you go to their webpage and click the grey bar at the top of the screen (the one that says last price, high, low etc), a graph will drop down showing the history of the BTC price, you can zoom in and out etc, it's pretty good.
Hope that helped.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: goangod on February 20, 2012, 07:58 pm


There's currently about 120BTC available between £2.84 - £2.87 on the orderbook.

so when im on the site at the place limit order page i input the quantity of  btc i want and at what rate im willing to pay and intersango will automatically tell me whats available at that rate ?? is this correct ? or do i need to look through the order book and see how many btc and at what price i can get x amount for ? this btc and prices etc is confusing me i need to know in laymans terms how to use intersango correctly
if anyone can help me out i would appreciate it
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: ukbenjy on February 20, 2012, 11:19 pm
Yeah, you've pretty much got it. Just put in the rate you want to buy the BTC at, and the total amount you wish to purchase. Then your order will be filled, usually within a minute or so. You've then got BTC in your Intersango account, which you can transfer to Silk Road.
What rate you buy your BTC at is the only tricky bit. I tend to go for the middle of the buys and sells on the book. E.g. right now the highest unfilled bid is £2.86, and the lowest unsold offer is £2.95, so I'd probably try and buy BTC for £2.91.
It's all a bit confusing when you first start, but after a while you get the hang of it. If you need any more help gimme a shout.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: BDF on February 20, 2012, 11:48 pm
What rate you buy your BTC at is the only tricky bit. I tend to go for the middle of the buys and sells on the book. E.g. right now the highest unfilled bid is £2.86, and the lowest unsold offer is £2.95, so I'd probably try and buy BTC for £2.91.

This generally works for me too.

The shittiest thing with Intersango is the time it takes them to match your Lloyd's deposits to your intersango a/c. Sometimes it can be the same day, sometimes a couple. At the beginning of this month (?) the fuckers had problems with their Lloyds account and held my dosh for nearly a week! And failed miserably informing people about the situation.

My bitcoin buying goes like this

My bank a/c (online transfer) --->  Their Lloyd's a/c  --->  My Intersango £ a/c  --->  Buy Bitcoins  --->  My Intersango Bitcoin a/c  --->  My Silkroad a/c

I don't bother fucking around with Instawallet. The value of Bitcoins swing like a mofo, delaying the whole process further can really fuck up your purchasing plans (even when you transfer a little extra). Occasionally, however, it can go in your favor. Once I ended up with nearly 30% more drug money due to the fluctuations in value. Normally its the other way round.

I have to say, once you've gone through a couple of purchases, it becomes second nature. And buying drugs online is friggin awesome. Even with shitty Bitcoins!

Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: goangod on February 21, 2012, 12:53 pm
What rate you buy your BTC at is the only tricky bit. I tend to go for the middle of the buys and sells on the book. E.g. right now the highest unfilled bid is £2.86, and the lowest unsold offer is £2.95, so I'd probably try and buy BTC for £2.91.

This generally works for me too.

The shittiest thing with Intersango is the time it takes them to match your Lloyd's deposits to your intersango a/c. Sometimes it can be the same day, sometimes a couple. At the beginning of this month (?) the fuckers had problems with their Lloyds account and held my dosh for nearly a week! And failed miserably informing people about the situation.

My bitcoin buying goes like this

My bank a/c (online transfer) --->  Their Lloyd's a/c  --->  My Intersango £ a/c  --->  Buy Bitcoins  --->  My Intersango Bitcoin a/c  --->  My Silkroad a/c

I don't bother fucking around with Instawallet. The value of Bitcoins swing like a mofo, delaying the whole process further can really fuck up your purchasing plans (even when you transfer a little extra). Occasionally, however, it can go in your favor. Once I ended up with nearly 30% more drug money due to the fluctuations in value. Normally its the other way round.

I have to say, once you've gone through a couple of purchases, it becomes second nature. And buying drugs online is friggin awesome. Even with shitty Bitcoins!
isnt it a bit dodgy transferring from your account straight to lloyds intersango account ? im thinking going into the branch and depositing cash with a random name on the payin slip is a much safer way,that way its non traceable ,a certain degree of paranoia is always good imho
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 21, 2012, 02:40 pm
What rate you buy your BTC at is the only tricky bit. I tend to go for the middle of the buys and sells on the book. E.g. right now the highest unfilled bid is £2.86, and the lowest unsold offer is £2.95, so I'd probably try and buy BTC for £2.91.

This generally works for me too.

The shittiest thing with Intersango is the time it takes them to match your Lloyd's deposits to your intersango a/c. Sometimes it can be the same day, sometimes a couple. At the beginning of this month (?) the fuckers had problems with their Lloyds account and held my dosh for nearly a week! And failed miserably informing people about the situation.

My bitcoin buying goes like this

My bank a/c (online transfer) --->  Their Lloyd's a/c  --->  My Intersango £ a/c  --->  Buy Bitcoins  --->  My Intersango Bitcoin a/c  --->  My Silkroad a/c

I don't bother fucking around with Instawallet. The value of Bitcoins swing like a mofo, delaying the whole process further can really fuck up your purchasing plans (even when you transfer a little extra). Occasionally, however, it can go in your favor. Once I ended up with nearly 30% more drug money due to the fluctuations in value. Normally its the other way round.

I have to say, once you've gone through a couple of purchases, it becomes second nature. And buying drugs online is friggin awesome. Even with shitty Bitcoins!
isnt it a bit dodgy transferring from your account straight to lloyds intersango account ? im thinking going into the branch and depositing cash with a random name on the payin slip is a much safer way,that way its non traceable ,a certain degree of paranoia is always good imho

It is very dodgy. There's almost no point in using bitcoins if you make it that easy to trace it back to you. Your plan has a reasonable sense of safetyness, there are many more ways to protect yourself further but often costly, time consuming, and occasionally not worth it.
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: BDF on February 21, 2012, 04:02 pm
Quote
isnt it a bit dodgy transferring from your account straight to lloyds intersango account ? im thinking going into the branch and depositing cash with a random name on the payin slip is a much safer way,that way its non traceable ,a certain degree of paranoia is always good imho
Quote
It is very dodgy. There's almost no point in using bitcoins if you make it that easy to trace it back to you. Your plan has a reasonable sense of safetyness, there are many more ways to protect yourself further but often costly, time consuming, and occasionally not worth it.

Thanks for your concerns. However, I have good reasons for not being overly paranoid...

1/. I'm only buying small amounts of cannabis; less than a couple of ounces at most. If I was buying Kilo's of heroin, or for that matter, selling on SR, then you better believe I'd be encrypted like the fucking Matrix. With optional triple-layer tin foil hat!!! But as it goes, the worst I have to fear is a Customs and Excise note letting me know they've robbed my stash.

2/. As for the actual Bitcoin exchange, where do you think 95% of Intersango's business comes from? Yup, it really isn't in their financial interest to question where you send your Bitcoins. Especially now they're charging commission on trades! That said, if you sent your coins to SR and they failed to make it because of an Intersango fuckup, I'm not sure how I would complain to them about it.

Eitherway, if you feel using something like Instawallet makes you more secure, then go for it!

Regards

BDF
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 21, 2012, 04:19 pm
Quote
isnt it a bit dodgy transferring from your account straight to lloyds intersango account ? im thinking going into the branch and depositing cash with a random name on the payin slip is a much safer way,that way its non traceable ,a certain degree of paranoia is always good imho
Quote
It is very dodgy. There's almost no point in using bitcoins if you make it that easy to trace it back to you. Your plan has a reasonable sense of safetyness, there are many more ways to protect yourself further but often costly, time consuming, and occasionally not worth it.

Thanks for your concerns. However, I have good reasons for not being overly paranoid...

1/. I'm only buying small amounts of cannabis; less than a couple of ounces at most. If I was buying Kilo's of heroin, or for that matter, selling on SR, then you better believe I'd be encrypted like the fucking Matrix. With optional triple-layer tin foil hat!!! But as it goes, the worst I have to fear is a Customs and Excise note letting me know they've robbed my stash.

2/. As for the actual Bitcoin exchange, where do you think 95% of Intersango's business comes from? Yup, it really isn't in their financial interest to question where you send your Bitcoins. Especially now they're charging commission on trades! That said, if you sent your coins to SR and they failed to make it because of an Intersango fuckup, I'm not sure how I would complain to them about it.

Eitherway, if you feel using something like Instawallet makes you more secure, then go for it!

Regards

BDF

I think it's very unwise to go from your personal bank --> intersango --> SR. that's a direct link to your bank account and you can't deny anything - what if intersango was shut down by the government, hacked or whatever? You would be the first target.

Also the part about commission, how would Intersango make money if they didn't charge?
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: BDF on February 21, 2012, 04:53 pm
Hi REM + Gustono,

I visit the Netherlands around twice a year, and have done for nearly two decades. Needless to say, I send as much back as I can afford! I must've had at least 6 or 7 packages stopped at the border over the years. Not a single copper has ever visited me at home. And if they did? so what! Considering the amount, it would be a small fine at most. I can live with that.

As for Intersango grassing me up, so what? Again, if I was moving thousands a month through them, then yeah, I would be concerned. But do you really believe the police would invest the technical and logistical manpower for £50 of ganja. Nope. And even if they did, I would get a small fine. Fuck em!

Re - Intersango charges: Up until a week ago, it was free to do a UK bank transfer in and out of your a/c and free to trade. Only this last week have they started to charge, and only on the actual trading side (0.65% I think it is). Not sure what the score is for Johnny Foreigner?

Again, if you feel that the police would invest the time and resources to get you, then cover your ass good. If the thought of the police confiscating your computer keeps you awake at night, there's a special place in hell for ya (I'm referring to all the sick fucks that use Tor for more nefarious reasons).

And remember this, the more you try and hide your tracks, the more suspicious you look. And given that many of the folks using SR are pretty basic computer users, I doubt many could really cover their tracks properly anyways.

Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: goangod on February 21, 2012, 08:30 pm
Hi REM + Gustono,

I visit the Netherlands around twice a year, and have done for nearly two decades. Needless to say, I send as much back as I can afford! I must've had at least 6 or 7 packages stopped at the border over the years. Not a single copper has ever visited me at home. And if they did? so what! Considering the amount, it would be a small fine at most. I can live with that.

As for Intersango grassing me up, so what? Again, if I was moving thousands a month through them, then yeah, I would be concerned. But do you really believe the police would invest the technical and logistical manpower for £50 of ganja. Nope. And even if they did, I would get a small fine. Fuck em!

Re - Intersango charges: Up until a week ago, it was free to do a UK bank transfer in and out of your a/c and free to trade. Only this last week have they started to charge, and only on the actual trading side (0.65% I think it is). Not sure what the score is for Johnny Foreigner?

Again, if you feel that the police would invest the time and resources to get you, then cover your ass good. If the thought of the police confiscating your computer keeps you awake at night, there's a special place in hell for ya (I'm referring to all the sick fucks that use Tor for more nefarious reasons).

And remember this, the more you try and hide your tracks, the more suspicious you look. And given that many of the folks using SR are pretty basic computer users, I doubt many could really cover their tracks properly anyways.
i hear what youre saying,and if thats what suits you then go for it,personally i think no interest from the old bill is better than even the slightest interest,and contrary to what you might think if sr got turned over and you did get tumbled im sure they would make an example out of anyone no matter how big or small.........
this sr business must be pissing them right off,,and right under there noses......i know in my manner they would splash me all over the local rag and make out i was some big time don buying shed loads of drugs over the internet and corrupting young minds etc...you know how they roll
be lucky peeps
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: BDF on February 22, 2012, 02:16 pm
Has anyone been watching that C4 docu-series "Coppers"?

The UK police aren't exactly known to be cutting edge law enforcement!

I do agree that not everyone should be so blase about their anonymity. If my job required a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, I'd definitely be more concerned. As it goes, I'm self-employed.

And if I was a relapsing junkie whose family life required 'my dirty little secret' be kept from them, then yeah I'd hide my 'tracks' good. Thankfully my wife knew I was a degenerate ganja fiend when we met and that I wouldn't change for no one, heavenly fanny or not!

Re - Intersango

What concerns me more about the exchange isn't my lack of anonymity, but the time it takes them to process deposits. I've read a few similar complaints on bitcointalk.org, so I know I'm not alone. Pisses me off that despite having plenty of cash to burn on illicit goodies, it can take easily 24+ hours just to get some coinage, regardless of whether I've done a bank transfer or dropped a cash deposit at a Lloyds branch. Paying for drugs in good ol' fashioned £ notes is literally the only thing I miss about traditional drug purchasing.
 

Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: gustono on February 22, 2012, 03:29 pm
Has anyone been watching that C4 docu-series "Coppers"?

The UK police aren't exactly known to be cutting edge law enforcement!

I do agree that not everyone should be so blase about their anonymity. If my job required a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, I'd definitely be more concerned. As it goes, I'm self-employed.

And if I was a relapsing junkie whose family life required 'my dirty little secret' be kept from them, then yeah I'd hide my 'tracks' good. Thankfully my wife knew I was a degenerate ganja fiend when we met and that I wouldn't change for no one, heavenly fanny or not!

Re - Intersango

What concerns me more about the exchange isn't my lack of anonymity, but the time it takes them to process deposits. I've read a few similar complaints on bitcointalk.org, so I know I'm not alone. Pisses me off that despite having plenty of cash to burn on illicit goodies, it can take easily 24+ hours just to get some coinage, regardless of whether I've done a bank transfer or dropped a cash deposit at a Lloyds branch. Paying for drugs in good ol' fashioned £ notes is literally the only thing I miss about traditional drug purchasing.
 


I'm not too bothered about it the wait really, just have money on your intersango account ready, and when you want to buy drugs, buy some bitcoin and spend them straight away. It would be very annoying if you had to pay a price per bitcoin when you deposited somehow, cause the bitcoin value could go up or down whilst you're waiting - fortunately you can't! :)
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: plancktonium on February 22, 2012, 07:24 pm
I buy btcs with my bank's bill pay facility online, send the money straight to Intersango. After all, it's not a crime to buy them, £100 here and there shouldn't raise any eyebrows - should it?
Title: Re: UK users - how do you get your bitcoins?
Post by: BDF on February 24, 2012, 12:43 am
I buy btcs with my bank's bill pay facility online, send the money straight to Intersango. After all, it's not a crime to buy them, £100 here and there shouldn't raise any eyebrows - should it?

Nope, shouldn't raise any eyebrows. 100% legal and well below the amount needed to trigger an internal review by the bank. I think most people worry about transferring Bitcoins from an exchange directly to Silk Road like my lazy / reckless ass!.