I've been scammed a total of three times, and I could have avoided all three situations.
The first time, I finalized early, but the vendor never shipped the pack. It was 200 Somas from India, so it wasn't a particularly expensive loss. I shouldn't have released the funds, but I'd previously ordered clonidine from the same vendor without any issues. That didn't matter much anyway, since I ended up buying another 200 from a different vendor. Those got seized in transit, and I received a cute little love letter a few weeks later. Luckily, my lease was ending around the same time.
Neither experience was particularly pleasant, but they taught me to keep it domestic. It's tempting when you can get the same quantity for a fraction of the domestic price, but it's not worth burning your address.
The second time, I bought "4-MMC" from a new vendor. I already had my doubts about receiving genuine 4-MMC. The vendor didn't have many reviews, and the crystals in the listing image didn't look anything like what you'd expect mephedrone to look like. I knew that, at best, I was probably going to receive some kind of chlorinated methcathinone.
After sending it off for testing, I found out it was actually 4-CMC. I messaged the vendor and sent him the lab results (which he'd asked to see). To his credit, he apologized, sent me more along with some shrooms for free, and removed the original listing before relisting the product under what it actually was. He explained that he'd been misled by his own source. Apparently, he was also a user trying to make some money while providing HQ mephedrone. Lol.
The third time, I got scammed buying "4-MMC" yet again. This time, the guy sold me creatine mixed with 4-CMC.
It was a front-page bulk vendor, and I hadn't bothered to read any of the recent reviews. I ended up taking some, felt nothing after 1.5 hours, and hopped on my PC to investigate. The recent reviews basically said, "WTF, this is 90% whatever and MDMA/some random cath." Needless to say, trying it before receiving the test results was a bad idea. I could have avoided the whole situation by spending literally 10 seconds reading a review, lol.
What's even more fucked up is that I bought NEP from him too, which I'd actually tried first. That turned out to be legitimate, but I ended up throwing it away because, oh my God, it's anxiety in powder form.
Anyway, I've had easily 70+ packages arrive successfully over the past couple of years. For anyone interested, I think the takeaway is that you can avoid a lot of problems by being careful. I tend to put too much faith in mysterious vendors.
Read reviews and check the Reddit of the dark web. If a vendor puts genuine effort into their listings/profile, that's usually a good sign. The way they respond to questions can also tell you a lot about how seriously they take their business, although neither is a guarantee of quality.
Personally, I've tended to avoid the HUGE bulk vendors plastered all over the front page. I've always preferred smaller, more "boutique" vendors who actually take the time to write detailed descriptions on their profiles and seem genuinely interested in something beyond simply making a profit.
My best experience was with a vendor who would refuse orders from anyone with fewer than five previous orders. If you finalized an order late even once (your customer stats show on his end), he'd simply cancel it. I also arranged a direct deal with him on a forum once. I'd failed to follow his ordering protocol, but instead of telling me what I'd done wrong, he simply ignored the messaage. I had to figure out on my own why he didn't to take my $350, lol.
Another honorable mention goes to a DMT vendor. He hid my $50 worth of DMT so well that the stealth was unreal. I left him a very positive review, and he ended up sending me a thoughtful message thanking me. He even said that if I had any questions about my ethereal experiences with the substance, I shouldn't hesitate to reach out. He'd be happy to help me make sense of them.
I've also had a clearnet vendor email me back and forth just to shoot the shit. On the other hand, I've dealt with vendors who wouldn't ship anything for two weeks and would leave my messages on read when I asked when they planned to ship.
I've had some really good experiences with RCs through the clearnet. Over the past few years, I've come across some unusual compounds that don't seem to circulate much in the States, including 2C-E, 2C-C, DPT, benzofurans, and RC benzos.
As for the steroid vendors on Telegram, I've gotten some really cheap Indian pharmaceuticals from them, but it's all fun and games until they take your money and run.
At least with darknet markets, vendors are held somewhat accountable, and you can keep your money in escrow until the goods arrive. Of course, that doesn't guarantee what's actually in the package.
Ultimately, use your best judgment. Stick to official links, check the Reddit of the dark net for market-related discussions and more in-depth vendor reviews, and be mindful of the risks associated with international orders. Most importantly, avoid ordering from vendors who clearly cannot formulate a coherent sentence in their profile/listing.
In my experience, the more responsive vendors have generally been the ones I've had the best experiences with. That said, these are still random people on the internet, so never assume you know what's actually in a package. Test your drugs, especially the more obscure compounds!
This whole post is terrible OpSec, but fuck it. I believe I have the right to make decisions about what I put into my own body, and I don't think that should make me a criminal. I'm not interested in selling drugs or profiteering from other people's consumption. I've even allegedly mailed MDMA and MDA to online friends in the past. I just think these experiences are worth sharing. DO NOT DM ME ASKING FOR DRUGS! I'm not offering anything, and I'm not interested in sourcing anything for anyone. Hopefully I didn't break any of the forum rules.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk on why I use the darknet. Oh, and I also don't have anyone to source from IRL. Besides, why miss out on the chance to try actual clandestinely synthesized methaqualone when it briefly appeared on the darknet for about a month? Or some obscure phenethylamine that hasn't been seen in over a decade? 'Ludes in 2026, baby (Soma is still king).