Random Darknet Shopper: A Live Mail Art Piece (opens in new tab)

(wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.bitnik.org)

147 pointsobjectiveariel7y ago43 comments

43 comments

The dark web/deep web/dark net/whateveryouwannacallit has many legal things sold on it. My favorite story was a few years back, a vendor there was selling drugs. However, they also had their own coffee blend, and they would send a bag of their coffee with every purchase. Turns out the coffee was phenomenal. The vendor started getting so many requests to buy the coffee directly that they were able to just start selling coffee. I don't remember if that got them to stop selling their illegal merchandise, but at least they had one avenue of semi-ethical income.

lainga7y ago

(White takes a sip) "This is incredible... what the hell are we making meth for?!"

johnnyfived7y ago

Different perspective / explanation:

Coffee works and tastes better while on other drugs.

1 more reply

captaincrowbar7y ago

Breaking Bad/Twin Peaks crossover confirmed.

noobermin7y ago

To be fair, coffee is just another drug. And there are many drugs which are sold legally which have much worse impact on people and communities, like opiod prescriptions.

So I know what you mean about selling drugs being "semi-ethical" (probably a fanciful way to say "legal") but it's not as unethical as many other things people sell out in the open.

baud1472587y ago

I loved the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" book. I mean it must something subversive to be sold on the darkweb.

Edit: the other object are interesting: credit card, spy camera...

matte_black7y ago

The Darknet has many recipe books for cannibals, often with disturbing (but almost delicious) photos of the resulting meals.

kerkeslager7y ago

Source/link? I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've heard a lot of crazy stories about what's supposedly on the darkweb, but a lot of it seems to be just that: stories.

2 more replies

iooi7y ago

I'm really curious where/how they acquire the main ingredient for those meals.

2 more replies

sevensor7y ago

It's worth reading the bit where it orders ecstasy and gets the exhibit shut down.

zaroth7y ago

Hard to believe there’s a prosecutor with a brain between their ears and enough political cover to actually admit this is a worthwhile art project in the public interest to overcome the technical violation.

https://wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.bitnik.org/r/2015-04-15-rando...

downandout7y ago

Yeah I imagine that in the US, they'd be indicted and accused of using the art project as an elaborate cover-up for a drug importation conspiracy.

nipponese7y ago

Just file an LLC as the owner for the script, sit back, and watch the show.

cowboysauce7y ago

I honestly expected it to be 90% drugs, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity of the items.

setr7y ago

It makes sense; people interested in drugs are presumably also interested in other things, and ordering drugs online somewhat implies a certain level of expendable income, so it'd be a decent marketplace for not-drugs. And I imagine drug-hobbyists probably have more diverse interests than the average person, as they've already expressed interests in the not-publicly safe hobbies (but likely still also have safe hobbies as well)

amelius7y ago

Perhaps the other items are sold as a kind of cover-up, somehow?

scottie_m7y ago

Knock-offs, and stolen merchandise are often sold by the same criminals who sell drugs. Aside from street dealers who are dealing to get their next fix, it’s not as though drug dealers have some need to restrict themselves to one lucrative market.

DrScump7y ago

This occurs on eBay as well. (Note how many gift cards sell for well over their merchant-limited value... in cash or equivalent.)

zaroth7y ago

A 1oz [Counterfeit] Canadian Gold Coin for $30

The description doesn’t indicate it was sold as a counterfeit, but no way you can buy an oz of gold for $30 on the dark web...

https://wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.bitnik.org/r/021-canadian-gol...

Mononokay7y ago

That's a lot of "w."

lightedman7y ago

Especially since at the bottom of that part for the coin it lists the weight as 15 grams. That's not 1 oz of gold. To boot, gold is one of those things that doesn't really darken, it tends to stay the same color at any angle, and seeing shadows makes me think that this is in fact a zinc-plated coin, as you can get close to a gold tint with zinc electroplating on copper. That would be more reasonable given the weight, assuming all other dimensions are correct.

f3r3nc7y ago

All these items seems remote, sometimes funny or interesting until I recognize my friend's very passport.

skjerns7y ago

pics or it didn't happen

lainga7y ago

I wonder what those "triangle crackers" were and what was so risky about them.

hackermailman7y ago

Firecrackers from Poland, glad they didn't ship explosives in the regular mail often it is shipped on passenger aircraft in the cargo hold. You would go from petty smuggler to interpol's most wanted terrorist really fast if something happened. IIRC the darknet exhibit also shows the packaging, maybe the firecracker guy didn't want that on display.

lainga7y ago

Oh, THOSE kind of crackers. I was thinking rice cakes...

1 more reply

f2n7y ago

At least they used the correct numbers of w's in the URL.

lolptdr7y ago

What does 22 w's mean?

sp3327y ago

W for Web server, behind seven www proxies. /s

tudorw7y ago

Cool to see the prosecutor demonstrate a profound understanding of the possible purpose and utility to which art can be applied.

triplenineteen7y ago

43 comments

Rotdhizon7y ago

lainga7y ago

(White takes a sip) "This is incredible... what the hell are we making meth for?!"

johnnyfived7y ago

Different perspective / explanation:

Coffee works and tastes better while on other drugs.

1 more reply

captaincrowbar7y ago

Breaking Bad/Twin Peaks crossover confirmed.

noobermin7y ago

To be fair, coffee is just another drug. And there are many drugs which are sold legally which have much worse impact on people and communities, like opiod prescriptions.

So I know what you mean about selling drugs being "semi-ethical" (probably a fanciful way to say "legal") but it's not as unethical as many other things people sell out in the open.

baud1472587y ago

I loved the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" book. I mean it must something subversive to be sold on the darkweb.

Edit: the other object are interesting: credit card, spy camera...

matte_black7y ago

The Darknet has many recipe books for cannibals, often with disturbing (but almost delicious) photos of the resulting meals.

kerkeslager7y ago

Source/link? I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've heard a lot of crazy stories about what's supposedly on the darkweb, but a lot of it seems to be just that: stories.

2 more replies

iooi7y ago

I'm really curious where/how they acquire the main ingredient for those meals.

2 more replies

sevensor7y ago

It's worth reading the bit where it orders ecstasy and gets the exhibit shut down.

zaroth7y ago

https://wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.bitnik.org/r/2015-04-15-rando...

downandout7y ago

Yeah I imagine that in the US, they'd be indicted and accused of using the art project as an elaborate cover-up for a drug importation conspiracy.

nipponese7y ago

Just file an LLC as the owner for the script, sit back, and watch the show.