Frequently asked questions from new buyers
Eight questions that turn up regularly in the reader inbox for the guide. The answers below pick up where the step pages leave off; some readers find it useful to skim the FAQ first and then read the steps in order.
How long does the whole walkthrough usually take?
A first run through the guide tends to take a single evening. Installing the Tor Browser is a five-minute affair, picking a mirror is immediate, and the registration and two-factor setup add another quarter of an hour. The slow part is the deposit, since waiting for a coin to confirm on its network can take anywhere from a few minutes for Litecoin or Monero to an hour for Bitcoin in a busy mempool.
Can I follow the guide on a phone?
The Tor Browser is available for Android and the guide steps apply with minor differences in where buttons live. iPhones do not have an official Tor Browser; the recommended Onion Browser for iOS is similar in spirit but not identical, and the guide assumes the desktop Tor Browser for that reason. A laptop is the friendliest environment for a first walkthrough.
What if my Tor Browser will not connect at all?
Open the Tor Browser settings and check that no proxy is configured by accident. If the network you are on filters Tor, the bridge option in the settings panel routes the connection through volunteer relays that are harder to filter. Most readers do not need bridges, but the option is there when a network is unfriendly to a plain Tor connection.
How long should my passphrase be?
Long enough that you would never guess it back from a hint. Four random unrelated words separated by spaces is a good starting point, and the writeup of the diceware scheme is a friendly read if you want a method rather than an instinct. The storefront does not impose a maximum length; a longer passphrase is always fine, never worse.
What does the multisig escrow actually do for the buyer?
It puts the funds into a contract that the platform alone cannot move. The buyer signs to release once goods arrive, the vendor signs when they have shipped, and any two of three keys are enough. If the buyer and vendor disagree, the platform key swings the dispute via the arbitration panel. In a well-run order, the platform key never moves at all.
Which coin is least friction for a first deposit?
Litecoin tends to feel the smoothest for a first try — confirmations are quick, fees are low, and the on-ramp is easy on most exchanges. Monero is the choice if visibility of the deposit on a public chain matters to you. Bitcoin works everywhere but tends to be the slowest of the three under busy mempool conditions.
What if I send a deposit to a wrong address?
A wrong address on a coin network is unrecoverable from the storefront side, since the storefront never held the coin in the first place. The defence is operational rather than technical — copy the deposit address with the system shortcut rather than retyping it, verify the first and last four characters once it is pasted, and send a small test amount the first time you deposit from a new wallet.
Does the guide change when the storefront changes?
Yes. The step pages are revised when the storefront workflow does. The address list on the get-mirrors page is the part that turns over fastest, since the rotation moves on its own schedule. The other steps tend to be stable for a year or more at a time, with small wording revisions when something in the storefront UI moves.