Bitcoin Forum

What are the easiest ways to anonymously get bitcoins to start trading in in the first place? I know I can go through a trade exchange, but then I have to give them my paypal/bank account/blah details, and I'd rather not do that.

I'm wondering:

how traceable are virtual credit cards?

can I buy bitcoins for cash (EUR or GBP) anywhere?

The best advice i can give you that way is to sell some form of good or service for the bitcoins, wether it be a preloaded giftcard you send a code or mail or something physical you have to ship to the purchaser.

How traceable are giftcodes? Say I sold an Amazon voucher, that's got to be traceable back to my Amazon account, hasn't it?

On the other hand, if I bought an Amazon voucher on ebay, then used that voucher to buy bitcoins, it's a little less traceable because there's one more layer of obfuscation, but I imagine it's still traceable.

What level of traceability do others here find acceptable?

It honestly depends on what you're selling/buying and who you are. but if you were to go to a local store and purchase a code in person using cash it's untracable outside of your actual transaction (i send an email with the code ect.) If you sell something physical well there's the actuall postal transaction unless you meet in person and then there's still an email record.  but really if you're not doing anything massivly illegal there is a point at which any effort to remain anonymous becomes wasted, considering that your client can generate new addresses upon demand you don't ever need to send coins from where they were recived and in many cases that intself is even overkill

Obtaining them anonymously is a bit difficult unless you know people you can meet with in person for cash.  If you know Silk Road, some people sell Bitcoins there for cash precisely for anonymity purposes.

Perhaps a better strategy is to obscure the source of the coins once you obtain them. Use instawallet.org or similar, and send between accounts multiple times over days or weeks, using the "green address". Vary the quantities sent each time.

Ah, that's a good idea. I'll check SR...

I'm really more curious about the theroreticals of this: both the question:

what level of traceability do people consider acceptable for x purpose?

and

to what extent does x company selling x currency (giftcodes, disposable visa cards) save the serial numbers of those items against the transaction number with the info of the purchaser?

Not particularly "easy" or "quick", but if anonymity is your goal:
 - http://mndrix.blogspot.com/2011/09/easily-anonymous-bitcoins.html

In-person for cash is one method of buying bitcoins without giving out any identity.  There are several services:
 - http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Category:Local

Perhaps there are other methods here:
 - http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Buying_bitcoins

I suppose it's worth noting there are no cash for BTC offers on SR at the moment.

There are a few services (such as Bitcoins 4 Cash) that allow you to buy Bitcoins by sending cash in the mail.

GamingG, I haven't come across one yet that's a) in the UK and b) has a good reputation in these communities.

Stephen Gornick, that mndrix link is interesting, thank-you.

il do bitcoins for a bank deposit. want a pretty decent markup on it tho.

we can start of small to build trust. or if depending on your location can meet in person if you prefer

You could create your own bitcoins - mining. But takes fair amount of investment and even then it will take a while to generate any.

Or you could start selling things in bitcoins - drugs are good because most people understand that their dealer isn't going to show them his passport as ID when selling them.

I kill two birds with one stone and have my bitcoin mining operation in my meth lab as both require hefty ventilation.

What about buying in person with cash? There are several services that help you meet local people to buy/sell. Just meet at a coffee shop. No one needs to say their name.

You know... I have had anonymous letters show up with nothing more than cash and a bitcoin address.  Never been a serious amount (always < $100) but I have always made good on it and sent bitcoins at the then-current price.  I have a locked mailbox.

So in case it's of interest... 2901 Little Cottonwood Rd, Sandy, UT 84092...

Buy Visa Gift Cards for cash at a gas station or something. Make sure they aren't locked to an address or zip code or something. Stay away from cameras. Anonymous enough.

see my sig.

it's a nice image, vladimir, but it doesn't link anywhere.

LOL, it is what fixing all the bugs during last night before the launch makes to people. Brainfart is fixed and image is linked. Thank You.

Click away!

Another alternative would be to buy with Ukash or Paysafecards which you can obtain anonymously at i.e. gas stations.

It seems like btc-e.com (https://btc-e.com/) is accepting Ukash and virwox.com (https://www.virwox.com/) Paysafecards. Then send them to your Instawallet, Strongcoin or local BC client always whilst connected through tor or better a vpn + tor.

Although fees could be a killer...

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