I want to have some privacy when ordering something online, this means two things:
Paying anonymously
Receiving parcel anonymously
The 1. is relatively easy if you find a shop that offers the product and accepts crypto/paysafe or use a service like Cakepay to bridge crypto to fiat.
But receiving parcel anonymously is a more difficult problem.
A parcel station would be an option, but they all require KYC.
They are some webshops that selling fake names to deliver on to shops and scan with qr code or selling anonymous parcel station accounts.
But if feels a bit sketchy and their payment options are also out of date for example many services only accept Bitcoin send to a legacy address (not even modern format like segwit or taproot) and then require a screenshot of you sending the money, instead of just creating a Lightning invoice.
Another problem is that they sometimes only support certain parcel stores that are far away.
The post offices near me don’t require an ID to pick up a package, just a PIN u get sent by SMS on the phone number u order on. So technically u can order with fake name and enter the address of the post office, and the only thing they’d get is ur phone number. And no, i’m not talking about a warehouse station like those redirection ones. But idk where u live so could be different there. I simply order online, enter the address of the post office they work with (smth like USPS/UPS in the US i guess?) and then pick up my packaging with the PIN.
There’s no anonymous payment or parcel receiving. You can pay with a privacy-friendly method like XMR, and you can pick up your parcels at a pick-up station. It’s all about who you want to hide your data from. If it’s only from the shop, you’ll be fine when paying with XMR or a credit card masking service and picking up your order at a local post office. However, if you want to hide it from authorities, it becomes more difficult and complex. In general, using fake IDs is mostly illegal and can be liable to prosecution.
I have only tried it once. I received a parcel at the local DHL shop near where I live. I told them in advance that I would be receiving a parcel, and asked them to call me when it arrives, and they did. I used my real name, though. Just my first name. Meaning that the company I shopped from had my real first name. The DHL store didn’t ask for KYC when I picked it up because I am a frequent customer, and they know me. They just gave me the parcel.
That being said, I would love to try it again but with a fake name. In my opinion, if it works, it will only work because the people at DHL know me and if I tell them in advance. I can also imagine results varying depending on the shop. Some parcel shop may be against you trying to do this.
Payment can be anonymous, the receicing part is a lot harder.
This looks like some form of proxy for parcel do I get this right?
Interesting that they also offer a P2P option that is “Secured with zero knowledge proofs”, I wonder what this means in this context.
This is really complicated; there is no such method. I mean, there is, but it involves trusting third parties and breaking the chain of privacy. As they say around here, I recommend paying with XMR, that way you lose track of it.
If you only want privacy from Amazon, he’ll ship it to your house, but he’ll know where you live. If you want neither Amazon nor him nor anyone to know who you are and where you live and what you’ve ordered, have him ship it to an Amazon Locker, which is usually in a Seven Eleven or some other business with video cameras. Go at night with sunglasses, mask, wide brim hat and unmarked clothes. Know where the locker is inside the store, have your code ready, be in & out in 30 seconds and no one (including anyone looking at the video) will have any idea who you are or what you’ve ordered.
What’s sketchy about picking up a package at an Amazon Locker? No KYC required at all. You just get a code emailed to you that opens the locker. My “sketchy” suggestions are only to be used if you don’t want to be on camera. Besides, you only need to look “sketchy” for about 30-60 seconds. Who cares? Seven Eleven gets all kind of weirdos and homeless walking in there. You are just one more.
They are some webshops that selling fake names to deliver on to shops and scan with qr code or selling anonymous parcel station accounts.
Dont know which u mean, i know one from Austria which works really well. You can buy online with Crypto, but when u call can you also buy with cash. Seems a viable option for me.
With “sketchy” I was referring to some websites I found that look very outdated and partially only accept outdated payment methods (like payments to a Bitcoin legacy address)
