Best Practices: Private/Anonymous Online Purchasing?

NOTE: This thread was not intended to be about 'online privacy' in general, but rather, about getting as much anonymity as possible where the money leaves my account.
i.e. to lessen, as much as reasonably possible, the amount that can be known about who's buying what.

e.g. when I go to a local store and pay cash, done.
Online though, it's a different story.

I know it's never going to be completely private or anonymous, but we try the best we can, and use whatever methods and innovations that seem to help in the right direction.

I also already know about and am looking into a new VPN service. So, this thread is only in relation to banking records, etc...



So, with those thoughts in mind...
What are the best ways of buying things from online retailers without involving one's own, primary banking check card or credit card, etc?

I've considered using Visa Gift Cards or Visa Prepaid Cards (which seem like a better idea, because they can be 'reloaded').

I know there are some fees associated with some of these concepts, and that might deter some from even considering it, but for me, it doesn't really matter very much; especially the relatively low amount of vape-related purchases I will be making online.

Are there other alternatives?

It seems like Bitcoin might be a good idea someday, but doesn't seem to be taking off quite yet.

Of course, I know there will be a strong contingent that just says, "Whatever", but for those of you that do think about this kind of thing...

What do you guys do?

Send a money order/bank check. In some cases, buying anonymously on-line may leave you without a valid proof of purchase, which could be a problem with some companies if warranty service is needed.

smolderson_bud said:

for those of you that do think about this kind of thing...

Click to expand...

Why do you think that buying a vape on-line is a problem? It's not automatically mj smoking paraphernalia since you can use it with tobacco or other legal herbs. You can't buy a pipe or a bong on eBay but you can buy and sell all the vapes and vape accessories you want. If you're caught with it and it has vapor residue that's a different story, but that would happen after the purchase.

Yep. I totally understand your line of reasoning and questioning.
For me, it's not so much about legalities as it is about privacy. i.e. not just being private while I'm online (that's what the VPN is for), but privacy in my banking life, etc.

I don't care that a vape can be used for both MJ and tobacco. I just simply don't want my bank (or my insurance company, or anyone else, for that matter) knowing what I'm buying (Not even for any particular reason. I just want to maximize my privacy, and this is just another area to look at, and so I'm poking around to see what comes up).

e.g. when I go to a local store and pay cash, done. Online though, it's a different story.

smolderson_bud said:

Yep. I totally understand your line of reasoning and questioning.
For me, it's not so much about legalities as it is about privacy. i.e. not just being private while I'm online (that's what the VPN is for), but privacy in my banking life, etc.

I don't care that a vape can be used for both MJ and tobacco. I just simply don't want my bank (or my insurance company, or anyone else, for that matter) knowing what I'm buying (Not even for any particular reason. I just want to maximize my privacy, and this is just another area to look at, and so I'm poking around to see what comes up).

e.g. when I go to a local store and pay cash, done. Online though, it's a different story.

Click to expand...

If you use a standard debit or credit card, your bank will know that you shopped at a particular business, but they will NOT know your specific purchases. While this information is certainly available, I think your individual shopping profile (linked to your name) would not be accessible without a subpoena or some other type of court order.

For example, here's an entry from my checking account
12/22/2014 Debit Card Transaction THE HOME DEPOT 1546 BOULDER CO 002229 12/22 $26.91

All the bank sees is the date, store, and transaction amount. My bank knows I went to Home Depot on 12/22 and spent ~$27, but they have no idea on what. And it's not in their interests to find out. Marketers care about this, but again, the shopping information available to them does not link names to specific transaction histories.

So basically, unless you order from "Marijuana Vaporizer Incorporation" your bank has no idea what you bought and the transaction won't even be regarded as out of the ordinary.

Also I don't know if it would work, but I believe you can start a paypal account with only an email address. If you did that and then had a friend send you money, you could keep the balance in Paypal and essentially have an online bank that was linked only to your email.

Bouldorado said:

If you use a standard debit or credit card, your bank will know that you shopped at a particular business, but they will NOT know your specific purchases. While this information is certainly available, I think your individual shopping profile (linked to your name) would not be accessible without a subpoena or some other type of court order.

For example, here's an entry from my checking account
12/22/2014 Debit Card Transaction THE HOME DEPOT 1546 BOULDER CO 002229 12/22 $26.91

All the bank sees is the date, store, and transaction amount. My bank knows I went to Home Depot on 12/22 and spent ~$27, but they have no idea on what. And it's not in their interests to find out. Marketers care about this, but again, the shopping information available to them does not link names to specific transaction histories.

So basically, unless you order from "Marijuana Vaporizer Incorporation" your bank has no idea what you bought and the transaction won't even be regarded as out of the ordinary.

Also I don't know if it would work, but I believe you can start a paypal account with only an email address. If you did that and then had a friend send you money, you could keep the balance in Paypal and essentially have an online bank that was linked only to your email.

Click to expand...

OK....so, the main point from the first part is this...
"unless you order from "Marijuana Vaporizer Incorporation" your bank has no idea what you bought and the transaction won't even be regarded as out of the ordinary."

Right. That's exactly my point. I'm so lucky to find myself among such a wikedly-cool likemindedness.

As for your last paragraph, I think using PayPal like that is a fine idea. Of course, the only problem with it is the fact that not all retailers take PayPal as a form of payment.

Outside of those places though, this is really a good, valid component to add to the mix.