JJay
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eBay Discloses Your Bidding History
I ran across this yesterday. If you order things that you shouldn't order from eBay, buy things from suspicious sources from eBay, or are simply an
amateur chemist who somehow drew the curiosity of law enforcement, they can request your bidding history, email address, phone number, and zip code by
simply submitting the request on a piece of letterhead.
It's probably best to think twice before ordering that MDP2NP, formaldehyde, ammonium chloride, aluminum turnings and mercury from everyone's favorite
auction site. Otherwise, you might get a lot of weird phone calls from people you don't know.
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j_sum1
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This looks to be US. Does this apply in other jurisdictions?
In my case, I am not sure that it changes anything very much. I have already had two police visits to check out what I am doing and know that I can
expect more if I attempt to import certain chemicals or glassware. Nothing that I have or am likely to have is illegal to own. So it is simply a
matter of checking up on my actions -- which I have documented. I will eBay to my heart's content.
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JJay
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Yes, it does. eBay has similar policies everywhere but in some places, access for law enforcement is more streamlined. I don't know exactly how things
work in Australia, but in France, for example, they have an online system that law enforcement can use to run searches for the information that they
want.
I've noticed a few times that I seem to be under police surveillance after ordering items from eBay. Watching me has to be extremely boring, LoL. I
can just imagine...
"The suspect has been inside all day with no visitors and appears to have no life. Oh, he's going to McDonald's! I need backup over here in case he
tries to do a handoff. The suspect is escaping by public transit! I'm in hot pursuit."
"The canine team detected four meth labs in the area. Unfortunately, none of them appear to be associated with the suspect, and none of the
individuals arrested named him or avowed any association."
"We just caught a rare glimpse of the suspect adding a liquid from a burette to a clear solution until it turned purple. The chief doesn't think it's
enough to get a warrant, but I have a hunch about this guy...."
It's hard to really be 100% sure about police surveillance--cops certainly don't advertise that they are watching people, and I'm sure that watching
most eBay purchases doesn't bear fruit, but I have little doubt that they do watch eBay.
Edit: deleted tasteless donut joke.
[Edited on 15-3-2017 by JJay]
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MrBlank
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Turn around time on a request from WA Police for Paypal to produce records was 6 days on an occasion in 2013, according to documents.
If a person gets nabbed in a lab bust in one state, say SA, the lab contents are inspected to identify suppliers. In the case of a seller on
eBay, say a Polish chemical supplier, LE contacts eBay and asks who else in Australia was sold what and when. This
information can be supplied to police in a different state, say WA, who may then raid if it appears warranted.
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violet sin
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awe snap, is ammonium chloride watched now? That was one of the last chemicals I bought there... Few pounds worth for electrochem with PGM's
following a patent....
Well thats fun I guess, wait and see if anything comes of it. I don't mess with anything illegal, shit I'm never even home to play chemist unless
there is time between jobs. Which only happens when you DON'T want time off.
I order a lot from ebay. Mostly electronic bits and metals or other collectibles, but there is the occasional chem purchase. much more so in the
past as I was still trying to get a few reagents to stock the shelves. Never fun having 90% of some patent to try, I mean its already a DIY effort at
what ever process you are trying. Plating levelers brightners fro instance arent easy to come across in mL quantities.
------
Took a quick look around for ammonium chloride, don't think is is specifically watched. There are a few things common to tool sheds and homes with
pools, but I don't have anything that screams trouble at all. Makes a guy feel better reading those lists from time to time.
[Edited on 15-3-2017 by violet sin]
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JJay
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I don't think it's watched either, really, but it might look suspicious if purchased with other things or from a suspicious supplier.
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MrBlank
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In Australia, if you get a raid from police, Ammonium Sulphate and Ammonium Chloride will both be in a list of chemicals found on site, followed by
the sentence "These are all consistent with items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and precursor materials". This will be in the form of a
Statement by the forensic chemist who attends.
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JJay
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Hmmm I think I have a kilogram of ammonium sulfate around here somewhere... that it could be used to make methamphetamine never occurred to me....
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MrBlank
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Many things can appear in that list. Oxalic acid, L-Alanine and Isopropanol, to name a few.
Statement says the oxalate salt of meth is sometimes formed instead.
Oxalic Acid???. I am no expert, but... that would be meth that was hard to burn, and gives kidney stones as a bonus, I would postulate.
No reputable references could be found that detailed its properties etc.
It made me a bit mad at the time, wasting hours trying to acertain the veracity of that claim.
[Edited on 15-3-2017 by MrBlank]
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JJay
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I don't know what to think about that. My brother is a forensic chemist. (I didn't get this from him or anything; it came from the EFF website.)
Oh and I just ran across this: https://www.isp.idaho.gov/forensics/documents/currentAMs/Con...
Apparently, forensic chemists like to make methamphetamine oxylate for analysis purposes since it isn't hygroscopic.
[Edited on 15-3-2017 by JJay]
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violet sin
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I picked up somewhere in the ballpark of 45#'s of ammonium sulfate on the curb free once. Craigs' list score in free column. My lawn looked great
untill moist weather supplied me a solid block from the prills of fertalizer, Lol. I'm sure if you squinted and looked sideways, you may be able to
find some technicality for the things in most houses.
I'm all for catching the bad guy's, but not for errosion of privacy to get those that "could have made xyz" by some 40 page round about route to one
precursor at a terrible loss of time and money in the face of much more dirrect sources.
Just steer clear of bad ideas, and hope you dont win some kind of shitty lotto doing normal things I guess 'eh?
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macckone
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Ammonium sulfate is in all kinds of fertilizer.
Ammonium chloride is a urinary supplement for farm animals.
However buying certain combinations will get you flagged.
And it might be a little suspicious to buy 50lbs of ammonium chloride
In the middle of a major city but not in farm country.
Although to be fair, in farm country you would probably get it
At a feed store, not ebay.
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highpower48
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Think only thing I've ordered that might be an issue 100 grams of iodine, was cheaper to buy than make. And a pound of aluminium powder....aluminum
burnings, shoot I dispose of lots of this from my lathe work..
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JJay
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I've ordered things from eBay that could raise a few eyebrows (stuff like metal chlorides) but really, probably the most suspicious thing I've ordered
is potassium permanganate.
[Edited on 15-3-2017 by JJay]
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Sulaiman
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Here in UK it is best to assume that there is no such thing as digital privacy,
soon I'll be lurking around back streets looking for a Kilo of Isopropyl Bromide ....
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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unionised
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I wonder if the guys doing these searches actually believe that they are making the world a better place.
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JJay
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Probably... if not, they shouldn't be in law enforcement. I will say, though, that from what little I know on the subject, while most law enforcement
professionals don't have formal quotas, some of the most successful ones do adopt a quota mentality. So literally, somewhere, there is probably a high
performing FBI agent thinking, "OMG, I haven't busted anyone on eBay yet this month. Let's see here...."
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tsathoggua1
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In the UK, better duck behind a hedge and stay waiting with PIKL weaponry or vircator/voltage-doubling circuit-based pulse rifles before you trust a
single soul, and thats just before your own damn piss. Let alone for alkali metals, phosphorus, I2, biotoxins etc.
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