Perhaps telling us something about its readership, The Economist outlined exactly how people are able to purchase (illegal) drugs over the internet:

• Silk Road, a mail-order drug service allows anybody to purchase drugs online and have them delivered to their home.
• To access it users have to use a specialized browser that anonymizes individuals by encrypting and bouncing internet traffic around the world.
• Payment is made through Bitcoin – an anonymized currency that is difficult to track.
• Buyers have to enter their address – but it is deleted from the system once the seller reads it (à la snapchat).
• The seller doesn’t receive the money until the buyer confirms that they have received the drugs. Partial refunds are normally offered for missing packages.
• The substances are often sent inside gifts such as birthday cards or sweets.
• The buyer can then leave reviews for the seller.
• The Silk Road takes 10% on every transaction. Its revenues in 2012 were estimated to be $22m.

Read more about the dangers of using the service for wholesale purposes, those who have been caught, the danger of using Bitcoins and much more over here.

Source: The Economist