Getting started

How to place your first order, step by step

A working walkthrough for someone who has never used Anubis, Nexus or Osiris. Six steps, no mystery, no jargon. Read it once end to end before you touch anything, then work through it slowly the second time.

This is a procedure, not a lecture. It assumes you can install software and nothing more. Every step has a clear stopping point. If you cannot finish one, stop, do not improvise, and come back to the relevant guide page here. Rushing is how people lose a first deposit, so treat each step as a checkpoint you have to clear before moving on.

Step 1. Install the Tor Browser.

Go to torproject.org yourself, download the build for your system, and check the signature against the project key. Do not grab it from a third-party mirror, do not install some wrapper a forum post recommended, and do not treat a clearnet VPN as a substitute. The Tor Browser is the supported way in. It is the only piece of software in this whole procedure that you should download, and you should download it from one place only.

Step 2. Set the security slider to Safest.

Click the shield in the top right. Safest turns off scripting, blocks remote fonts and blocks WebGL. All three storefronts work fine without scripting, so leave it on Safest. A storefront that demands scripting to show you a product list is a storefront to be wary of; the markets in this directory do not.

Step 3. Bookmark this directory on the clearnet.

Bookmark OnionPages, not the onion you plan to visit. The directory refreshes its mirror lists. A bookmarked onion link will eventually drop out of rotation; a bookmarked directory stays current. This is the single habit that separates buyers who always find a working onion mirror from buyers who are forever asking a forum why their saved address is dead.

Step 4. Copy a mirror from the front page.

Each of Anubis, Nexus and Osiris lists its onions on its page. Press Copy on the first one, paste it into the Tor Browser, and wait. If a challenge page appears, complete it. Never hand-type a fifty six character onion link; the Copy button hands you the exact string, and that is the only safe way to move an onion address from this page into the browser.

Step 5. Create the account.

Signup wants a username, a password, an optional invite code you can skip, and a captcha. Use a name and a password you have not used anywhere else, and save both into a password manager. Turn on two-factor if the market offers it, and save that recovery material too. Account recovery is awkward everywhere by design, so the time to prepare for it is now, not after you are locked out.

Step 6. Fund the account.

Fund in Monero. On Anubis and Nexus the deposit screen credits your account balance. On Osiris there is no account wallet at all: it is walletless, so funds go straight into direct buyer-to-vendor escrow when you order. Either way, send from a wallet you control. The deposits guide covers wallet picks and how to confirm the send.

Frequently asked

Do I need a VPN as well as Tor?
No. The Tor Browser is the supported path. Adding a VPN does not improve on it for this and can complicate things.

How long until my deposit shows up?
A Monero deposit is usually visible to the market in under ten minutes. See the deposits guide if a screen sits pending.

What if a mirror will not load?
Try the next onion in the market's list, then use New Tor Circuit for this Site. The FAQ covers this in more detail.

What comes next

That is the whole thing. Manage all six steps and you can place an order. Stuck on one? There is a deep-dive page here for each. The escrow guide explains what protects the money once you order, and the buyer habits page lists the small things experienced buyers do without thinking. Bookmark the directory and work through the starter pack in order.