Anybody who's ever tried to pick up quality crypto mining hardware will tell ya... it's a jungle out there. It's hard to tell the difference between a great bargain and "too good to be true". While it may be ideal to buy straight from the manufacturer, that's not always an option. Why not? Because of the 3 scariest words to any mining enthusiast: OUT. OF. STOCK.
With so much crypto flying around in such a developing market, SCAMMERS ARE EVERYWHERE. At the same time, scammer warnings are kind of scattered, making it difficult to distinguish the trustworthy from the parasitic.
It's a real shame too, because there ARE some honest trustworthy hardware companies that would see a LOT more success if they were easier to find. LOOK NO FURTHER than this Legit or Quit List, a list of hardware retailers that are actually SAFE to buy from, as well as a list of BAD sites that are KNOWN SCAMMERS.
Also, included at the bottom are some unknown retailers I think are worth looking into. I cannot personally vouch for the UNKNOWNS, but in my preliminary investigation, they SEEM pretty promising. Any and all feedback in the comments section would be greatly appreciated. ENJOY, and hash responsibly.
LEGIT LIST - SAFE AND TRUSTWORTHY
Bitmain, PinIdea, Baikal, IBeLink
(Obviously) direct from manufacturer is (almost) always the best way to go, but make sure you are ACTUALLY dealing with the manufacturer. Scammers have contacted people with fake Skype addresses pretending to be Baikal. There are only 2 reasons NOT to deal directly with a trusted manufacturer: 1) Batch sold out, and 2) some deals can only be secured through a group buy (described below).
Eastshore.xyz
I thought I might actually get Shanghaid from a company IN Shanghai, but my experience (and many other posters) has been great so far. Still waiting on my L3+s (set to ship in August), but I ordered a PSU from them, just to test them out. It arrived quickly (considering the origin), nicely packed, great customer service. They usually place a $500-$1,200 markup, which I think is reasonable compared to the alternatives. If you can't buy direct from the manufacturer, Eastshore is my favorite second choice.Holybitcoin.com
I bought a few things from them including a SP20 for a decent price and they delivered. Still running well today with no issues. Site is basically run by one person named Scott. He often has a stock issue, but if you use the livechat, Scott usually has stuff left over (at least from my experience). He also makes breakout boards and cables for server power supplies and is the J4bberwock salesperson in the US... though I have been unable to figure out what that means.AsicMinerMarket.com
Purchasing from AsicMinerMarket is a very painless fast experience. They do sell out often, or sell old hardware, but they're worth checking out for updated deals.GPUShack.com
With GPUs getting harder to find, GPUShack is a pretty good resource.ALIEXPRESS
I forgot about Ali, until recently. I've never bought through them personally, but I've read enough experiences to feel comfortable adding them. Eastshore sells through them regularly, for example. At the moment, PinIdea is exclusively selling their new X11 Asic through AliExpress. I believe they offer some buyer protections (like Ebay)... or in the very least, have seller ratings. Anybody who has had personal experience, please feel free to share any and all advice / details in the comments section.BITCOINTALK GROUP BUYS
Some respected / trusted bitcointalk forum members will arrange group buys of new hardware to get a favorable price, access to rare miners or both. I only know of 3 trusted members, but I am sure there are more.Bittawm - LEGIT - Currently organizing a group buy of Baikal's new 2 GH X11 Giant Plus. The Baikal's hashrate may seem lackluater compared to the competition (like Bitmain's new x11 D3 15 GH), but I wouldn't count Baikal out entirely.
The Giant Plus is a multi-algo play; it's the only new asic that can mine x13 x14 x15 quark and qubit. I'd recommend researching these other algos (and their corresponding coins) to see if that advantage is worth the reduced hashrate, but diversity may be important in this brave new world of x11 Asics...
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2041159.0
Longsnowsm - LEGIT - Recently attempted a group buy of Innosilicon's 30 GH X11 A5. That appears to have fallen through since Innosilicon will handle individual purchases at 10K a pop, and don't seem to be considering a discount. At that price point, units not shipping till October, and Innosilicon's track record of under delivering on their hashrate, it doesn't hardly seem worth it, but different strokes, I s'pose. Point is Longsnowsm is LEGIT.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2033006.140
Kilo17 - LEGIT - Don't know what he's working on at the moment, but he's completed some successful group buys in the past.
PLEASE add any and all members you've dealt with and personally trust in the comments section. BE ADVISED - Scammers be lurking. People will pretend to be trusted members, creating similar screen names, ~bittawm (QUIT!) instead of bittawm (LEGIT) as an example, then private message people with the wrong bitcoin address. I saw somebody lose 9k in btc that way.
Always look to see a member's status as an indicator of their trustworthyness. If their status is Hero or Legend, that's a great sign... if they're a newbie (LIKE ME) then proceed with caution, or retreat with haste...
QUIT LIST - SCAM - NOT SAFE - WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY
Metrobitcoinminer.com - I was looking for a Blessinghash Scrypt miner (which I now know is skunkware), and stumbled upon this site. Decided to test them out (so YOU don't have to), ordered the cheapest thing they sell and never received anything.
minerslab.com - haven't ordered from them personally, but ive read a lot of posts / complaints from people who have. They also had the Blessinghash for sale, which I'm certain does not exist...
33bitcoin.com - based on the reactions in this thread, I think it's safe to add 33bitcoin to the QUIT LIST.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1957897.0
FoxMiners.com - I'd like to add FoxMiners to the SCAM list. Supposedly they raised 20 million in presales for their dual mining scrypt / bitcoin ASIC. They were charging $4,500 for their F48, which supposedly mined 75 TH/S BTC and 2.1 GH/s Litecoin. It also farted rainbows and cured minor cuts and abrasions.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1879542.new
As you can tell from the above thread, nobody has yet to receive their "revolutionary" miners, or if they have, they're being awfully quiet about it. Also, if you look up the Los Gatos address listed on their website... It's a Chinese restaurant #Wokchain
UNKNOWN (Comments Welcome)
Below sites seem legit, but I lack any personal experience with them, so I cannot legitimize. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated
51ASIC.RU - this site has pretty good social media presence (facebook, youtube videos), but I haven't ordered from them yet. It's hard to find anybody who has... and if you do, they usually speak Russian, which diesn't really help. has ANYBODY here ordered from them?
BITBAZA -same deal, russian company, seem legit, but I don't know... they supposedly just sold out of a bunch of ibelink pre-orders. If anybody here paid them, please let us know if they arrive.
MINESHOP.EU - This site and it's products look really great. Too good to be true? They have a lot of GPU rigs hashing anywhere between 85-185 mh. A lot of out of stock, u gotta call for prices on certain products... If it's real, would be pretty interesting... I'd pay this kind of premium to avoid the hassle of self-assembly, especially since GPUs have become a little hard to come by...BUT i have NEVER bought from them. If anybody has had an experience with mineshop.eu, I would REALLY appreciate any feedback in the comments section, good, bad, ugly or otherwise...
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