In particular, we analyse networks of ‘multihomers’, defined as users that are simultaneously trading in multiple markets. We show that these users play a crucial role in the connectivity of the ecosystem because they act as connectors between markets. Analogously, we identify and characterise ‘multisellers’ (i.e., multihomers that are sellers) and ‘multibuyers’ (i.e., multihomers that are buyers).
Many people go to the dark web to buy things they can’t find elsewhere, but what if what you’re buying is also trying to harm you? Scammers on darknet markets claim to offer legit tools or services, but instead provide you with malicious software that can infect your device. But somewhere between production and purchasing, things can get dirty. For example, an insider or factory employee might quietly slip away with an unmarked gun and sell it online. Once it lands on a darknet marketplace, it becomes part of the illegal weapons trade. Torzon Market showed up on the dark web in September 2022, and it’s been growing steadily ever since.
Furthermore, we analyse the seller-to-seller (S2S) network, i.e., the network composed only of transactions among sellers, which can be regarded as a supply chain network of illicit goods and services. We highlight that these networks exhibit different resilience regimes in the presence of external shocks, the ecosystem’s resilience being mostly guaranteed by the network of buyers rather than sellers. Get answers to the most pressing questions about darknet markets in 2025, tailored to our top 10 rankings as of February 27, 2025. This FAQ section addresses common concerns and curiosities from traders navigating onion marketplaces, crypto trading platforms, and dark pool trading hubs. Archetyp’s payment protection is a big part of its rep, hitting a 96% success rate—one of the strongest in our top ten—and clearing 85% of disputes within 24 hours with an active moderation team.
Tor2door Market
Funds are held until delivery, resolving 90%+ disputes within 48 hours, vs. 40% scam rates in direct deals. Tor2door’s 85% trades in minutes set a trend—50% of top 10 optimize for speed in 2025, up from 30% in 2023. This cuts shipping times to 3–5 days vs. 5–7, enhancing user satisfaction by 20%. Select BTC for speed (e.g., Bohemia), XMR for privacy (e.g., Incognito), or USDT for cost (e.g., ASAP).
Fentanyl Sales In Darknet Markets
Other than the Silk Road 2.0, similar marketplaces also emerged, but they all went down sooner or later. The website allows visitors to view all the goods and services on display before they buy something. The quantity, price, and characteristics of the product are all provided. However, the platform lacks an advanced search option and a wallet-free payment option. In April 2016, its APIs were compromised, resulting in stolen messages.
Regular stores are public, with visible ads and a standard payment process. They usually accept cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, which keeps transactions secret. There are no visible ads or trackers, and the design is often very simple. Behrouz Parsarad (Parsarad), residing in Iran, was the sole administrator of Nemesis. In this capacity, Parsarad established Nemesis and held full control over the marketplace and its virtual currency wallets. Parsarad enriched himself from fees he charged users of Nemesis with every transaction, pocketing what OFAC estimates to be millions of dollars over the course of the marketplace’s existence.
Abacus Market is an underground digital marketplace renowned for its discreet transactions and diverse array of goods and services. Operating within the shadows of the Darkweb, it serves as a hub for buyers and sellers seeking anonymity and security. With stringent security measures in place, Abacus Market provides a platform where users can engage in confidential transactions with confidence. The Silk Road was a famous dark web marketplace where users could buy and sell goods and services anonymously. All the payments were made through cryptocurrency, further enhancing marketplace anonymity. The users on this site can review and rate the products that promote reliable and fraudster vendors.
Exodus Market
Nexus Market is one of the most prominent players in the Deep Web space, having launched in 2023. In a short period of time, it has shown impressive growth in terms of user interface usability, making it appealing to users of all levels. The platform accepts several popular cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, monero, and litecoin, providing flexibility and anonymity in transactions.
We’re talking about even early access to unreleased music, leaked TV episodes, concert footage, and even popular video games before they officially drop. Exodus Marketplace started to become popular after the shutdown of Genesis Market, and it replaced it successfully. It claims to control more than 7,000 bots from 190+ countries, with data prices ranging from $3 to $10, based on the quality it offers.
The Top 7 Dark Web Marketplaces In 2025
Our vigilant oversight extends across Hidden Marketplaces, Storefronts, and General Sites, employing cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence and meticulous human review to ensure the authenticity and integrity of each platform. Our full geographic estimation methodology is detailed in The Chainalysis 2022 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report. 1 This data is currently being used only for research purposes and is not available in Chainalysis Reactor or KYT. Below, we can see the total monthly flows since January 2018 to the addresses we identified, plus the original four pulled from public case files. Many of the new entities we’ve added are also known or suspected to be based in China. Inflows to chemical precursor shops suspected to be based in China total more than $98 million in the new address set.
- They engage in financial crime and sell other people’s stolen personal information, since they’re under the veil of anonymity.
- Vendors like “DarkMedic” and “GhostCode” excel with 98% ratings, benefiting from Incognito’s mandatory 2FA, which keeps scams below 1%.
- There’s nothing stopping sellers from packing up and leaving the market at any time.
- Although other coins are used, such as Monero recently, Bitcoin is still the mostly used in the ecosystem, being supported by more than 93% of markets7,9.
- The website allows a personalized searching experience, where you can search according to your geographical location, country-specific, and keyword or price-specific search results.
Corporate Bitcoiners Eye Thailand As Gateway To $38 Trillion ASEAN Bitcoin Treasury Play
After AlphaBay closed, Abacus Market took its place as the world’s largest underground darknet marketplaces. Abacus Market quickly rose to prominence by attracting former AlphaBay users and providing a comprehensive platform for a wide range of illicit activities. In stark contrast, Western darknet markets struggled significantly in 2024. A series of exit scams and heightened law enforcement crackdowns severely damaged trust in these platforms, particularly following the Incognito Market exit scam in March.
Chain Data
Of course, the promise of secrecy and unfiltered access might lure you in, but those same features are what make the environment so risky. The site allows users to find and buy a vast variety of products and services. It’s known for its strong security features (like a trusted escrow system, PGP two-factor authentication) and anonymity. In fact, everything is in English, and the site picks up users everywhere in the world. People visit this market to buy stolen credit cards, personal data, remote desktop account credentials, and logs gathered from information-stealing malware.
Features That Make WTN Market A Secure Platform
Privacy-focused operators are shifting to Monero due to its default anonymity, compared to Bitcoin’s transparent ledger Darknet markets see BTC inflow drop to $2B. These digital marketplaces, where folks used to buy all sorts of illicit goods, pulled in just over $2 billion in BTC. Fraud shops, which are basically online stores for stolen data, saw their haul shrink to $225 million. That’s a pretty sharp decline for them, down 50% from the year before. You see, the digital world, much like the real one, has its ups and downs, especially when the authorities decide to play whack-a-mole.
But he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of violating licensing requirements, receiving stolen property and possessing crime tools. In March 2023, the crypto ATM industry was rocked by a criminal case in Cleveland involving Illinois-based Bitcoin of America. Sonny Meraban, the founder and chief executive, was accused of turning a blind eye to scammers who got their victims to send them cryptocurrency through the company’s ATMs.
- With 14,000+ active users and 1,000+ sellers, ASAP mixes it up—drugs (60%), digital goods (20%), fraud tools (15%), and fake items (5%)—drawing traders who like payment options and quick moves in their crypto trading hub.
- A VPN hides the fact that you’re using Tor, which is blocked in some countries and always raises doubts because of its criminal reputation.
- To study the performance of sellers, we analyse the quarterly median income, i.e., the quarterly median of the money received by each seller, for each category and multisellers, as shown in Fig.
- Now Elysium Market has undergone rigorous vetting and received approval from the /d/DarknetMarkets community, allowing it to be hosted on daunt.link.
- At the time, it had over 600,000 users, 17,000 listings, and approximately €250 million in transactions.
- It has built a reputation for being a reliable source of stolen credit card data and PII.
ASAP employs AES-256 with PGP, optional 2FA used by 55% of its 14,000+ users, and advanced DDoS protection for 93% uptime. Its 94% escrow success rate resolves disputes in 36 hours for 90% of cases, supporting its multi-crypto innovation. Tor2door’s payment system hits a 93% success rate, sorting 87% of disputes in 48 hours—steady for its size, though a bit below top names like Alphabay. Its Tor routing holds a 92% uptime, with rare breaks tied to server updates, not attacks, showing a proactive stance.
