Escrow Marketplaces

Knowledge Base

Escrow Marketplaces

Dark web marketplaces offer mostly illegal products and services in exchange for payment. In this section we focus on escrow marketplaces, where anyone with enough cash to pay the “vendor bond” can sign up and start selling. Imagine the dark web equivalents of Amazon or eBay, except with less reputable products and payments typically made in cryptocurrencies.

Escrow Marketplaces

Archetyp

The majority of listings on Archetyp are for drugs. Somewhat unusually for the "mainstream" dark web markets, Archetyp allows the sale of fentanyl and analogous substances.

Active since May 2020

Approximately 11k listings in 2023

Approximately 900 vendors in 2023

ASAP

In July 2023 ASAP’s administrator announced on the dark web forum Dread that the marketplace was retiring. ASAP was the biggest market by listing volume so it left a big gap to fill.

Active since March 2020

Inactive since July 2023

Approximately 92k listings in 2023

Approximately 1k vendors in 2023

Bohemia

With the closure of major alternatives, Bohemia took pole position as the one of the most popular dark web markets in 2023. However, very quickly cracks began to show, with disruption taking place on the site in October 2023.

Active since May 2021

Approximately 56k listings in 2023

Approximately 1.6k vendors in 2023

Cypher

Cypher boasts the longest uptime on this list, setting up shop in February 2020. Its primary drug listings are for stimulants and cannabis.

Active since February 2020

Approximately 10k listings in 2023

Approximately 500 vendors in 2023

DarkMatter

While it’s considerably smaller in size than other markets featured, DarkMatter has been consistently building a user base while avoiding the typical scandals that often plague its larger peers. Predominantly hosting drug vendors, DarkMatter also offers a number of fraud, counterfeit, and malware products.

Active since September 2022

Approximately 6k listings in 2023

Approximately 300 vendors in 2023

Incognito

All of the listings on Incognito market are drugs related, with no digital or fraud products.

Active since October 2020

Approximately 29k listings in 2023

Approximately 1.2k vendors in 2023

Nemesis

Nemesis was rare among escrow markets for not having drugs as the top product category. Instead, the most common listing classifications are guides, tutorials, and carding.

Active since May 2021

Approximately 26k listings in 2023

Approximately 700 vendors in 2023

Tor2Door

In September 2023 the Tor2Door site - at the time one of the biggest and longest standing marketplaces - closed. It is widely believed that the operators have exit-scammed.

Active since July 2020

Inactive since September 2023

Approximately 12k listings in 2023

Approximately 950 vendors in 2023