Frequently asked questions

An online marketplace running on the Tor network, accessible only through .onion addresses via Tor Browser. These sites use cryptocurrency for payments and typically include escrow, PGP-encrypted messaging, and two-factor authentication. They are not indexed by Google, Bing, or any standard search engine.

Using Tor Browser is legal in most countries. Visiting a darknet market website is not inherently illegal in most jurisdictions — it's a website. Purchasing illegal goods or services through these markets is a criminal offense. Laws vary by country; some jurisdictions take a broader view of what constitutes illegal activity online.

Depends on what you need. Black Ops has the most listings (50,000+). Nexus has the cleanest interface. TorZon has been running the longest. DrugHub is the only XMR-exclusive market. Check the market directory to compare.

No. SVMCHRI is independent. We are not operated by, funded by, or affiliated with any darknet market. We verify links using PGP signatures and publish factual information. See our About page for details on methodology and editorial independence.

Download Tor Browser from torproject.org. Set security level to Safest. Paste a verified .onion address into the address bar. Do not search for market links on Google or Bing — the results are dominated by phishing sites. Full walkthrough in the Tor Browser guide.

Usually no. Tor already routes traffic through three encrypted relays. A VPN adds a single point that sees your Tor connection. If you want to hide Tor usage from your ISP, use Tor's built-in bridges (obfs4 or snowflake) instead — they disguise the traffic without trusting a third party.

Each request travels through three relays in different countries before reaching the destination, then back through three relays for the response. Speed depends on how busy those relays are. Request a new circuit from the lock icon in the URL bar if a page loads particularly slowly.

Your ISP can see that you connected to the Tor network. It cannot see what you access inside it — the traffic is encrypted from your computer to the first relay. To hide even the Tor connection, enable a bridge in Tor Browser's connection settings.

Verify it with PGP. Market operators publish their .onion addresses inside a PGP-signed message. Import the market's public key, verify the signature, and use only the addresses from inside the verified message. Step-by-step process in the PGP verification guide.

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) uses public-key cryptography to prove authorship. The market signs its official addresses with a private key. You verify the signature using the corresponding public key. If the math checks out, the addresses are authentic. An attacker cannot forge this without stealing the market's private key.

No. No darknet market operates a clearnet website. Any .com, .net, .org, .club, or .xyz domain with a market name in it is either a phishing site or an unaffiliated third party. Markets exist only as .onion addresses on the Tor network. See our TorZon phishing report for confirmed fake domains.

Most markets use PGP-based 2FA. The market encrypts a short challenge message with your public PGP key. You decrypt it with your private key and enter the result to log in. Even if someone steals your password, they cannot access your account without your PGP private key.

Monero (XMR) if the market accepts it. Monero hides the sender, receiver, and amount of every transaction by default. Bitcoin is recorded on a public blockchain and can be traced. Detailed comparison and setup instructions in the cryptocurrency guide.

A payment protection system. When you place an order, the market holds your cryptocurrency until you confirm receipt. If the order arrives correctly, funds are released to the vendor. If it doesn't, you can open a dispute. Escrow protects buyers from vendors who take payment and don't ship.

An exit scam means the operators shut down and take all escrowed funds. Any cryptocurrency in the market's wallet or escrow is gone. There is no recovery. Minimize exposure: don't store large balances on markets, finalize orders promptly, and withdraw funds regularly.

Markets rotate .onion addresses regularly — sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly — to defend against DDoS attacks and seizure attempts. When addresses rotate, old ones stop working. Get updated links from a verified source and confirm them with PGP. Check the market directory for current addresses.

All seven markets on our directory accept XMR. DrugHub is XMR-only. TorZon, Nexus, Black Ops, Dark Matter, Catharsis, and WeTheNorth accept XMR alongside BTC and/or LTC.

Report to Google Safe Browsing, to the domain registrar through their WHOIS abuse contact, and to the Dread community. We track confirmed phishing domains in our news section.