Operating a darknet market: What to look out for? : CafeDread | Torhoo darknet markets

Listen,

I really don't want to be an asshole and and am saying this to prevent you from potentially getting yourself into a lot of trouble.

I fully understand that you might have the dream of becoming a DNM admin. It's fully understandable.

However, willingly putting yourself into a position where you are constantly going to be targeted by people trying to exploit your market for $ and law enforcement is not a good idea for someone who has to ask a basic question like this on dread.

There is also a difference between running a market and running a market properly with confidence.

You should be experienced in many areas like:

- Programming obviously (not just basic interpreted programming languages)
- Computer science
- Networking
- Deep understanding of the TOR protocol
- DevOps
- Cryptocurrency (not just talking about running a bitcoin core node for instance but actual deep understanding of how for example the BTC / XMR blockchain works for example). You should actually fully understand every single part of it down to specific fields of transactions like scriptPubKey, scriptSig, witness data etc.
- Opsec

I have well over a decade of coding experience and would not even consider running anything other than my vendor store business. Not because I am not fully confident about the fact that I would run a decent but market but because I am not delusional and know that law enforcement would have a good chance of getting to me if I were to ever fuck something up.

So think twice. There are MANY MANY people out there who are much more experienced than you and choose not to operate a marketplace because it is a gamble.

If you don't know the difference between XMR and BTC then put your pen down and walk way

The retardation of the questions you are asking is epic.

YOU WENT FULL RETARD

if you don't even know the difference between btc and xmr you should avoid any darknet market enterpreneuership.
just sayin
:facepalm:

From that XMR & BTC question you have a lot to learn before even trying this my friend. Please research the simple things for a certain period of time, then take another step, don't rush.

best of luck !

First of all running a onion or market site is not a kids game ,
and living in third world country does it make easy ? doubt but maybe staying in russia can sometimes secure
and anonymity level between btc and xmr is very different , as default if u are new stick with xmr even who use btc multisig convert there btc back to xmr
and in vps side running on a google or amazon vps is very very secure ? don't even think , use something like serverguru or njalla far better and there are more ...

simply not recommended invest that money to buy bulk from vendors and resell ...

Trust me, do more research before thinking about starting a market. You are not ready. A person who wants to start a DNM should be able to easily answer the questions you asked. Stay safe.

You have a dream I once had when I started hacking but I no longer have interest in it as I like para and solo way of operating which hacking gives.

Know what you're getting into by acquiring the required skills, read more and watch practical examples of what happened to past operators.

tbh by the time you get good there will probably be a decentralized solution to dnms

To be fair, many DNM administrators who’ve faced legal issues often made basic opsec mistakes. The truth is, a solid grasp of computer networks and programming fundamentals can go a long way—no need to be an expert, just avoid obvious errors.

A lot of people in this space tend to act recklessly: flaunting expensive cars, drawing unnecessary attention, or making poor decisions that tip off law enforcement. These are the ones who get caught.

Here’s a quick guide to staying under the radar:

- Master the basics
- Don't be a dummy and pack the drugs where you live, cmon man.
- Plan your exit: Set a clear financial goal for yourself (e.g., $10 million is often enough to retire comfortably in most countries). Once you hit that target, walk away—discipline is key.
- Disappear: Move to a country with privacy-friendly policies and enjoy your freedom.
- Stay silent: Never let anyone know what you do for a living.

It’s not complicated—just avoid the obvious mistakes and stay smart. I read the DNM bible for vendors, and was extremely surprised how those folks got caught.

Others commenters here are correct, the simple fact you are asking those type of questions, is a massive red flag.

LE catch idiots, and people who have pushed them too far.