Ten markets listed above. How do you pick one? Wrong choice means lost money or worse. Right choice means years of reliable service. Here's what actually matters.
Track Record Over Everything
Torzon market running three years? That matters more than fancy features. Markets exit scam constantly. One year operational shows nothing. Two years starts meaning something. Three years plus? That's real staying power.
New markets promise lower fees. Better features. Faster everything. Doesn't matter if they disappear with your escrow next month. Established track record beats shiny promises every time.
Check launch dates in our reviews. Calculate market age yourself. Don't trust their "Since 2019" claims without verification. Forums track actual launch dates. Cross-reference.
Uptime Tells You Everything
95% uptime versus 75% uptime? That's not just inconvenience. That's operational competence. Markets going down constantly signal problems. DDoS attacks. Server issues. Admin incompetence. Exit scam preparation.
How we calculate uptime: automated monitoring checks markets hourly. Track response times. Log outages. Calculate monthly averages. Numbers in our reviews come from actual measurements, not market claims.
Torzon darknet market maintains 95% uptime. Nexus market around 87%. These differences compound over months. Orders delayed. Disputes unresolved. Withdrawals pending. Uptime matters.
Security Features Hierarchy
Not all security features equal. Here's what matters most to least:
1. Multisig escrow - Non-negotiable. Markets without multisig can steal your funds directly. With multisig, they need your cooperation. Torzon market offers 2-of-3 multisig. That's baseline security.
2. Mandatory 2FA - Prevents account hijacking. PGP-based 2FA better than TOTP but both work. Markets making 2FA optional? Red flag. Security should be mandatory.
3. PGP encryption required - Protects addresses and communications. Markets with auto-encrypt convenience? Nice. Manual PGP mandatory? Better. Forces users to actually implement security.
4. Vendor bond system - Higher bonds mean serious vendors only. Scammers won't pay $500 bond to steal $50 orders. Torzon marketplace requires $200-$500 vendor bonds. Filters out casual scammers.
Fee Structure Reality Check
Cheapest fees don't equal best value. Markets need revenue to operate. Zero-fee markets? Either unsustainable or making money through other means (data selling, exit scam planning).
Reasonable fee range: 3-5% vendor fees, zero buyer fees. Torzon charges 3.5% vendor fee. Industry standard. Sustainable business model. No surprise fee changes.
Watch for hidden fees. Withdrawal fees. Deposit fees. Currency conversion fees. Premium account fees. Add everything up before deciding based on "low fees."
Community Reputation Weight
What do actual users say? Not reviews on the market itself (easily faked). Check independent forums. Dread discussions. Reddit archives before censorship. Multiple sources showing same patterns.
Torzon market community reputation: mostly positive. Complaints center on occasional downtime. Support response times. Normal operational issues. Not exit scam warnings. Not selective scamming reports. Good sign.
Beware reputation manipulation. Markets can pay shills. Create fake forum accounts. Astroturf positive reviews. Look for detailed complaints. Specific issues. Long-term users reporting experiences.