Why can't someone run a market based on principle?

I've been around the scene since the very first Silk Road. I remember thinking that Silk Road built on the principle and belief that we should be censored or prevented from purchasing certain items that, when used responsibly, harms no one (other than ourselves I suppose). Yes, I'm sure Ross Ulbricht made the website because the money was really good, but he never pulled any stunts and that website was up for about 3 years!

Agora definitely is the only website since then, that I've been able to call trustworthy. There have been many markets since then and many of them pulled exit scams. First of all, this is stupid. Exit scamming is a completely stupid idea because the money you'll make in commission will surpass any exit scam given enough time (and obviously it's stupid because it's morally wrong).

Now, Agora is down for the foreseeable future and probably won't return until either a change has been made to the Tor system or change has been made to the Agora system that prevents this exploit. We have many markets now, some potentially pulling exit scams, some are just shady altogether, and many that just don't have enough popularity.

I know for a fact that MANY vendors from Silk Road have not returned to the scene on account of these circumstances. The marketplace we all use is mostly dependent on the marketplace vendors decide to use. However, I sincerely wish that one person could just make a marketplace that isn't so disgustingly immoral and just tries to protect its user's privacy while facilitating the transactions of different sales. Running a marketplace obviously costs a lot of money, but the money made in commission will easily cover that and the person in command will still be making a ton of money. No need for scams, no need for distrust.


Comments


[5 Points] GrandWizardsLair:

Because very few people feel so strongly about your right to have drugs that they are willing to risk life in prison for it. Next question?


[3 Points] matey_throwey:

The future is here

https://www.reddit.com/r/dropzone

https://www.reddit.com/r/openbazaar


[2 Points] None:

[deleted]


[1 Points] HulkVsMeth:

Greed takes over when the coin start to roll in


[1 Points] None:

integrity is what you do when nobody's looking. anonymity provides a huge reason to pull some shit but it does nothing for your character. but if nobody knows who you are, why should it matter? integrity is important in the DNM but it takes times to build that character and so far ag is the only one big enough for the challenge. it's just gonna take some time but one will emerge eventually again.


[1 Points] yalldontknowjack:

First of all, this is stupid. Exit scamming is a completely stupid idea because the money you'll make in commission will surpass any exit scam given enough time (and obviously it's stupid because it's morally wrong).

What profits is Ross making sitting in federal prison? So maybe you make $10 today and don't spend the rest of your life in prison. Do you even know what a lawyer costs to go to trial?

I hate exit-scams just as much as you, but I understand why they happen


[1 Points] ShulginsCat:

I thought the circuit fingerprint attack can only identify a user of a public website - or more specifically, enables LE to identify which hidden service a user is communicating with, given that they can monitor all of that user's traffic.

Also, as others have mentioned, there are a few open-source distributed market solutions being developed, albeit very slowly. Money gets shit done - that has never changed.


[1 Points] drimilr:

Money always corrupts. I think some well known communist said that