Agora called it quits roughly half a year ago. Apparently they didn't think it was safe to continue operating like they had done. TOR is apparently not as secure as we all thought.
Many reliable and trusted vendors seem to have left the scene as well. Apparently Agora weren't the only ones to be apprehensive of new times ahead.
I have yet to find an existing market that didn't give me the impression it was run by 14-year-olds or third-world opportunists.
I feel like I hear and read more and more about vendors and buyers getting busted these days -- whether that means LE have upped their efforts or not, I I can't say. It is nonetheless a little disconcerting if you ask me.
OpenBazaar keeps being postponed. From what I've read, they don't wish to become a "silkroad replacement" anyways, so I'm not sure there is much to look forward to there.
What do you guys think? Am I being pessimistic, or do you also sense a negative trend in how the DNM scene has evolved recently? Could this ultimately mean the demise of DNM, or is there something in the pipelines I don't know about, something that could save us in this time of uncertainty and darkness?
It is just starting ;-) it all really depends on all of us!