Full-Stack Developer Here- Think there's room for a new marketplace?

Hi friends (:

I've been a full-stack developer for over a decade (current skillset is node.js, html5, css3, etc.). Minimal ego here; but I'm very, very good at what I do. I'm passionate about my craft & I'm constantly trying to push the envelope.

It just so happens that I'm also very interested in the propagation & decriminalization of psychedelics. I believe if more people had the opportunity to have a genuine psychedelic experience, the cultural & societal implications would be hugely beneficial.

I'm not at all interested in getting involved with the legislative side of things; I think real change happens when the people's minds change. Literally & figuratively. I see these Dark Net Markets as being a huge leap forward.

I've been watching their evolution over the past several years closely. Please correct me if I am wrong here, but it seems to me the current situation lumps a wide range of illegal activity together into one place. I can buy heroin, cocaine, weed & guns all in the same market. This doesn't seem appropriate to me. It also seems like an unnecessary liability. Also, pretty much every market I've used seems like a glorified phpbb. I understand the limitations given a need for minimal client-side scripting, no cdn fonts, low bandwidth, etc. Even so; I think we can do better. Much better (:

My question is: Do you guys think there's room for a new marketplace that only deals with sourcing & selling the highest quality cannabis & psychedelics from the most reputable vendors?

If I set out to develop a new system, would there be any community support? My dream would be to iteratively develop a marketplace from scratch, with an engaged community. Testing, suggesting features, attempting to break / hack it, etc.

I have so many ideas on how to improve the current landscape. And being a developer, I actually have the ability to implement them. I'm trying to keep this short, but I'd love to discuss any ideas with you.

If any of you want to spit-ball a little with me, I can think of no better way to spend the rest of my Tuesday night. Even if it's all just theoretical (;

Much love!


Comments


[8 Points] sexystick:

How do you feel about working for an unfunded open source project in the home stretch of delivering the elusive decentralized market for the darknet? Your talent level would impact the team immediately!


[6 Points] None:

node.js is not ideal for a DNM. What do you do your frontend with?


[5 Points] None:

If you allow FE listings it is critically important to stop people posting "FE will update". People should not leave feedback until the product arrives.

Also you can time the order process to prevent scam reviews. East India did this and confronted a vendor with knowledge of the 10 seconds it took to ship and then receive the order.

I feel that the most important part of any market is the feedback.


[3 Points] attilathehunn:

Can you make it have multisig? Allow the vendor to set seperate prices for multisig and non-multisig.

Think carefully about confirmations. Right now in DNMs the customer usually finds their product, deposits btc, waits half an hour for confirmations then presses 'buy' and only then can walk away from their computer.

A better way would be to be able to somehow press 'buy', deposit the btc and be able to walk away without waiting for confirmations. By the time the vendor sees the order, the btc will probably have confirmed.

Also read this http://www.slideshare.net/grugq/opsec-for-hackers


[3 Points] LedLevee:

Help out with OpenBazaar, would do us a lot more good than another centralized market.

Also selling weed and psychs but not E or Xanax (the stuff that sells best) cuts out so many vendors/buyers.


[2 Points] fnnuts:

I like the idea of a market for illicit trade that should be legal. However, that's not much of an evolutionary step. Any new market that doesn't address the problem of market based wallets, is just another ticking timebomb, waiting for the next exit scam or LE takedown. I'm really looking for the next evolution to be decentralized markets. Figure that one out an you'll be the king of the DN.

Also, new markets have to first contend with DDOS attacks and ransoms. Even after you've built your pride and joy market, there is no guarantee it will survive in the fragile ecosystem of the dn.

Good luck anyway.


[2 Points] ShulginsCat:

I have so many ideas on how to improve the current landscape.

What are your ideas? It's hard to get excited without any clue of how you're going to be different from any of the other dozens of marketplaces that came and went.


[2 Points] The_Madhouse:

I defiantly believe there's room for a new market. I have zero confidence in any of the developers besides agora. Even if you don't want to run the marketplace (due to the legal ramifications) you could be the number one pain in the ass to our government by open sourcing it


[2 Points] None:

A good implementation of multi-sig is absolutely a must for any new marketplace. Multi-sig proves that you aren't out to exit-scam everybody, and it is the only way to do so. Have multi-sig, and a lot of good vendors will come to your market, I guarantee you that. Otherwise, if your market is centralized escrow, vendors have no reason to go there when they have just as good a chance of getting exit-scammed as on Agora or one of the main marketplaces, except far less revenue


[2 Points] None:

I'm a full-stack developer too, and have been building web apps for 15+ years now. I'm a big fan of node, but I do .Net stuff too. If I could get LINQ in node I would be in heaven.

But I would never develop a market. It is a freaking thankless job. You will be continually DDoS'd by script kiddies. You will have tons of people bitching about the smallest thing. If you make any money you will be a huge target for LE. And if you are in the US like I think you are, you will get royally fucked if they find you. You can't make any security mistakes. I consider myself a good developer too, but I couldn't handle the idea that one screw-up could land me in prison for the rest of my life. It's just not worth it.

What would help, though, is to contribute to the decentralized market efforts. You won't make any money, but you will help out the community a lot. The only way to move forward is with decentralized markets.


[1 Points] None:

I think you may have some luck setting up an LSD only market. Or cannabis only, but with cannabis it's generally on domestic deals. LSD can get through any customs with ease so would be great to start a world-wide network of vendors/customers. But agora and nucleus and all the others already tend to these needs so you really have to offer something more. ( Must lab test product or something ) I dont know. Best of luck, take care.


[1 Points] Shilly_eh:

Some say will say yes because they like the segregation some will say no because what makes them want to use u when they are content.


[1 Points] jazzhonorface:

I'd say you have to be careful when niche marketing these types of products. While the idea makes sense and I'm sure it would be profitable to you, there's no incentive for users to leave an already saturated market for one that deals primarily in LSD or cannabis. Especially when the DNM users know that you're just starting out.

As a new psychonaut, I'm fascinated by the changes Psilocybin and LSD have made in my life. I'm a big advocate for responsible usage. However, I am very careful about who I buy from. When thinking about why I am so careful, the first reason is whether or not I'll actually receive the product. The second being it's quality. I know there are already people out there who work to validate LSD quality, but setting up a marketplace for only the most trusted vendors would be a good starting point. Lab testing standards for vendors or a rating system based on lab results is bound to garner some respect.

Of course, it would be a pain in the ass to moderate and you're still faced with content users not willing to migrate, but think of all of the new psychonauts out there who are just discovering the DNMs; a trusted source where the product is tested. Think about it...

Give users a reporting system that requires admin participation regarding quality, trip, etc. -Almost like a feedback system that includes relevant data for lab results and/or trip reports which are factored into the vendor rating.

My services are yours, should you require them. Best of luck!


[1 Points] None:

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[1 Points] Mammal-k:

Why only those drugs if you don't mind me asking? Lots of people won't want to sign up when they can get these drugs and more on other sites


[1 Points] None:

I'd love to see a cannabis & psychedelic market. Would be awesome!


[1 Points] racistdrugs:

/u/x3D3Nx Question, why didn't you reply to my private message on my throwaway account that I just lost access to or listen to any of the advice? It seems you only wanted to hear what you wanted to hear, instead of hearing some real advice.

The advice may have been tough, but I was giving it to you straight without sugar coating anything.


[1 Points] None:

Building trust is prob the biggest obstacle. You have to show perseverance in the face of an ever evolving adversary. Time and experience. Do you have the time?


[1 Points] Jay-__:

In my humble opinion, you would be way better off finding vendors that have a desire for their own vendor-shop instead of trying to yet again code another market.


[1 Points] None:

Yes, most markets are written by complete amateurs, theres been a lot of issues with markets DDOSing eachother, markets being too slow (likely sloppy code that uses too much CPU? and also they get popular), theres obvious OPSEC issues with buying hardware ugprades, etc. Some markets have exit scammed, and there seems to be a lack of good trustworthy markets around at the moment. Alphabay and Agora are the only ones i trust right now.


[1 Points] mackdaddy27:

The dark market scene has been unofficially going since 2011 ( SR 1).

What everyone has learned is, if people post on the clear net( or anywhere actually) asking if a market will work or anything even slightly similar about getting a market going, you shouldn't launch.

The best answer is = If your asking your not ready, you have to know everything, i mean everything.

You can create the best functional site ever.. but if it doesn't appeal to the masses your screwed.


[1 Points] Nick-Rivers:

Can you make it integrate with Facebook to simplify the login and so I can share my purchases with my friends and family? :)


[1 Points] TrapMusicHF:

I think this would be a good idea, I'd use it once the trust was built.


[0 Points] None:

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