Over 2.5 million people visit the dark web every day. This statistic is appalling because dark web links are normally used for criminal activities. However, you would be relieved to know that not all 2.5 million people who visit the dark web every day do it for the wrong activities. There are many products and services on the dark web that aren’t dangerous or illegal.
So can you buy something from the dark web? You can but you should be very careful in your dealings. The dark web is a billion-dollar market. This shows the amount of sale and purchases that happens on the dark web every year. Not all of these transactions are for illegal goods. Experts believe that the dark web markets are expanding because of the ease of accessibility. People can now easily visit the dark web using browsers like Tor and purchase anything they want.
Things You Can Purchase on The Dark Web
Here is a list of a few things you can purchase on the dark net. However, it is important to note that while visiting the dark web links isn’t illegal. You should refrain from buying any product or service that is illegal.
Electronics and Repair Parts
The dark net acts as a big market for electronic products. Most of these are stolen while others are smuggled in through other countries. These stolen or counterfeit electronics are usually sold at a lower price than what you would find on the surface web or in physical stores. You can also find repair parts of older models of your electronic appliance. That you might not find on the surface web anymore. There are many brands out there that update their products regularly. And when your appliance gets damaged you have to buy the newer model as the company does not offer repair parts. So to counter this form of corporate extortion, the dark net offers a big market for repair parts of these electronics as well.
Rare Books
If you are looking for a rare book but cannot find it anywhere, the best place to look for is the dark net. The dark net not only has pirated versions of rare books but you can also find digital versions of those books as well. In some cases, you can also find an original piece that was thought to be lost somewhere in time.
There are many rare books in the world with only one or couple of copies left. For reference, the Archimedes Palimpsest by Archimedes is the only surviving original edition of the book. Even though this book was preserved and not sold on the dark net. It gives you an idea that there are certain books which are extremely rare. Some of the pirated books on the dark net are usually cheaper than the original versions but if you are a passionate book collector who is visiting the dark net to find an original book then be ready to pay a hefty price.
Drugs
There is a bustling drug market on the dark net where you can find drugs like marijuana to dangerous drugs like heroin and fentanyl. Organizations that are involved in the drug trade regularly use the dark net to carry out their operations while staying in the dark. The war against drugs isn’t only happening on the ground but also in the digital world. The governments of the world are spending a large sum of money to counter and destroy the drug operations of criminal organizations on the dark net.
Arms and Weapons
There are many countries in the world where you can easily buy weapons but there are other countries where it is almost impossible to get a weapon. This is problematic for people who are looking to buy a weapon for self-defense. Even though you can buy firearms from the dark net it is always better to take the legal route. If you or your family’s life is in danger then it is always better to inform the authorities and get a licensed firearm for protection.
Hacking Services
You can find hackers of all types on the dark web. Some hackers can hack into big corporations’ websites. While there are others who provide the service of hacking into email accounts. There are also services where hackers can hack into college records and change the grades of students. All of these services are available on the dark web but it is better to never hire them. Not only are these services illegal and unethical but they can also have negative consequences for you in the long run.
Stolen Credit Cards
Another thing people can buy on the dark web is stolen credit cards. Research shows that you can get a counterfeit credit card along with its PIN for just about $25 to $35. This is something that can definitely land you in jail so it is better to stay away from such services.
Anyone’s Identity
Out of all the things one can purchase on the dark net this has to be one of the most dangerous ones. For just a mere $1000 you can steal anyone’s identity on the dark net. This can not only affect the victim’s life but also the life of family members, dependents and their business. Identity theft crimes can lead to high fines and around 15 years in jail.
Software
Another huge market on the dark net is for hosting services and software. Some of these programs are expensive and not everyone can afford them. Even though tech companies offer free versions or trial versions of their programs with limited features. People who want to enjoy the complete benefits at a lower price tend to buy pirated. And stolen versions from the dark net. In addition to the software, you can also buy real login credentials for premium versions of these programs at a relatively lower price than the original price of the software.
Subscriptions To Paid Content
You can buy subscriptions on the dark net for streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and other similar platforms. In addition to the subscriptions to these video streaming services, you can also find membership subscriptions to premium news journals and paid content on news websites. Another amazing thing that can be bought on the dark net is restricted research papers and journals. These restricted research papers can be a gold mine for investigative journalists who spend their lives trying to expose the wrongdoings of organizations, politicians and other corrupt government officials.
Fake Documentation
You already know that you can purchase someone’s identity on the dark net. However, In addition to the ID documentation, there are many other things you can purchase on the dark net like passports, COVID certifications, fake education degrees, and other documents. These fake documents look extremely real so much. So that a layman might not even be able to identify the differences between a real document and a fake document.
Chemicals and Other Hazardous Materials
The dark web links aren’t just used by individuals but also by organizations. Organizations who are either looking to get banned material for their production process. Or they are looking to get stolen chemicals at a lower price, also make their way to the dark net. Chemicals and other hazardous materials that require a lot of documentation and that have to pass through a lengthy quality assurance check can be obtained without any hassle on the dark net. Criminal organizations who want to bypass the quality assurance check and government inspection make their way to the dark net to buy these hazardous materials in bulk. However, if they are caught then it can end up destroying their business.
Stolen Art and Antiques
One thing that people are very passionate about is art. Rare art pieces, antiques and ancient artifacts can fetch a lot of price in the market. This is why they are usually kept in so much security. However, there have been instances where these things are stolen and then sold off on the dark net. Stolen art and artifacts can in some cases fetch more money on the dark net depending on the buyer. The Gottfried Lindauer paintings are a collection of paintings that were stolen from New Zealand in 2017. A little time after that the paintings were found being sold on the dark net for £500,000 apiece. However, the authenticity of those paintings is debatable. Fortunately, the police recovered the collection in late 2022.
Health products and Supplements
When purchasing health products or supplements it is best that you do it from reputable sources. If you can’t find a certain medicine then you should always contact your doctor to provide you with a different medication instead of trying to find the medicine on the dark net.
However, sometimes the government bans a certain lifesaving drug due to political reasons. A powerful pharma corporation may not like that a product from a smaller company is making great sales. So they might influence the government to ban its sale.
This causes problems for people who are getting better by using those lifesaving drugs. These health products and supplements cannot be sold in medical stores on the surface web and they cannot be sold in physical pharmacies. However, you can still be able to get your hands on the same product in the dark web marketplaces. However, you still have to be extremely careful.
Where there are hackers who think they are doing good by fighting against the big pharma corporations. There are those who take advantage of situations and sell low-quality or expired medicines and supplements. Some of these medications might be contaminated, or made in a hidden lab with inaccurate ingredients. So it is very important to always try to get your doctor to change the prescription for you if the health product is not available in the market.
PC Hardware and Other Computer Accessories
You can buy any type of PC hardware for relatively cheaper prices on the dark net. You can also find computer related accessories on the dark net. Like encrypted USB drives, cheaper graphics cards and all other accessories that you can think of. While some of these items like encrypted USB drives might be easy to find on the surface web. Other items might be a little difficult to find.
Viruses and Malware
The dark net is bustling with people who not only sell viruses, malware and ransomware but who can help you create new malware for targeted attacks. This has become easier, especially after the launch of FraudGPT. FraudGPT is an AI tool on the dark net that can create new malware and that is what hackers have been recently using.
Other Illegal Items
In addition to all the products and services mentioned above, people visit the dark net to buy other illegal items like pornography and body organs. These things are considered the worst part of the dark net. There is a big market for body organs on the dark net which is usually accessed by people who don’t want to wait in long queues to get their desired organs. However, most of these organs are usually stolen from hospitals.
Be Careful When Buying On The Dark net
There are a lot of scams on the dark net. There are many different marketplaces on the dark net. That offer a range of different items from dangerous viruses to rare books. However, you have to be very careful when buying anything from the dark net. Not everything you buy on the dark net is illegal. But there are still risks and you have to protect yourself any way you can. Make sure you don’t buy anything that expensive from the dark net. And always expect that there are chances that you might be scammed on your transaction and you might lose your money.
How To Carry Out The Purchase Process
Cryptocurrencies are the main currency on the dark net. The decentralized nature of the cryptocurrencies makes it perfect for anonymity on the dark net. If you want to purchase anything on the dark net then there are many ways to do so but it is better to avoid paying with your credit card or other forms of payment that can lead back to you. You must use cryptocurrencies to purchase any product or service on the dark net.
You can also find crypto mixing services on the dark net which provide further anonymity for your purchase. So if you want to purchase anything on the dark net, the crypto mixer would first send your cryptocurrencies to a mixture of cryptocurrencies. And then your transaction will be completed with the help of the funds from that mixture. So your payment will come from the pool of the crypto mixer instead of coming directly from you. Even if you are buying anything legal from the dark net it is crucial that you never use any financial instrument that can lead back to you.
Here is a detailed guide on how to buy things from dark net marketplaces.
The Problems You Might Face
It is legal to purchase things from the dark web but that does not mean that you would not face any issues while doing so. Here are a few problems you might face when buying something from the dark net.
Low-Quality Products
One of the biggest issues you might face while buying things from the dark net is that you might get low-quality products. There are no regulations or quality checks for the products on the dark web. And you can’t complain anywhere if the product you get is of low quality. This is why there are a lot of scams on the dark web because scammers know they can get away with a lot of things.
Risk Of Virus, Malware, and Ransom Attacks
Another big problem you might face while making a purchase on the dark net is the risk of viruses, malware or ransom attacks on your device. As previously mentioned there are a lot of scammers on the dark web. So if you are not careful you might end up paying more than what you expected. For example, if you buy something from a scammer on the dark web and you end up paying $100 for it and that scammer installs ransomware on your device. Then you would lose the $100 and you would also have to pay money to get your device released from the ransomware.
Privacy Risks
You might think that surfing the dark web is completely anonymous but that is not true. It is more secure and anonymous than the surface web. But the authorities have mechanisms in place which can track people on the dark web as well. For starters, the authorities can see who uses the Tor browser which is used for accessing the dark web. So if you have visited the Tor browser and some illegal activity happens in your area that can be linked to the dark web. Then you would be under suspicion by the authorities. So no matter how strong of a VPN you use and no matter how secure you feel you are there is always a privacy risk. When you buy something from the dark net.
The Delivery Can Take Weeks (Or Months) To Receive
When you order something from the dark net it can take weeks for you to receive your product. The long wait can be a problem especially when you know that you can be scammed. So the only time you can know that you are not being scammed is when you receive the actual product at your doorstep which can be a long wait. Another thing that can further delay the delivery is the customs authority. If the product you have ordered is an illegal product then it will be stopped by customs authority. And you might not get your product at all.
It Can Be Hard To Navigate
For people who are visiting the dark net for the first time, navigating through different links can be difficult and dangerous. If you don’t know how to locate authentic dark web links then you might end up accessing the wrong link. Which might infect your system. The hacker may steal all your data including your details which can then be used to threaten or blackmail you. So you need to know how to find the right dark web links before you start navigating the dark web.
Making A Payment Can Also Be An Issue
The majority of the transactions that take place on the dark net happen through cryptocurrencies. If you don’t know how to work with digital currencies like Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies then carrying out transactions on the dark net can be an issue. If you enter your own credit card details then that can result in even bigger troubles for you.
Legal Problems
One of the worst issues you can face when you buy something from the dark net is that it can cause legal problems for you. Officials from different security agencies from all over the world also access the dark net. Some do it for secure communication while others do it to catch criminals. If you accidentally click on a link that was being surveyed by government authorities then that can make you suspicious in the eyes of the law.
Final Words
Buying things from the dark net is very much possible and legal. The only thing that can get you in trouble is if you buy illegal goods and services from the dark net. So be careful with your purchases and never buy anything illegal from the dark net and don’t get involved in illegal services. When you are looking for something it is imperative that you first search for it on the surface web. If you can’t find it on the surface web then you can try and find it on the dark net. But it is important to keep your identity secure by using a VPN. The dark net has a lot of good purposes as well and everyone who uses it should use it for those good things.
