![]() Some vendors told us the feeling of safety and control lets them focus on providing a more courteous service to their customers or “clients”: I hadn’t ever thought about selling drugs in any capacity because I dislike violence and it just seemed impossible to be involved in selling drugs in “real life” without running into some sort of confrontation pretty quickly… I was always too scared and slightly nerdy to do that and never really contemplated it seriously until the dark web. While some of our respondents had previously sold drugs offline, others were uniquely attracted to the perceived safety and anonymity of the dark web: Some respondents said that being protected from physical risk on the dark web is not only a benefit for existing drug suppliers, but may also make the activity attractive to people who would not otherwise be willing to sell drugs. Other risks, such as frauds perpetrated by customers and exit scams, were considered inevitable on the dark web, but also manageable. ![]() This protects vendors from many risks that are prevalent in other forms of drug supply, including undercover police, predatory standover tactics where suppliers may be robbed, assaulted or even killed by competitors, and customers who may inform on their supplier if caught. ![]() The drugs are delivered in the post, so vendor and customer never have to meet in person. Regarding profits, darknet vendors do not have to limit their trading to face-to-face interactions, and can instead sell drugs to a potentially worldwide customer base.Įncryption technologies allow vendors to communicate with customers and receive payments anonymously. You can make so much more money online, the risks aren’t even remotely worth it.īoth of these claims correspond with previous research showing that the dark web is perceived to be a safer place to buy and sell drugs. Interviewer: So you still sell on DNMs, and prefer that to offline. More profitableįirst, selling drugs online is safer and more profitable than doing it offline: Why are these markets still seen as enticing places to sell drugs, despite the risks? To find out, our recent study surveyed 13 darknet drug vendors, via online encrypted interviews. Swinburne University of Technology provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. RMIT University provides funding as a strategic partner of The Conversation AU. Monica also volunteers for not-for-profit harm reduction organisations: The Loop Australia and Partners She has recently conducted commissioned research for the NSW Coroner's Office, the WA Mental Health Commission and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. Monica Barratt receives funding from Australian (National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Institute of Criminology, the National Centre for Clinical Research into Emerging Drugs) and international (US National Institutes of Health, NZ Marsden Fund) funders. James Martin receives funding from the Australian Institute of Criminology, who funded this particular study, as well as the National Health and Medical Research Council. Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Associate Professor in Criminology, Swinburne University of Technology
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