Launched in late 2019, Avaris Market is a darknet marketplace that some regard as a clone of the arena’s largest DNM, Empire Market. However, Avaris’s admins have chalked up the similarities to both sites copying the style of the now defunct AlphaBay marketplace, which was very popular in its heyday. To use Avaris, vendors must pay a non-refundable $200 fee in Bitcoin or Monero.
Design
Since Avaris’s user interface is modeled after AlphaBay’s, AlphaBay veterans will find the site easy to navigate. The marketplace’s dashboard makes it easy to quickly jump between product offerings, profile settings, wallet balances, support tickets, and an in-house forum for user discussions.
Features
Unlike some of its competitor DNMs, Avaris does not offer direct payment or “Autoshop” features. On the flip side, the site does make use of an escrow system as well as multisig Bitcoin transactions, which helps users’ commerce be as secure as possible. Some vendors are allowed to offer a “Finalize Early” option to buyers, but Avaris’s admins closely vet these merchants to ensure they’re reputable. To qualify, a seller must have made at least 200 sales collectively totalling over $25,000 USD and have at least 90 percent positive feedback from customer reviews. Avaris vendors can use a “Shared Access” feature, which allows multiple vendors to operate on a single account. The site also offers 2FA logins, PIN numbers, and account recovery via a mnemonic phrase that’s only provided once upon registration.
Security
Avaris not only offers support for Monero payments, which can be conducted anonymously, but it also explicitly recommends its users do so. That’s a step further than some other DNMs that neutrally support Monero, though Avaris doesn’t force its vendors to use the privacy coin. It’s also worth noting that Avaris offers compensation to any users who identify to the admins a bug or bugs that could harm the site.
Conclusion
One of Avaris’s pros is that the site seems to have an active and responsive support team that encourages users to reach out if they experience problems. The platform’s flexible three-strike “warning system” is a nice touch, too as it helps clamp down on bad actors. Larger darknet marketplaces may have wider selections of products, but Avaris is certainly an alternative worth considering if those other markets go offline, whether acutely or for good. This site likely won’t be your first choice, but it undoubtedly won’t be your last choice either.
