Official ARES MARKET Rules & Policies

Understanding Ares Market Rules

The Ares Market rules framework represents years of community input through our decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) governance system. Every policy listed on this page has been voted on and approved by senior Ares Market community members with voting power proportional to their transaction history and platform tenure. These rules are not arbitrary—they represent collective wisdom from thousands of darknet marketplace veterans who understand what works and what doesn't in maintaining a secure, trustworthy trading environment.

Unlike centralized marketplaces where administrators make unilateral decisions, Ares Market rules evolve through democratic processes. Vendors and buyers with established reputations can propose rule changes, which are then debated and voted on by the community. This DAO governance model ensures that Ares Market policies reflect the actual needs of active marketplace participants rather than theoretical ideals disconnected from real-world usage.

These comprehensive Ares Market rules cover every aspect of platform usage from initial account creation through completed transactions and dispute resolution. Familiarize yourself with all sections before conducting any marketplace activity. Ignorance of rules is not accepted as a valid excuse for policy violations, and enforcement is automated wherever possible to ensure consistency.

Account Security Rules

Account security on Ares Market is mandatory, not optional. The following security rules must be followed by all users without exception:

Ares Market implements additional security measures including browser fingerprinting prevention, automatic logout on suspicious activity patterns, and multi-factor authentication for high-value withdrawals. Users are responsible for maintaining operational security on their own devices—Ares Market security features cannot protect against compromised operating systems, keyloggers, or other local malware.

Communication and Privacy Rules

All communication on Ares Market must adhere to strict privacy and security standards designed to protect both buyers and vendors:

• Mandatory PGP Encryption: All sensitive information exchanged on Ares Market must be encrypted using PGP. This includes shipping addresses, tracking numbers, personal identifiers, and any other information that could compromise user privacy. The Ares Market platform provides PGP encryption tools directly in the messaging interface. Messages containing unencrypted sensitive data may be automatically flagged and removed by security systems.
• Off-Platform Communication Prohibited: Vendors and buyers must conduct all communication through the official Ares Market encrypted message system. Requesting or providing external contact methods (Telegram usernames, Wickr IDs, email addresses, Jabber contacts, etc.) is strictly forbidden and results in immediate warnings. This rule protects against exit scams, law enforcement honeypots, and loss of escrow protection. Repeated violations result in permanent bans.
• Professional Conduct Standards: Maintain professional, respectful communication in all Ares Market interactions. Harassment, threats, hate speech, doxxing attempts, or abusive language toward other users will not be tolerated. Disputes should be resolved through official channels, not through aggressive messaging. The Ares Market community values professionalism—your reputation depends on it.
• Vendor Response Times: Vendors should respond to buyer inquiries within 24-48 hours under normal circumstances. Buyers should respect vendor response times and avoid sending multiple duplicate messages. Vendors on vacation mode are not expected to respond until returning from absence. Check vendor profiles for estimated response times before placing orders.
• No Unsolicited Marketing: Vendors may not send unsolicited marketing messages to buyers who have not previously purchased from them. Spam messaging results in vendor account suspension. All vendor communications should be directly related to current or past orders with legitimate business purposes.
• Information Security: Never share personally identifiable information unnecessarily. Minimize the information exchanged to only what is strictly required for order fulfillment. Vendors should delete buyer shipping information immediately after successful order completion. Buyers should use pseudonymous receiving methods whenever possible.

The Ares Market messaging system is designed with end-to-end encryption and forward secrecy. However, messages are stored encrypted on Ares Market servers and should not contain unnecessary sensitive details. Users can enable message auto-deletion timers in account settings for additional privacy protection.

Transaction and Payment Rules

All Ares Market transactions must follow these payment and escrow rules:

• Direct Pay Mandatory: All orders use the Ares Market wallet-less Direct Pay system. When you place an order, a unique Bitcoin or Monero payment address is generated specifically for that transaction. Send payment directly to this address within the payment window (typically 24 hours). Do not send payments to addresses from previous orders—each transaction requires a new address.
• Cryptocurrency Support: Ares Market accepts Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) as payment methods. Monero is strongly recommended for enhanced transaction privacy due to its built-in anonymity features. Bitcoin payments should be sent through mixing services or CoinJoin protocols to improve privacy. Vendors may specify which cryptocurrencies they accept in listing descriptions.
• Escrow Timeline Compliance: Standard orders on Ares Market are protected by automatic escrow until the buyer finalizes the order or the auto-finalization period expires (typically 21 days after shipped status). Buyers must finalize orders promptly after receiving and verifying products. Deliberately delaying finalization to hold funds in escrow is considered rule violation.
• Finalization Requirements: Only finalize Ares Market orders after physically receiving products and verifying they match the listing description. Once finalized, payment is released to the vendor and disputes can no longer be opened. Early finalization (FE - Finalize Early) should only be used with trusted vendors explicitly marked as FE-enabled. Never agree to finalize early for new or unverified vendors.
• Dispute Resolution: If problems arise with an order, open a dispute through the Ares Market dispute system before the escrow period expires. Provide clear evidence including photos, screenshots, and detailed descriptions of issues. Disputes are arbitrated by randomly-selected senior community members through the Triple-Blind Escrow system, ensuring impartial judgment.
• Transaction Minimums and Maximums: Vendors may set minimum and maximum order amounts in their listing terms. Respect these limits when placing orders. Large orders may require additional verification steps or escrow extensions. Contact vendors before placing unusually large orders to ensure they can fulfill the quantity.
• Cryptocurrency Network Fees: Buyers are responsible for cryptocurrency network transaction fees when sending payments. Ensure sufficient network fees are included to process transactions within reasonable timeframes. Payments that take excessive time to confirm due to insufficient fees may result in cancelled orders after the payment window expires.
• Refund Procedures: If a vendor cannot fulfill an order, refunds are processed through the Ares Market escrow system within 48-72 hours of cancellation. Refunds return to the original payment address if possible, or buyers can specify alternative refund addresses. Note that cryptocurrency price fluctuations may result in slight differences between payment sent and refund received.

Vendor Requirements and Standards

Ares Market maintains the strictest vendor verification standards in the darknet marketplace ecosystem. These rigorous requirements ensure only experienced, trustworthy vendors can create listings:

Vendor Conduct Rules

Approved Ares Market vendors must maintain these conduct standards:

• Listing Accuracy: All product listings must contain accurate, detailed descriptions matching exactly what buyers will receive. Misleading listings, false advertising, or bait-and-switch tactics result in immediate vendor suspension and potential bond forfeiture.
• Order Fulfillment Standards: Ship orders within the timeframe specified in listing terms (typically 1-3 business days). Update order status promptly when items ship. Provide tracking numbers when available. Delays should be communicated proactively to buyers through the Ares Market messaging system.
• Product Quality Consistency: Maintain consistent product quality matching listing descriptions and buyer expectations from previous orders. Random quality variations, degraded products, or substitutions without buyer consent violate Ares Market vendor rules.
• Professional Customer Service: Respond to buyer inquiries within 24-48 hours. Address concerns professionally and work toward resolutions before disputes escalate. Vendors with patterns of poor communication or customer service issues face account restrictions.
• Pricing Integrity: Maintain fair, competitive pricing. Price gouging, sudden unexplained price increases, or attempts to manipulate market prices through artificial scarcity may result in listing removal. Ares Market monitors pricing patterns across vendor accounts.
• Shipping Security: Use proper stealth shipping methods appropriate to product type and destination country. Vendors are responsible for ensuring packages avoid detection. Repeated buyer reports of poor stealth or seized packages result in vendor account review and potential suspension.
• FE Privilege Responsibility: Vendors with Finalize Early privileges must maintain exceptional standards. FE status can be revoked if performance degrades or disputes increase. FE vendors face stricter penalties for rule violations due to increased buyer risk.

Buyer Protection Policies

Ares Market provides comprehensive protection for buyers through automated systems and DAO governance oversight:

• Triple-Blind Escrow Protection: All non-FE orders are automatically protected by Ares Market's Triple-Blind Escrow system. Your payment is held securely until you confirm receipt and quality of products. If disputes arise, arbitration is handled by randomly-selected senior users who have no knowledge of buyer or vendor identities, ensuring completely impartial dispute resolution.
• Vendor Verification Assurance: All Ares Market vendors have passed rigorous verification processes. While no marketplace can guarantee 100% perfect vendors, Ares Market's strict entry requirements dramatically reduce scam risk compared to open-registration marketplaces.
• Feedback System Integrity: The Ares Market feedback and review system is designed to prevent manipulation. Only buyers who have completed verified transactions can leave reviews. Vendors cannot selectively hide negative feedback. Review ratings directly impact vendor visibility in search results.
• Scam Prevention Monitoring: Automated systems monitor vendor activity patterns for warning signs of exit scams or selective scamming. Unusual patterns trigger automatic vendor account restrictions pending investigation. The community DAO can vote to freeze vendor accounts if scam risks are identified.
• Dispute Resolution Rights: Buyers have the right to open disputes for legitimate issues within the escrow period. Dispute arbitrators review all evidence fairly and make judgments based on marketplace rules and evidence provided. Buyers are protected against vendor retaliation for filing legitimate disputes.

Prohibited Items and Activities

The following items and activities are strictly prohibited on Ares Market and result in immediate permanent bans:

Additional prohibited activities include: creating multiple vendor accounts to evade restrictions, vote manipulation in the DAO governance system, spreading malware or exploits targeting marketplace users, impersonating administrators or staff, sharing marketplace vulnerabilities publicly without responsible disclosure, and any activity that compromises marketplace security or user privacy.

Escrow System and Dispute Rules

The Ares Market Triple-Blind Escrow system represents a revolutionary approach to darknet marketplace transaction protection:

• Automatic Escrow Activation: All standard orders are automatically protected by escrow from the moment payment is confirmed until the buyer finalizes or auto-finalization occurs. No additional steps are required to activate escrow protection—it's built into every transaction.
• 21-Day Auto-Finalization: If buyers do not manually finalize orders or open disputes within 21 days after vendors mark orders as shipped, the system automatically finalizes and releases payment to vendors. This prevents buyers from indefinitely holding funds in escrow after successful deliveries.
• Dispute Filing Requirements: Buyers must open disputes before the auto-finalization deadline expires. Disputes require detailed descriptions of issues and supporting evidence. Valid reasons for disputes include: product not received, product quality does not match description, incorrect product shipped, damaged product, or vendor unresponsive to resolution attempts.
• Triple-Blind Arbitration Process: When disputes are opened, the case is randomly assigned to three senior Ares Market community members who meet specific criteria (account age, transaction history, reputation scores). These arbitrators review evidence from both parties without knowing buyer or vendor identities, eliminating bias. Decisions require 2-of-3 arbitrator agreement.
• Evidence Standards: Disputants must provide clear evidence supporting their claims. For non-delivery disputes, vendors should provide proof of shipment (tracking numbers if available, shipping photos, etc.). For quality disputes, buyers should provide photos or detailed descriptions of discrepancies. Arbitrators weigh evidence objectively based on marketplace rules.
• Partial Refunds: Arbitrators can award partial refunds for disputes where products were received but did not fully match descriptions or had quality issues. This allows for fair resolutions when complete refunds or complete payment releases are not appropriate.
• Appeal Process: If either party disagrees with arbitration decisions, one appeal is permitted. Appeals are reviewed by senior administrators and DAO council members. The appeal process exists to correct clear errors in arbitration, not to re-litigate disputes indefinitely.
• FE Orders and Risk: Finalize Early orders bypass escrow protection—payment is released immediately to vendors upon order confirmation. Only use FE for vendors you completely trust with established positive histories. FE orders cannot be disputed after finalization. Buyers assume all risk with FE transactions.

Account Termination Policies

Ares Market enforces rules consistently through a graduated penalty system for most violations, with immediate permanent bans for serious violations:

• Warning System: First-time minor rule violations typically result in official warnings placed on account records. Warnings explain the specific violation and consequences of repeated issues. Users can review warnings in account settings.
• Temporary Suspensions: Repeated minor violations or single moderate violations result in temporary account suspensions ranging from 7 days to 90 days depending on severity. During suspension, accounts cannot access marketplace features but can view messages and account information.
• Permanent Bans: Serious violations (scamming, prohibited items, violence threats, child exploitation material) result in immediate permanent bans without warning. Banned users are excluded from all current and future Ares Market access. Attempts to create new accounts to evade bans result in immediate re-banning.
• Vendor Account Termination: Vendors who violate rules face stricter penalties due to their position of trust. Vendor bans typically include vendor bond forfeiture. Vendors with open orders during ban periods have those orders handled by administrators to ensure buyers are protected.
• Appeal Rights: Users who believe bans were issued in error can file appeals through the official appeal process. Appeals are reviewed by DAO governance members. Appeals must provide specific evidence of wrongful ban—disagreement with rules is not grounds for appeal.

DAO Governance and Rule Evolution

Ares Market operates under decentralized autonomous organization principles where community members participate in governance:

• Community Rule Proposals: Established community members can propose new rules or modifications to existing policies through the DAO proposal system. Proposals require detailed justifications and community discussion periods before voting.
• Voting Rights: Users earn voting power through verified transaction history, account age, and reputation scores. This weighted voting system ensures that active, trusted community members have greater influence than new or inactive users, preventing manipulation.
• Democratic Implementation: Approved DAO proposals are implemented by Ares Market administrators within defined timeframes. The community can vote to override administrative decisions or propose changes to any marketplace policy.
• Transparency Standards: All DAO votes, proposals, and policy changes are publicly recorded on the marketplace. Community members can review voting histories and proposal justifications to ensure governance transparency.

Final Thoughts on Compliance

The Ares Market rules framework exists to create a secure, trustworthy marketplace environment for all participants. While these policies may seem extensive, each rule addresses real issues that have caused problems on other darknet marketplaces. Ares Market's strict vendor requirements and comprehensive buyer protections have established our reputation as the most secure marketplace in the darknet ecosystem.

Users who follow Ares Market rules consistently will find the platform provides unparalleled security and reliability for darknet commerce. The combination of wallet-less Direct Pay, Triple-Blind Escrow, DAO governance, and strict vendor vetting creates multiple layers of protection that make Ares Market the safest choice for experienced darknet users.

All Ares Market rules are enforced consistently regardless of user status, transaction volume, or tenure. Administrators and moderators follow these same policies and are subject to DAO oversight. The democratic governance model ensures that rules serve community interests rather than administrative convenience.

Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly review Ares Market rules and policies. Compliance with these guidelines ensures your continued access to the marketplace and contributes to the overall security and reputation of the Ares Market community. Welcome to the most professional, secure darknet marketplace platform available in 2025.

INFORMATION

• EFF Digital Rights
• Tor Project
• Monero Official
• Privacy Tools
• VERIFIED MIRRORS
• ARES RULES
• Privacy Guides
• Tails OS
• GnuPG
• KeePassXC