Information technologies have transformed many aspects of social life, including how illegal goods are exchanged. Illegal online markets are now flourishing on various channels: the surface web (all websites accessible through a standard browser), the dark web (an encrypted internet network only accessible via anonymous browsers), and encrypted messaging applications installed on smartphones. These marketplaces take many forms, including simple web shops, chat rooms, forums, social media marketplaces, and platforms. This study focuses on the largest known darknet platform to date: AlphaBay. This cryptomarket operated from December 2014 until July 2017, when an international police operation shut it down. The dataset contains 6033 vendor profiles collected in January 2017. Using three generalized additive models (GAMs), we show that seller status positively affects sales, revenue, and sales through finalized early payment. Once sellers gain status on the platforms, they make more sales without a semi-institutionalized form of payment (e.g. escrow). On the other hand, buyers relying on status metrics as cognitive shortcuts tend to choose vendors even if they do not offer payment protection tools.

中文翻译：

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加密货币市场中非法商品的状态溢出


信息技术改变了社会生活的许多方面，包括非法商品的交换方式。非法在线市场现在在各种渠道上蓬勃发展：表面网络（所有可通过标准浏览器访问的网站）、暗网（只能通过匿名浏览器访问的加密互联网网络）以及智能手机上安装的加密消息应用程序。这些市场有多种形式，包括简单的网上商店、聊天室、论坛、社交媒体市场和平台。本研究重点关注迄今为止已知最大的暗网平台：AlphaBay。该加密货币市场从 2014 年 12 月一直运营到 2017 年 7 月，随后国际警察行动将其关闭。该数据集包含 2017 年 1 月收集的 6033 个供应商资料。使用三个广义附加模型 (GAM)，我们表明卖家状态对销售额、收入和通过最终提前付款的销售额产生积极影响。一旦卖家在平台上获得地位，他们就可以在没有半机构化付款方式（例如托管）的情况下进行更多销售。另一方面，依赖状态指标作为认知捷径的买家往往会选择供应商，即使他们不提供支付保护工具。