2025-06-13 –, BS 3.16 - 60 cap.
Purity is a critical factor in the illicit drug market, especially for hard drugs, where misjudging quality can have severe consequences. The asymmetric information between buyers and sellers, coupled with the experience good nature of drugs, makes purity assessment challenging. This study delves into the relationship between declared purity and market dynamics in the darknet cocaine market by analyzing 4,160 AlphaBay listings using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs). Our findings reveal a non-linear relationship between declared purity, prices, perceived quality, and market performances. While high-purity claims (91-99\%) are associated with higher prices and perceived quality, claims exceeding 99\% often deter purchases due to perceived unreliability. Declaring medium purity (68–86\%) appears to be a suboptimal strategy, as these listings underperform in both sales and revenue. Listings without declared purity perform competitively, highlighting the importance of trust and vendor reputation. These findings suggest that buyers in the darknet cocaine market prioritize seller reputation and expertise over declared purity.
Filippo Andrei, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento
Alberto Aziani, Department of Sociology and Social Research ,Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
Filippo Andrei obtained his PhD in Sociology and Social Research from the University of Trento in March 2024, with a thesis titled “Unveiling the Shadows: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding Social Influence Strategies for Establishing Social Order in Darknet Markets.” His research focuses on the social mechanisms that create biases in the digital world, investigating how social and cognitive structures influence decision-making. His work has been published in international journals, including the European Sociological Review and the International Journal of Drug Policy.