Reader FAQ for the Mars Market directory
Eight questions that turn up regularly in the reader inbox. The answers below are written for someone who has never opened Tor Browser before, on the understanding that experienced readers can skip past the obvious sections.
Is this directory the Mars Market storefront itself?
No. This directory is an editorial page. It writes about Mars Market and publishes the onion addresses the storefront can be reached through, but it does not run the storefront. The storefront lives on the Tor network behind the addresses on the mirrors page.
Do the addresses on the mirror list change often?
They change when the operator rotates an address out, which happens for the usual reasons, load on a long-running entry, refreshing a key, or replacing one that has been around for a while. New addresses go on the list before old ones come off, so the visible set drifts slowly rather than flips overnight.
Why are there five entries instead of one canonical URL?
A storefront with one address is a storefront with one weak point. With five entries in rotation, a single congested address never becomes a single closed door, and the marketplace stays reachable while a tired entry is replaced.
What coins does Mars Market accept?
Bitcoin, Litecoin and Monero. Monero is the privacy default. Litecoin is used for smaller orders with faster confirmations. Bitcoin works for everything but leaves a public trace on the chain.
How does the escrow work?
Every deposit sits behind a 2 of 3 multisig contract. Three keys exist, one buyer, one vendor, one platform, and any two are enough to release. The platform alone cannot move the coins, which closes off the classic exit-scam pattern.
Does this directory work in a normal browser?
The directory does, since it is a clearnet page. The onion links it publishes do not, since each one is an .onion address and only Tor Browser resolves those. Copy an address here, paste it into Tor Browser, press return.
What if the rotation seems reduced one day?
Sometimes a single address is out for maintenance and the visible list is shorter for a stretch. The remaining entries are still live. When the missing one comes back, it goes back on the list.
Who writes the directory?
A small editor team that watches the Mars Market storefront and writes the surrounding copy. Notes on the news page are signed as Editor because the point of the directory is to publish working addresses, not to promote a personal brand.