French Deep Web Market, as the name implies, is a marketplace created for the French-speaking darknet community. What makes it different from other darknet markets is that it is said to be volunteer-driven. It is staffed by volunteers and is not meant for profiteering. The site does not aim to generate gains by collecting membership fees. The site also aims to be transparent by using a source code that is freely available to everyone. The French Deep Web market was developed using Python and the Django platform.

We have to point out here that French Deep Web Market is different from French Deep Web Market. Obviously, the former is a marketplace while the latter is not (just a forum). The forum has a different URL, looks different, and strictly prohibits sales. However, these two darknet sites are related and you need FDW login details so you can get a French Deep Web Market account (discussed in detail in the Account Registration section below).

French Deep Web Market currently uses the code called FDW-Market v 1.5.3. This was developed by Liberty’s Hackers.

• French Deep Web Market link URL:
  http://fdwmarkvokb5i7wh.onion/
• French Deep Web Market login link:
  http://fdwmarkvokb5i7wh.onion/login/

How to Access French Deep Web Market

To be able to access French Deep Web Market, you need to use the Tor browser. As its Onion URL http://fdwmarkvokb5i7wh.onion/ indicates, it is unlike other websites that can be readily opened by commonly used web browsers. Don’t be intimidated by the Tor browser, though. It’s really just Firefox with anonymity features. The interface is the same familiar Firefox interface and you can even add your favorite Firefox browser extensions or add-ons if you like.

The anonymity afforded by the Tor browser, however, is not enough to guarantee your protection on French Deep Web Market or in any other darknet site. That’s why you also have to use a VPN service to avoid leaving tracks of your online activities. Additionally, you also have to use PGP encryption/decryption to make sure that the messages or information you are sending or sharing are only accessible to you and your intended recipient.

Account Registration

If you want to sign up for a French Deep Web Market account, click on the Sign Up link on the upper right corner of the site.

The French Deep Web Market account registration form has something odd with it. It asks for the usual username and password (as well as email address and PGP key). However, it also has fields called “Identity on FDW” and “Password on FDW.” These make the form confusing. We tried signing up by filling these with the same details we entered into the username and password fields. The account registration failed.

Apparently, the “Identity on FDW” and “Password on FDW” fields are for your login details to the French Deep Web Market forum, which is really perplexing. We are supposedly trying to sign up for an account so why are we being asked for FDW login details when we obviously don’t have any—basically the reason why we’re trying to go through this form to sign up for an account.

We did some research about the site to try figuring out what all of these mean. At this point, we realized that French Deep Web Market is different from the FDW being mentioned on the account registration form. FDW is just the forum while French Deep Web Market or FDW Market is the darknet marketplace counterpart. We used to refer to it (in this review) as French Deep Web Market only, based on the name shown along with the logo.

Unfortunately, no new users are being accepted on FDW so naturally we couldn’t proceed to getting an account on the French Deep Web Market to do a review with a real experience of how the site really works. We located some of the related Onnion URLs and found one that allowed new account registration. The site is called Au Donjon de Zangdar but unfortunately, having an account here does not equate to having a FDW account. Hence, we still couldn’t proceed to signing up for an account. The FDW Market site says that it is possible to have an account without FDW login details by contacting the FDW Market staff. We tried this but we were not granted an account.

 

 

 

French Deep Web Market Interface and Functions

There’s nothing impressive or special about the French Deep Web Market website but there’s also nothing to complain about. It’s comparable to other typical darknet marketplaces you may have already encountered before. It is intuitive enough that even those without experience in darknet markets could be able to use it (as long as they take the time to learn the terms used on the site). It should be quick and easy figuring out how things work on the site.  There’s nothing complicated in its layout and features.

The site works mostly the same with or without Javascript on the Tor browser activated. However, you need to activate javascript support to be able to display the chat widget on the site.

French Deep Web Market comes with communication tools designed for good security. It has a private messaging facility which supports PGP encryption/decryption as well as an XMPP-based chat service that features a secure javascript module. We recommend only using these communication tools when communicating with sellers or other FDW users.

French Deep Web Market Categories and Listings

French Deep Web Market features a good variety of items in different categories. These categories and listings, however, are not accessible if you have not logged in yet. You need to have an account to be able to see what the site has to offer.

Like other decent marketplaces, French Deep Web Market also has its list of restricted items or prohibitions. They are as follows:

• Child pornography or materials of such nature – This prohibition applies to discussions and the posting of materials related to the subject.
• Racist messages and related posts – French Deep Web Market bans to propagation of racist comments, statements, and materials on the site. It also bans the sale of products that carry racist messages or undertones. Items bearing swastikas are also prohibited.
• Organ sales – This darknet market does not accept posts related to the sale of human organs, including “looking for” posts aimed at finding users who might be interested in selling their organs.
• Human trafficking – Similar to the ban on human organ sales, it is strictly now allowed on French Deep Web Market posting things that involve human trafficking.

How to Choose a Vendor on the French Deep Web Market

The process of finding a good vendor on French Deep Web Market is not different from how you would probably be doing it at other darknet marketplaces. You have to examine the details shown in the vendor profiles. Give preference to those that have been on the market for a long time, those with good customer feedback, and those that are active on the site most of the time. Also, be sure to only choose vendors that offer favorable terms, especially those that allow for escrow payments or multisig bitcoin payments.

It’s really mostly up to you. While the French Deep Web Market is aimed at providing a safe place for buying or selling things on the darknet, you still have the greater responsibility of protecting yourself. You need to be careful in dealing with sellers and other French Deep Web Market users. Be sure to ask questions or clarifications. If you encounter a scammer or someone who makes the transaction difficult for you, be sure to write about it

You can find more information and useful insights about sellers in French Deep Web Market(the forum). Go over this forum and read pertinent threads or create a new thread so you can obtain details that can help you decide in picking a good vendor.

How to Place an Order

The ordering process is similar to how it works in most other darknet marketplaces. You just have to go to the item page and review the details. Ascertain that everything is favorable to you and compare products as you may find other similar items with a better price or better terms. Once you have decided on an item to buy, contact the seller to express your intention to purchase the item.

French Deep Web Market has no system for placing orders. There’s no Buy Now or Place Order button on the site. To initiate the purchase, you have to get in touch with the seller.

It’s important to make before you contact a seller that you do PGP encryption for all of your messages. Never contact vendors through traditional messengers or email sending services. You may occasionally find vendors that present other options for communication. Never use these unless they are known to fully guarantee your anonymity.

How to Pay for Orders on the French Deep Web Market

Bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies are the preferred currencies on the French Deep Web Market. However, given the nature of transactions on this darknet market, other currencies can be used. It all depends on what the buyers and sellers agree upon. After all, the transactions are limited to what they decide to do. French Deep Web Market does not intervene in purchase or sale transactions especially when it comes to money matters.

There are human escrow service providers on the French Deep Web Market. You can contact them to arrange for escrow payments. The list of escrow service providers on the site are listed in the About page of French Deep Web Market.

Ultimately, what’s important is that you try your best to make sure that your identity will not be revealed. You have to stick to the use of bitcoins or other secure cryptocurrency. Some even make use of bitcoin tumblers or blenders to ensure their anonymity so it does not make sense using currency or a standard payment service that is prone to exposing your darknet activities. Also, as much as possible, ask the seller to agree to multisig payments so the payment can only be released once the item purchased has been delivered or the terms of the sale have been met. This setup obviously provides a good deal of protection against scammers.

French Deep Web Market Support

If you need to contact the French Deep Web Market admin or support team, just click on the Contact link on the top part of the site. You will then be taken to a page that shows the site’s contain email address (a cryptolab.net address) and XMPP chat ID. You may also use the chat facility on the page by clicking on the blue Toggle Chat button on the lower right corner of the site.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Strict membership policy on the site can be reassuring although it tends to prevent new users from joining.
• Good uptime
• Secure chat and private messaging

Cons

• Odd account registration (requires a verified FDW username and password)
• Users (buyers and sellers) are left to do transactions according to their terms. No compulsory escrow or multisig payments, although escrow services are available
• Site appears to have not been updated
• There’s an option to set English as your account’s language but the site is apparently intended for French speaking users only.