Black market: essence, types and current state of affairs. Black market

Former biker parking lot within the destroyed city for a long time nothing stood out. It was altered to suit their needs by nomads who wandered through the ruins of the former regional center. From here they could control trade in the surrounding area and have a kind of transit point for other travelers.

Soon the site became a haven for wanderers and travelers, puzzled by the search for accommodation or essential goods. They began to call this place the Black Market. Clan leaders often choose it for meetings, conclude important deals here, conduct negotiations, make decisions while gambling, pouring strong drinks into themselves.

The founders of the Black Market advocated for universal equality, self-government and self-organization. This worldview took root in the minds of their followers. Each resident of the Black Market has equal rights with others and does what he likes best: trades, crafts, travels with other nomads, protects the territory. Or he can take up arms and participate in hostilities against enemy groups. No one gives strict instructions to anyone: everyone does the work that they know how and want to do. This is why the Black Market attracts so many adventurers.

Some people come here on purpose, but there are also random visits. Therefore, every day the “Black Market” is replenished with new people. In the evenings, dashing people traditionally celebrate another day by gathering in drinking establishments. What is called to relax and relieve accumulated fatigue.

Even a superficial glance at each of them is enough to understand that this is a Black Market fighter. Dark leather jackets, heavy boots, gloves - the favorite style of clothing of local militants, who demonstrate brute strength and indomitable power with their appearance. This is what they use in battle, because it is not their style to act quietly and secretly. Swift maneuvers and decisive assaults, crushing blows to vulnerable areas in the defense of the enemy and the use of traps to incapacitate opponents - this is the recipe for success of Black Market warriors in every battle.

The population earns its main income from trading in various kinds of things. Incoming caravans bring new goods to the market every day, and nomads are always ready to supply traders with something interesting for a good price. In gun shops you will find revolvers, sawn-off shotguns, pump-action shotguns, machine guns, and submachine guns. In general, barrels for close and long range combat. Here the buyer will find an abundance of biker equipment: leather jackets, sturdy shoes, helmets. Of course, here you can buy alcohol and stimulants, which became rare after the disaster.

Photo collages about the fact that Ivan the Terrible kills not only his son, but also everyone he can today have again become popular on the Internet - the one to which we are accustomed. But there is another deep one - which few people know about, but in which you can really find everything.

The owner of the Silk Road website was detained in the United States. On it, any user could buy weapons, drugs and prohibited videos.

Maksimov: You are accustomed to the Internet that you know with Wikipedia, Amazon and Facebook, but there is a second Internet that has nothing in common with the first. It has its own Wikipedia, its own news sites and even its own laws. You may not know who Ross William Ulbricht is, but his arrest brought down an entire financial market in one day. There, on another Internet, he created his own Silk Road market - “ Silk Road" Turnover in millions of dollars. He sold weapons and drugs that were prohibited here in real world. In this market, one could buy very real marijuana or LSD for the virtual currency “bitcoin,” and someone even tried to find the services of a killer and slaves on Silk Road. This is a parallel world that you can connect to from every computer. But everything is anonymous. A program that gives you access to a second Internet immediately encrypts your data, whether you want it or not. For example, now for all providers and special services I am somewhere in the USA, this is main principle operation of another Internet.

Valentin Nazarov, programmer: For an analogy, we can imagine a square in which there are a lot of people, everyone is constantly walking back and forth, and we need to pass a note to a specific person. If we just step up and give it away, a lot of people will see it. Silk Road works like this: Let's say we walk up to another person and say, "We need to pass a note to that person over there." He approaches the second, the third, such a chain is built, and, in the end, the message finds its addressee.

If you try to access any sites on another Internet just like that from your computer, it will give you an error. Login only through a special program, such a pass into a parallel world - this is the main principle of another Internet. Once upon a time it was invented by the military, and then given to ordinary users, they found their application - sites for the sale of prohibited substances, what you need when no one can follow you. The largest illegal market on the Internet, Silk Road, was opened just two years ago. There are also rules here: it is forbidden to sell bank cards, counterfeit money, child pornography and weapons of mass destruction. In total, ten thousand products are in circulation, two-thirds of them are drugs. Last year Silk Road's turnover was $15 million, a huge illegal Amazon or E-bay. Of course, the FBI did not like this situation.

FBI Official Statement: By this point, Silk Road had become the most sophisticated and largest market for illicit trade on the Internet. The site made it possible to make illegal purchases as easily as in a regular online store. The government's investigation revealed that over two and a half years, Silk Road was used by several thousand drug dealers to sell hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs.

They followed William Ulbricht for a long time; he was not very skillful at hiding. He constantly showed his emails and his real name. Yesterday he was detained when he ordered 9 fake passports. The next day, the rate of the virtual currency Bitcoin fell by $30. WITH today Silk Road is unavailable, no one knows how long it will last. The closure of the illegal Silk Road market was the largest operation against another Internet. It is usually not possible to block websites or access to them, and most importantly, the users of the parallel world themselves believe in their invulnerability. Ulbricht will be imprisoned, someone else will come, they believe, and while Roskomnadzor continues to close Wikipedia pages, on another Internet they are trading real things for virtual money.

Where there are some permissions, there are also prohibitions, and prohibitions always cause a desire to circumvent them. One of the integral parts of the economy is the black market. What it is, whether it has any advantages for the country and individual citizens, and how participants in such trade are punished will be analyzed in this article.

What is the black market and how is it formed?

When there are restrictions or a strict ban on the trade of any product, there are always people who want to get it.

There is a demand - there is also a supply, this is how the black market is born. People who can get the product you are looking for offer it to others different ways and make a profit for it. It should be noted that it is much more profitable in black than on legally, both for the seller and for the buyer. First, the seller sets the price himself, regardless of antitrust laws and regulations dictated by the market. If this is a special product, then it may not have competition, and therefore the prices are simply astronomical. For the buyer, transactions on the black market are profitable because the price of the product excludes taxes and government fees, which somewhat reduces the cost. Secondly, on the black market you can get anything that may be prohibited by the laws of the state or society, from drugs to human organs.

Who controls the black market

In addition to the participants, the black market is its organizers. Typically, goods sold on the black market are associated with smuggling - where else, for example, do weapons or drugs in circulation come from? It is not difficult to guess that organized crime controls the black market.

The very rights to the goods occur through very complex connections between buyers and intermediaries or sellers, and this is not surprising, because all participants in illegal transactions become objects of persecution by regulatory government agencies.

What can you buy on the black market?

In addition to absolutely harmless ones prohibited by the state for one reason or another, people and ammunition can be purchased on the black market. Examples of such markets:

1. Alcohol. Despite the fact that the “flammable liquid” is legal for sale in most countries, for residents of those places where alcohol operates, alcohol is only available on black markets. Today these are Muslim states, where even possession of alcohol is grounds for imprisonment.

2. Black market for weapons. According to official data, the legal sale of weapons significantly exceeds the turnover of weapons and ammunition on the black market. And yet, such a market has been operating since the eighties of the last century.

3. Trade in stolen antiques and works of art. Occurs mainly through online auctions and is carefully monitored by regulatory authorities in order to bring both the seller and the possible buyer to justice.

4. Rare species reptiles, birds and animals, sale of smuggled black and red caviar. In addition to the fact that these crimes are immoral, participants in such trade can go to prison for a term of 3 years.

5. Selling people - slave trade. One of the most serious crimes that exist. Some countries impose the death penalty for the slave trade.

6. Prostitution, sale of sexual services.

7. Sale of erotic materials and porn products where prohibited.

8. Sale of human organs for operations (clonegery). Most often, donors are completely ordinary people and children who become targets of abduction.

9. Selling fake documentation. Prosecutable by law in any country, term imprisonment- from 3 years.

10. Sale of narcotic substances. The law punishes not only sellers, but also buyers.

11. Sale software for hacking computer programs.

If trade turnover is illegal, then purchase and sale transactions are carried out in a slightly different way, and not in the usual way, familiar to buyers. During times Soviet Union, when not only alcohol was banned, but even ordinary jeans and other imported products, the “black market” was so widespread that people even began to denote illegal trade: “get it through connections,” “buy under the counter,” “ trade from the back door”, “get it from under the counter”.

This was no coincidence, since flaunting fashionable things, buying good technique, books, foreign sound recordings were only possible underground, through friends, on rented apartments and through dummies, because profiteering was prosecuted and punished by imprisonment.

In addition, the profession of “farmer” was also widespread, that is, a speculator in imported things (“company”). It should be noted that they traded not only genuine goods from abroad, but also consumer goods made with their own hands in the so-called “workshops” in order to make a profit.

How does illegal trade occur today?

The criminal trade in illegal products today is carried out in completely different ways than before, although the essence has not changed. Where does the black market operate and how can smuggled goods be found?

The most popular way is to use the Internet. Forums, chats, communities on a topic of interest - everywhere there are both simply curious people and people related to illegal business. In addition, auctions are often held where you can purchase stolen works of art. You just need to know which resource to go to.

Once the potential buyer and seller of the contraband find each other, they can meet on neutral territory, usually with the participation of an intermediary, and complete the transaction.

The dollar exchange rate on the black market is much more attractive than in official exchange offices and banks. The presence of this system allows people to make profitable sales and purchases of currency. But is everything so simple and what should you pay attention to?

The illegal market is a long-established scheme where you can make attractive purchases and sales of both the dollar and other currencies. Compared to the illegal market, the rate in official banks is much higher, so you will have to pay a significant amount to make a purchase. When it comes to selling, an unofficial transaction can fetch a lot more foreign money.

The main advantages of the illegal market are:

  • unlimited purchase and sale;
  • high selling price, minimum purchase;
  • possibility of exchanging any currency (euro, rubles, hryvnia, dollars).

Unfortunately, many banks have restrictions on the purchase of dollars. And on the black market or with money changers, you can exchange any amount of money, the main thing is that the person has it in stock. This the only way purchasing dollars without restrictions and without the participation of several people. In many cases, this exchange option is the most acceptable and the only one. In particular, if a person plans to purchase an apartment, but it is not possible to exchange all his savings into dollars in one bank transaction.


As for the sale of currency, the situation here is even more attractive, because the official price in banks is lower than that of money changers. Selling a small amount will not affect a person's overall income. If the savings are impressive, preference is always given to currency traders. This is not only profitable, but also profitable.

Previously, the black market was not particularly popular, but this moment Almost 80% of the population not only in Russia, but also in all CIS countries resort to its help.

How to get into the black market and its pricing policy

The rate offered by currency traders is much more favorable than at official exchange offices. This information has been mentioned several times above. How much more profitable is the value of the dollar from the money changers, and should you trust them? To do this, you need to understand current exchange rates.

Sales at an official Russian bank are 65-66 rubles per dollar. For $1000 a person will receive approximately 6500-6600 rubles. If you turn to currency traders with such a proposal, the result of such an operation will be 6700-6900 rubles. By exchanging one thousand dollars, a person receives 200-300 rubles net profit. With an impressive amount, the pleasant bonus can be significantly higher.

As for the purchase, the situation here is almost the same, so it also has its advantages. If you need to purchase $1000, you will have to shell out approximately 6700-6800 rubles. If you carry out this operation from currency traders, then on average they will not take more than 6,500 rubles. Which again saves the budget. From this point of view, the black market is certainly in the lead.

Having analyzed the price from the “changers” and official sources, most people prefer the first exchange option. But in this situation you need to be careful. If problems arise with the exchange, fraud or receipt of counterfeit bills, it is almost impossible to achieve justice.

Competent law enforcement agencies will not help in this matter. After all, using the “services” of currency traders is punishable by law. By complaining about the offender, a previously law-abiding citizen may be subject to a fine, including confiscation of all currency valuables.

Unfortunately, many participants in the black market both in Russia and other CIS countries have everything covered. Therefore, any complaint is of no value. On the contrary, an ordinary person who decides to buy and sell on the black market can suffer even more in this situation.


The black market has existed at all times, but it is especially in demand where there is a shortage of goods and food. But the list of popular illegal goods on it causes surprise and bewilderment.

Usually, when talking about illegal goods sold on the black market, weapons and drugs come to mind. But a product such as sugar is no less popular. For example, in Malaysia there is a large black market for sugar, since it is practically not available for free sale. We are talking mainly not about the white sugar we are used to, but about turbinado, brown sugar, which is healthier for humans and of higher quality.


Almonds, like any other nut, are considered the healthiest snack. The bag from the store says that it is a natural raw nut, but in fact, it is not. Under legal trade standards, almonds must be pasteurized to destroy the cyanide contained in the nut. Cyanide is a poison that is also used for military purposes.


Every day, everyone uses a variety of products to keep the house clean and, naturally, from time to time, they do laundry. One of the most popular products on the black market is laundry detergent, which brings high income to criminal groups. Large criminal organizations once sent their agents to supermarkets to acquire different means for washing, to study the formula and organize your own underground and enough profitable production.


Sweets are available almost everywhere in the world today. You can go to any supermarket and buy your favorites confectionery. But in 2012, Hostess announced it was going out of business, and a dark cloud of disappointment and panic hung over Twinkie lovers. Everyone rushed to the shops and tried to buy as much as possible of what was left. Fortunately, the black market has found an opportunity to continue selling the beloved biscuit, despite the fact that it is not officially released.


Man is often intolerant of animals; it is not for nothing that on the planet today many species are already considered extinct or are on the verge of extinction. The most sought-after item on the black market is horn. white rhinoceros, whose population has declined catastrophically.


Every corner of the world has its own delicacies, but the most sought after on the black market is sea ​​cucumber. This animal is sold illegally on the Chinese black market. Not only its sale, but also its fishing in China is officially prohibited. Unfortunately, the ban created demand and increased illegal fishing. There are consumers willing to pay a lot of money for sea cucumber.


Illegal shipments are also popular on the black market. In many cities around the world there is public transport in the form of buses, taxis, which operate legally and pay taxes, and the government regulates and controls the quality of the activities of carriers. Transporting passengers by transport on the black market is much cheaper than from official carriers. It is the low price that has become the priority that forces passengers to turn a blind eye to low-quality service and the fact that the illegal carrier does not pay taxes to the state.


IN Lately interest in video games has increased, just a couple of years ago it was difficult to imagine to what extent high level he will rise. In this regard, criminal groups, using the services of hackers, hack into players’ money accounts, gaining illegal access to passwords and personal information. The data is then sold on the black market to make money.


Among the popular products is hair. Wigs from natural hair appear on the black market illegally, through robberies of beauty salons and specialty stores and individuals. All this is done for profit. It’s hard to imagine that someone would deliberately grow their hair for years in order to sell it on the black market. And goods appear on the black market all the time.


Every mother wants her child to be fed and healthy. Recently, the formula based on which large manufacturers produce balanced baby food, the hunt is on. The fact is that it is based on the technology for the production of heroin and methamphetamine. Manufacturers today are taking unprecedented safety measures to protect the formula before finished product will hit the shelves.


One of the strangest black market products is sperm. This product is quite popular among those involved in sperm donation and artificial insemination. In Canada, the trade of sperm is prohibited and considered illegal, as it must meet standards and medical standards for quality and safety, which are worth ensuring. big money and costs.


Even holy water is sold on the black market. The seller will confidently inform the buyer that the water is delivered from exactly the right source, but there is no way to check.


Recently, the demand for services has increased plastic surgeons. People strive for perfection at any cost. A doctor, especially a surgeon, to whom people trust their lives, must be highly qualified, and the services of such a specialist are expensive. Unfortunately, people turn to underground surgeons to save money, risking everything.


Many strange goods are sold on the black market. Along with jewelry, clothes, mobile phones Here you can buy Japanese Airlines flight attendant uniforms. Some people are interested in the uniform for their own purposes, others purchase it for filming in pornographic films, and others buy it as a criminal resource for the possibility of illegal access to airport premises.

1. Organs


It's no secret that human organs are traded on the black market. People from different parts of the world sell their organs for a lot of money, and these are not only kidneys, but also hair and blood.



Oddly enough, people are willing to sell anything just to buy a new iPad.