The vendor bond system has been updated to use category-dependent bond amounts rather than a flat-rate system. This change applies to all new vendor registrations from November 2025 forward. The update is based on historical data from the platform's dispute system and publicly available information about marketplace incidents on competing platforms.
Under the new tiered system, bond amounts are calibrated to the exit-scam risk profile of each product category. Vendors listing high-value digital goods with long delivery windows pay larger bonds than vendors listing physical goods with lower average order values and faster delivery timelines.
The bond ranges under the new system run from approximately 100 USD equivalent (in XMR) for the lowest-risk categories to 450 USD for the highest-risk categories. Existing vendors are not required to pay additional bonds unless they add listings in categories above their current bond tier, minimizing disruption to established sellers.
The change was broadly well-received by the community, with experienced buyers noting that higher financial commitment from high-risk-category vendors provides meaningful additional protection against exit scams. More details on the vendor verification system are available on our market features page.