“Silk Road” Founder Ross Ulbricht Faces Obstacles with eBay Services, Implicitly Suggests the Creation of a Personal E-commerce Platform

Ulbricht Expresses Discontent with eBay

In early this year, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace “Silk Road,” was granted a pardon by U.S. President Donald Trump. He expressed dissatisfaction with eBay, as the online auction platform has not completed his identity verification for over a week. Ulbricht feels discriminated against and sarcastically suggested that he should create his own e-commerce platform.

Identity Verification Issues

On Wednesday, Ulbricht stated on social media platform X that he wanted to auction some personal items. He provided all the required documents for eBay’s identity verification request a week ago, but has yet to receive any results. Despite communicating with several eBay representatives, his request has continuously been postponed.

eBay’s Inaction

Later, Ulbricht claimed that he was informed eBay was aware of the situation, yet the platform still chose not to take any action. He then stated:

Background on Silk Road

Ulbricht’s dark web marketplace “Silk Road,” which he operated years ago, facilitated transactions using Bitcoin (BTC), promoting the early adoption of the cryptocurrency. However, the site was extensively used for the sale of drugs and other illegal products and services, which led to significant criticism of Bitcoin due to its association with these illicit activities.

Legal Troubles

In October 2013, Ulbricht was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and subsequently convicted in 2015 on multiple charges including conspiracy to commit a continuing criminal enterprise, distribution of narcotics, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to sell false identity documents. Some Bitcoin supporters believe that Ulbricht’s punishment was excessively harsh and have been calling for a reduction in his sentence for years. In January of this year, Trump fulfilled his campaign promise by signing an executive order to pardon Ulbricht, ending nearly 12 years of his imprisonment.