Solana-Based NFT Market Solsniper Shuts Down After 3.5 Years of Operation
In a major turn of events for the Solana NFT community, Solsniper, a prominent NFT marketplace and analytics platform, made a stunning statement on Friday: they are closing down. After about three years of building and construction and a number of months of operation, the group behind Solsniper said they can no longer sustainably run the platform and will be getting rid of access to their NFT market as of Friday. The statement sent ripples through the Solana NFT neighborhood, largely since few individuals saw it coming.
Solsniper set out 3.5 years ago to become a data and analytics tool for active NFT traders on Solana. The platform, however, has expanded quite a bit ever since and now also offers a mobile application, functions as an NFT aggregator, and has a launchpad for new projects. And, Solsniper has a real NFT market, which it calls “full-fledged.” That said, the team and I are actually excited for the next chapter of their story as Solsniper has progressively found it hard to sustain the market operationally.
“We were not able to run the NFT marketplace in a sustainable way,” the Solsniper team said in a statement. “We’re closing this chapter, but we are still on our journey.”
Marketplace Shutdown, NFT Delisting, and User Refunds
Solsniper is doing several things as part of the shutdown process to ensure the transition for its users goes smoothly.
Effective immediately, any NFTs listed on the Sniper Market will be delisted, and any active bids will be canceled.
Thank you everyone for the last 3.5 years. We started Solsniper as an analytics tool for NFT traders and over the years we’ve built a mobile app, an NFT aggregator, as well as an NFT marketplace and launchpad. Regrettably over the past year we have not been able to…
Order and bid balances will be reimbursed directly to users’ wallets.
Based on the platform’s statement, there is no need for users to do anything. Solsniper provided the community with a continued guarantee that all assets will be returned by June 13, 2025, at 12 PM PST, and that any issues arising thereafter should be addressed through support tickets in their Discord server.
Many in the community regard this proactive approach to shutting down as a responsible, user-focused exit. In a market where sudden closures often result in lost assets or inadequate procedures, Solsniper’s effort to ensure full refunds for users and a clear, transparent timeline has earned them praise—even in the midst of disappointment.
The team further noted that they have retained the data of users who participated in their rewards leaderboard, which may be utilized in any future reward programs the company decides to create.
A Thank You to the NFT Community and Hints at Future Projects
The end of the Solsniper marketplace marks the closing of a chapter, but the Solsniper team is not leaving the Web3 space altogether. In their farewell message, they expressed gratitude towards the NFT community for building and supporting their platform, stating, “Without NFTs, we wouldn’t be here today.”
The team expressed gratitude to their users, “We’re thankful for your trust and support over the years. We don’t plan to stop building anytime soon and hope that you’ll continue to support us in future endeavors.”
While not specifying what may come next, the message suggests that the Solsniper team plans to keep working in the still-broad blockchain or decentralized application space. If their next project is in that world, they’ll be able to apply the lessons (or whatever they dream up to call them) from this chapter of their collaboration.
Solsniper shutting down once again reminds us how viable yet volatile the NFT and Web3 space is. Even with innovation and growth evident in the NFT space on Solana, operational sustainability is clearly a challenge that a not-yet-overcome assembly of Solana NFT groups faces.
Solsniper’s cautionary tale will likely be remembered in the maturing Solana ecosystem for two reasons: It demonstrates the not-so-distant downside of the financial pressures of Web3 startups, and it can be seen as a testament to what responsible project management looks like in the often unpredictable world of Web3.
Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before investing in any cryptocurrency or services.
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