Market: a meeting of people for selling and buying.

I would say more accurately, a market is where people are exchanging things they possess.

Many people will trade what they did not earn.
So back to the original question, can a free market operate without rules?
No rules means anyone can trade anything they want to. Let’s pretend we have a real free market.

I don't think you understand the meaning of the word market. A market is where people exchange things they own. If you accept that someone owns something than they can trade it in a free market.

Your problem is with people owning things that you don't want them to own, and especially when it comes to slavery I don't thing you should own people. But a market has nothing to do with that. You shouldn't own them and not trade them either.

"guidelines/rules/limits to free trade."
I read this discussion up to the last post below. Is it simplistic for me to separate trade from the action. It's not illegal to buy slaves because buying is illegal but rather because slavery is illegal. It's the same with hiring a hitman or buying goods you know are stolen. It's not the buying that's the crime. It's what you're buying that's illegal. You can have a totally free market, but that doesn't mean everything is legal as long as it's in some way marketed.

So you admit that rights are a limiting factor. I agree. A free market should limit people from trading stolen goods. That limit would be based on, property rights.

I don’t think someone should be able to own 1000 slave girls. It does not mater much what I think if some rulers that make up their own laws in some country owned a thousand slave girls and wanted to trade them. What would limit them from doing so in a free trade market?

So, you don't think someone should trade a thousand slave girls, but you are ok with them owning a thousand slave girls?

A market is trade. Presumably you must have the right to own the thing you are trading. So what you are talking about is the ownership of these items it has nothing to do with a free market.

And to further your analogy you can play sports without externally specified rules -- so long as the two teams agree to the rules they are going to use.

I believe that the limit in preventing the trade of the thousand slave girls is, individual rights. The limit preventing the trading of suitcase nukes is, the proper role of government. The idea of having free markets without any limits is akin to the idea of a socialist utopia. Both utterly unreal.

The problem here isn't the "market". If both the 1000 slave girls and the suitcase nuke are acceptable items for A and B to possess, then if they wish to trade that's fine.

You are confusing the determination of items that are dangerous/immoral with trade.

You don't think that anyone should own 1000 slave girls or a suitcase nuke. I'm certainly inclined to agree with you on the slaves and probably the nuke as well but that's not quite as solid.

“The customer provides the guidelines...“
I’ll play devils avocate. Let’s say that customer A has 1000 slave girls to trade with dealer B, who has a suitcase nuke. Both A and B want to trade.

I suspect it’s more than the customers that provide the guidelines/rules/limits to free trade.

The customers provide the guidelines in the free market and the producers must follow them or lose customers.