The books
Economics
Plinth sells placement. There is no seller to pay, so gross transaction volume is platform revenue. These tables are planning scenarios for a market of a given size, not a forecast. The live demo book is seeded and is not these numbers.
Category boards make a mid-market stake useful, so raises, weeks, and tools actually sell.
Monthly run-rate
| Line | 100 houses | 1,000 houses | 10,000 houses | 100,000 houses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New market stakes | $540 | $5,400 | $54,000 | $540,000 |
| Raises on existing stakes | $900 | $9,000 | $90,000 | $900,000 |
| Week competition | $900 | $9,000 | $90,000 | $900,000 |
| Month competition | $1,200 | $12,000 | $120,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Analytics passes | $343 | $3,430 | $34,300 | $343,000 |
| Featured launches | $498 | $4,980 | $49,800 | $498,000 |
| Hot Zone | $214 | $4,295 | $19,337 | $32,237 |
| Category presentations | $0 | $3,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Gross transaction volume | $4,595 | $51,105 | $469,437 | $4,425,237 |
| Card fees (2.9% + $0.30) | $151 | $1,655 | $15,330 | $145,438 |
| Audience reserve (15% of net stakes) | $513 | $5,134 | $51,344 | $513,441 |
| Fraud allowance (0.4% of gross) | $18 | $204 | $1,878 | $17,701 |
| Infrastructure | $120 | $450 | $3,500 | $22,000 |
| Moderation and support | $0 | $2,000 | $18,000 | $90,000 |
| Salaried team | $0 | $0 | $25,000 | $160,000 |
| Tools | $40 | $150 | $800 | $4,000 |
| Cash net | $3,753 | $41,511 | $353,585 | $3,472,657 |
Cash net is gross, minus card fees, the audience reserve, the fraud allowance, and cash operating costs. Salaries are uncosted at 100 and 1,000 houses because the model assumes a founder-operated book. Operator time is still real.
Capital already on the book
A stock, not a month. Lifetime stakes are the number a visitor sees. Season, tool, and sponsorship history assumes a listing has been here for 4 months.
| Stock | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 | 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime market stakes on the board | $32,000 | $320,000 | $3,200,000 | $32,000,000 |
| Season stakes already spent | $8,400 | $84,000 | $840,000 | $8,400,000 |
| Analytics passes already sold | $1,372 | $13,720 | $137,200 | $1,372,000 |
| Featured launches already sold | $498 | $4,980 | $49,800 | $498,000 |
| Hot Zone already sold | $858 | $17,179 | $77,348 | $128,948 |
| Category presentations already sold | $0 | $12,000 | $48,000 | $48,000 |
| Cumulative gross | $43,128 | $451,879 | $4,352,348 | $42,446,948 |
| Card fees on that history | $1,356 | $14,163 | $136,743 | $1,335,987 |
Why the floor is $25
| Charge | Estimated card fee | Share of the charge |
|---|---|---|
| A $1 nudge | $0.33 | 33.0% |
| Plinth's $10 minimum raise | $0.59 | 5.9% |
| A $25 first stake | $1.03 | 4.1% |
| A $400 category lead | $11.90 | 3.0% |
A one-dollar raise would hand the processor about a third of the payment. Plinth's smallest raise is $10, and a new market listing starts at $25. Passing a rival costs 8% under $200, 5% under $2,000, 3% under $20,000, and 2% after that, always at least $10 and always a whole dollar. International cards can cost more than 2.9% + $0.30. The model does not assume that discount.
Where a stake goes
- You pay the amount on the ticket. Fees are not added on top.
- The processor takes its fee from Plinth's side.
- Fifteen percent of what remains of stake receipts — market, week, and month, not tools or sponsorships — is reserved to buy audience for the boards.
- The rest is operating revenue: people, moderation, infrastructure, and profit if the book is large enough.
- Hot Zone, category presentation, featured launches, and the analytics pass are priced products. They do not buy rank.
The rules for rank, refunds, and review are on the rules page.