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.
Closer to a single-board pay-to-rank market: most houses enter near the floor and few defend.
Monthly run-rate
| Line | 100 houses | 1,000 houses | 10,000 houses | 100,000 houses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New market stakes | $120 | $1,200 | $12,000 | $120,000 |
| Raises on existing stakes | $150 | $1,500 | $15,000 | $150,000 |
| Week competition | $160 | $1,600 | $16,000 | $160,000 |
| Month competition | $150 | $1,500 | $15,000 | $150,000 |
| Analytics passes | $98 | $980 | $9,800 | $98,000 |
| Featured launches | $125 | $1,245 | $12,450 | $124,500 |
| Hot Zone | $86 | $1,718 | $19,337 | $32,237 |
| Category presentations | $0 | $1,500 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Gross transaction volume | $888 | $11,243 | $111,587 | $846,737 |
| Card fees (2.9% + $0.30) | $32 | $391 | $3,887 | $31,012 |
| Audience reserve (15% of net stakes) | $84 | $836 | $8,362 | $83,622 |
| Fraud allowance (0.4% of gross) | $4 | $45 | $446 | $3,387 |
| 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 | $609 | $7,370 | $51,591 | $452,717 |
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 | $15,000 | $150,000 | $1,500,000 | $15,000,000 |
| Season stakes already spent | $1,240 | $12,400 | $124,000 | $1,240,000 |
| Analytics passes already sold | $392 | $3,920 | $39,200 | $392,000 |
| Featured launches already sold | $125 | $1,245 | $12,450 | $124,500 |
| Hot Zone already sold | $343 | $6,871 | $77,348 | $128,948 |
| Category presentations already sold | $0 | $6,000 | $48,000 | $48,000 |
| Cumulative gross | $17,100 | $180,436 | $1,800,998 | $16,933,448 |
| Card fees on that history | $551 | $5,784 | $57,729 | $545,845 |
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.