BroadChain learned that on April 24 at 08:46, recently, some users in the cryptocurrency circle have shifted from airdrop collection to the "API relay station" business, engaging in token import and export transactions. The so-called "relay station" is not a technological innovation, but an arbitrage model based on global AI service price differences and access barriers. Despite multiple issues such as privacy, security, and compliance, this field still attracts a large number of individuals and small teams to enter.
The essence of a relay station is to build an intermediary service, providing domestic users with API tokens from overseas AI companies at lower prices and more convenient methods. Its operation process includes: selecting overseas AI provider models (such as OpenAI/Claude), obtaining low-cost tokens through gray or technical means, building a relay station for packaging, billing, and distribution, and finally providing them to end users such as developers, enterprises, or individuals. The premise for this model to exist is the high pricing of official APIs, the cost mismatch between subscription and API billing models, differences in regional access and payment conditions, and the contradiction between users' strong demand for model capabilities and the unfriendly official channels.
The core reason users turn to relay stations is the high cost brought by the changing role of AI and the gap in model capabilities between domestic and overseas markets. Taking Claude Code as an example, the official pricing is about $5 per million tokens (approximately 35 RMB), and heavy use for one hour may consume tens of dollars, with daily consumption for developers or enterprises exceeding $100. Meanwhile, leading overseas models still have significant advantages in complex code tasks, toolchain collaboration, long-chain reasoning, and multimodal stability. Users seek stronger models, lower prices, and more convenient access. When official channels cannot simultaneously meet these three needs, relay stations emerge. Additionally, the cost mismatch between subscription and API billing is also an important factor. For example, the OpenAI Plus subscription costs $20 per month, generating approximately 26 million tokens, and using subscription tokens through a reverse proxy is far cheaper than directly calling the official API.