Grey Market
Anthropic API in China at 10% of Official Price
Via API proxies known as "zhongzhuanzhan," a grey market is expanding where Anthropic's API is used for roughly 10% of the official price.
How the grey market works
According to GIGAZINE, by routing through API proxies known as "zhongzhuanzhan," Anthropic's API is being used for roughly 10% of the official price. Proxy operators obtain legitimate access and resell it to users inside China at a steep discount.
Official API access from China has remained difficult, and demand for proxy operators had been rising.
The impact of the price gap
Risks for enterprise users
Question cheap access channels
Extremely cheap API access is likely routed through resale proxies. Recognize the risk of terms-of-service violations.
Check the safety of the data path
Inserting a proxy routes your traffic through a third party. It is unsuitable for handling confidential data.
Make official procurement the baseline
The gap with legitimate pricing is widening, but prioritize stability and compliance.