# How it works

> Claim a cell, get bought out, earn royalties: the whole cycle, step by step, with the numbers.

## 1. Claim a free cell

Pick any free cell on the wall and press **Claim for $30**. Your wallet asks you to confirm $30 in USDC on Base. Once the transaction settles, the cell is yours and shows your avatar and a name at once. The whole $30 of a claim goes to the platform.

## 2. Make it yours

Nothing to set up: the moment you buy, the wall shows you with a name like **Neon Rook** and an avatar of your own. When you want, set a nickname, pick another avatar or upload a photo, and paste your links. You sign a message in your wallet to save it: it is free and is not a transaction. You can change it any time. See [Your cell](https://canvas64.com/docs/your-cell.md).

## 3. Someone buys you out

Any cell can be bought out at the next step: the price is 1.65× the last one, with no cap, and the owner cannot refuse. When your cell is bought out, the contract pays you in the same transaction:

- the new price,
- less a royalty to every owner before you,
- less the platform fee of 2%.

For a cell you claimed at $30, the next buyer pays $50 and you get **$49**.

## 4. Earn on every later sale, forever

From the next resale on, you earn a royalty on every sale of that cell: the first owner 5%, the second 3.75%, each owner a quarter less than the one before. All royalties together never reach 20% of a sale.

The first owner of a cell that reaches step 10 has earned **$338.85** in royalties on top of the $49 of their own buyout.

## 5. Buy again

Nothing stops you from buying out another cell, or the same one again: you get the same deal at that step as anyone else.

## Worked example

| Step | Buyer pays | The seller gets | Each earlier owner gets their royalty |
|---:|---:|---:|---|
| 1 | $30 | (claim: to the platform) | none yet |
| 2 | $50 | $49 | none yet |
| 3 | $82 | $76.26 | owner 1: 5% |
| 4 | $135 | $120.49 | owner 1: 5%, owner 2: 3.75% |

The full ladder is on [Prices and payouts](https://canvas64.com/docs/prices.md).