Docs Introduction How It Works Tiles & Deposits Buyouts Rewards & Fees For Creators Smart Contract FAQ

Buyouts

How Buyouts Work

Anyone can buy you out at your listed price — at any time, for any reason, without your permission.

How Buyouts Work

The mechanics of forced-sale ownership transfer.

Every tile is always for sale. If you hold a tile at a listed price of X SOL, anyone can execute a buyout by paying X SOL (your price) plus a 20% fee on top, plus their own deposit. The entire transaction is atomic — you receive your price and deposit back in the same transaction the new owner takes over.

⚡ Buyouts are permissionless and instant. No approval needed from the current holder. This is the core Harberger property: you name your price, and anyone can take you up on it.

Buyout Transaction — Atomic Steps

1. Buyer submits txPays listed price + 20% fee + min 5% deposit

2. Previous holder paid outReceives 100% of listed price + their deposit back

3. Fee split (same tx)10% → accumulator, 5% → creator, 5% → treasury

4. New holder setBuyer takes over at the same listed price

Seller always gets 100% of their listed price

The 20% fee is charged on top — it never comes out of the seller's share. A 1.00 SOL listing always pays the seller 1.00 SOL, regardless of fees.

New holder inherits the listed price

After a buyout, the tile's listed price stays the same as the previous holder's. The new owner can change it after the 20-minute cooldown.

Tax resumes immediately

The moment the buyout confirms, Harberger tax begins accruing against the new holder's deposit.

Fee Breakdown

Where the 20% buyout fee goes.

The 20% buyout fee is split three ways. All three receive their share atomically in the same transaction — nothing needs to be claimed separately by creator or treasury.

Fee Split (20% of listed price, on top)

10% of price→ Deposit-weighted reward accumulator (all holders)

5% of price→ Grid creator wallet (direct transfer)

5% of price→ Gridsteal treasury wallet (direct transfer)

Full Cost at 1.00 SOL Listed Price

Price → paid to seller1.00 SOL

10% fee → accumulator0.10 SOL

5% fee → creator0.05 SOL

5% fee → treasury0.05 SOL

Min deposit (yours, refundable later)+ 0.05 SOL

Total wallet debit for buyer1.25 SOL

✓ First claims (empty tiles) have NO buyout fee. You only pay the listed price + your 5% initial deposit = 105% total. The 20% fee only applies when buying out an existing holder.

Real Examples

Three scenarios with exact SOL amounts.

Scenario A — Grid starts at 1.00 SOL, Alice claims first

Alice pays (first claim, no fee)1.00 + 0.05 deposit = 1.05 SOL

Alice's deposit in vault0.05 SOL

Alice's listed price1.00 SOL

Scenario B — Bob buys Alice out at 1.00 SOL

Bob total debit (price + fee + deposit)1.00 + 0.20 + 0.05 = 1.25 SOL

Alice receives (price + deposit)1.00 + 0.05 = 1.05 SOL

Alice net (paid 1.05, received 1.05)Break-even ✓

20% fee (0.20) split 3 ways:10% + 5% + 5% = 20% total

↳ 10% → accumulator0.10 SOL

↳ 5% → creator0.05 SOL

↳ 5% → treasury0.05 SOL

Scenario C — Bob raises to 1.50 SOL, Carol buys him out

Carol total debit (price + fee + deposit)1.50 + 0.30 + 0.075 = 1.875 SOL

Bob receives (price + deposit)1.50 + 0.05 = 1.55 SOL

Bob net (paid 1.25 total, received 1.55)+0.30 SOL profit ✓

20% fee (0.30) split 3 ways:10% + 5% + 5% = 20% total

↳ 10% → accumulator0.15 SOL

↳ 5% → creator0.075 SOL

↳ 5% → treasury0.075 SOL

Break-Even Guide

When do you profit from a buyout?

Your break-even depends on whether you were a first claimer or a subsequent buyer, and how much you have earned from the reward accumulator during your hold.

Break-Even at Buyout (ignoring rewards)

First claimer — bought out at same priceBreak-even exactly

First claimer — bought out at higher priceProfit = price increase + any rewards

Subsequent buyer — bought out at same price−20% loss (paid the fee)

Subsequent buyer — bought out at +20% priceBreak-even exactly (fee recovered)

Subsequent buyer — bought out at +25% price+5% profit (plus reward income)

⚠ If you buy out an existing holder, you need the tile to be bought out at ~20% above what you paid to break even — OR earn enough from the reward accumulator to close the gap. Active grids with high turnover generate more accumulator income.

Rewards reduce your break-even point

Every tile buyout in the grid sends 10% of that fee to the accumulator. If your deposit is large relative to the grid, rewards can fully cover the 20% fee gap over time.

Tax lowers your deposit over time

Harberger tax drains your deposit continuously. This reduces your effective investment in the tile and slightly reduces your reward weight. Factor this into your hold strategy.

Best strategy: hold in high-activity grids

If you expect high buyout volume in a grid, the reward accumulator may cover your 20% fee gap passively. The ideal tile is one you hold long enough to collect meaningful rewards, then sell at a premium.

How the reward accumulator works