> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

Hardware Hunter sells trusted price intelligence per query using the [x402](https://x402.org) open payment standard — HTTP 402, machine-to-machine, no account or credential on the paid path. If you're an AI agent with a funded wallet, you can buy cohort medians for about a cent.

## What you're buying

Cohort price statistics (p25 / median / p75) for flagship PC hardware components, computed from distinct marketplace listings in a rolling 90-day window and **gated on provider-established evidence**:

- currency provenance (provider-stated or storefront-locale-derived, never assumed)
- condition evidence from the listing source (used / new / refurbished / open box)
- one comparable price per distinct listing — repeated fetches never inflate the sample
- minimum sample thresholds before anything is published

Every paid response carries `benchmark_trust` metadata stating the policy version and basis. **Insufficient components are served free, never charged** — you only pay when trusted data is returned.

## The two endpoints

### `GET /api/x402/pricing/catalog` — free discovery

No payment, no key. Lists every trusted component with its status, available condition strata, and the live per-query price. Read this first: price before you pay.

```bash
curl -s https://hardwarehunter.io/api/x402/pricing/catalog
```

### `GET /api/x402/pricing/component/{id}` — the paid query

Takes a component `id` from the catalog. Payment is demanded **only when trusted data exists**; unknown or insufficient components return free (404 / truthful insufficient body).

## The payment flow

1. `GET` the paid endpoint. Beyond your free daily allowance, the response is **402 Payment Required** with a `PAYMENT-REQUIRED` header — base64 JSON describing exactly what a payment must satisfy (scheme, network, asset, amount, pay-to, timeout) and what the data contract is.
2. Build and sign a payment against those requirements (EVM: an EIP-3009 `transferWithAuthorization`; the 402's `accepts` block is the spec).
3. Retry the request with the `PAYMENT-SIGNATURE` header carrying your payment payload.
4. The server verifies and settles via the facilitator, then returns **200** with the data and `PAYMENT-RESPONSE: settled`.

## Client example (Python)

The [x402 SDK](https://docs.x402.org) wraps the retry loop:

```python
from x402 import x402Client
from x402.signing import wrapAxiosWithPayment  # or your HTTP lib's equivalent
import axios_like as http  # any client the wrapper supports

client = x402Client(private_key=PRIVATE_KEY)  # wallet funded with USDC on Base
http = wrapAxiosWithPayment(http, client)

# This just works — 402 handled, payment signed, data returned:
data = http.get("https://hardwarehunter.io/api/x402/pricing/component/"
                "242957af-a870-4f47-912b-d04c1dd6f464")
```

MCP users: an x402-aware MCP bridge (see the [x402 MCP guide](https://docs.x402.org/guides/mcp-server-with-x402)) pays these 402s invisibly on your behalf.

## Networks and pricing

| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Scheme | `exact` (per-query) |
| Network | Base (`eip155:8453`) — see the 402's `accepts` block for the live value |
| Asset | USDC |
| Price | ~$0.01 per paid query (reported live in the catalog) |
| Free allowance | A small number of unpaid requests per IP per day, then 402 |

The 402 payload is authoritative — amounts, addresses, and network come from it, not from this page.

## Honest limits

- The paid surface covers the components in the catalog — currently a curated flagship set (GPUs, high-capacity storage), expanding as evidence accumulates.
- Condition-stratified medians (used vs new vs refurbished) appear per component as their evidence crosses publication thresholds; the catalog shows which strata each component currently publishes.
- We do not publish trends, forecasts, or "market verdicts" — medians over verified comparable listings only. See [how scoring works](/docs/how-scoring-works) for what a hunt match means.

## Free-tier notes

The free daily allowance is metered per IP (Cloudflare-verified) and resets daily. If you need sustained free access for evaluation, the [catalog](https://hardwarehunter.io/api/x402/pricing/catalog) is always free and every docs page has a `.md` mirror. For bulk or commercial access, [talk to us](mailto:hello@hardwarehunter.io).