How to Make Money with AI APIs: Reseller Guide
A practical guide to selling Claude and OpenAI-compatible API access under your own product, including reseller approval, payments, client keys, usage tracking, security, and implementation services.
Public entry: Application plus the existing $90 pack. What the pack adds: $1,000 API usage to your personal balance. Approval: Manual review. Client key groups: Basic, Pro, Codex. Client key limit: Up to 500 active keys. Management key: csr_ key for backend use only. Payments: Card in USD, EUR, RUB and crypto checkout. Optional build services: $1,000 white-label site or $3,000 custom platform.
Read the commercial and technical terms before applying or connecting your production backend.
What an AI API reseller actually sells
An AI API reseller packages model access into a product for a specific audience. You might serve developers in one country, agencies that need separate client budgets, a coding tool, an automation platform, or a community that wants one familiar checkout and support channel.
ClaudeStore supplies the gateway, reseller wallet, management API, client API keys, and usage records. You decide how your own product looks, what you charge, how customers register, and which services you include. Your gross margin is customer revenue minus API usage, payment fees, support, refunds, taxes, and operating costs.
This is a business infrastructure program, not a promise of passive income. It works best when you already understand your audience and can explain why customers should buy through you.
Common reseller business models
API storefront
Sell prepaid API access from your own website. Your backend creates a client key after payment and assigns a spending limit.
Managed client accounts
Give agencies or teams separate keys, budgets, model groups, and usage pages while you manage the main reseller wallet.
AI product with bundled usage
Include model usage inside a SaaS product, bot, agent, IDE tool, or automation service instead of exposing raw API access as the main product.
Local sales and support
Offer local language onboarding, regional payment methods, setup help, and first-line support for customers who want a simpler buying process.
How reseller access works
Submit the application
Describe the project, website, sales channels, contact details, and expected monthly API volume.
Use the Reseller section in your dashboard. A real project description helps the manual review.
Buy the existing $90 pack
Use the regular usage_1000 product. It has no reseller discount and adds $1,000 of API usage to your personal balance.
Card checkout supports USD, EUR, and RUB. Heleket and Cryptomus provide cryptocurrency and network selection.
Wait for manual approval
The application changes to Paid, awaiting approval. Payment does not guarantee reseller approval.
The $1,000 usage remains on your personal API balance while the application is reviewed.
Create a management key
After approval, create a csr_ key and store it only on your backend.
The secret is shown once. ClaudeStore stores a hash rather than the raw key.
Fund the reseller wallet
Top up the separate reseller wallet with available usage packs.
Client keys spend from this wallet. Personal usage and reseller usage are accounted for separately.
Issue client keys
Create cs4_ keys, select Basic, Pro, or Codex, and set a customer spending limit.
Your backend can fund, block, unblock, update, or permanently delete each client key.
Show usage in your product
Use the balance and usage endpoints to display totals, remaining balance, requests, tokens, errors, models, and key-level activity.
Client-facing endpoints let each customer see only the statistics for their own key.
Current entry and payment terms
| Term | Value | Current terms |
|---|---|---|
| Entry purchase | $90 | The existing $1,000 usage package, without a special reseller discount. |
| Card checkout | USD, EUR, RUB | The final provider amount is shown before payment and may include card processing costs. |
| Crypto checkout | Heleket or Cryptomus | The customer selects the available cryptocurrency and network on the provider checkout. |
| Review | Manual | ClaudeStore may approve, reject, suspend, or remove reseller access. |
| Reseller wallet | Separate balance | Client keys do not spend from the reseller's personal API balance. |
| Public discounts | Not automatic | The current public entry and top-up catalog uses the listed package terms. |
What the reseller platform provides
The reseller API is designed for server-to-server integration. Do not place the management key in browser code, mobile apps, public repositories, or customer devices.
Platform capabilities
- A separate tenant_id and reseller wallet.
- A csr_ management key with rotation and a default management rate limit.
- Up to 500 active cs4_ client keys.
- Basic and Pro groups for Claude models, plus Codex for OpenAI models.
- Per-key spending limits, funding, blocking, unblocking, and permanent deletion.
- Reseller-wide and per-key usage grouped by model, key group, and client key.
- Client endpoints GET /v1/balance and GET /v1/usage.
- Management endpoints under /reseller/v1.
- IPv4 and CIDR allowlists for management calls.
- A signed low-balance webhook with a configurable threshold.
What you must operate yourself
Your responsibilities
- Your website, domain, brand, customer registration, and account recovery.
- Retail pricing, invoices, taxes, local compliance, refund terms, and payment disputes.
- Customer support, onboarding, documentation, and abuse handling.
- Secure storage of the csr_ management key and any customer secrets.
- Monitoring wallet balance and preventing sales that exceed available reseller funds.
- Clear communication that your product is independently operated and is not an official Anthropic or OpenAI service.
Optional implementation services
White-label reseller website
A production storefront and customer dashboard connected to the reseller API, including brand setup, domain connection, checkout integration, and deployment.
Custom reseller platform
A custom product with architecture, UI, workflows, integrations, testing, and production launch based on an agreed scope.
A sensible launch checklist
- Choose one customer segment and write down the problem you solve for it.
- Decide whether you sell raw API keys, managed accounts, or usage bundled into another product.
- Model your margin using realistic usage, payment fees, support time, refunds, and taxes.
- Keep the csr_ key on the backend and configure an IP allowlist before production.
- Set conservative client limits and test block, unblock, balance, and usage flows.
- Add low-balance monitoring before accepting customer payments.
- Publish clear pricing, support, privacy, acceptable-use, and refund terms.
- Start with a small group of customers and review usage before scaling.
Important
Frequently asked questions
Can I set my own price for customers?
Yes. Your product controls retail pricing. You should include API usage, payment fees, support, refunds, taxes, and operating costs when calculating your margin.
Does the $90 entry payment go into the reseller wallet?
No. The existing $90 package adds $1,000 of usage to your personal API balance. After approval, the reseller wallet is separate and must be funded through reseller top-ups.
Can I resell both Claude and OpenAI-compatible models?
Yes. Create Basic or Pro client keys for Claude models and Codex client keys for OpenAI models. Usage can be reported by model, group, and client key.
Where do my customers see their balance?
Your website or application should call GET /v1/balance and GET /v1/usage with the customer's client key, then display the returned data in your own UI.
Does ClaudeStore collect payments from my customers?
Not in the standard reseller API. You operate customer checkout and registration. A white-label or custom implementation can connect those flows to the reseller API.
Is reseller approval automatic after payment?
No. Approval is manual. ClaudeStore can reject, suspend, or remove access when a project creates security, abuse, payment, or compliance risk.
Can I expose the csr_ key in frontend code?
No. The csr_ key can create and manage customer keys, so it belongs only on a protected backend. Use client keys for customer-facing API access.
Do you guarantee profit?
No. Results depend on demand, pricing, usage patterns, payment costs, support load, refunds, taxes, and how well you operate the product.