Since 2026, tokens have emerged as the focal point of the market, propelling the overseas large-scale token agency industry into the limelight. This sector has witnessed exponential growth by adopting strategies such as reselling token quotas at competitive prices, establishing relay platforms, and utilizing recruitment advertisements for "zero-threshold side gigs" complemented by multi-tiered profit-sharing schemes. Nevertheless, a recent investigative report has unveiled that, despite offering individual creators, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and research groups a cost-effective avenue to access overseas large-scale models, this gray industry is rife with frequent irregularities. Certain relay platforms exploit users by overcharging through fraudulent billing, model substitution, refund arbitrage, and other deceptive practices, thereby posing significant security threats to user data during transmission.

The clandestine nature of the industry's operations, its strong cross-border characteristics, and the rapid evolution of models further complicate regulatory efforts. Industry experts emphasize that to effectively tackle this issue, it is imperative to bridge the supply gap for legitimate demands, establish a standardized and tiered governance framework, and promote the advancement of domestic large-scale model technologies and services. Such measures would encourage the gray industry to withdraw from the market and foster the development of a compliant and sustainable industry ecosystem.