Agora and Agora Marketplace › Shared Basic Costs · 4 min read
📌 How it is: What was previously called "TEIKEI membership" is now shared basic costs. This is not a membership in an association or cooperative. You contribute to the basic costs that everyone in the network needs together.
In short: With the shared basic costs, you help cover what TEIKEI as a whole needs: operating the Agora, coordination, network support, further development, and funds for farms and prices. In return, you receive your harvest shares at the actual cost, meaning these basic costs are not included in the price of the box.
You are a member of your local community. The shared basic costs do not make you a member of an organization and do not grant you voting or share rights. It is exactly what the name suggests: you contribute to the shared basic costs.
These costs arise whether one more or one fewer box is sold. When they are openly and collectively borne, they do not have to be hidden in every product price.
Examples of what this has made possible:
Those who contribute to the shared basic costs pay only the actual costs for harvest shares: farm and packing house, transport, delivery, local organization, payment fees, and VAT. Without shared basic costs, the standard price applies, which includes the basic costs proportionally.
Example: An 8-kg box of oranges costs €21.77 with shared basic costs instead of €24.13 (price table October 2026). How much of the price actually goes to cultivation and production on the farm is shown by the FairShare rate = final price ÷ share for cultivation and production. For the orange box, it decreases from 2.53 to 2.29 with shared basic costs (calculated on farm and packing house); the goal is 2.0. More on this at FairShare. How this is calculated is shown in the pie chart at Actual Cost and Shared Basic Costs.
🔭 How it will be: The switch between actual cost and standard price has been decided for Agora 2.0 and is currently being implemented.
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The shared basic costs contribution helps ensure that TEIKEI does not become dependent on sales pressure, exploitation, or short-term interests. Basic costs are collectively borne so that agriculture, coordination, and supply do not have to function at the expense of individuals. This strengthens the independence, stability, and future viability of the entire network.
The shared basic costs contribution will be further expanded, especially toward a clear separation of basic costs and actual supply, and toward different levels, such as for households, commercial customers, and larger partners. The considerations for this can be found at Shared Basic Costs in the Context of TEIKEI Agora 3.0 (how it could be).
↑ One level up: Shared Basic Costs
By Felix Schröder, with support from AI (ChatGPT, Claude)
Created on June 1, 2025 · Last updated on October 21, 2026
Questions or feedback? support@teikei.us