Periodicals numbers, on the other hand, are acquired through a kind of "shell game," wherein a would-be publisher "rents" the number of a mainland periodical that has halted publication or whose circulation is weak. The going rate for a number is reportedly RMB200,000-300,000 per year.
至於發行雜誌的刊號，則以「借殼」方式取得，就是借大陸停刊或是發行不佳的雜誌刊號來實際經營，而每年付予大陸雜誌社二十到三十萬人民幣的刊號費。