Show HN: I built a site where 100k strangers each pay $1.99 to upload one photo (opens in new tab)

(onetile.me)

3 pointsomara1231mo ago22 comments

Attempting to get 100,000 strangers to each pay $1.99 to upload one photo to a collaborative digital mural. Inspired directly by the Million Dollar Homepage but instead of anonymous pixels its real human photos that grow the mural in real time. Built in a single evening using AI tools. Stripe went live the same night. Currently on day 3. The internet experiment angle...does this concept still work in 2026? The Million Dollar Homepage sold out in 2005 with zero social media. This one is trying to do it with 195 Twitter followers and a reply game.

22 comments

omara123OP1mo ago

Day 9 update: someone bulk deleted our entire database today via a security vulnerability. Caught them in the audit logs, patched the hole, personally restored every customer's tile by hand. Reddit thread on the incident got 18k views. Still standing. onetile.me

ozgurds1mo ago

As a totally technical person with almost 20 years of experience in the industry; I still cannot understand some of customers' behaviors. Same for the million dollars home page. But people are nondeterministic. Sometimes you cannt directly explain ehy but it still happens. Hope the second million dollars bome page twill be successful as well

omara123OP1mo ago

That nondeterministic point is exactly it. The million dollar homepage shouldn't have worked by any rational measure. That's kind of the whole experiment here.. does it still work in 2026 with no budget and no audience? Finding out in real time.. Also, we've seen way way dumber ideas and things takeoff just for the hell of it

omara123OP1mo ago

Also launched on Product Hunt today if anyone wants to show some love - https://www.producthunt.com/products/one-tile?utm_source=oth...

omara123OP1mo ago

Update: first paying customer came in overnight ! someone from the HN thread actually. They pushed back on the $1.99 value, I built the $9.99 tier based on that feedback, and they bought it a few hours later. That exchange was more valuable than anything else I did yesterday

omara123OP1mo ago

Happy to answer any questions about the build or the concept. Built the whole thing in one night using Base44, no code (i have zero coding skills). Stripe integration took about 2 hours. Currently the hardest part is distribution which is why I'm on HN at 9am.

beardyw1mo ago

You reinvented The Million Dollar Homepage!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Dollar_Homepage

Though, sorry to say, not as much fun.

omara123OP1mo ago

100% inspired by it lol.. mentioned that in the original post. the difference is pixels vs real human photos, and the mural only exists if 100k strangers actually show up. curious what would make it more fun for you though? genuinely open to it.

beardyw1mo ago

> mentioned that in the original post

Oops, sorry, yes twice! Would have saved me the effort of recalling it.

> what would make it more fun for you though?

Well the original had wildly varied sizes and garish saturated colours. Not very 2020s.

As an aside, you know of course you might get photos you wish you hadn't. The internet back then was just a bit more civilised.

1 more reply

omara123OP1mo ago

update: 2 more sales since this morning! now at 16 tiles, $73.50 revenue. two different buyers each purchased multiple $9.99 tiles for different businesses in the same session. still figuring out where they're finding it.

omara123OP1mo ago

woke up to 3 tiles sold overnight. same guy bought all three. emailed him to ask why. day 8, 14 tiles, strangers are finding it on their own now

omara123OP1mo ago

for anyone curious, just checked analytics. onetile.me is seeing its biggest traffic spike since launch. seems like HN readers are at least curious enough to click. appreciate the honest feedback in this thread either way

omara123OP1mo ago

Day 4 update.....130 visits, 8 tiles, first $9.99 link tier live

obayesshelton1mo ago

Why though... what benefit do I get for that $1.99

omara123OP1mo ago

Honestly... not much in the traditional sense. you get a permanent tile in a collaborative mural being built by 100,000 strangers. Your photo lives there forever. The sooner you are the better number you have and more visibility. No utility, no rewards, no promises. It's closer to buying a brick in a community wall than buying a product. Either that means something to you or it doesn't

omara123OP1mo ago

update: just added a $9.99 tier for photo + permanent external link on your tile. so now there's a tangible benefit for businesses and creators who want a permanent backlink. built it in about 20 minutes after someone else in the comments requested it. that's the honest answer to your question .. $1.99 is for people who want to be part of something. $9.99 is for people who want that plus a permanent link

obayesshelton1mo ago

That makes more sense now :D

1 more reply

xzmhxdxh1mo ago

Can you add a feature for external links?

omara123OP1mo ago

interesting idea.. so youre saying instead of just a photo you could attach a link to your tile? like clicking your tile takes you somewhere? could work as a way to let people add context to their photo. adding it to the list! want to see if the core concept gets traction first before adding features

omara123OP1mo ago

update: just added it. $9.99 for photo + permanent external link. tile becomes clickable and opens your URL :)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

22 comments

omara123OP1mo ago

ozgurds1mo ago

omara123OP1mo ago

Also launched on Product Hunt today if anyone wants to show some love - https://www.producthunt.com/products/one-tile?utm_source=oth...

omara123OP1mo ago

beardyw1mo ago

You reinvented The Million Dollar Homepage!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Dollar_Homepage

Though, sorry to say, not as much fun.

omara123OP1mo ago

beardyw1mo ago

> mentioned that in the original post

Oops, sorry, yes twice! Would have saved me the effort of recalling it.

> what would make it more fun for you though?

Well the original had wildly varied sizes and garish saturated colours. Not very 2020s.

As an aside, you know of course you might get photos you wish you hadn't. The internet back then was just a bit more civilised.

1 more reply

omara123OP1mo ago

woke up to 3 tiles sold overnight. same guy bought all three. emailed him to ask why. day 8, 14 tiles, strangers are finding it on their own now

omara123OP1mo ago

Day 4 update.....130 visits, 8 tiles, first $9.99 link tier live

obayesshelton1mo ago

Why though... what benefit do I get for that $1.99

omara123OP1mo ago

obayesshelton1mo ago

That makes more sense now :D

1 more reply

xzmhxdxh1mo ago

Can you add a feature for external links?

omara123OP1mo ago

update: just added it. $9.99 for photo + permanent external link. tile becomes clickable and opens your URL :)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse