How much does it cost to get Kim Kardashian to strip down to nothing but a teeny tiny white string bikini? Insiders tell THE GOSSIP TABLE that Us Weekly paid the reality star $50,000 for the latest sizzling cover.

“The picture was carefully staged by Kim’s people in an attempt to get back at reports that she had resorted to “surgery” to get her famous body back after baby,” one magazine source reveals. “She set up the picture walking along the shoreline of a beach. Almost exactly six months to the day since she gave birth to her daughter, North West. They are not random images that a lucky photographer happened to capture, but were rather produced to the controlling family and they look as if they have been retouched before they were sold.”

Us Weekly declined to comment about the amount they paid, but if you think writing a check that large also gets you an interview, think again!

“Kim feels confident again,” a source told Us Weekly. “She worked really hard and is so motivated to stay fit.”

Selling pictures has a price, but letting folks know about it – priceless!