Elon Musk’s X to introduce ‘Handle Marketplace’ to sell inactive usernames

Elon Musk’s social platform X (formerly Twitter) is officially launching the “Handle Marketplace,” a dedicated portal for buying and selling dormant user names.

Initially dismissed as a rumour in 2023, the idea has now materialised with a “coming soon” website, marking a significant shift in how digital identity is valued on the platform.

The marketplace aims to unlock highly desirable, short, or clean handles that have long been tied to inactive accounts.

Access to this inventory is limited to X’s paid Premium+ subscribers, who pay forty dollars a month.

Notably, the names are divided into two tiers: “Priority Handles,” which include common names or phrases, will be available for free to eligible subscribers.

On the other hand, the much sought-after “Rare Handles” will come with a hefty price tag, potentially costing anywhere from two thousand five hundred dollars up to seven figures, depending on their uniqueness and demand.

This move mirrors a strategy previously adopted by Telegram but adds a compulsory subscription layer.

By folding the privilege into its Premium+ tier, X is not just creating a one-time sale but incentivizing continuous subscription payments.

The platform’s decision to monetise usernames, which other social media companies like Meta and TikTok treat as free identifiers, turns a user’s digital identity into a paid asset.

While it creates a new revenue stream and offers a premium perk for paying users, it raises fundamental questions about true ownership: the claimed handle is lost if a user cancels or downgrades their subscription.