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Elon Musk’s X will soon let its Premium+ and Premium Business subscribers acquire inactive usernames through a new portal called X Handle Marketplace .
“The X Handle Marketplace is our industry-first solution to redistribute handles that are no longer in use,” X says . “Eligible Premium subscribers will be able to search and make requests, with both complimentary and paid options available.”
The free usernames are categorized as Priority handles, while the invite-only or paid ones are categorized as Rare handles.
Priority handles refer to usernames comprising full names, multi-word phrases, or alphanumeric combinations. Users will be able to submit a request for a username they prefer, and get their request viewed by X in three business days. If approved, they’ll be able to keep the username for as long as their Premium+ and Premium Business subscriptions are active. If they unsubscribe or downgrade, their account will return to the old handle after 30 days.
Rare handles, on the other hand, refer to short, generic, or culturally significant names—something that artists (e.g. @cher), politicians (e.g. @potus), and brands (e.g. @meta) use. They can be claimed in one of two ways: through public drops or through invite-only direct purchase programs.
For public drops, X will select Rare handles that have a wider appeal, for which multiple users may apply. Final allotment will be based on past X contributions, intended use, and engagement or reach on the platform.
For Direct Purchases, X will invite some users and offer Rare handles for a price they decide based on factors like the popularity of the username, its length, and cultural significance. The price starts at $2,500 and can go up to “over seven figures, depending on demand and uniqueness,” according to a support page .
Once you claim a handle from the X Handle Marketplace, your old username will remain frozen; it will not be assigned to anyone else. Additionally, the handles claimed here can’t be transferred, so resellers will be out of luck.
X Premium+ starts at $40 per month, while X Premium Business starts at $50/per month. Both subscribers can currently join the waitlist for X handles , which X says is “coming soon.”
This may not be X’s first rodeo with username sales. Back in 2023, it was reported to be selling some usernames for as high as $50,000. The whole thing is slightly ironic, given that X owner Elon Musk got rid of legacy blue checkmarks because he found it corrupt that some people were allegedly paying for their verification.
Meanwhile, the platform is also testing a new way to handle links . Instead of letting a web browser take over the entire interface, it will now collapse the X post to the bottom so that users are reminded to get back to X after reading the webpage.
