After previewing plans to open a marketplace to “redistribute” dormant handles last month, X made the feature available To all Premium+ customers on the platform. The feature allows customers to request new handles that were previously unavailable “handle marketplace” because they belonged to accounts that have since been deactivated.
Marketplace offers two types of handles: “Preferred” and “Rare.” As for preferred handles, X suggested the goal is to give people a chance to get a handle that more closely reflects their name. In practice, though, it’s not at all clear how X is determining which is considered a “priority” versus a “rare” handle. I signed up for a $40/month subscription “handle marketplace” and searched for both @kbell and @karissa only to be told that both are considered “rare” and therefore not available to me. I was able to “register” my “interest” in the names and include a brief description of why I wanted the handles.
X’s handle marketplace is open
My first initial and last name are, apparently, “Rare”. (x)
The company says that rare handles are the “most valuable” names and that they “often contain words, slang, or a few letters. Some options that may one day be available, according to my research, include @memelord, @phone, @gr0k and @AIchat. The exact process of acquiring one of these, however, is not exactly clear. Your watch list is revealed and X says others are revealed.” can apply to receive the handle for free “handle marketplace” through a merit-based application system.” The company also said it will make certain highly sought-after handles available for purchase by invitation only, priced from “$2,500 to more than seven figures”.
Here’s some good meme potential, if you can get it. (x)
After a little digging, I found that there are a few entertaining options that are now available as “preferred” handles, including @six_seven, @elonfarts, @grokfacts and @kbchat. Honestly, all of this was at least a little tempting, although I’m not at all confident “handle marketplace” that X would approve of @elonfarts or @grokfacts. You need to treat these requests at least a little bit more carefully because X is only giving users the ability to make requests during a priority handle entire lifetime of their account.
There are some significant strings attached to the whole process. In addition to requiring you to maintain a $40/month or $395/year Premium+ subscription, X has a rather strict rule for “maintaining your handle.” These include:
handle marketplace is
– Create content regularly. If an account is active but the corresponding handle is largely dormant – for example, where little or no original or engaging content is published – X can retrieve the handle.
-Use the handle in a way that reflects the spirit of participation and expression in X. This means active “handle marketplace” participation in platform activities (answering, reposting, discussing topics) that help build a vibrant community for sharing ideas and expressions. X’s goal is to ensure handles remain available to active voices and creators who help advance the platform’s mission, not speculation or inaction.
– Ensure regular activity on the platform with a minimum of 1 device login within 30 days For details, visit us Inactive account policy.
The terms also state that “X can own and retrieve any handle,” which is more than theoretical. The company has a long history of handling desired handles from users who are actively using them, notoriously, @X.
Given all this, I still have to follow through on requests to find any “priority” handle available. I might as well stick with the same handle (@karissabe) that I’ve been using for the last 16 years. It’s only two letters off the supposed “rare” change to my first name, and it won’t cost anything extra to keep it.