X’s handle marketplace is open and there are some… interesting names if you’re willing to pay

After previewing its plans to open a market to “redistribute” dormant handles last month, X has made the feature available to all Premium+ subscribers on the platform. This feature allows subscribers to request new handles that were not available until now because they belong to accounts that have since become inactive.

The market offers two types of handles: “priority” and “rare”. For priority handles, X suggested the goal is to give people the opportunity to have a handle that more accurately reflects their name. In practice, it’s not at all clear how X determines what counts as a “priority” versus a “rare” handle. I signed up for a $40/month subscription and searched for both @kbell and @karissa only to be told that both are considered “rare” and therefore unavailable to me. I was able to “register” my “interest” in the names, and include a brief description of why I wanted the handles.

The company says rare handles are the “most valuable” names and are “mostly words, slang, or contain a few letters. Some options that may one day be available, according to my research, include @memelord, @phone, @gr0k, and @AIchat. However, the exact process for getting one of these isn’t entirely clear. The company also said it will make some particularly desirable handles available for purchase on an invite-only basis, with prices “ranging from $2,500 to more than seven figures.”

After a bit of reading, I found that there are some fun options that are now theoretically available as “priority” 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 that X would approve of @elonfarts or @grokfacts. You should also consider these requests at least carefully because X only gives users the ability to request a single priority handle during this the whole life From their account.

There are also some important threads associated with the entire process. In addition to requiring you to maintain a $40 per month or $395 per year Premium+ subscription, the X has a fairly strict set of rules for “keeping your handle.” These include:

-Create content regularly. If the account is active but the handle associated with it remains largely dormant — for example, with little or no original or engaging content being posted — X may regain the handle.

-Use the handle in a way that reflects the spirit of participation and expression on X. This means actively participating in platform activities (replying, 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 to speculation or inactivity.

– Ensure regular activity on the platform, with at least one device logged in during a 30-day period. For details, see our inactive account policy.

The terms also state that “X owns any handle and can recover it,” which is more than just theoretical. The company has a long history of grabbing coveted handles from users who were actively using it, including @X.

Given all of that, I have yet to continue ordering any of the available “priority” grips I’ve found. I’ll probably stick with the same handle (@karissabe) that I’ve been using for 16 years. It’s just two letters away from the supposedly “rare” form of my first name, and it wouldn’t cost me anything extra to keep it.