Social media platform X is rolling out a new Handles Marketplace that allows users to bid on inactive usernames, a move that could reshape how digital identity and online branding are valued.
Currently in beta, the marketplace lets users join a waitlist for upcoming handle drop events, request handles through their Premium subscriptions and browse eligible inactive accounts. The company described it as a “solution to redistribute handles that are no longer in use,” available only to paying subscribers.
According to TechCrunch, rare handles could sell for anywhere from $2,500 to over $1 million, depending on their popularity, character length and cultural relevance. Premium+ subscribers can submit free requests for “priority” handles, while others may purchase “rare” handles directly.
The initiative comes as X continues to seek new revenue streams beyond advertising. It also taps into the growing market for Web3 assets, where digital identifiers, like domain names or short usernames, are treated as forms of online real estate with real market value.
According to industry trackers, X has an estimated 557 million active users as of early 2025, though the company hasn’t disclosed how many inactive accounts exist or how many handles could be made available through the marketplace.
Still, the launch highlights a broader shift in how social media identity is being monetized, with usernames themselves now emerging as status symbols and potential investment assets.
Related: New advanced X account takeover attack targets crypto community
X and the emergence of Web3 social identities
Amid the ongoing debate over digital identity, blockchain-based naming systems are emerging as a popular use case. Decentralized domain services such as the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and Unstoppable Domains allow users to register human-readable names that link directly to their crypto wallets, replacing long and complex wallet addresses with simple identifiers.
These systems give users a stronger sense of ownership over their online identities, an idea that mirrors the push for digital self-sovereignty across Web3.
While X’s new Handle Marketplace doesn’t take a decentralized approach, it relies on similar themes of digital identity as an asset. The platform has long been a hub for the crypto and blockchain community, making X a natural intersection between traditional social media and emerging Web3 identity trends.
As Cointelegraph recently reported, X has also served as a platform for activist investors, including one who used the site to advocate for an overhaul of Polygon’s tokenomics, a proposal that ultimately received favorable feedback from the community.
Related: OpenAI is building ‘X-like social network’ to rival Elon Musk — Report
