X Launches “Handles Marketplace” for Dormant Usernames as Premium Feature

X has announced the launch of a new “Handles Marketplace” feature designed to allow paying users to claim usernames from accounts that have been inactive. The initiative will be available exclusively to Premium+ and Premium Business subscribers.

According to official communications and reporting, the marketplace will classify available usernames into two categories. “Priority” handles may be requested at no additional cost and usually include full names, multi-word phrases or alphanumeric combinations. “Rare” handles, which comprise short or highly sought-after monikers (e.g., @Pizza, @Tom, @One), will be available via limited drops or purchase and are priced beginning at around US $2,500 and potentially reaching millions of dollars depending on demand.

One key condition of the offering is the linkage to subscriber status: if a user accepts a new handle through the marketplace and later downgrades their subscription, they will lose that handle and revert to their original username. Meanwhile, the old handle is frozen and not available to other users.

The move signals a monetisation push by X, evidently aimed at driving subscription revenues and increasing stickiness of paid tiers. Many observers interpret the marketplace as a mechanism for converting vanity and digital identity into revenue. While rollout details are still emerging and the marketplace isn’t yet open to all users, the strategy is a notable example of how social apps are experimenting with non-advertising monetisation levers – especially as core advertising business models face pressure.