X, formerly Twitter, is launching a new Handles Marketplace that will allow paying subscribers to purchase or claim dormant usernames. For marketers, the move is a double-edged sword. It could help active brands secure cleaner, more consistent handles, but it also means that companies sitting on inactive or rarely used accounts risk losing their brand handles altogether.

The marketplace is part of X’s renewed push to monetise more of its platform, particularly as advertising revenues remain in decline. Yet for many brands that have scaled back activity or abandoned the platform entirely in markets such as Australia and New Zealand, this change could result in a significant loss of digital assets they once controlled.

X Reclaims Inactive Handles

The new Handles Marketplace will be available exclusively to Premium+ and Business subscribers. These users will be able to search for dormant handles and request to claim them. In some cases, these will be free “Priority” handles, while more in-demand names will fall into the “Rare” category, distributed through what X calls “Rare Handle Drops”.

X says its goal is to “redistribute handles that are no longer in use,” offering both complimentary and paid options. Premium+ subscribers can join a waitlist now, but the full marketplace is expected to roll out in the coming months.

Although X insists that “Rare Handle Drops” will not be auctions, there will almost certainly be a pricing element shaped by demand. What is less clear is how X will define “inactive” and what criteria it will use to release handles currently tied to dormant accounts.

For brands that have pulled back from X in recent years, that uncertainty poses a risk. If a company’s account has been left idle, perhaps following a corporate rebrand, platform exit or shift in strategy, its handle could be considered eligible for redistribution.

The Risk For Inactive Brands

The dormant handle issue is particularly relevant in markets like Australia and New Zealand, where many brands have significantly reduced or ceased X activity altogether. Some paused during the platform’s turbulent transition under Elon Musk, while others withdrew entirely amid concerns about brand safety and declining audience engagement.

If X begins reassigning inactive handles, companies that have maintained accounts purely for brand protection could lose valuable digital real estate. In some cases, those handles are integral to wider social identity systems and cross-channel consistency. Losing them could create confusion, open opportunities for impersonation and force brands to re-establish their presence under new, less recognisable usernames.

For brands that once invested heavily in community management, the situation highlights a new kind of platform risk. Even if a company chooses not to advertise or post actively, it may still need to log in periodically to avoid being flagged as inactive.

A Wake-Up Call For Digital Teams

The upcoming handle redistribution should serve as a reminder that social handles are not permanent assets. They are rented spaces governed by platform policy. Many organisations treat them as owned properties, but changes like this reinforce the need for ongoing monitoring and basic maintenance, even on channels where activity is paused.

Digital and social teams should review dormant accounts and decide whether to keep them active. Logging in, posting occasional updates or linking to owned channels can help maintain perceived activity. It may also be worth documenting handles and passwords centrally to avoid lapses caused by staff turnover or agency transitions.

For global organisations, this is especially important. A local handle left inactive in a smaller market could be claimed by another user under X’s new rules, undermining brand consistency or, worse, leading to impersonation risks.

A Subscription-Driven Strategy

The Handles Marketplace also underlines X’s wider strategy shift from advertising revenue to paid subscriptions. Advertising spend has fallen dramatically since Musk’s takeover. According to Reuters, X’s global ad sales dropped by nearly 60% in the year following the acquisition, while platform usage has stagnated outside its core US and UK markets.

By introducing features such as the Handles Marketplace, X is banking on its remaining power users, particularly brands, creators and journalists, to fund its next phase. Access to dormant handles adds perceived value for those still investing in X Premium+, but it also locks brand identity behind a paywall.

Even if brands can claim valuable handles, ownership is contingent on maintaining an active subscription. If a company cancels its Premium+ or Business plan, it forfeits the claimed handle and reverts to its original username. For marketers used to owning their brand assets outright, this “rental” model raises questions about long-term stability.

Could Other Platforms Follow?

While X’s approach feels radical, it may also prove influential. Several of the company’s more controversial moves, from paid verification to looser content moderation, have eventually shaped wider industry trends. Meta, for instance, followed X’s lead with its own paid verification model earlier this year, offering subscribers enhanced visibility and customer support on Facebook and Instagram.

If X’s Handles Marketplace succeeds in generating new revenue, other social platforms may see potential in repurposing inactive usernames or offering premium access to short, high-value handles. With competition for usernames fierce on most major platforms, handle scarcity is becoming a genuine challenge.

A structured marketplace could, over time, become a cross-platform norm. That would mean brands can no longer assume permanent ownership of digital identities on third-party networks, regardless of how long they have held them.

What Marketers Should Do Now

For brands still maintaining a presence on X, the Handles Marketplace offers an opportunity to strengthen their handle strategy. Marketers should:

1. Audit all existing X accounts to identify inactive or duplicate handles.

2. Decide which accounts to maintain and ensure each logs activity at least quarterly.

3. Register interest early in the Handles Marketplace if there are valuable or legacy handles worth reclaiming.

4. Document ownership centrally to avoid accidental inactivity or abandonment.

5. Evaluate brand safety and ROI before increasing investment in the platform.

For those that have stepped back from X but still hold branded accounts, it may be time to re-engage just enough to protect those assets. Otherwise, valuable handles could be reassigned to others, including unrelated users or competitors.

Social Inactivity Carries New Risk

The Handles Marketplace is another sign of X’s reinvention under Elon Musk. It may help Premium subscribers tidy up their presence, but it also highlights a more transactional vision for the platform, one where even usernames carry a price tag.

For marketers, the biggest lesson is clear. Inactivity now carries risk. Brands that have left X dormant could find themselves losing not just visibility but ownership of their handles altogether.

And if X’s model proves profitable, other platforms may eventually follow. Social handles have always been the foundation of digital identity. Now, they could become yet another commodity in the expanding creator economy, where even a username comes with a cost.