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Selling instagram user name?
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Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
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Dec 15, 2022, 02:01 PM
 
Hey there, weird question:

Some guy messaged me on IG and asked me if I could release my username (not sell the account) to use for an upcoming clothing label. He offered a couple of items of clothing plus some unnamed sum of money.

I have no idea what to ask. The web is full of account sales discussion, but very little on releasing a username.

How would you go about this?
     
subego
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
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Dec 15, 2022, 02:25 PM
 
Because I don’t IG, I want to make sure I’ve got this clear.

You’re being asked to change your username, so they can snag it once it’s no longer being used?
     
reader50
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Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
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Dec 15, 2022, 02:49 PM
 
If you cancel home phone service, it's routine for the phone company to hold your phone number for 6 months before releasing it to anyone else. In case you want it back, and for people to stop trying to reach you over the old number.

I don't know if Instagram places a hold on released usernames or not, but your prospect could be in for months or years until they release the old name. He might have to buy the account to actually get the name. I'd definitely research or contact IG support before proceeding. After all, he may condition payment on receiving the username.
     
subego
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Dec 15, 2022, 03:26 PM
 
My somewhat warped sense of ethics says this isn’t Spheric’s problem.

I mean, as long as the cash is up-front.
     
Thorzdad
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Location: Nobletucky
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Dec 15, 2022, 05:33 PM
 
I assume you use the same user name most everywhere else, yes? Do you really want the name associated with a business you have no control over? Wherever else you use the name, people will (possibly) begin to assume you represent the clothing company. Which might be cool, if the clothes are really popular and nice. But, it could be bad if the clothes are rubbish and people start complaining to you about your shit product.

Ask for four-figures.
     
Spheric Harlot  (op)
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Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
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Dec 15, 2022, 07:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Because I don’t IG, I want to make sure I’ve got this clear.

You’re being asked to change your username, so they can snag it once it’s no longer being used?
Exactly this.

Thanks for the responses so far.

It’s a smol account with fewer than 100 followers.

I don’t really use it at all, and the username is ancient but easily replaced.
I have another account that I tend to use regularly.
     
Brien
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Southern California
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Dec 21, 2022, 02:21 AM
 
Don’t do it. I changed the name of one of my apps once for some guy starting a gin distillery with the same name.

I never got the free gin
     
Spheric Harlot  (op)
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Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
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Oct 1, 2023, 04:09 PM
 
Heh — never followed up on this. He offered me 50 quid and some clothing, I came back with 5000, at which point he went off on a little tirade about how that was ridiculous and I’d be lucky to sell it for a tenner or so.

I reminded him that he had the business interest, and that I hadn’t been looking to sell; he was looking to buy.
I then explained that, since we’d now both clarified a starting point, we could now start talking.

He never replied after that. Ah, shame.

I still keep getting the occasional „you seem to be having trouble logging in“ emails from Instagram, but those have been coming for a while, so that might just be bots and spammers trying to log in using the email address with the password that was part of a large database hack years ago…
     
   
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