An OG username is a short, original handle (such as @rainbow or @power), claimed in a social platform’s early days. Because the best ones have been registered, buyers turn to underground marketplaces, where handles sell for anywhere between $30 to $10K+, and are offered by anonymous sellers.
We bought a few to see how this works, learn about the risks, understand what happens when you go against a platform’s rules, and the inner-workings of dealing with anonymous sellers from all over the world. Here’s the playbook and the pitfalls.
You’ve probably seen the stories: an Instagram account gets hacked, the phone loses service, then the threatening messages start. Welcome to the world of SIM hijackers and username marketplaces.
What Is an OG Username and Why Do They Cost So Much?
The tale is old as time: the best names (and often the shorter ones) are snagged by those who come first – as well as by celebrities and famous brands – getting the highly-coveted status of early adopters.
So what if you didn’t get a slice of the premium social media real estate? You will probably have to use numbers, dots, and underscores, or choose an acceptable word to complement your brand’s name (i.e.: hello, get, official, your product category, among others).
But what if you really desire a short name, ether for personal use or your next business venture, and do not want to settle with any of the above mechanisms?
Enter the underground OG marketplaces, such as OGUsers or Swapd, where you can buy social media accounts from random people who don’t go by their real names and all transactions are conducted primarily in Bitcoin – at your own risk.
The most common markets operate like forums, where buyers and sellers post listings with their desired searches or offered goods, and popular dictionary words could run for thousands of dollars. The prices for low-tier accounts tend to start at $30 and sellers provide hints to prevent disclosing all characters in the username to avoid getting them banned.
Buying an OG name can be a daunting task, so we decided to put it to the test and report on our findings, and the journey to “originality” was a total rollercoaster – see our recommendations below.
Related: learn more about our experience buying and selling premium domain names.
1. How Do You Protect Yourself Before Buying? Create an Alias
You must start by building a completely new persona to protect your true identity from any unwanted tracking or attacks. Forget your real name and pick an alias that suits you best.
The next step is to ensure that you have burner accounts for absolutely everything you will use for transactions:
- Get a new Gmail account.
- Get a Google Voice VOIP phone number with your new Gmail – or alternatively create a Sudo account to get both an email and a number.
- Use the above burner accounts to sign up for Discord and Telegram.
Once you have all of the above, you should go ahead and create an account in one of the OG marketplaces.
2. What Do OG Marketplace Terms Like MM, BIN, and C/O Mean?
There is an entire language, rich with acronyms, that is crucial to navigate OG marketplaces. Here is a list with the most common terms:
- OG = original (and highly sought-after) username
- OGE = original email used to create the account in the first place (to make sure the account is secure and cannot be pulled back)
- MM = middleman who serves as intermediary between both parties to prevent scams (like a trusted escrow)
- C/O = current offer (the highest bid so far)
- BIN = buy it now (usually provided with the C/O)
- POF = proof of funds (seller’s request of proof that you can afford the account’s price and are a legitimate buyer)
- BTC = Bitcoin
- DWC = deal with care
- Stat = accounts with a high number of followers
- Cop = to get, receive, purchase, or steal (used interchangeably)
You might stumble upon other concepts such as “high tier” or “semi” or “clean” used to describe the username’s quality. You could expect popular dictionary words to be considered high tier, while semis would refer to words that would go well with a niche topic, and clean are mostly pronounceable run-of-the-mill names.
3. How Much Does an OG Username Cost?
Low-tier handles start around $30, while common dictionary words anywhere ran from $1,600 to $15,000 in the 2020 listings we tracked.
Once you begin browsing the forums, make sure to spend enough time going through multiple posts to get an understanding of the accounts being sold and how much people offer for them, as well as the pricing thresholds for the different OG types.
2-letter and 3-letter usernames will be more expensive than 4-letter (for obvious reasons) and prices for dictionary words will depend on their uniqueness. Below are some examples from our research in 2020:
| Instagram Handle | 2020 Pricing |
|---|---|
| @gay | $15,000 |
| @leader | $7,000 |
| @camel | $3,000 |
| @narc | $2,000 |
| @uranus | $1,600 |
Once you find any names that you want, you should start making offers using the C/O as your baseline and the BIN as your ceiling, but don’t rush to pay the full price as sellers will be open to negotiate with you.
At this point in time you will likely need to get a Bitcoin exchange account and wallet – if you don’t have one already.
Update: we noticed that a lot of great opportunities tend to show up on Discord’s private servers, which you might slowly get access to as you chat with different sellers, and it will give you a behind-the-scenes look into the world of underground OG marketplaces.
4. How Do You Pay for an OG Username?
The official currency in the OG marketplaces will be Bitcoin (BTC), however, some sellers will occasionally accept Cash App or PayPal.
If you didn’t ride the cryptocurrency wave yet, you will need to create an exchange account and wallet to be able to pay for the usernames, but be mindful that there are certain limitations when buying Bitcoin from specific geographies.
We recommend using apps like Coinbase and Cash App to buy Bitcoin from the exchange as both charge decent fees. You will need to withdraw the BTC to a wallet to send to other people – we recommend Coinbase Wallet or Exodus.
Remember that verifying your identity with the exchanges might take a few days (and yes – they will need your real identity).
A few important things worth noting: withdrawing Bitcoin to a wallet can take more than 30 minutes, as well as sending coins to another wallet, so keep that in mind before you panic. Also know that, despite the wonders of blockchain and cryptocurrency, using an incorrect wallet code would result in losing your precious coins forever.
Pay extra attention when conducting any Bitcoin transactions.
5. How Do You Avoid Getting Scammed?
Use a middleman for any deals. Legit sellers won’t refuse and the fees typically start at $8 (in 2020). To determine if a seller is trustworthy, make sure to review their marketplace profile and reputation. You will soon find out that dealing with strangers who hide behind fake names and avatars can be very uncomfortable.
Related: you should listen to this podcast about a Snapchat thief to know more about the world of hijackers and cybersecurity.
After corresponding with multiple people on OG Users and Discord, we can’t stress the importance to deal with caution, as you will encounter a large number of sketchy users who will go the extra mile to scam you.
Many of the individuals that we chatted with were teenagers from all over the world who are doing this just for fun, however, you will still need to be extra vigilant if you are unsure about the other party.
Conclusion
Is it worth it? Maybe, if you accept the risks. Buying an OG name isn’t for the faint-hearted, and platforms generally don’t allow account sales, so an account can be reclaimed or banned.
We got lucky with a few @s with branding potential and sellers who were professional. One even helped when our first login got flagged as suspicious, which was extremely nerve-wracking.
Good luck and stay safe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Short for “original”: a rare, usually short handle claimed early on a social platform such as Instagram.
Prices range from about $30 for low-tier names to $10,000+ for premium dictionary words (2020 listings).
Not without precautions. Use burner accounts, a middleman, and proof of funds, and expect scammers.
Platforms generally prohibit selling or transferring accounts, so there’s ban or reclaim risk.
A third party who holds the deal in escrow-style fashion to prevent scams. Fees start around $8.