Want to buy a twitter account from a complete stranger.

February 28, 2013 12:14 PM

How to succesfully buy a twitter account from a faraway stranger?

I want to buy a twitter account from (a specific) someone I don't know. He seems like a bit of a douche. I'm worried that if I make an offer and he accepts, I pay him and maybe he takes the money and keeps the account and I'm screwed.
Would an escrow service solve this? How would that work?
We're not in the same city or country, so a face to face isn't feasible.
Has anybody had experience doing something like this?

posted by signal to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Please keep in mind that the Twitter Terms of Service forbid buying or selling twitter usernames.
posted by Tomorrowful at 12:49 PM on February 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

I work in website and domain sales, and see a lot of similar cases. As Tomorrowful points out, it's against the Twitter ToS to sell a username, but if the seller has a website that's connected to the Twitter account, he can sell you that and transfer the Twitter account as part of the deal.

I always deal with Escrow.com for website sales (I am not employed by them). The fees can be high for a small transaction, but I have never seen anyone regret spending the $.
posted by third word on a random page at 12:55 PM on February 28, 2013

Best answer: I would avoid this whole situation. Don't offer the guy money. I don't know the details, but likelihood is that a slightly different twitter name would suit you just fine. Build up a following that supersedes his and then put a valid claim in for the name you want. Twitter will likely hand it over if his account remains dormant. Problem solved. Let the douche be
posted by 0bvious at 3:32 PM on February 28, 2013 [1 favorite]