The handle you want is taken.
We get it back.

Not automatically. Each platform handles inactivity differently. X periodically releases handles from accounts inactive for extended periods and has an inactive-account policy, but doesn't process individual release requests on demand. Instagram and Facebook generally won't release a username just because it's dormant — unless it violates their policies (impersonation, trademark infringement) or the account is removed for inactivity in a platform sweep. LinkedIn may release inactive company page names in limited circumstances.

That's why our first step is an assessment: we identify which pathway — inactivity, trademark, or negotiation — actually applies to your situation, instead of filing claims that platforms will ignore.

This is the issue most people don't see coming. The terms of service on Instagram, X and Facebook prohibit the buying and selling of usernames in isolation, and accounts caught doing it can be suspended — meaning you can pay for a handle and lose it a week later.

Legitimate transfers usually happen at the account or business level: an asset sale where the social account transfers along with a brand or business, run through proper documentation and escrow. Where a clean transfer isn't possible under platform rules, we tell you so and pivot to a policy-based pathway instead. We will never advise a route that puts the handle at risk of suspension.

Extremely common — dormant account holders often no longer check the linked email, or deliberately ignore approaches hoping the price rises. We use multiple lawful contact channels (linked websites, business registries, professional networks) and a structured offer process with deadlines, which tends to surface a response where casual DMs don't.

If the holder genuinely can't be reached, that's often actually good news: it strengthens an inactive-account or abandonment case through official platform channels.

No — and this surprises a lot of brand owners. A trade mark gives you strong grounds when the account is infringing: impersonating your brand, selling counterfeit goods, or trading off your name in your class of goods or services. Platforms act on those reports fairly reliably.

But if the holder registered the handle in good faith — say, it's their surname, or an unrelated hobby account that predates your brand — platforms will usually leave it alone. "First come, first served" still carries real weight. In those cases negotiation, not a trademark report, is the realistic route, and filing aggressive reports first can poison the negotiation later.

Pathway determines both. Trademark/impersonation reports often resolve in 1–4 weeks. Inactive-account claims are slower and less predictable — 4–12 weeks where available. Negotiated transfers depend entirely on the holder: anywhere from days to months, and the purchase price is on top of our fee.

Our pricing: $190 assessment (credited toward the engagement), then from $890 per handle payable only on successful transfer. For negotiations, you set a hard budget cap before we approach anyone — we can't exceed it, and you only pay the holder through escrow.

This is the second most common horror story: a seller transfers the account, waits a month, then uses the original email or phone number to run account recovery and reclaim it. We prevent this with a security lockdown immediately on transfer — rotating the password, replacing every recovery email and phone number, removing linked devices and sessions, enabling 2FA on hardware you control, and documenting the transfer in a signed agreement that gives you legal recourse in Australia if anything is attempted.

It can, and it matters. An acquired account may carry policy strikes, shadow restrictions, bot followers, or an audience that has nothing to do with your brand — which can hurt your reach more than starting fresh. Our assessment includes an account-health audit, and in many cases the right move is to acquire the handle via a username swap onto a clean account rather than inheriting the old account wholesale. We'll tell you which is safer for your case.

It happens — an active, good-faith holder with no interest in selling is essentially immovable, and we'll tell you that early rather than burn your budget. From there we help you choose a strong consistent variant (the same modified handle on every platform beats four different compromises), monitor the original handle for future release or inactivity, and set up alerts so you're first in line if it ever frees up.