the thread about nothing...

[fluid hips]

I found it very odd too that he wants to purchase it through Telegram's official username auction platform. Telegram is the only platform that doesn't consider username selling a ToS violation and they even have their own auction platform but I've never been asked to actually do a transaction through he 'official' means even though it prevents the possibility of scamming.

Maybe this guy isn't overly familiar with how this usually works. The value of the username is roughly $20k so even for some obscenely rich buyer, making a starting offer of $300k is basically throwing away over $250k.
$50k would've been completely ridiculous as well but I probably would've responded because it's not entirely unheard of for wealthy buyers to make an offer so far outside of its value that no one would refuse it.

Specifically Middle Eastern collectors tend to do this so him owning a lot of UAE and other Middle East related usernames checks out in that department.
I think I've mentioned it before at some point but an old transaction with a wealthy Saudi always stuck with me. The guy said that at his level of wealth, everyone can buy Lamborghinis, Bugattis, exotic animals, ... but only one person can own a specific username.

A lot of 1 character usernames on IG for example are banned at this point because buying usernames is technically a ToS violation, in addition to often being targeted by hackers/SIM-swappers, but at one point the alphabet used to be almost entirely owned by Middle Eastern buyers like this guy.

Just tell him you want it in Bitcoin

 

[fluid hips]

 

[Blue Mamba]

The comments are hilarious

 

[mplsdunk]

Lil dicky saved that

 

[Belgium]

Just tell him you want it in Bitcoin

The process is basically the same. Telegram's auction platform uses a token that you can simply convert to Bitcoin or directly to euros on a crypto exchange platform like Binance.
I just have to wait on verification to be completed because the exchange I've used (Bitstamp) doesn't convert that particular token.

Also by using Telegram's auction platform, there's no worries about scamming.

Probably the biggest issue, if this potential deal actually goes through, is having to explain to the Belgian IRS that the $300k was for a username.
Last time I sold a Telegram username, the $20k Bitcoin from the Russian buyer triggered a suspicious transaction report. Bitstamp flagged it for potential money laundering and my bank manager told me that my bank over here flagged it as a suspicious transaction as well when I converted the Bitcoin to euros and withdrew it to my bank account.

The Belgian IRS asked me to submit relevant documents and sit down for a voluntary interview about it as well. All voluntary cooperation though, I never received a subpoena.
I cooperated to the fullest extent and never heard back so it seems they were satisfied. I keep meticulous notes both on paper and by sending emails to myself at the time because Paypal has a habit of freezing my account for "EU Anti-Money Laundering Compliance" pretty much every year. It's more of an annoyance than anything serious. I always beat those probes pretty quickly because I flood them with documents and a damn near thesis on the market for usernames.

Idk if this is also an issue in the US but over here you're never told if you're no longer under investigation. You can always try asking but you always get some variation of "we're not allowed to disclose the status of an investigation, including whether it is still open or not."
You just have to guess based on the activity or lack thereof.

 

[had pants]

 

[maq25060]

Dec 24th - Jan 2nd should be a national holiweek.

 

[Beruseruku Desu]

 

[DB Cooper]

RIP Greg!

 

[tr1ll]

Dec 24th - Jan 2nd should be a national holiweek.

Sounds like a good idea until you need to run to the liquor store.*


















*they’d be closed too.

 

[Bronson]

 

[robpzee612]

The last couple of days of 2024...

 

[darthska]

Wordle 1,288 5/6

 

[kdawg]

Wordle 1,288 5/6

Wordle 1,288 4/6

 

[kdawg]

Bored out of my mind so I'm in my office clearing stuff out - been wanting to do this for a while as my big cupboard has just had stuff thrown into it the last few years.

Found a few interesting things so far - I forgot where I'd put these:

 

[calibeebee]

Ky gone off the edibles or what?

 

[had pants]