Someone is selling their Twitter “handle” on eBay, along with 1397 “followers.”* As I am composing this, the bidding is at $1125.

What is the commercial value of a Twitter account? Nothing, I say. Would you pay over $1000 for a web site with 1397 unique visitors? Not monthly visitors — unique visitors for the life of the web site. Passive visitors. That you push to 140 characters at a time. That will stop reading your updates the minute you sell or market to them. With no known demographic profile other than computer literacy.

Is this in any way deceptive? Yes. Since anyone can follow anyone on Twitter, the seller may not have had any obligation to inform followers of his eventual intention to “sell” them, although he most certainly deceived them into following him under the pretense of being an independent provider of interesting conversation, and not a commercial enterprise.

Is it in violation of Twitter’s Terms of Service? Probably not. There is one rather vague item in the TOS stating “You must not create or submit unwanted email to any Twitter members (’Spam’).” It’s vague because it does not say you can’t spam them via updates or direct messages, the only means available within Twitter, and there is no certainty the buyer will do this, but why else buy it?

* As of the time the listing was posted, the number of followers was 1397. It has since risen. Thank you Laurel Papworth for the original post that brought this story to my attention.

Tags: twitter account for sale, ebay, andrewbaron