Savvy Chinese netizens are looking to capitalize on the booming success of US-based Clubhouse by selling invitations to the invite-only live audio app, just a day after Tesla CEO Elon Musk broke audience records with an appearance on the platform.

Details: TechNode counted dozens of listings for Clubhouse invites on Idle Fish, Alibaba’s secondhand marketplace.

  • Prices range from RMB 180 ($28) to RMB 500 per invitation. Sellers are from a number of different locations in China. On eBay, Clubhouse invites are selling for around $50 at the time of writing.
  • The overwhelming majority of the Idle Fish listings were posted in the last 24 hours. TechNode has not been able to verify the authenticity of the listings.
  • The homonymous hashtag had been viewed 6.65 million times on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, in the 24 hours preceding Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 2. It peaked around 5 p.m. China Standard Time on Monday.
  • “What is this? Am I out of touch with the times?” (our translation) one flabbergasted Weibo user wrote around 5 p.m., posting screenshots of chatter on the social media platform. The post had been liked 6,700 times.
  • At 5:43 p.m., a Weibo user with 2 million followers noted that Clubhouse invites were sold on eBay for $97. The post attracted 4,000 likes.
(Image credit: TechNode)

Context: The Clubhouse app lets users join in rooms and listen to conversations between hosts and guests. It has been buzzing in Silicon Valley the last month or so, but reached new heights of popularity after tech superstar Elon Musk’s appearance on Monday.

Eliza was TechNode's blockchain and fintech reporter until July 2021, when she moved to CoinDesk to cover crypto in Asia. Get in touch with her via email or Twitter.