How Not to Buy a Google+ (Plus) Invite

four ways to get a Google+ invite.  One of the ways was to simply buy a GooglePlus invite in eBay.  I promised to give it a try, and report what happened. You can buy Google+ (Plus) invites either via a bidding auction, or via a “Buy It Now” auction.  At a glance, bidding auction prices were around $5.00 to $25.00 with 20-30 hours left to go.  “Buy It Now” auction prices seemed to vary from $1.00 to $75.00.  Since I’m both cheap and impatient, I opted to buy a Google Plus invite for $1.00 using the “Buy It Now” functionality.  The transaction took place, and the seller sent a message asking for the Gmail address I’d like the invite to be sent to.  However, after sending him the info, he sent the bad news:

“I’m sorry invite option has been removed due to reaching capacity.  They are supposed to open it up again here soon, would you like me to keep you posted and send one out when it re-opens or would you like me to refund your purchase?”
Is Google now rationing Google+ invites, or are eBay sellers taking advantage of desperate Google+ fans, hoping most people will just opt to lose $1 in the hopes of gaining an invite?  This particular seller had a large number of positive reviews, including happy Google invite buyers, so I believe Google+ invite rationing IS in effect.  [UPDATE:  It’s now fully confirmed, Google stopped sending out Google+ invites, due to insane demand.] Have you tried sending, buying, or selling a Google+ invitation recently?  What was your experience?]]>

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5 responses to “How Not to Buy a Google+ (Plus) Invite”

  1. How to Get a Google+ (Plus) Invite

    […] features…but we'll see if it can make any headway against Facebook, etc. Pingback by How Not to Buy a Google+ (Plus) Invite on June 30, 2011 @ 9:40 am […] Helping America See The Light: "Where is the +1 button? […]

    Reply
  2. Nico Avatar
    Nico

    http://bit.ly/iRgRVC

    here you can buy one

    Reply
    1. GarageSpin Avatar
      GarageSpin

      Fortunately, now they're free..!

      Reply
  3. lol Avatar
    lol

    I'm unaware if they will be fixing this anytime, but currently there is a workaround to the google+ invite issue.
    Look before you speak…
    With some googling (pun intended) I pulled up these instructions:

    A simple trick to invite people to Google plus-

    1. Create a post. I suggest something that explains that the post is being used to invite them to Google+, also explaining that invites are being limited. (They will get that post in an email with the first few words as the subject line)

    2a. Inviting by suggested contact list: Create a circle with everyone you want to invite in your contact list (I created one called, creatively, “Invitees”). Add that circle under “Share”
    2b. Inviting by email: Typing their names directly into the box under what you want to share, where it says “+Add more people.”

    3. Hit share.

    Note, I’ve been informed by a Googler+ that invites are rate limited by hour. So if they can’t click through that first time, they can try again later with same link. (You don’t need to resend it)

    Reply
    1. GarageSpin Avatar
      GarageSpin

      Thanks for sharing, lol!

      Reply

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