Basic vs collectible usernamesnot the same thing

A basic username is a setting

You open Telegram, type a name into settings, and if nobody has it you have it. There is no cost and no record of ownership beyond the account itself.

The flip side is that you are holding it rather than owning it. Change it and it is immediately available to whoever types it next. There is no grace period and no way to transfer it to a specific person.

A collectible username is an asset

A collectible is recorded on the TON blockchain as property of whoever holds it. It can be kept in a wallet, sold on Fragment, transferred directly to another wallet, or assigned to a profile, group or channel.

Ownership and use are separate. You can own a handle and not have it attached to anything, which is impossible with a basic username.

Turning one into the other

A basic username you already hold can be converted into a collectible through Fragment for a one time fee of 5 TON. That conversion is what makes it sellable.

This matters if you are planning to sell. A buyer cannot safely take a basic username from you, because the handover is release and reclaim, and anybody watching can grab it in between.

Questions people ask

Which one do I have?

If you never used Fragment and never paid anything, it is a basic username.

Do I have to convert before selling?

In practice yes. Converting is what turns the handle into something that can be transferred rather than released and hoped for.

Does converting change how it looks?

No. The handle works exactly the same way for the people messaging you.