Psst, Sora invite codes selling for $35 on eBay after OpenAI app launch

OpenAI’s new TikTok-style video app Sora has sparked an unexpected secondary market, with scalpers selling invite codes on eBay for $20 to $35 just one day after launch. The resale frenzy highlights the intense demand for OpenAI’s first social media platform, which uses AI to generate videos and is currently restricted to invite-only access to manage computational costs and prevent abuse.

What you should know: Over 20 listings for Sora invite codes appeared on eBay within 24 hours of the app’s launch, with more than 120 codes already sold according to eBay’s Terapeak data.

• One ambitious seller attempted to auction an invite code for $175 but failed to find a buyer at that price point.
• The app is free to download on iOS but requires an invite code to access, creating artificial scarcity that scalpers are exploiting.

How the invite system works: Users can essentially farm invite codes once they gain access to the platform.

• After successfully registering on Sora, each user receives four new invite codes to share with others.
• This multiplication effect allows early adopters to either sell their extra codes or distribute them freely on platforms like Reddit and X/Twitter.

Why OpenAI chose this approach: The company is using invite-only access as a strategic tool to control both costs and content quality during the initial rollout.

• Limited user access helps mitigate potential abuse while capping the expensive computational costs of AI video generation.
• Bill Peebles, an OpenAI research scientist, warned that “when more people come onto the platform, gens/day (video generations per day) will need to decrease to support the increased volume.”

The bigger picture: Sora represents OpenAI’s first venture into social media, competing directly with TikTok through AI-generated video content that has been flooding social platforms and generating significant buzz.

• The company plans to expand availability over time and launch on Android, though it noted the service “will initially be available for free, with generous limits to start so people can freely explore its capabilities.”
• This suggests OpenAI will eventually monetize the platform once it moves beyond the initial free access period.

What’s next: Free invite codes remain available through community channels for users unwilling to pay scalpers, though availability depends on the generosity of existing users sharing their allocated codes.