When Gmail Was Not Free

When Gmail Was Not Free

Today, anyone can create a Gmail account in under a minute — and it costs nothing.

But in 2004, getting a Gmail address was anything but free.

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The Invite-Only Internet Club

When Gmail launched, you couldn’t just sign up.
It was invite-only, and each user had a limited number of invitations to share.

No invite? No Gmail.

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The eBay Gold Rush

Demand was so high, invites were selling for $50–$150 on eBay.
Yes — people paid real money for the privilege of using a free email service.

Why?

• 1 GB of storage (Hotmail gave you 2–4 MB)

• A clean, lightning-fast interface

• Threaded conversations that felt revolutionary

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How You Got In

• A generous friend sent you one of their precious invites.

• You traded for it on forums like Slashdot or Orkut.

• Or… you opened your wallet and bought one from a stranger.

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The First Login Feeling

When you finally got in, your inbox was empty except for a welcome email.
It was smooth, fast, and nothing like the cluttered inboxes you were used to.
And for a moment, you felt like you’d joined an elite corner of the internet.

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💡 The Lesson?
Scarcity creates value.
Gmail didn’t just launch a product — it launched desire. And people were willing to pay for what was, on paper, “free.”