Question 1

What exactly does owning a minute mean?

Accepted Answer

It means one thing: that minute — say 15 June 2018 at 14:32 UTC — is publicly recorded under the name you choose. Nobody else can claim it. It gets its own page with your title, message, dedication and photo. You are buying the registry entry for $4.99, not the moment itself. Nobody can sell real time and our terms say so plainly.

Question 2

Is this an NFT?

Accepted Answer

No. No blockchain, no wallet, no crypto. It is a row in a database behind a public web page, paid for by card. Nothing to install, nothing to hold in a wallet.

Question 3

What if the minute is already claimed?

Accepted Answer

Then it is gone — every minute has exactly one owner and the database enforces it. The search field tells you before you pay, and the timeline lets you step to the minute before or after, which is usually just as close to the story.

Question 4

Can I give it as a surprise?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Nothing is sent to the other person unless you send it. You buy the minute, write the dedication and the message, and share the link when you want to. You can also schedule a gift delivery date on the gift page.

Question 5

What if they do not like it?

Accepted Answer

Write to us and we will refund a recent purchase; EU customers also have the statutory right of withdrawal for digital content. A refunded minute goes back to the registry as unclaimed. The details are on our refunds page.

Question 6

How is it delivered?

Accepted Answer

Immediately, as a public page at buythetime.co with a permanent address. You get the link by email after payment and can forward it, print it, or write it inside a card. The recipient needs no account.

Question 7

Can I change it later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sign in with the email you used at checkout and edit the title, message, link and media any time. Every change is written to a history you can review.

Question 8

Is there a printed certificate?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. The gift is digital: a public page you can share or print yourself. A physical certificate is planned but is not on sale, so we do not charge for it.

Question 9

What do you give someone who has everything?

Accepted Answer

Something that cannot be bought twice. Almost every gift can be ordered again by the next person — a minute cannot. Once 15 June 2018 at 14:32 UTC is recorded under their name, the registry refuses every later claim on it, so the gift stays the only one of its kind.

Question 10

How is this different from naming a star?

Accepted Answer

A star name lives in a private catalogue that nobody else recognises, and the same star is often sold many times over. A minute is a single public page with one owner, enforced by the database. Both are novelty records, but only one of them is unique by design.

Question 11

Is it a good last-minute gift?

Accepted Answer

Yes. There is nothing to ship. You pick the minute, write the dedication, pay by card and get a link within a minute — a card, a message or a printout is all the wrapping it needs.

Criterion	A minute	Star registry	Love lock	Engraved keepsake
Uniquely theirs	Yes, one owner ever	Kind of — same star sold repeatedly	Physical, but reused	Yes, until lost or broken
Delivered how	Instant public page + link	PDF certificate	On-site padlock	Physical object, shipped
Editable later	Yes, any time	No	No	Depends on medium
Price	$4.99	$30–$50	$10–$100	$40–$200

A gift for someone who has everything — except this minute.

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Compared to other gifts.

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The minute the plane landed

One price for every minute in history.

Questions people ask before giving one.

Every minute in history is available. Once.