The rules

HOTSEAT opens at $1.00. Each new bid is exactly $1.00 above the current champion. Bidders cannot skip ahead with a larger amount.

A bid joins the board only after payment is confirmed. Starting checkout or returning to HOTSEAT does not reserve a rank.

There is no scheduled leaderboard reset. A confirmed seat remains on the board for as long as HOTSEAT operates. New confirmed bids may move it down, but they do not remove it.

Visitors choose which confirmed seat to open. Each seat links directly to the URL submitted with its payment. Optional X, Stan Store, and Linktree links can appear on the listing. HOTSEAT does not automatically distribute clicks.

Rank 1 receives the large featured placement. A higher confirmed bid becomes the new champion and moves prior confirmed seats down the board.

HOTSEAT records every outbound redirect for the selected seat. Repeat clicks count. Public counts reflect recorded redirects, not guaranteed visits or outcomes.

A valid confirmed payment remains ranked and directly clickable after being outbid, so later rank changes do not trigger a refund.

If another checkout confirms first and makes a competing payment stale before it can join the board, that stale charge is refunded automatically.

A portion of every confirmed bid goes toward bringing more people to Hotseat, including promotion on X. Remaining revenue supports operating and improving HOTSEAT.

HOTSEAT honors confirmed seats while the site operates, but does not promise a fixed rank or a minimum number of clicks, impressions, visits, or conversions. Your position can move down as new bids are confirmed.