How bidding works

Highest active bid holds #1.

Claim The Market is a transparent paid placement marketplace. Positions are sold, not awarded — no end times, no hidden reserve, no editorial ranking.

Browse marketsSee current leaders
Illustration of an auction paddle raised in front of a city skyline
Illustration of an auction paddle raised in front of a city skyline

1. Pick your market

Choose a city and a category — for example roofing in Miami. That pair is one market with exactly one #1 slot.

Illustration of a secure card payment with a verified receipt

2. Place your bid

Open markets start at $10. Claimed markets show the live highest bid and the minimum you need to take it. Pay securely by card at checkout.

Illustration of a winners podium with a glowing gold number one badge

3. Hold #1 until you're outbid

Your listing sits at the top of the market page with a winner badge. You keep it with no end date until another business bids higher.

Starting bid

$10

Every unclaimed market opens here.

Minimum increment

$5

What it takes to outbid the leader.

Position length

Until outbid

No end date, no auto-renewal.

Paid placement. The #1 Featured Business is the business currently holding the highest active bid for this city and category. Positions are not reviews, ratings, endorsements, or quality rankings, and do not imply a business is objectively the best.

The full marketplace rules

One #1 position per market

Each city and category pair is a separate market with exactly one #1 Featured Business. The business holding the highest active bid holds the position until someone bids higher.

Starting bids and increments

Unclaimed positions open at the market's starting bid of $10. To take a claimed position you must bid at least the current highest bid plus the market's minimum increment of $5, so most #1 spots are live between $10 and $30 today.

Raising your own bid

If you already hold #1, you can raise your bid to defend the position and you are only charged the difference between your current bid and your new bid.

How long you keep the position

There is no auction end time and no expiry. You hold #1 continuously until another business outbids you, at which point your listing drops out of the featured slot and the new highest bidder takes over. Ownership history for every market is public.

Getting outbid

When someone outbids you, your bid becomes inactive and you are not charged again. You can reclaim the market instantly by bidding above the new leader plus the minimum increment.

Payment verification

Every bid creates a payment record tied to your account and is processed by Stripe. Bids with failed or reversed payments are voided and the previous highest bid is restored.

What you get with #1

The #1 slot puts your logo, description, website link, and gallery at the top of the city and category page, gives you a verified winner badge you can embed on your own site, and reports impressions and clicks in your dashboard.

Multiple markets

One business can hold #1 in as many city and category markets as it wants. Each market is bid on and paid for separately, and all of them appear on your public business profile.

Listing integrity

Websites must be valid, reachable, and owned by you. Duplicate listings for the same business or domain are blocked, and listings containing prohibited terms are rejected automatically.

Moderation and disputes

Anyone can report a listing. Moderators can suspend listings for fraud, misrepresentation, prohibited industries, or impersonation, and suspended listings lose their positions.

Refunds

Bids are placements, not subscriptions. Amounts already charged are not refunded when you are outbid, because the placement was live while you held it. Payments for listings removed by moderation for reasons outside your control are refunded.

What a #1 position is not

A #1 Featured position is advertising. It is not a review, rating, award, certification, endorsement, or quality assessment, and it does not mean a business is objectively the best in its city.