Every rule here is arithmetic.

How is rank decided on Rivl?

Positions are ordered by the total amount paid for them, highest first. When two listings have paid the same, the one that got there first stays ahead. There is no score, no algorithm and no editorial judgement.

Does Rivl review or vet what gets listed?

Payment is the only gate. When it clears, the listing goes straight onto the board at whatever place the bid buys. Nobody at Rivl approves, vets or endorses anything that appears here.

Do I need an account to bid?

You don’t sign up to bid. After paying you get a private link that lets you edit your listing’s name, tagline and sector. That link is the only credential, so keep it.

Can I get a refund if I’m outbid?

A completed payment is what claims the rank. There are no refunds: not if you’re outbid, not if you change your mind. Decide before you pay.

How do I move up the board?

Bid again on a product you’ve already listed and the new amount adds to its total, so you only ever pay the difference to move up.

Can anyone bid on any website?

You don’t have to own a site to bid on it. Anyone can pay to push any URL up the board, and a listing is an advertisement rather than a claim about who runs the product. If a listing points at something you own and you want it gone, use the report link on its page and ask. We take those down.

Are the numbers on Rivl real?

Every figure shown (listings, money pooled, bids today, click counts) is a real total from our database. We don’t display visitor or “online now” counts, because we don’t measure them.

What does a position cost?

A dollar more than whoever is holding it: the same rule at every rank, including the top. One dollar is also the floor, so the bottom of the board is always open. The most a single bid can be is $1,000,000, which is a storage limit rather than a policy.

When does my listing actually appear?

When our payment provider confirms the payment to us directly, which is usually seconds after you land back on the site. Coming back from checkout is not itself proof of payment, so the board waits for the confirmation rather than the redirect.

What if I start a checkout and don't finish it?

Nothing is charged and nothing is listed. An unfinished checkout is dropped after an hour.

Two listings have paid the same amount. Who is ahead?

Whoever got there first. Matching a total does not pass it, so you have to beat it.

What counts as the same product?

The site it points at. Two addresses for one product are one listing, so bidding either one raises the same position. Sites that host many products keep them apart: a GitHub repository, an X profile and an App Store or Play Store entry are each their own listing.

What happens if a listing is removed?

It leaves the board, its own page and every total on the site. There is still no refund: a refundable removal would make paying a free option on breaking the rules. The amount stays credited to the listing, so it returns intact if the removal is reversed.

Can a listing be held before it appears?

A new listing whose title or description trips our content rules is held instead of published. The payment stands and the listing waits for a person to look at it.

Is there a limit on how fast I can bid?

Ten bid attempts a minute from one connection. It is there to stop automated flooding, not to slow down anyone bidding by hand.

What if my card settles in another currency?

Prices are quoted in US dollars and that quoted amount is what gets credited to the listing. Your bank may apply its own conversion and fees, which we never see.

The binding version is in the terms. This page is the same thing in plain language.