---
title: "FAQ — fees, deposits, payouts and approvals"
description: "Direct answers to the common questions about slotsbid: fees, deposits, fake bids, unsold slots, payouts, taxes, and who can use the platform."
canonical: "https://slotsbid.com/faq"
---

# Questions we get, answered plainly.

**What does slotsbid cost?**

10% of the winning bid, taken once at settlement. No subscription, no listing fee, and $0 if the slot does not sell.

**How much does the creator keep?**

90% of the winning bid. The fee is rounded down to the whole dollar in the creator's favour.

**Who can use slotsbid?**

Any creator with an audience a sponsor would pay to reach — YouTube channels, podcasts, newsletters, streamers, niche sites. There is no application and no waitlist: sign in with an emailed link, set up your desk, and list a slot.

**Does it work for YouTube videos?**

Yes. A slot can be a pre-roll, mid-roll or end-roll read on a specific upload, or the description link. You name the placement and the date, sponsors bid on it, and you approve the ad before anything runs.

**Do I need a minimum audience size?**

No. The auction sets the price, so a small audience simply clears at a smaller number rather than being turned away. What matters is having more than one interested sponsor.

**Are there fake or filler bids?**

No. Live ladders carry only verified, deposit-backed bids from sponsors who have paid a deposit and filed creative. Demo pages exist, and every entry on them is explicitly labelled a specimen.

**What stops someone bidding and not paying?**

A refundable $25 deposit is required before a first bid, and the winner has 48 hours to pay. Miss it and the slot rolls automatically to the next approved bidder, who was vetted the same way.

**Can a creator reject an ad?**

Yes, and by default nothing runs without approval. Sponsors file creative with their first bid, the creator approves it during the auction, and winner selection skips unapproved bidders even when their bid is higher.

**What if nobody bids?**

Nothing is charged, every deposit is refunded, and the slot can be relisted. The public page never displays "0 bids" — quiet auctions sit in sealed-offer mode instead.

**Can a sponsor bid privately?**

Yes. Sealed offers are available at every stage; the amount stays in the envelope and only the offer count is public.

**Who handles sales tax and VAT?**

slotsbid, as merchant of record. The tax paperwork does not land on the creator.

**When does a creator get paid?**

After the slot runs. The fee rate is frozen onto the payout record when it is written, so later rate changes never alter a settled deal.

**Does it work on my own site?**

Yes. One script tag embeds the auction. The embed is session-free and sets no cookies.

**Is there a contract or minimum?**

No. There is no subscription and no commitment; you can list one slot and never list another.

**Is bidding in whole dollars only?**

Yes. Partial dollars are refused rather than rounded, so a displayed amount is always the exact amount.