How long do bought contest votes last?

The default state is permanent

Properly delivered votes do not expire. Once they land in the contest tally they remain there until the contest closes or until the organiser actively removes them during audit. The interesting question is not "do they expire" — they do not — but "what is the audit window".

The 48-72 hour audit window

Across more than 100,000 orders since 2018, we have observed a clear pattern: when removal happens, it happens fast. The vast majority of removal events occur within 48-72 hours of delivery. After that three-day window, removal becomes increasingly unlikely because:

• Organisers who audit react to vote-count changes in near real time, not weeks later.
• Most consumer contests run on short timelines (7-30 days) so there is no incentive to retro-audit long after the fact.
• Manual auditing is expensive — organisers spend the effort early or not at all.

Typical timeline

What causes the rare removal events

Removal is the exception. When it does happen, it is almost always traceable to one of three causes:

1. High-value contest with active manual auditing. A $50,000 prize justifies the operator paying a moderator to spot-check entries. Mitigate by ordering pacing that matches the contest length and using country-matched targeting.
2. Unrealistic ratio between votes and organic engagement. 5,000 votes on a Facebook post with three shares and zero comments looks wrong to a human auditor. Mitigate by combining paid votes with at least some organic share velocity, or by capping the order at a believable share of total contest votes.
3. Competitor reports. A losing competitor flags your entry to the organiser. Audit then follows. Mitigate by keeping the order proportional and by not advertising what you have done in public channels.

Platform-specific retention notes

Facebook poll votes

Permanent for the duration of the poll. Polls inside Facebook Groups can be closed by the admin at any time — votes then become read-only. See /buy-facebook-votes/.

Instagram story poll votes

Story-poll votes have a structural 24-hour limit because the story itself expires. Within that window, votes are stable. For longer-running Instagram contests (feed-post comments, hashtag campaigns), retention is permanent until the campaign closes. See /buy-instagram-story-poll-votes/.

X (Twitter) polls

X polls have a maximum 7-day life set at creation time. Votes are permanent within that life and the final tally is locked at close. See /buy-twitter-votes/.

Independent brand-contest sites

Retention depends entirely on the operator. Most operators publish a final tally and never revisit it. A minority run a post-close audit phase. This is where the refund window matters most.

If removal happens, you are covered

Our refund window runs for seven days after the agreed delivery deadline. If a vote is removed inside that window — whether during the 48-72 hour active audit or in a delayed post-close sweep — you can claim either a full refund or free re-delivery per /terms/ §6 and /guarantees/. See /faq/refund-if-disqualified/ for the step-by-step process.

Related FAQs

• Will the organiser detect bought votes?
• Refund if disqualified
• How to buy votes without getting caught
• Is buying contest votes legal?

Need a contest-specific retention estimate? Ask before you order

See also: Guarantees · Terms of Service · Service Rules · Glossary