How IceMarket works
Every rink manager knows the drill: contracts get signed in August, and by January half the teams have a bye week, a tournament, or a coach with the flu. The ice still gets billed. IceMarket is the middle ground — a simple marketplace where the person stuck with a slot meets the team that's been begging the scheduler for one more practice.
Selling a slot
Post it
Create a free account, verify your email, and list the rink, date, start and end time. Add a note — full sheet or half ice, locker rooms, whether the rink allows sticks and pucks at that hour.
Price it your way
Set a fixed asking price, set a price but stay open to bids, or skip the price entirely and let the market make you an offer.
Accept the best offer
Bids land in your inbox as they come. Accept one from My Slots and every other open bid is automatically declined with no hard feelings.
Hand off and mark it sold
On acceptance we email both of you each other's contact info. Sort out payment and the rink paperwork, then mark the slot sold.
Buying ice
Browse free, no account
Anyone can search open slots by rink, city, date, or price. You only need an account when you're ready to make a move.
Register & verify
A free account plus a one-click email verification is all it takes. Verification keeps the bidding honest — sellers deal with real people.
Bid or request
Bid-friendly slots take your offer and an optional message. Fixed-price slots take a request at the asking price. One open offer per slot — resubmitting simply updates it, and you can withdraw any time.
Get the ice
If the seller accepts, you'll get their contact info by email and see it under My Bids. Settle up, confirm the transfer with the rink, and skate.
Money and the fine print
- IceMarket never touches the money for ice. Buyer and seller settle directly — cash, check, Venmo, whatever works between you. We list the ice and make the introduction; the deal is yours.
- Check with the rink before you transfer. Most rinks are happy to see contracted ice actually used, but some require the slot to stay under the original contract holder's name, insurance, or waivers. A two-minute call to the rink office saves everyone a headache at the door.
- A bid is a handshake. Only bid what you'll actually pay. Withdraw before acceptance if plans change — ghosting a seller after they've declined every other offer is a good way to get banned.
- Expired means expired. Slots whose date has passed drop off the market automatically.
Advertising
The banner space at the top of every page is served by AdEngine, our advertising network — skate shops, lessons and camps, rink services, and local businesses can put themselves in front of hockey people right here. Campaigns are self-serve: pick your sites, pick a package, and your ad can be live the same day. See Advertise for how it works.
Ready to hit the ice?
Browsing is free. Selling is free. The only thing that costs you is letting a sheet sit empty.