Fees are part of live events. Here’s what they cover, where they go, and why StubHub is committed to showing you the full picture from the start.
Planning a night out at your favorite artist’s concert or cheering on your team from the stands takes enough energy. Decoding your ticket total at checkout shouldn’t add to that. Fees are a part of the live events industry, and fans deserve a straight answer about what they’re paying for.
Here’s the honest breakdown.
What Are Ticket Fees, Really?
When you buy a ticket on StubHub, the price you see reflects more than just your seat. Several different parties contribute to making a live event happen and getting the ticket in your hand. Fees help cover a share of those costs. The most common types you’ll encounter:
Service Fees cover the infrastructure and the guarantees that protect your tickets. Infrastructure means the operational side of running a ticket marketplace: the technology, the customer support teams, the fraud prevention tools, and the infrastructure that keeps your purchase secure. The insurance means how we protect your tickets: our FanProtect Guarantee, which guarantees you’ll get into the event or get a full refund.
Delivery Fees make sure the tickets get from seller to buyer, whether that means shipping physical tickets from Point A to Point B, or ensuring an online transfer goes through seamlessly.
Why Do You Charge Fees?
That’s the question fans ask most often, and it deserves a real answer.
On the “primary market” (the term for the first time a ticket is sold), venues and their primary ticketing companies typically set and retain the largest portion of ticketing fees. On StubHub’s secondary marketplace, fees fund both the buyer and seller experience, including authentication, guaranteed delivery, and the FanProtect Guarantee that backs every order. Running a global marketplace that serves fans across more than 200 countries and territories, in over 30 languages, requires significant investment in technology, people, and trust infrastructure. Your fees help pay for that ecosystem.
Nearly 80% of U.S. concert tickets sold on StubHub in 2024 were priced under $100. Fees exist across that range, but StubHub’s goal is to make sure fans can access live events at a range of price points, with the confidence that their purchase is protected.
The Push for All-In Pricing
StubHub has long advocated for “all-in pricing,” the practice of showing fans the full cost of a ticket from the first moment they see it, fees included. As of May 2025, all major ticket platforms including StubHub display fees included in default prices, in compliance with rules from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state laws to prevent hidden fees for live-event tickets.
In other words, on StubHub, the total you see is the total you pay, giving you an accurate picture as you shop and compare.
How to Shop Smarter for Tickets
Knowing what fees cover is a starting point. A few habits that help you make the most confident purchase:
Look at the all-in total first. The price displayed on StubHub includes all mandatory fees. That’s the number that matters.
Compare across listings. StubHub shows a range of options for most events, across sections, and price points. Sorting by price gives you a real picture of what’s available.
Time your buy. Demand drives price on the secondary market, especially for high-demand events. If your plans are more flexible, however, sometimes you can score a great deal right before the event begins.
Trust the FanProtect Guarantee. Every order on StubHub is backed by the guarantee: your tickets will be valid, or you’ll get your money back. That protection is part of what the platform’s fees fund.
FAQ
Why do fees vary between listings for the same event? Individual sellers set their own asking prices, and StubHub’s buyer fee is calculated as a percentage of that price. Higher-priced listings carry proportionally higher fees.
Can I avoid fees entirely? On any digital marketplace, some fees are built into the cost of the service. What you can do is compare listings, filter by total price, and find the best value for your section and seat.
Are StubHub’s fees negotiable? The platform’s service fees are set, but total ticket price varies across listings. Shopping around within StubHub’s inventory often surfaces meaningful differences.
What if something goes wrong with my tickets? Our FanProtect Guarantee covers you. If you can’t get into the event, StubHub will provide replacement tickets that are comparable or better, or a full refund.
From the StubHub Newsroom
- How StubHub Was Born — and Why It Still Matters 25 Years Later
- StubHub & viagogo’s 2025 Year in Live Experiences Report
- The 2026 World Cup Fan Readiness Playbook
Further Reading
- CNBC (May 13, 2025): “The Federal Trade Commission’s new guidelines on price transparency — known as the junk fees rule —will change how ticket prices are presented, which is a rare victory for consumers, experts say.”
- TicketNews (May 2025): “A major shift in how ticket prices are displayed went into effect this week, as the Federal Trade Commission’s newly adopted “all-in pricing” rule requires businesses to include all known fees and charges before asking for payment.”