A fan’s guide to understanding ticket resale on StubHub
You can probably relate to the feeling: there’s an artist or team you’ve been hoping to see, but the show or game is sold out.
Or it’s another common experience: your favorite band announces a tour and tickets go on sale in a matter of weeks. You mark your calendar and join the digital queue in the middle of the workday, only to find there are no tickets available.
Maybe you did get tickets, but you get sick a couple of days before the event, and you don’t want the tickets, and your money, to go to waste.
In all of these situations, secondary ticket markets like StubHub play a vital role. We help you find tickets after an event sells out, browse tickets when convenient for you, and give you a safe place to sell your tickets when you can no longer attend.
Transforming Ticket Resale From a Street Corner to an Online Marketplace
StubHub was founded more than 25 years ago from a simple fan frustration: a sold-out show and no safe way to get a ticket. Our founder wanted to take his girlfriend to see The Lion King, only to find it was sold out and he had nowhere safe to buy tickets.
Ticket resale is nothing new, but before StubHub, the only real options for sold-out events were transactions on street corners, in parking lots, and through classified ads. Buyers were relying on luck, with no recourse if something went wrong with the tickets.
We replaced giving cash to a stranger on the street and hoping the tickets worked with a transaction on a trusted marketplace, where payments run through secure financial institutions and every order is protected by our FanProtect Guarantee. That kind of guarantee didn’t exist before StubHub, and it doesn’t exist on social media or other unverified platforms today.
Primary and Secondary Markets Explained
Whether you’re a first-time event-goer or an avid fan, it helps to understand the difference between the primary and secondary ticket markets.
The primary market is where tickets are issued and sold for the first time, through primary ticketing companies (most of the time it’s Ticketmaster). Those sales often happen in a rush: a 10 a.m. on-sale, a presale for premium credit cardholders, and a digital queue.
Through exclusive agreements with venues and event organizers, primary ticketing companies control a significant share of ticket inventory, limiting where fans can purchase tickets at the onset. In fact, a large percentage of tickets are often never made available to the general public, instead going to VIPs and industry insiders.
That’s one reason why fans often look beyond the primary market when buying tickets.
The secondary market has a different role in the industry. Marketplaces like StubHub allow fans more flexibility and choices when it comes to getting into the events they love.
We connect fans who want to attend events with those who are selling tickets. Sellers set the price based and the buyer alone decides if that price works for them. StubHub handles the transaction, offers customer service, and provides the guarantee.
If you want to get into an event, you can browse tickets across price points, seating categories, locations, and more to find the right ticket at the right price.
For fans who can no longer attend the event, StubHub offers a safe way to sell their tickets to another fan who can be there. Offering safe ways to sell unwanted tickets helps you recoup your original cost and makes sure there’s a full crowd when the lights come up or the game kicks off.
Why Fans Use Secondary Markets
The primary on-sale is one moment in time, and it doesn’t work for everyone. Some fans miss the box office sale. Some don’t have the premium credit card that unlocks a presale. Some can’t take time off work to wait in a massive digital queue. And some are just looking for a great deal they can’t find elsewhere.
Secondary marketplaces like StubHub open the door after the on-sale passes, especially if an event has sold out.
Browse on Your Own Terms and Timelines
Anyone who has tried to buy tickets in a high-demand on-sale knows the routine: log in early, wait in a virtual line, and hope the seats you want are still there when you reach the front. On a secondary marketplace, you browse listings whenever it’s convenient for you. No waiting room, no pressure.
Offers Flexibility When Plans Change
Buying a ticket is a commitment, and sometimes life gets in the way. If your plans change or your child gets sick, you shouldn’t be stuck with tickets that go to waste. On StubHub, you can sell your tickets safely and easily. Listing is free, and you get paid a few days after the event.
Make a Game-Time Decision to Go
Not every fan knows months ahead that they want to go to a game or concert. Sometimes the decision comes when your schedule clears, when a friend texts that they have a free afternoon, or when your team clinches a playoff spot and you realize you have to be there. On StubHub, you can find a ticket when you decide you’re ready to commit.
That’s why last-minute buying is so common. About 1 in 3 fans buy tickets within 48 hours of the event. Last-minute buyers can often find great deals, since some sellers want to be sure their tickets sell before the event. They also help fill venues and support the restaurants, bars, and shops around them. Deals depend on the event, and they’re less common for the biggest nights, but checking back costs you nothing.
Score a Great Deal for an Event
It is a myth that secondary markets are only for expensive tickets. In North America, nearly 90% of events listed on StubHub have a ticket under $100.
If you have the flexibility to wait, you can sometimes score a great deal by buying closer to the event. Monitor listings over several days for sold-out dates. Earlier this year, the average price buyers paid on StubHub in the final days before some events fell by more than 75% compared with a month out. Last-minute price drops happen more often than most buyers expect, just usually not on the biggest nights.
Step by Step on Secondary Markets
- A seller lists their tickets. Sellers are mostly everyday fans: season ticket holders with a few games they can’t attend, or families whose plans changed. Listing is free.
- The seller sets the price. Sellers set the price, and the buyer decides whether it’s worth paying. If a price is too high, the ticket typically remains for sale. If the seller lists it at an attractive price, it’s more likely to be purchased.
- Buyers browse and compare. Fans can search across dates, seating categories, and budgets in one place, at their own pace.
- The transaction runs through secure channels. Payments go through secure financial institutions, and the order is backed by the FanProtect Guarantee.
- The buyer gets the ticket, and the seller gets paid. Sellers are paid a few days after the event.
That’s the whole loop: StubHub’s trusted platform helps a fan with a ticket they can’t use pass it on to a fan who wants one.
Why Prices Move on Secondary Markets
Because sellers set their own prices, a secondary marketplace behaves like any market: supply and demand shape what tickets cost. That works in both directions. Prices can go up, and they can also come down.
Demand is how many fans want to be at a particular event. A rivalry game, a playoff push, or a star player’s return can send demand climbing. A midseason matchup between two teams out of contention may draw far less interest.
Supply is how many tickets are listed. When lots of tickets are listed for an event, sellers compete for the same buyers, and that competition tends to work in your favor.
Those forces are always shifting, which is why the secondary market can be a good place to find a deal:
- Compare before you commit. Two seats a few sections apart can be priced very differently. Sellers set the price and you decide whether it’s worth it, so there’s no pressure to pay more than you’re comfortable with.
- Check more than one date. If you’re flexible, a less in-demand game can be a great way to see your team live at a lower price.
- Watch the calendar. Prices change as an event gets closer. Some sellers will want to make sure their tickets sell, which can mean a good last-minute find.
The takeaway: on secondary markets, you’re not at the mercy of a single price set in advance by the box office. With listings from many sellers in one place, you can see what the market is saying and buy when the price works for you. Sometimes there are great deals to be had, like BTS shows in Boston in 2026 where news media reported that tickets were available for as low as $8 on the secondary market.
FanProtect: The Built-In Protection Behind Every Order
Choice and flexibility only work if fans can trust the transaction. That’s the role of the FanProtect Guarantee.
Every time a consumer buys on StubHub, their order is backed by the FanProtect Guarantee. It says that you’ll get into your event or receive comparable replacement tickets. A full refund is the backstop in the rare instance something goes wrong.
Here’s why that matters.
It’s the difference between a marketplace and a message board. Fans sometimes try to buy tickets through social media posts or online forums, where there’s no recourse if something goes wrong. On StubHub, every transaction runs through secure financial institutions and is backed by a guarantee.
It prioritizes getting you into the event. The first promise is that you’ll get in, or get comparable replacement tickets. A refund is the backstop, because getting you in is our top priority.
For anyone buying from a marketplace for the first time, that safety net is the most important thing to understand. It’s what lets a fan on a Tuesday night comfortably buy tickets for Sunday’s game.
Secondary Markets Put Fans First
Secondary marketplaces are part of a larger live events ecosystem that includes artists, teams, promoters, the primary ticketing companies, venues, and even the restaurants and shops around them. Most sellers on StubHub are everyday fans, and a well-functioning secondary market keeps seats from going empty.
Secondary ticket markets exist because even if a primary ticketing company says the show is sold out, that shouldn’t mean you can’t go, and a ticket you can’t use shouldn’t go to waste.
StubHub started more than 25 years ago. We’ve spent the years since turning ticket resale from a parking lot deal into a secure marketplace with real protections built in.
So whether you’re looking for a deal on a game later in the season, or listing tickets you can’t use, the idea is the same: more options, your own timeline, no waiting room, and a guarantee behind every order.
That’s the benefit StubHub brings to fans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a secondary ticket market?
It’s a marketplace where tickets are resold. Fans who own tickets list them, and other fans can buy them. StubHub is a secure online marketplace that connects people selling tickets with people who want to buy them.
Who sells tickets on StubHub?
Most sellers are everyday fans: season ticket holders, families whose plans changed, and people who bought early and now have a conflict.
Who sets the price of a ticket?
Sellers set the price. Buyers alone decide whether it’s worth paying.
Why do ticket prices go up and down?
Prices reflect supply and demand. A high-demand game may see higher prices, while an event with lots of listings can offer more competitive ones.
Can I find a deal on StubHub?
Often, yes. Comparing listings across seat locations, dates, and budgets is the best way to find a price that works for you, and some fans find great last-minute deals. Prices vary by event, so there’s no guarantee for any one game or show.
Can I still buy tickets after the on-sale has ended?
Yes. You aren’t limited to a single on-sale window on secondary markets, so you can buy on your own timeline, whether that’s months ahead or at the last minute.
Do I have to wait in a digital queue in the secondary market?
No. You browse and compare listings at your own pace on StubHub’s marketplace.
What is the FanProtect Guarantee?
It’s the protection behind every purchase on StubHub. You’ll get into your event or receive comparable replacement tickets, with a full refund as the backstop in the rare instance something goes wrong.
Is buying on StubHub safer than buying through social media or a forum?
Every transaction on StubHub runs through secure financial institutions and is backed by the FanProtect Guarantee. On social media and online forums, there’s nowhere to turn if something goes wrong.
What if I can’t make it to the event?
You can sell your tickets on StubHub safely and easily. Listing is free, and you get paid a few days after the event.
Can I sell just a few games from my season tickets?
Yes, and many season ticket holders do exactly that.
More Reading from the StubHub Newsroom:
- When Is the Best Time to Buy Tickets?
- Understanding Ticketing: How Platforms Like StubHub Work
- Selling Your Extra Tickets: A Beginner’s Guide to Becoming a Seller