Whether you’re planning to catch a concert this spring, grab seats for a playoff game, or finally see that touring show you’ve been waiting on, you’ve probably typed something like “buy tickets” into a search bar and ended up on a site called StubHub. But how does it actually work? Is it safe? How are the prices set? And why does it sometimes feel so different from buying directly from a venue?
This guide breaks it all down. If you’ve ever wondered how ticketing platforms like StubHub operate and what separates them from buying a ticket at the box office, you’re in the right place.
What Is a Ticket Marketplace?
Let’s start with the basics. A ticket marketplace is an online platform where people can buy and sell tickets to live events like concerts, sports games, theater shows, comedy tours, festivals, and more.
Think of it like eBay or Amazon’s marketplace: StubHub connects sellers (people who have tickets and want to sell them) with buyers (fans who want to attend an event). The platform handles the transaction, provides protections for both parties, operates the marketplace.
There are two main types of ticketing markets you’ll encounter:
- Primary market: The original point of sale, AKA buying directly from the venue, box office, or the official ticketing company (like Ticketmaster). This is usually where tickets are first made available.
- Secondary platforms/Resale: Once someone has purchased a ticket, they can list it for sale again on StubHub. This is where fans who couldn’t make the original sale, missed out, or simply changed their plans can find access.
StubHub is the world’s leading ticketing platform operating in more than 200 countries and territories. Since its founding in 2000, StubHub pioneered the concept of safe online ticket resale, replacing street scalpers and risky Craigslist deals with a regulated, guaranteed platform.
How Does StubHub Actually Work?
Understanding StubHub is straightforward once you know the core flow. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the platform works for buyers and sellers:
For Buyers
1. Search and browse. Head to StubHub.com or open the app. Search for an event by artist, team, or venue, and you’ll see all available listings for that event, often with an interactive seat map so you can see exactly where you’d be sitting.
2. Choose your tickets. Filter by price, section, row, or quantity. Whether you want front-row seats, a balcony view, or just the cheapest way to get in the door, you’ll find options across multiple price points.
3. See the total price. StubHub displays all-in pricing so you can see the full cost including fees before you check out. No surprises at the end.
4. Complete your purchase. Pay via credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, and more. Your purchase is immediately confirmed and protected by our FanProtect Guarantee.
5. Receive your tickets. Delivery methods vary by event; many tickets are delivered digitally within minutes. For events using mobile ticketing, you’ll receive them directly to your StubHub app or email.
For Sellers
1. Create a listing. You set the price. StubHub provides pricing recommendations based on comparable listings and historical data, but the final number is always yours to decide.
2. Your tickets sell. When a buyer purchases your listing, StubHub notifies you and walks you through how to transfer the tickets.
3. Get paid. Sellers receive payment 5–8 days after the event date, via their chosen payment method. You’re only paid if the buyer successfully gets in, which is what keeps the entire ecosystem honest.
Who Is Selling Tickets on StubHub?
This is one of the most common misconceptions about ticketing platforms: the assumption that they’re dominated by professional sellers (sometimes referred to as scalpers) hoarding thousands of tickets. The reality is quite different.
- 99% of sellers on StubHub are fan sellers, meaning they’re everyday people reselling tickets they can’t use.
- 94% of those fan sellers sold 10 or fewer tickets in the past year.
Sellers come from all walks of life: the season ticket holder who has a conflict on game day, the couple who can’t make a show they were excited about, the parent whose kid got sick the day of a concert. Resale is about giving tickets a second life rather than letting them go to waste.
It’s worth noting that around 20% of sports tickets go unused and 40–50% of concert tickets go unsold each year. Platforms like StubHub help fill those seats, which is good for fans, good for venues, and good for the artists and athletes performing in them.
How Are Ticket Prices Set?
Here’s something many people don’t realize: StubHub doesn’t set the prices. Sellers do.
Just like you might price a used item on Facebook Marketplace based on what you paid for it and what similar items are selling for, sellers on StubHub price tickets based on factors like:
- How much they originally paid
- How much demand there is for the event
- How close the event date is
- What comparable seats are listed for
- How badly they want or need to sell
Prices fluctuate constantly, and that works in both directions. Tickets often drop below face value as the event approaches, especially when demand is lower than expected. In fact, nearly 40% of concert tickets in the U.S. have an average sold price under $50 on StubHub, and 90% of events have at least one ticket available for under $100.
And those extreme listings you sometimes see? They rarely sell. The listing price reflects what a seller hopes to get, not what the market will actually bear.
What Is the FanProtect Guarantee?
StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee is StubHub’s core promise to buyers, and it’s been part of the platform since 2006. It was the industry’s first ticket guarantee.
Here’s what it means in practice: if something goes wrong with your tickets — they’re invalid, they don’t arrive in time, or you can’t get into the event — StubHub will either:
- Find you comparable or better replacement tickets for the same event, or
- Give you a full refund
Every single order on StubHub is backed by this guarantee. There are no exceptions, no fine print loopholes. If you buy on StubHub, you’re covered.
This is a significant part of what separates StubHub from buying tickets on social media, Craigslist, or from someone outside the venue. Those transactions have no protections. If the ticket is fake or never shows up, you’re out your money and your night.
Fraud on StubHub is rare. Less than 0.2% of orders ever have any issue at the door. That’s the result of industry-leading Trust & Safety systems, including a Seller Fraud Engine that reviews every listing before it goes live.
You can learn more about how StubHub keeps your purchase safe on the StubHub Help Center.
What About Ticket Fees?
Fees are one of the most discussed topics in ticketing and for good reason. Here’s how they work on StubHub:
StubHub charges service fees shared between buyers and sellers. These fees fund everything that makes the platform run:
- The FanProtect Guarantee (including the cost of making things right when something goes wrong)
- 24/7 global customer service
- Advanced fraud detection and security systems
- Platform development and the mobile ticketing experience
- Operating in 33+ languages and accepting 48+ currencies worldwide
StubHub displays the total cost, including fees, before you finalize any purchase so you always know what you’re paying before you commit.
It’s also worth understanding that StubHub makes nothing on the base price of the ticket. That goes entirely to the seller. Fees are what makes the secure, guaranteed marketplace possible.
Why Are Some Tickets Available Before the Official On-Sale?
If you’ve ever searched for concert tickets before the official on-sale date and found listings already up, you might have wondered what’s going on.
The answer lies in how tickets are actually distributed in the first place. Primary tickets don’t just go straight from the venue to the general public. A significant portion are distributed in advance to:
- Artist management and tour staff
- Venue corporate accounts and sponsors
- Press and industry professionals
- Fan club and credit card presales
- Team season ticket holders
A 2016 report by the New York Attorney General found that for top shows, an average of only 46% of concert tickets go on sale to the general public during the initial on-sale. For the biggest events, that number can drop to just 10–25%.
When people in that first group decide they can’t use their tickets, they may list them on StubHub before general availability has even begun. Those tickets are real, allocated tickets, just being resold by people who have them in hand before the public.
StubHub has a strict zero-tolerance policy for speculative ticketing (listing tickets a seller doesn’t actually have). Sellers aren’t paid unless the buyer gets in the door, creating a powerful financial disincentive against fraud.
How Does StubHub Work Globally?
StubHub isn’t just a U.S. company. Our sister company is viagogo which operates globally; together the platform reaches buyers in over 200 countries and territories, supporting more than 33 languages and accepting payment in 48 currencies.
This means that whether you’re trying to get tickets to a Premier League match in London, a music festival in Sydney, or a concert in São Paulo, the same trusted, guaranteed platform you use in the U.S. is available worldwide.
All inventory is shared across both platforms (with some regional exceptions required by regulatory agreements), giving StubHub access to a global catalog of over 100 million tickets annually across events in 90+ countries.
5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of StubHub
Now that you understand how the platform works, here are a few tips to help you buy smarter:
- Buy during off-peak hours. Interest typically spikes immediately after tickets go on sale and for high-in-demand events, in the days leading up to an event. Looking outside those windows can surface better prices with less competition.
- Search for single tickets. Solo tickets are harder for sellers to move, which can mean lower prices. If your group can sit in different rows, you may find better value buying singles separately.
- Use the seat map. StubHub’s interactive seat maps let you see exactly where you’ll be sitting and even preview the view from your section before purchasing.
- Check the price trend. Prices move closer to the event based on remaining inventory. For hot events, buy early. For others, prices often drop in the last 24–48 hours as sellers try to avoid going home with unsold tickets.
- Know your delivery method. Check how your tickets will be delivered before you buy. Most events use mobile or digital delivery, but some still use physical mail or transfer through specific apps. Know what to expect before event day.
The Bottom Line
StubHub is a regulated, guaranteed ticket platform that connects fans who want to sell tickets with fans who want to buy them. It’s not a box office, but it fills a gap the box office can’t: providing access to events after the initial on-sale, at prices the market determines, with protections that give every buyer confidence.
The next time you’re scrambling for last-minute tickets to a game, or trying to sell seats you can no longer use, you’ll know exactly how it works, and why it’s been the fan’s go-to for nearly 25 years.
Ready to find tickets? Browse events on StubHub. There are over 100 million tickets available worldwide right now.