The number of ticket resale sites out there to choose from seems to keep growing, but how many of them are reputable, trustworthy, and legitimate enough to exchange money and tickets through, and what are they doing to protect you while you’re using them?
If you’re looking for a list of the most reliable resale ticket sites, we’ll cover that in this article, as well as:
Let’s first explain exactly how you can evaluate these sites based on a few criteria you should consider when it comes to their legitimacy.
How to know if you’re using a legit ticket resale site
The fact that a ticket site simply exists and offers you tickets to buy or a platform to sell on does not make it a legitimate site. There are a number of things you should consider before looking at our rankings below to help you decide which site you should choose. Here is a short list of the best ways to tell if you’re using a trusted resale ticket site:
- The guarantee for buyers is top-notch - All ticket sites have one of these, but the site should have a comprehensive one that truly protects you when things go wrong.
- They use verified payment methods - The website only uses verified payment methods for buyers and sellers, and doesn’t allow person-to-person transfers of funds directly.
- The site has been around for a long time - The longer the site has been around, the more well-known it is, and the more effort they’ve put into perfecting the resale process.
- The site has a lot of monthly users - This is a general indicator that a lot of people are using the website successfully.
- The website and app look nice - This is an indicator that there is a real team behind the website that is working to improve your experience while using their platform to buy and sell tickets.
- They offer good customer service - If you do run into an issue while purchasing or selling tickets, you want to be sure they have a team there who can deal with it for you, so you never lose money or miss out on your events.
- It’s included in the list below - There are many more ticket resale sites than the 6 we included in our list, but we only included ones that are safe and can be trusted.
6 most trusted and reliable resale ticket sites
There are many ticket sites to choose from, and we’ve covered all of them in our extensive lists of the best ticket resale sites for buyers, and the best resale ticket sites for sellers , but if you’re specifically looking for only the ones that are the most reliable ticket sites, these are the top 6 that can offer you trustworthiness.
1. Ticketmaster
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
15%
Seller Fees:
15%
Ticket Availability:
Very High
Ticket Availability:
Very High
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Support Methods:
Top Countries:
US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Australia
Top Countries:
US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Australia
What We Like
Existed for more than 40 years
Most users of any ticketing site worldwide
Tickets are always original and verified
What We Don't Like
High fees that range from 15-30%
Notoriously bad customer service
Site is full of bots that buy tickets up first
Our Recommendation
Ticketmaster probably has the most trust in the industry, and is virtually the only place to find original tickets to popular events. But Ticketmaster isn’t always the best place to find resale tickets, so it's better to use it for original tickets, and if customer service is important to you, theirs isn’t phenomenal if you do end up having an issue while using their site.
2. StubHub
What We Like
The biggest ticket resale site
Guarantees for buyers and sellers
Amazing resources to help you
What We Don't Like
Fees range inexplicably from 28-46%
Customer service options could be better
Our Recommendation
StubHub has been around for a long time, and has amassed a huge user base, so can be trusted to get authentic tickets. However, if price is your primary concern, make sure to compare your tickets on other websites, because StubHub has some of the steepest fees out there to go along with that trustworthiness.
3. Vivid Seats
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
High
Ticket Availability:
High
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, Philippines, Mexico, UK
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, Philippines, Mexico, UK
What We Like
The best customer service
The biggest resale user base other than StubHub
Seller fees are lower at 10%
What We Don't Like
Buyer fees are high at 32%
Additional small flat rate fees are often tacked on at checkout
Our Recommendation
Vivid Seats has been around for a long time, and - along with Ticketmaster and StubHub - is one of the most established and trusted ticket resale sites, so you can use this without fear of invalid tickets or not getting issues resolved by their customer service. But like StubHub, Vivid Seats has some of the highest fees, so don't use only this site without comparing to others if price is a primary concern. As a seller, do use Vivid Seats, as you pay a lower 10% commission instead of the standard 15%.
4. TickPick
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Phone, Email, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Phone, Email, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, UK, Mexico, India
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, UK, Mexico, India
What We Like
No fees for buyers & standard fees for sellers
Customer service is phenomenal
Best Price Guarantee ensures cheapest tickets
What We Don't Like
Not as much ticket availability
Hasn't been around as long as other sites
Our Recommendation
TickPick may not have as many users as some of the older, more established sites, but the policies, customer service, and fee structure they have offers a lot of confidence in the fact that they prioritize their users first and their profits seconds. TickPick is best to use as a buyer if you're trying to pay less, because they don't charge any fees on top of your ticket price.
5. TicketSwap
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany
Top Countries:
Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany
What We Like
Original tickets are destroyed so new tickets always work
Only 5% fees for buyers or sellers
Amazing customer service
What We Don't Like
Less ticket availability and options
More focused on the EU
Our Recommendation
TicketSwap can be trusted even more so than many sites when it comes to confirmed, verified tickets, because they destroy the original ticket and generate a new one for you using their SecureSwap system, so if your priority as a ticket buyer is knowing that your tickets will definitely get you entry, this is by far the best option.
6. SeatGeek
Buyer Fees:
Ranges from 34-44%
Buyer Fees:
Ranges from 34-44%
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
High
Ticket Availability:
High
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone Number, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone Number, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
US, Canada, Mexico, UK, India
Top Countries:
US, Canada, Mexico, UK, India
What We Like
Seller fees are lower than typical at 10%
Has had a large user base for many years
Can often find discounted tickets here
What We Don't Like
Buyer fees are some of the highest at 34-44%
Customer support is subpar
Our Recommendation
SeatGeek has been around for many years and has a lot of users, and they stand behind any issues with their tickets, so you can use it without fear of losing money. However, their customer service to resolve issues isn’t amazing, so it will be more of a hassle than other ticket sites. SeatGeek is however great for sellers, as they charge a lower 10% commission on ticket sales on their site.
Other ticket resale site options
If you’re not sure if any of those ticket sites will work for you, here’s a few of the other top sites and a breakdown of their fees:
Ticket Website | Buyer Fees | Seller Fees | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
viagogo | 24-28% + $6 handling fee | 10% | |
TicketNetwork | None* | 15% | |
TicketLiquidator | 31% | 15% | |
TicketCity | 27% + $7.50 delivery fee | Offers made to seller |
*But ticket prices seem to be inflated
Common FAQs about how legitimate ticket resale sites are
If you have questions about how these sites work and how to better determine whether they are safe and legitimate, here are the answers:
Are ticket resale sites safer for sellers or buyers?
In general, ticket resale sites are safe for both buyers and sellers, but sellers have fewer things to worry about, as the website is typically the intermediary between both parties, and it’s more difficult for buyers to fake their payment methods than it is for sellers to fake the legitimacy of their tickets. Neither of these scams are common anymore on ticket resale sites, because the websites can verify this information instantly.
In addition, both of these issues are always covered by the guarantees on the website though, so buyers and sellers will always get their money back if there is any kind of issue.
How do ticket resale sites verify tickets?
Ticketing websites have software that can verify the information in the ticket (like the barcode or QR code) instantly when sellers upload them or transfer possession of them within the ticketing platform. Typically, fake tickets are caught right away, and the seller will be unable to upload them to the platform. This software looks for illegitimate barcodes, duplicate tickets that are already in the system, irregular ticket formatting, and other things that help identify the difference between real and fake tickets.
What can I do if I get fraudulent tickets that don’t get me into the event?
All ticketing websites have guarantees that protect the buyers for cases just like this, which means if you have any issue getting into your event, or your seats aren’t exactly as they were described when you bought them, you will get your money back. To do this, make sure you issue a claim with the ticket website, or contact customer service right away to ensure you get your refund.
If there’s still time to contact customer service before the event, in some cases, the ticketing website may be able to resolve your issue or get you alternative tickets to the event. Otherwise, you may want to try to purchase last-minute tickets still for sale on the same or other ticket websites if you still want to attend the event.
How we conducted our ticket resale sites research
We conducted over 30 hours of very thorough research when diving into ticket resale websites, as each site has its own unique way of doing things. And because there are simply so many ticket sites, there’s a huge variance when it comes to how legitimate and trustworthy they are, what lengths they will go to in order to protect their users, and how well-established the website itself is.
We tried our best to get to the bottom of this, as well as tons of other factors to ensure we understood every minute aspect of how these sites stack up against each other. When doing our research, we even went to the trouble of trying to buy tickets for the same event in different locations and at different venues to verify the true amounts they were charging.
With all this research, we think we’ve become as informed as possible while rating these websites and picking out the ones that truly stand out as being more trustworthy and reliable for you to use, so you can buy tickets without fear of getting scammed or losing your money.
And that covers everything about what the most reliable resale ticket sites are . If you’re planning on using ticket resale sites and still aren’t sure about which one is best based just on their reputations for being legitimate, you can also check out our guide on which ticket resale sites have the lowest fees.
Instead, if you want to deep dive into two of the most trustworthy ticket sites and see how they compare, check out our head-to-head comparison of Ticketmaster vs StubHub for buyers or for sellers .