StubHub is one of the most popular ticket resale marketplaces, allowing users to buy and sell tickets for sports, concerts, theater shows, and more. However, StubHub does charge service fees to both buyers and sellers in order to cover the costs of running their platform. These fees can sometimes be quite high, leading many users to wonder if there are ways to avoid paying them.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the key questions around StubHub’s service fees, including:
What is StubHub’s service fee for buyers?
When you purchase tickets on StubHub, you’ll be charged the ticket price set by the seller, plus StubHub’s Buyer Service Fee. This fee covers the costs of processing the ticket sales and providing buyer guarantees and support.
The exact Buyer Service Fee percentage varies based on the ticket price and location, but is generally around 10-15% of the ticket price. There is also a minimum fee of about $5 per ticket.
So for example, if you buy a $100 ticket, you can expect to pay around $15 in Buyer Service Fees, plus the $100 ticket price. The higher the ticket price, the higher the Buyer Service Fee.
Key Elements of StubHub’s Buyer Service Fee
- Covers StubHub’s processing costs for ticket sales
- Provides buyer guarantees and support
- Typically 10-15% of ticket price
- $5 minimum per ticket
What is StubHub’s service fee for sellers?
When sellers list tickets for sale on StubHub, they also pay a service fee. StubHub’s Seller Service Fee helps cover the costs of processing sales and providing seller tools and support.
The Seller Service Fee is a percentage of the final selling price of the ticket (the amount paid by the buyer). This percentage varies based on the sport/category of the ticket:
Ticket Category | Seller Fee % |
---|---|
NFL | 15% |
NBA, NHL | 20% |
MLB | 15% |
NCAA Football, Basketball | 20% |
Soccer | 15% |
Concerts | 25% |
Theater | 27% |
In addition, there is a $5 minimum Seller Service Fee per order. So even if you sold a $10 ticket, you would still pay at least $5 in fees.
Key Elements of StubHub’s Seller Service Fee
- Percentage fee based on final ticket sale price
- Fee percentage varies by event category
- Around 15-27% typically
- $5 minimum per order
Is there any way for buyers to avoid StubHub’s fees?
Unfortunately, there is no way for StubHub buyers to completely avoid service fees. The fees are mandatory on all ticket purchases. However, there are a few tips that can potentially help minimize the Buyer Service Fee amount:
Buy Lower-Priced Tickets
Since the Buyer Service Fee is a percentage of the ticket price, you can reduce the overall fee by buying less expensive tickets. For example, the fee on a $50 ticket will be lower than the fee on a $150 ticket.
BuyTickets for Less Popular Events
The most in-demand tickets for things like major sports playoffs or hot concert tours will often have higher service fees. Looking for tickets to lower profile events can sometimes reduce fees.
Buy at the Last Minute
Sellers will sometimes drop prices on unsold tickets as the event date approaches. This can lead to lower service fees as well.
Split Your Order
The minimum $5 service fee per ticket means buying multiple tickets in one order doesn’t reduce your overall fees. Splitting into separate orders can potentially lower the total fees paid if you’re buying many tickets.
However, even with these tricks, the Buyer Service Fee is unavoidable if you want to buy tickets on StubHub.
Can sellers avoid StubHub’s service fees?
Unfortunately, StubHub’s Seller Service Fee is also mandatory for all ticket sales through their marketplace, so there is no way for sellers to completely avoid paying fees.
That said, there are couple things sellers can do to try to reduce their total fees:
Price Tickets Higher
Since the Seller Fee is a percentage of the final sale price, pricing your tickets higher can increase your profit even after fees. For example, a $200 ticket priced $20 higher at $220 yields $4 more profit after the 15% seller fee.
List on Multiple Marketplaces
Listing your tickets across multiple platforms like StubHub, VividSeats, and Ticketmaster increases your chances of selling them faster. This can allow you to avoid StubHub fees altogether if they sell first on another site.
Sell Locally
Selling tickets outside of any marketplace through local classified ads or Facebook avoids all seller fees. But this comes with much less visibility for your listings and no seller guarantees.
Overall, most sellers find the StubHub Seller Service Fee a necessary cost to access their huge buyer audience and sales platform. But utilizing the strategies above can potentially help optimize your profit margins.
Are there any other ticket marketplaces without fees?
Nearly all of the major online ticket resale marketplaces charge both buyer and seller fees similar to StubHub. These include sites like:
- VividSeats
- TicketNetwork
- TickPick
- RazorGator
- SeatGeek
The fees on these platforms generally cover the same costs as StubHub fees – processing transactions, support, guarantees for buyers/sellers, etc. Most sites keep their exact fee structures private but they typically range from 10-25% of ticket prices.
Exceptions with Lower or No Fees
There are a handful of exceptions where buyers and/or sellers can sometimes avoid fees:
- Facebook Ticket Groups – Buy and sell directly with other fans. No platform or fees.
- Craigslist – Post free local classified listings to find buyers/sellers.
- Gametime – Last minute ticket app with no buyer fees.
- VividSeats Marketplace – Sellers only pay fees if tickets sell.
However, these options come with less visibility, buyer guarantees, and seller protections compared to major marketplaces like StubHub.
Conclusion
In summary, while StubHub service fees can seem frustrating at times, there is unfortunately no legitimate way for most buyers and sellers to completely avoid them. The fees are the cost of accessing StubHub’s massive buyer audience, sales platform, and service guarantees.
That said, buyers can utilize tactics like buying low-demand tickets in separate orders to potentially minimize fees. And sellers have options like pricing higher or multi-listing to optimize their profits. But ultimately, StubHub’s industry-standard fees are likely here to stay as the cost of doing business on a major secondary ticketing marketplace.
The best approach is to factor StubHub service fees into your ticket budget as a buyer and sales goals as a seller. And if the fees ever reach a level you’re unwilling to pay, exploring alternative marketplaces or direct sale options mentioned above can potentially save you some money.
But StubHub’s huge brand recognition, buyer audience, and seller platform will continue providing value that makes the fees worthwhile for most users, even if they can’t be avoided completely. Understanding the fee structures and optimizing your purchases or sales is typically the best path forward when using a leading secondary ticket marketplace like StubHub.