Vivid Seats is considered a secondary ticket marketplace, meaning they are a third party reseller of event tickets. They do not have direct partnerships with venues or event organizers like primary ticket sellers such as Ticketmaster or AXS. Instead, Vivid Seats provides a platform for individual ticket holders to resell their tickets to other customers.
What is a secondary ticket marketplace?
A secondary ticket marketplace, also known as a ticket resale marketplace, is an online platform that allows ticket holders to resell event tickets they can no longer use. Sites like Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and TicketNetwork enable users to buy and sell previously purchased event tickets, functioning as a secondary market between ticket buyers and sellers.
These secondary marketplaces differ from primary ticket sellers in a few key ways:
- They do not have direct partnerships with event venues or organizers like primary sellers do
- They obtain inventory from ticket holders reselling their seats, not directly from the venue box office
- Prices are set by sellers, not the face value set by event organizers
- Tickets are resold after the initial on-sale, not as part of the primary sale
Primary ticket sellers would include market leaders like Ticketmaster and AXS, which have exclusive partnerships to sell tickets directly on behalf of venues and event promoters. Secondary marketplaces operate independently to facilitate ticket resale.
How does Vivid Seats work?
As a secondary marketplace, Vivid Seats gets its ticket inventory from individual sellers who post their tickets for resale on the platform. Sellers can list event tickets they can no longer use, setting their own price and availability.
Buyers can search for tickets to desired events and purchase resale tickets directly through Vivid Seats. Transactions are facilitated by Vivid Seats, with ticket delivery and payment processing handled by the company.
Vivid Seats charges fees to both the buyer and seller to facilitate the ticket resale. Buyers pay a service fee and delivery fee on top of the ticket price, while sellers pay a percentage commission on each ticket sold.
Key aspects of how Vivid Seats works:
- Inventory: Comes from individual sellers reselling tickets, not directly from event organizers
- Pricing: Sellers determine resale pricing, which is often above face value
- Buyer fees: Service fee and delivery fee added at checkout
- Seller fees: Percentage commission deducted from each sale
- Delivery: Digital or paper ticket delivery through Vivid Seats
This peer-to-peer marketplace model is how all secondary ticket sites like StubHub and SeatGeek operate as well.
Are there risks buying from a 3rd party reseller?
There are some risks to be aware of when buying event tickets on a secondary marketplace instead of directly from the official source:
- Counterfeit tickets: Higher risk of fake or invalid tickets, though reputable sites like Vivid Seats authenticate tickets to mitigate this.
- Higher prices: Resale prices are determined by sellers, often exceeding face value by a large margin for high-demand events.
- No refunds: Resellers typically have no-refund policies, while primary sellers may offer refunds in certain cases.
- No guarantees: No guarantees on seat location changes, last-minute cancellations, or other issues.
These risks are offset by the benefit of being able to buy tickets even when primary inventory is sold out. Still, buyers should weigh the pros and cons and purchase resale tickets carefully.
Does Vivid Seats sell real tickets?
Yes, Vivid Seats sells authentic event tickets. As a major secondary ticket marketplace, they take measures to ensure tickets sold through their platform are valid and verifiable.
Vivid Seats employs ticket authentication technology and human review processes to validate all tickets. Sellers must provide order information that can be cross-checked against facility records to verify validity. Invalid or fraudulent ticket listings are removed from the site.
There is still some small risk of counterfeit or cancelled tickets, as Vivid Seats cannot fully control what a seller provides. However, they guarantee refunds in cases where a ticket proves to be unusable for any reason. Overall, the vast majority of tickets sold on Vivid Seats are legitimate.
Vivid Seats ticket authenticity measures
- Proprietary ticket checkout system to verify barcodes
- Checking order details against facility ticket databases
- Review of seller account activity patterns
- Fraud detection monitoring on high-risk transactions
- Removal of suspicious or confirmed invalid ticket listings
- Guaranteed refunds for any ticket issues at event
These robust validation processes give buyers confidence in the authenticity of tickets purchased on Vivid Seats.
Is Vivid Seats better than StubHub?
Vivid Seats and StubHub are two of the largest and most reputable secondary ticket marketplaces. Both offer extensive event ticket inventory and reasonable buyer protections. However, there are some key differences between them:
Vivid Seats | StubHub | |
---|---|---|
Pricing | Often lower prices vs StubHub | Tickets frequently priced higher |
Buyer fees | Lower service fees in many cases | Higher fees on every transaction |
Seller fees | 15% commission per sale | 10% commission per sale |
Ticket delivery | Digital or paper tickets | Digital tickets only |
Cancellations | Refunds for cancelled events | 120% credit for cancellations |
Inventory | Wider selection for some events | More inventory for high-profile events |
For less popular events, Vivid Seats tends to offer lower prices and fees. StubHub has wider inventory sources for top concerts and games. Both sites provide solid ticket authenticity policies.
In summary:
- Vivid Seats has cheaper pricing in many cases
- StubHub offers wider inventory on some high-profile events
- Vivid Seats has lower buyer fees overall
- StubHub provides digital ticket fulfillment only
- Both sites have strong buyer protections against invalid tickets
Casual buyers may get better value from Vivid Seats, while frequent resellers and high-volume brokers use StubHub more. For average ticket shoppers, Vivid Seats is often the better choice.
Conclusion
Vivid Seats operates as a secondary ticket marketplace – they are a third party reseller and do not sell primary tickets directly from venues or event organizers. Their inventory comes from individual ticket holders reselling extra seats online. Though not risk-free, Vivid Seats does take appropriate measures to validate tickets and ensure authenticity for buyers. When comparing Vivid Seats vs StubHub, Vivid Seats tends to have lower prices and fees, though StubHub has wider inventory sources. For an average ticket buyer, Vivid Seats frequently represents the better overall value and service in the secondary ticket market.