When purchasing tickets for concerts, sports games, and other live events, fees can add a significant amount to your total cost. Two of the biggest secondary market ticket platforms, StubHub and Ticketmaster, both charge fees to buyers and sellers. But whose fees tend to be lower? Let’s take a detailed look at StubHub vs. Ticketmaster fees to find out.
StubHub Fees
StubHub charges fees to both ticket buyers and sellers. As a buyer, you’ll pay the following fees:
- Service fee – This applies to all ticket purchases and ranges from 10% to 25% of the ticket cost.
- Fulfillment fee – For mobile ticket delivery, this is $2.95 per ticket. For standard mail delivery, it’s $5.95 per order.
- UPS delivery fee – For UPS delivery, this fee is $16.50 per order.
Sellers on StubHub pay the following fees:
- Commission fee – Ranges from 10% to 20% of the ticket sales price.
- Listing fee – A flat $3.95 fee per ticket listed.
In addition, StubHub charges a 15% final value fee for canceled orders. This applies to both buyers and sellers.
Example of StubHub fees
Let’s look at an example to see how StubHub fees add up. If you purchase two tickets to a concert listed at $50 each, here are the fees you would pay:
Fee Type | Fee Amount |
---|---|
Service fee | $20 (20% of $100 ticket cost) |
Delivery fee | $5.95 |
Total fees | $25.95 |
In this case, the fees would add 26% to the total cost of the two $50 tickets purchased on StubHub.
Ticketmaster Fees
Ticketmaster also charges service and delivery fees to ticket buyers. Their fee structure is a little more complex than StubHub’s.
Ticketmaster’s buyer fees include:
- Service fee – Ranges from about 10% to 25% of ticket cost. The exact percentage varies by event.
- Order processing fee – A flat per-ticket fee around $5-$7 on top of the service fee.
- Delivery fee – Ranges from $4-$12 for standard delivery or e-tickets.
For sellers, Ticketmaster charges the following fees:
- Seller fee – Around 15% of the ticket sale price.
- Service fee – A flat 10% of the sale price.
- Order processing fee – Around $5 per ticket sold.
Example of Ticketmaster fees
As an example, let’s look at the fees if you were to buy two $50 tickets on Ticketmaster:
Fee Type | Fee Amount |
---|---|
Service fee | $20 (20% of $100 ticket cost) |
Order processing fee | $10 ($5 per ticket) |
Delivery fee | $8 |
Total fees | $38 |
For these $100 worth of tickets, the Ticketmaster fees would add 38% to your total purchase price.
Comparing StubHub and Ticketmaster Buyer Fees
When looking at the buyer side, both StubHub and Ticketmaster charge fees in the 10-25% range of the base ticket price. However, Ticketmaster tends to have higher service fees for more popular events. They also add on a per-ticket order processing fee.
StubHub has lower delivery fees compared to Ticketmaster. Their standard delivery fee is only $5.95 per order, while Ticketmaster’s ranges from $4-$12 per ticket. For mobile ticket delivery, StubHub charges just $2.95 per ticket versus Ticketmaster’s typical $5-$12 per ticket.
In general, StubHub ends up being the cheaper option for buyers when you factor in delivery fees. You’ll typically pay a few dollars less in fees compared to Ticketmaster on an order of 2-4 tickets.
Comparing Seller Fees
On the seller side, StubHub’s 10-20% commission fee is a bit lower than Ticketmaster’s 15% seller fee. However, Ticketmaster also charges sellers a 10% service fee.
Both platforms charge roughly $5 per ticket in listing or order processing fees. These per-ticket fees can add up and take a significant cut of profits on low-priced tickets.
Overall, sellers tend to pay slightly lower total fees on StubHub compared to Ticketmaster. StubHub’s maximum fees are around 30% of sale price, while Ticketmaster’s max out around 35%.
Other Factors Impacting Final Fees
When comparing StubHub versus Ticketmaster, there are a few other important factors to keep in mind that can impact your final fees.
Ticket demand
For very high-demand tickets, StubHub and Ticketmaster sometimes implement “surge” or “dynamic” pricing. This means service fees will be higher than average – sometimes exceeding 50% of the ticket cost.
Seller status
Both StubHub and Ticketmaster offer discounted fees for high-volume sellers. So if you plan to sell a lot of tickets, be sure to inquire about becoming an authorized reseller to save on fees.
Promotions
StubHub and Ticketmaster periodically offer promo codes that discount or waive certain fees. It pays to search around for an active promo code before purchasing tickets on either platform.
Final Considerations
While StubHub ends up less expensive overall for most buyers and sellers, a few other factors may help you decide which platform to use:
- Ticket availability – Check both sites to see who has more ticket inventory for the event you want.
- Buyer/seller protections – Review the purchase guarantees and anti-fraud measures offered.
- Customer service – Ask around or read online reviews about the customer service quality.
- User experience – Try out the platforms to see which interface you prefer.
The Bottom Line
StubHub generally has lower service fees compared to Ticketmaster for both buyers and sellers. However, Ticketmaster charges more for delivery are roughly even between the two platforms.
For buying and selling individual tickets, you are likely to pay a few dollars less overall in fees on StubHub. But Ticketmaster may be the better option for some very high profile events where they have exclusive ticket availability.
The best approach is to compare StubHub and Ticketmaster side-by-side for each specific event you are interested in. Calculate the all-in cost including fees on both sites before choosing your ticketing platform.