If you find yourself constantly stuck on Ticketmaster’s waitlist when trying to buy tickets for popular concerts and events, you’re definitely not alone. With high demand events selling out in minutes, getting tickets through Ticketmaster can feel like trying to win the lottery. Here are some quick answers to help explain why you may be having issues and some tips to hopefully improve your chances of getting off the waitlist.
High Demand vs Limited Ticket Inventory
The number one reason you end up on the waitlist is simply that demand drastically exceeds supply when it comes to the most in-demand events. Take huge artists like Taylor Swift or Beyonce. They may be performing in a stadium that holds 60,000 people. But when several million fans want tickets, most people are going to end up empty handed.
Ticketmaster also has to divide up the total ticket inventory between various sales channels. Most tickets are reserved for fan club presales, artist presales, credit card presales, VIP packages, etc. By the time the general public onsale occurs, there may only be 10-20% of tickets left for millions of people trying to buy.
Bots and Scalpers
Bots and scalpers unfortunately grab up a lot of tickets during the initial onsale which further limits available inventory. Ticket resellers use sophisticated bots running on multiple devices that can circumvent rules and buy up all the best seats in seconds.
While Ticketmaster does try to combat bots and limit mass purchases, these groups are constantly finding new workarounds. The average fan manually trying to buy tickets can’t compete with them.
Tips for Improving Your Odds
While you may not be able to guarantee getting off the waitlist, here are some tips that could help:
- Get Verified Fan status – Sign up ahead of onsales to get approved as a Verified Fan. This gives you early access.
- Prepare multiple devices – Have friends/family help by being ready on multiple phones, laptops, etc.
- Get on right at onsale time – Onsale times are always at a set time. Be ready and waiting to join onsale right as the clock hits the time.
- Try for single seats – It’s easier to get one ticket vs a group of 3-4 together.
- Consider reseller sites later – Prices may drop closer to the event as resellers unload inventory.
- Don’t give up once waitlisted – Keep trying periodically to get off as some tickets may be released.
Why You Get Waitlisted in the First Place
When an event first goes on sale, the Ticketmaster system has to handle a huge influx of traffic. Millions of fans may be logging on and requesting tickets all at the same moment.
To handle this demand spike, Ticketmaster uses virtual queues or waiting rooms. Basically, if stock sells out instantly, you get placed into a waitlist for the chance more tickets will become available.
This controls traffic flow on their servers and prevents overloading their systems. So being waitlisted doesn’t necessarily mean the event is 100% sold out, just that the initial onsale allotment is gone.
How the Virtual Queuing System Works
Ticketmaster’s virtual queuing system generally works in the following way:
- Initial tickets go onsale at advertised time.
- If tickets sell out instantly, “queue position” page displays with wait time shown.
- Fans in queue are assigned random positions and must wait their turn.
- When you reach front of queue, if tickets available, purchase option displays.
- If no tickets left, “sold out” message displays.
The queue position displayed is only an estimate. You may move up faster or slower. There’s no guarantee of tickets just because you queued.
Factors that Determine Queue Times
A few things account for how long you’ll wait when ending up in Ticketmaster’s virtual queue:
- Initial demand – Extremely high-demand shows lead to longer queues.
- Total ticket inventory – Fewer total tickets means longer times.
- Number ahead of you – If thousands are ahead, waits will be extensive.
- Rate tickets are selling – Fast selling onsales have slower moving lines.
- Servers and traffic – Technical issues or glitches can increase waits.
There’s no real way to predict exact queue times. It varies widely event by event. You could wait just a few minutes to an hour or more.
Tips for Managing the Virtual Queue
These tips could help you successfully navigate the Ticketmaster virtual queuing system:
- Don’t refresh once in queue – You’ll lose your spot!
- Watch for status updates – The queue info updates, so keep checking.
- Stay until sold out shows – Don’t exit early or you could miss tickets.
- Use multiple devices – This gives you multiple positions to increase odds.
- Spread devices on networks – Use data, WiFi, work networks to prevent IP blocks.
- Stay ready to purchase – When your time comes, be there and ready to buy fast!
Purchasing Limits
Another factor that can lead to getting waitlisted is Ticketmaster’s ticket purchasing limits.
Limits are enforced to try preventing scalpers from buying up massive amounts of tickets. But it also means regular fans can only buy so many at once.
Typical Ticketmaster purchase limits include:
- 4-8 tickets per household.
- Only allowing 1-2 tickets for the first day or two of sales.
- Requiring different payment details and addresses for each set of tickets.
So if you were hoping to buy 6 tickets together under one purchase, you’ll likely have to split into multiple smaller orders. And each order goes to the back of the queue.
Getting Off the Waitlist
The key to getting off the waitlist is patience and persistence. Keep waiting in the online queue until you either receive an offer for tickets or see the dreaded “sold out” message.
Have all your information ready to go so you can purchase immediately if tickets become available.
Beyond the initial onsales, you may still have additional chances to get off the waitlist too. Here are some ways seats can open up later:
- Last minute ticket releases
- Fans letting tickets expire in their cart
- Venue or artist holding back tickets for later sales
- Cancellations and returned tickets
- Additional shows added due to demand
Also check for waitlist options on Ticketmaster-owned resale sites like TicketsNow which could have speculative tickets.
Alternatives to Get Tickets
If you just can’t ever seem to get off the Ticketmaster waitlist, there are some other options to consider too:
- Ticket resale sites – StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, etc.
- Fan-to-fan exchanges – Craigslist, Facebook Groups, Reddit.
- Fan clubs and artist pre-sales – Check fan clubs and artist sites.
- Meetup groups – Find fan groups going with extra tickets.
- Radio and TV contests – Enter contests to win tickets.
- Cancellations and door times – Line up day of show for potential extra tickets.
Keep in mind the risks of buying secondhand and validate tickets carefully before purchasing. There’s always some risk of scams and counterfeits.
Is Ticketmaster Waitlisting Unethical?
Some fans accuse Ticketmaster of deliberately undersupplying tickets and using waitlists unethically. By making tickets seem scarce, it drives up demand and prices on the secondary market.
There are some valid concerns around dynamically pricing based on demand. And waitlisting fans likely boosts Ticketmaster’s owned resale sites as fans scramble for tickets there.
However, enormous artist and fan demand also plays a major role. Top artists truly could sell out 500,000+ seats for certain cities if the inventory existed. Stadiums just don’t have that capacity.
Ticketmaster does state they don’t allow products to arbitrarily sell out or be waitlisted. But there’s no transparent way to confirm this for in-demand shows.
Is There a Chance of Getting Off the Waitlist?
There’s generally always at least some chance of getting off the waitlist if you’re persistent enough. Even when onsale tickets show as 100% sold out, things like:
- Additional last minute ticket releases.
- Fans letting tickets expire in their carts.
- Newly added shows being announced.
Can free up more seats over time. Popular shows also often have second onsales after initial sellouts. This gives fans another shot at available inventory.
That said, the most in-demand events may only have single seats trickle out over time. So chances decline significantly for things like award shows or championship games where demand drastically dwarfs supply.
Does Ticketmaster Prioritize Some Fans?
Ticketmaster does use some systems that prioritize certain fan groups in queues, making it harder for the average fan to compete:
- Verified Fan – Gives priority access to selected registered users.
- Fan Club Presales – Gives fan club members early access.
- Credit Card Presales -Certain cards get exclusive presale windows.
- VIP Packages – Bundled perks let some buy before general onsale.
- Platinum Tickets – Prices adjust dynamically based on demand.
Artists also often hold back prime tickets to sell on their own fan sites. So when the general onsale happens, limited inventory is left.
While Ticketmaster has reasons for these systems, it no doubt contributes to average fans struggling to beat the waitlist.
Tips for Beating the System
Here are some tips to maximize your chances of beating Ticketmaster’s systems and waitlists:
- Sign up early as Verified Fan.
- Get a pre-sale eligible credit card.
- Join artist fan clubs to get presale codes.
- Target less popular events.
- Aim for weeknight or weekday shows.
- Buy early when tickets first go on sale.
- Purchase single tickets instead of groups.
Essentially, take advantage of any advantage or early access system you can. The general onsale is extremely competitive, so getting ahead of that helps.
Complaining to Ticketmaster
Given how universally loathed Ticketmaster is, they surprisingly do respond to and address fan complaints.
If you feel there were issues with your waitlisting experience, here are some tips for complaining effectively to Ticketmaster support:
- Be specific – Give event name, date, and order number.
- Stick to facts – Avoid emotional language or profanity.
- Be polite – You attract more flies with honey than vinegar.
- Provide screenshots – Show any errors messages or discrepancies.
- Suggest solutions – Say what response you’d find satisfactory.
- Use social media – Tweet or post publicly to draw attention.
- Try chat instead of email – You may get quicker real-time help.
While frustrating, waitlisting issues are rarely actually Ticketmaster’s “fault” per se. But if you experience genuine technical problems or believe you received unfair treatment, politely voicing your concerns may lead to some accommodation like gift cards or priority access offers.
Will Ticketmaster Ever Fix the Waitlist Problem?
Ticketmaster has certainly tried different approaches over the years to combat waitlisting issues:
- Verified Fan – Rewards loyal fans and limits bots.
- Queue-It – Virtual waiting rooms smooth traffic spikes.
- Limiting purchases – Caps help block bulk scalper purchases.
- Dynamic pricing – Helps find true market value of tickets.
But the core problem remains simple supply and demand. As long as millions of fans want tickets to events with tens of thousands of seats, waitlisting is inevitable.
Some potential improvements could help reduce wait time frustrations:
- More transparency in queue – Making progress and ETAs clearer.
- First-come, first-serve queues – Rewards fans who came early.
- Rewarding long-time fans – Giving tenure priority.
But ultimately, Ticketmaster has little incentive to solve an issue driven by having the most popular events and artists in high demand. As long as frenzied fans keep trying for their events, the waitlist strategy continues working well for their business.
Conclusion
Being constantly stuck on Ticketmaster’s waitlist can certainly be frustrating. But hope isn’t entirely lost for scoring tickets as long as you understand how their systems work and are strategic in your approach.
While high demand and limited ticket inventory make long queues inevitable, tips like getting Verified Fan access, using multiple devices, and trying again later for release can all boost your odds of getting through.
It may take perseverance over several onsales, exploring alternate sources, and some luck. But proactively taking advantage of any advantage you can stack in your favor will put you in the best position to finally get off that Ticketmaster waitlist.