Quick Answer
There are a few reasons why Ticketmaster limits the number of resale tickets you can purchase:
- To prevent ticket brokers from buying up large quantities of tickets and reselling them at much higher prices.
- To discourage scalpers who use bots to quickly buy as many tickets as possible when they go on sale.
- To give more individual fans a fair chance to get tickets before a show sells out.
Ticketmaster allows each customer to buy a small number of tickets, often between 4-6 tickets. This policy applies when buying tickets directly from Ticketmaster for popular shows that are expected to sell out quickly. It also applies when buying resale tickets that fans are reselling through Ticketmaster’s official resale platform. They don’t want brokers or scalpers buying up dozens of tickets at a time and eliminating the supply.
The Problem of Ticket Resales
Ticket resale has become a big business, often to the detriment of fans. Ticket brokers and scalpers use various methods to buy up large quantities of tickets the moment they go on sale with the intention of reselling them at much higher prices. This often leaves everyday fans shut out when shows sell out instantly.
Some common ticket buying methods that brokers and scalpers use include:
- Bots – Automated computer programs that can purchase tickets quicker than any human.
- Multiple accounts – Having numerous accounts with different credit cards and shipping addresses to make more purchases.
- Large teams – Groups that coordinate to buy up as many tickets as possible.
These methods allow them to buy dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of tickets at a time. The tickets are then resold at often obsceniously high markups on secondary sites like StubHub. The brokers profit while fans pay inflated prices.
Ticketmaster’s Efforts to Limit Resales
Ticketmaster is well aware of the problems caused by large scale ticket resales and has implemented several policies to try and limit it:
- Limits per customer – Restricting how many tickets a single customer can buy is the main way they try to prevent bulk buying.
- Canceling orders – If they detect suspicious activity that looks like bulk buying for resale, they may cancel large orders.
- Verified Fan – For very popular shows they sometimes use a lottery style system where fans register in advance and are randomly selected to get a chance to buy tickets.
- Captcha – Using CAPTCHA codes to make it harder for bots to rapidly purchase tickets.
- Resale platform – Allowing fans to resell unwanted tickets at face value helps reduce inflated markups.
Despite Ticketmaster’s efforts, brokers and scalpers still manage to get around many of these limits using the methods described earlier. But the ticket limits still make it harder for them to buy out all the tickets.
Why Limits Per Customer are Implemented
Ticketmaster specifically limits how many resale tickets a customer can buy for a few key reasons:
- Preventing ticket brokers – Limits stop brokers from buying dozens or hundreds of tickets in one purchase.
- Reducing scalping – Scalpers also are restricted from buying out tickets to resell at higher prices.
- Leveling the field – It gives average fans a fair shot at getting tickets before they sell out.
- Maintaining inventory – This helps make sure tickets are available leading up to the event vs immediately selling out.
- Capping prices – With fewer tickets bought up for resale, prices on secondary markets are reduced.
While fans may be frustrated they can only buy a set number of tickets, it does achieve the goal of preventing bulk buying. Ticketmaster faces a constant battle with brokers trying to circumvent limits, often through the methods described earlier. But the ticket limits do make it much more difficult for large scale resale operations.
How Ticket Limits Work on Ticketmaster
For popular shows or games that are expected to have high demand, Ticketmaster will implement ticket buying limits. Here is how the limits typically work:
- Limits are per customer – The limits apply to each fan or account holder.
- Between 4-6 tickets often allowed – The exact number varies but is typically in this range.
- Restricts all ticket types – Limits apply whether its general admission, reserved seats, VIP tickets, etc.
- Affects initial sale and resales – Limits remain in place whether buying from Ticketmaster directly or resale tickets.
- Requires valid account – Anonymous guests typically can’t buy more than 2-4 tickets.
- Payment details checked – This helps enforce the limits across different credit cards or accounts.
- Shipping addresses may be limited – Sometimes 1-2 shipments to separate addresses is allowed.
- Strictly enforced – Orders over the limits are cancelled and tickets revoked.
These limits are enforced when hot tickets go on sale so ticket brokers don’t buy them all immediately. Limits make it very difficult to purchase more than around 4-6 tickets. There are still occasionally ways around it but in most cases, each customer is restricted to buying just a handful of tickets.
Examples of Ticket Limits on Ticketmaster
Here are some examples of real ticket buying limits enforced by Ticketmaster to restrict large bulk purchases:
- Harry Styles 2022 Tour – Limit 4 tickets per customer
- Adele Las Vegas Residency – Limit 6 tickets per customer
- Pittsburgh Steelers NFL games – Limit 4 tickets per household
- NBA Finals 2022 – Limit 4 tickets per person
- Coachella Music Festival – Limit 4 tickets total
These limits apply whether buying the tickets originally or through resale later on Ticketmaster. Sports leagues, teams, concerts, festivals and most major events will institute ticket limits. The most in demand shows will often have the tightest restrictions like 2-4 tickets per person to allow more individual sales. Less popular events may have looser limits or none at all. But for hot tickets, Ticketmaster polices limits aggressively.
How Brokers Try to Avoid Ticket Limits
Ticket brokers are constantly evolving their methods to try and secure large quantities of tickets despite Ticketmaster’s restrictions. Some of the tactics they use include:
- Multiple accounts – Using many different accounts, often with fake identify information, to make more purchases.
- Different devices – Buying from many devices like mobile phones, laptops, desktops, etc registered to different accounts.
- Multiple payment methods – Using many credit cards, PayPal accounts, gift cards, etc to hide high volumes.
- Different IP addresses – Masking the originating IP addresses of purchases through VPNs and proxies.
- Multiple shipping addresses – Using many fake addresses and even PO boxes to get around household limits.
- Automated tools – Bots can rapidly fill out forms and make purchases from vast networks of accounts.
Unfortuantely these methods are often successful at circumventing Ticketmaster’s restrictions. Average fans have no chance competing against such sophisticated operations. However, Ticketmaster does monitor suspicious activity and cancellations can happen after orders are placed.
Why Limits are Frustrating for Average Fans
While ticket limits are overall beneficial, they can be frustrating to fans for a few reasons:
- Wanting to buy with friends/family – Limits make it harder to purchase multiple tickets needed.
- Splitting up groups – Parties often get split across multiple orders and seating locations.
- Makes exchanges tricky – Exchanging tickets later can be difficult with separate orders.
- Added fees per order – Each order has separate fees increasing overall costs.
- Still miss out on hot tickets – Limits don’t guarantee getting a coveted ticket.
- See brokers beat the system – Limits are circumvented by sophisticated brokers.
While limits stop most fans from buying rows of seats, they do make it harder to get tickets for your whole party. Overall the limits likely achieve their goals of restricting mass scalping. But they do also negatively impact some ordinary fans who run into issues because of the ticket buying restrictions.
Tips for Buying Multiple Tickets on Ticketmaster
If you need multiple tickets through Ticketmaster, either when originally on sale or through resale, here are some tips:
- Use each account holder – Have each person buy up to the limit with their Ticketmaster account.
- Stagger orders – Make one purchase at a time, waiting for each to process before starting the next.
- Use different payment methods – Increase your chances with multiple credit cards or PayPal accounts.
- Try for pairs or small groups – Buying pairs or groups of 3-4 has a better chance than large blocks.
- Act fast – Have accounts prepped and purchase instantly when tickets go live.
- Keep trying – Persistence pays off as orders fail and more tickets become available.
- Avoid ticket transfers – Moving tickets between accounts can lead to cancellations.
While inconvenient, splitting up orders between different buyers is usually the only way around limits. Staggering orders and using different payments can also help. Limits make buying large groups of tickets very difficult, so trying for smaller batches across more accounts typically works better.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster’s ticket buying limits of around 4-6 per customer are in place to discourage large scale purchases by ticket brokers looking to resell at higher prices. This helps get tickets to more individual fans and reduces predatory scalping. However, the limits can make it difficult for ordinary fans to get tickets for large groups of friends or family members. Fans have to use techniques like splitting up orders across different accounts to try and secure the tickets they need. Overall the limits mostly achieve their aims, but also create headaches for some customers needing multiple tickets. Ticket broker operations still frequently find ways of getting around the restrictions, but its become much harder thanks to policies like Ticketmaster’s limits on resale tickets.
References
- https://help.ticketmaster.com/s/article/How-many-tickets-can-I-purchase?language=en_US
- https://www.billboard.com/pro/ticketmaster-anti-scalping-efforts-what-you-need-to-know/
- https://seatgeek.com/tba/articles/ticket-buying-bots-and-how-they-work/
- https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/18/21126139/ticketmaster-anti-scalping-bumblebee-extensions-tools
- https://www.ticketnews.com/2022/03/ticketmaster-demands-end-to-speculative-ticket-sales-as-historically-unprecedented-number-of-events-go-on-sale/