StubHub vs. Ticketmaster vs. SeatGeek vs. Vivid Seats vs. Gametime: Fees & Features Compared

About StubHub (www.stubhub.com)

eBay owns StubHub, and it launched in 2000. Since 2000, StubHub has provided ticket buyers and sellers a platform for people to go to events. 

StubHub is one of the best ticket sites in terms of diversity – you can find tickets to top events from all over the world. Most of them are related to live performances – national tours and international acts. However, fans will be thrilled to find tickets to small local concerts, shows and venues as well. Tickets seem to never sell out on StubHub.

StubHub works by reselling tickets for live entertainment events. Venues, sports teams, performers, etc., can use the service directly to sell tickets, and individual ticket holders or brokers can also post tickets for sale on the site.

StubHub makes its money by collecting a commission on each ticket sold. While it is possible to get a discount ticket price via StubHub, the service is more useful for acquiring tickets at the last minute or for events that are officially sold out.

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About Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com)

With over 40 years of experience, Ticketmaster is a leading brand in the ticket sales industry. On January 25, 2010, Ticketmaster Entertainment and Live Nation merged, forming Live Nation Entertainment. Now you have more options than ever to enjoy live events, and things are only getting better. By providing industry leading tools and infrastructure to employees, Live Nation Entertainment's In-House Artist Project was created to help support and develop emerging artists under our own roof.

From affordable options to sell tickets for your own event to competitive prices for live music, sporting events, concerts, and theatre performances, Ticketmaster is a professional company that can meet your ticket needs. 

About SeatGeek (seatgeek.com)

Established in the year, 2009, SeatGeek is an online ticket platform. You can buy or sell tickets for concerts, sporting events, theater, or other events.  SeatGeek has both desktop and mobile platform, designed to showing information on the latest events at various places. You can search for events by cruising categories, selecting a new city, or keying a term into SeatGeek's integrated search box. If you want to see upcoming events happening within a certain time frame, SeatGeek lets you filter by date, too. You cannot, however, search by venue. 

You can have a view at the color-coded, interactive seatmaps. After purchasing the tickets, you may also have their printouts. 

SeatGeek gets benefits from its growing customer base. It uses data for presenting the events and concerts based on the preference of the users. 

In 2018, SeatGeek has teamed up with Lyft for adding a special feature. This feature is helpful to you in different ways. Lyft is one of the fastest developing rideshare agencies in the USA. SeatGeek’s Lyft-booking facility will offer high convenience to the event attendees. These attendees can keep away from the common transportation issues of watching the sports tournament or concert. It has also streamlined the process of pick-up/drop-off for ride hailing. Fans, requesting the Lyft ride will get the location of their seat on the interface of Lyft app. This ensures that their driver has dropped them near their seat.

Snapchat has already gained attention as one of the social media. The partnership of SeatGeek and Snapchat has brought another advantage to the ticket sellers and buyers. You will be able to purchase Seat Geek tickets from musicians and teams within Snapchat. The ticket-buying process becomes more enjoyable to SeatGeek users.

Los Angeles Football Club had already sold the tickets by relying on the integrated technology. It has posted Snapcode and Snapchat Story, and this helped users in swiping up the screen for the purchase. The ticket buyers will not need to leave the app. The football club has realized that the integration has enabled them to interact with several dedicated fans. Thus, from both buyers’ and sellers’ viewpoint, SeatGeek and Snapchat partnership is highly valuable. The best fact is that SeatGeek is first to offer this live event ticketing opportunity.

We can say that SeatGeek team has made a thoughtful approach for benefiting both the sellers and buyers. The integration of two platforms will surely increase the number of ticket buyers from SeatGeek. 

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About Vivid Seats (www.vividseats.com)

Vivid Seats was launched in 2001 and had a very mature website. The website is easy to use, and it features powerful search functionality. You can easyily access to all kinds of concert, theater, and sporting event tickets. It offers a buyer guarantee that its tickets will work and customer service via phone and chat. You can sort search results by ticket, region, date, or artist. Availability is excellent, as they sell a vast range of tickets across all areas of a given venue. This sector is one place Vivid Seats stands out from the competition. You get access to prime seats and cheaper ones with some variability based on factors like availability, the venue, and, of course, who is selling what. In 2017, Vivid Seats reported having more than $1 billion in turnover.

VividSeats is one of the best options when looking for a ticket, mostly because of its rewards program – one of the leading programs in the industry. For example, you can buy seven tickets throughout a year and the eighth ticket will be free. Seeing the same artist for a second time in a year? Your ticket comes with a 5% discount. You will also get various discounts if you buy more tickets, so feel free to bring your best friends together.

Buy your tickets on Vivid Seats through Extrabux, you can get 4% Super Cash Back.

About Gametime (https://gametime.co/)

Gametime is a mobile-first ticket broker that has both Android and iOS applications. The company has one of the best experiences for buying last minute tickets because you can do it on your phone and you don't need to print the tickets.

The biggest issue with Gametime is that it is fairly low traffic compared to its competitors and thus it has a limited number of tickets and event listings. There also have been significant complaints from customers about app glitches where they were charged for tickets that they didn't actually purchase but they have since been better at avoiding this.

Buy your tickets on Gametime through Extrabux, you can get up to 7% Super Cash Back.

Types of Tickets

Types of tickets offered by StubHub

StubHub is the world’s largest ticket marketplace with tickets available for over 10 million live sports, music and theatre events in more than 40 countries. 

Types of tickets offered by Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster gives you access to millions of live event tickets and makes it easy to buy, sell, transfer, and get in - so you can get on with making memories that last.

Ticketmaster is the Official Ticketing Partner of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and USTA. Add in their exclusive partnerships with thousands of venues, artists, bands, theater tours, and broadway shows and shopping with Ticketmaster gives you unparalleled access to the most memorable live events worldwide.

Types of tickets offered by SeatGeek

SeatGeek is the leading mobile-focused ticket platform that enables fans to buy and sell tickets for sports, concert, and theater events.

Types of tickets offered by Vivid Seats

You can buy tickets for music events, sports events, theater shows and so on. The website is straightforward and has a good search function, yet you can also use the app for smartphones – easier to use and more efficient location access to find events in your area.

Types of tickets offered by Gametime

Last minute sports, concert and theater tickets.

How Does Them Work?

StubHub

Since StubHub is an online marketplace, it lets members buy and sell tickets. Selling tickets is a good option for people who have already paid for admission but cannot attend events. Buying makes it possible for people to purchase tickets to events that have sold out or have limited seating.

Regardless of whether you want to buy or sell tickets, you need to start by creating a profile on the website. (You can also sign up via Facebook.)

Buying Tickets on StubHub

If you want to buy tickets on StubHub, you can use the website to search for specific events or browse events happening near you. StubHub will show you a list of available tickets along with the section, row, seat number and price. Depending on the venue, StubHub can show you a map of where each ticket’s seat is.

Having all of this information makes it easier for you to find tickets that match your budget and interest. Instead of buying blindly, you know exactly where you will sit. Since StubHub lists all of the prices, you can compare them to find affordable options. You can even filter tickets by lowest price, best value and best seats.

Once you find the tickets that interest you, you can purchase them on the website without dealing with the individual seller. StubHub’s fee for buyers is an additional 10 percent of the ticket price. In most cases, you can choose to receive electronic or paper tickets. If you want paper tickets, StubHub may charge you a shipping fee to cover the additional cost.

Selling Tickets on StubHub

If you have tickets that you don’t need, you can always sell them on StubHub. You start by listing the tickets that you want to sell on the StubHub marketplace. The website makes the process as easy as possible.

When creating a listing, you tell StubHub how many tickets you have to a certain event. If you already have the tickets in hand, then you can choose to upload them as a PDF or ship them to the buyer via the postal service.

When uploading a PDF, you must use the original file sent to you by the first seller (such as Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster is the primary box office and ticket sales platform for most venues in the United States and oftentimes internationally. Users visit www.ticketmaster.com where they can search, discover and purchase tickets to sporting events, concerts and much more. 

Buying Tickets on Ticketmaster

The ticket purchasing process requires that you select an event date and seat (where applicable), and you input your name, email address, and credit/debit card information. Ticketmaster sells tickets, though the company occasionally shuttles you offsite to make the purchase.

Besides standard tickets, Ticketmaster also sells VIP premium packages that come bundled with all sorts of goodies. For example, the Arts & Theater package includes "amazing seats" and limited edition merchandise. Music packages may include meet-and-greet sessions with your favorite artists. SeatGeek lacks these VIP extras. And the Citi Cardmembers programs lets people who own Citi credit or debit cards buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster

Like SeatGeek and StubHub, Ticketmaster lets you transfer tickets to other people. This is one of Ticketmaster's best features. Ticket transfers come in handy when you buy tickets for multiple people and don't want to wait for the crew outside or in the lobby to initiate a hand off. It's as simple as logging into your account, clicking Transfer Tickets, entering the recipient's name and email address, and hitting the Send button.

Ticketmaster, like SeatGeek and StubHub, also offers a ticket reselling service. To sell a ticket, you simply log into your account, hit the Sell icon, and select a ticket, price, and payment method. Listing a ticket is free and, surprisingly, Ticketmaster doesn't take a cut from the sale. That's refreshing, as SeatGeek takes a 10 percent cut when a ticket is sold. 

You cannot resell a ticket at a price lower than its original listing, but you can make a profit. Please note that not all tickets are available for resale, and you cannot resell tickets purchased from Ticketmaster over the phone or from a third-party vendor.

SeatGeek 

Buying Tickets on StubHub

The ticket purchasing process requires that you select an event date and seat (where applicable), and then input your name, email address, and credit/debit card information. 

SeatGeek itself sells tickets, though the company gives you the option to purchase from Fanxchange, TicketNetwork, and other vendors from within SeatGeek's confines. Songkick, on the other hand, shuttles you to Ticketmaster or StubHub to complete the transaction.

SeatGeek keeps a record of all your purchases, neatly dividing them into past and upcoming events. And, like StubHub and Ticketmaster, SeatGeek lets you transfer ticket purchases to other people. This is extremely handy for when you buy tickets for multiple people and don't want to wait for them in outside or in the lobby. 

Selling Tickets on StubHub

Like StubHub and Ticketmaster, SeatGeek offers a ticket reseller service. All you need to do is upload a ticket in PDF form and fill out some details, including pricing. Listing a ticket is free, but SeatGeek takes a 10 percent cut when a ticket is sold.

Like Ticketmaster, SeatGeek urges you to resell at a decent price. When you list a ticket, SeatGeek suggests a price based on the market price and other related deals. If you decide to roll with the suggested price, SeatGeek gives your listing a better Deal Score that causes it to be one of the first listings that potential buyers see.

Unfortunately, you can only resell tickets using the browser-based SeatGeek or the iOS app. Android is not supported. Ticketmaster, on the other hand, lets you sell tickets using either its Android or iOS app.

Vivid Seats  

Buying Tickets on StubHub

When you first navigate to the Vivid Seats website, you’ll be met with a website that is well-organized and easy to navigate, showcasing its array of fun events. You’ll also see a section of the site dedicated to events that are “Trending” – that is, very popular among visitors to the site. You can choose to leisurely browse through the available events or do a quick search that will take you right to a specific event.

Start by searching for or otherwise locating the event you want to buy tickets for. When a list of results pops up, you can then filter the results by price, best seats, or value score. Selecting the “lowest price” option, will show you the cheapest tickets first, while the “value” filter will show you the tickets with the overall best value (based on both price and seat location).

Next, you can complete your ticket purchase. The site will prompt you to review your purchase information. This includes the event, your seat’s location, number of tickets you want to purchase, and the price.  Then, you will proceed to checkout where you can either login or register if you’re a new user, and add your payment information. Submitting the page information will solidify your purchase and complete the transaction.

Selling Tickets on StubHub

A major plus of Vivid Seats is that the reselling process – much like the initial buying process- is easy to get the hang of. The process consists of four steps, the first being listing your tickets. After your tickets have been purchased, you’ll receive an email notification. From here, you can choose whether to send your buyer their ticket via email or through the mail. Last but not least? You get paid!

Where most marketplaces have a limit to how many items you can post for free, Vivid Seats doesn’t have any. You can post as many tickets as you want, without ever having to worry about paying a fee to sell. In addition, you have the freedom to name your price and make adjustments as you see fit.

If you opt to sell your tickets in their physical form, Vivid Seats will send you a prepaid UPS shipping label to use.Once your tickets reach the buyer, your payment will come through via PayPal.

Becoming a seller on Vivid Seats is a pretty simple process. However, sellers do have a certain set of requirements to meet:

• You must provide a valid credit card

• You must live in the United States

• You need an active payPal to receive your cash

• The tickets you want to sell must be physical printed tickets or a PDF ticket

• The tickets you intend to sell must be in your possession; they cannot be sold before they are in your ownership.

• Each ticket sale is subject to a 10% seller fee which comes automatically of off your sale price

Gametime

With a passion for enabling incredible live experiences, Gametime is making it easier for people to access their favorite events at a moment’s notice. Their team is focused on delivering the best possible ticket buying experience — especially at the last minute — and that means making it fast and easy to get tickets on your phone.

Pros and Cons

StubHub

Pros

• Premium Tickets (court-side seats, VIP event packages, etc.)

• Mobile Delivery (available w/ most events)

• Mobile Entry (scan phone upon entering the event) 

• Last-minute service center pick-up locations

• Largest ticket exchange platform in the world

• Over 50+ countries have events listed on StubHub

• Fan Protect 100% Promise

• Can search for the best available

• Good local suggestions

• Easy to buy or sell 

Cons

• Fluctuating ticket prices

• Service fees (26-32% extra)

• Shipping fees vary

• Delivery on tickets varies

• Users have to provide card details in order to see the final price

Ticketmaster

Pros

• Makes ticket buying simple.

• Lets you resell and transfer tickets.

• Useful dedicated deals section.

• Lets you search events by venue.

• Option to print ticket or use digital barcode version.

• Best place to buy tickets if the event isn't sold out.

Cons

• Doesn't let you import tickets purchased from elsewhere.

• Some events require you to make a purchase at another site.

• Lots of checkout fees that can sometimes be more expensive than the ticket itself.

• Ticketmaster's ticket marketplace does not tend to have great prices if face value tickets are no longer available.

SeatGeek 

Pros

• Event tracking system for all the ticket buyers.

• Regular email notifications to inform you on the latest programs.

• Find the color-coded deals on the interface. It helps you in identifying the average deals, the best ones and the bad deals. 

• SeatGeek is always easily accessible to you from a laptop, computer, tab and any mobile device. 

• You get the opportunity of previewing your seat, and it helps in finding the seat very easily. 

• As there are tickets from the secondary market, you have a chance of getting special deals.

• SeatGeek also acts as the primary distributor of MLS tickets.

• It is the cross-platform and comprehensive ticket-searching tool. 

• There is no intricacy in the layout.

• SeatGeek offers valid and authentic tickets to all the buyers.

• There is a refund rule for the invalid tickets.

• The company gives you an opportunity of selling your ticket.

• High discount offer on purchasing tickets with the promo code.

• Analyzes and rates all tickets (SeatGeek’s deal score).

Cons

• The tickets from secondary market can have a very high price rate. 

• SeatGeek charges a fee as a commission while you have sold your tickets through its site.  

• Ticket delivery was delayed on a few orders with certain events.

• Can't search by venue.

Vivid Seats  

Pros

• 100% buyer guarantee.

• Tickets that are guaranteed to work at the gate.

• A ticket buying experience that is easy.

• Has processed over $1 billion of ticket sales.

• Large selection of tickets means that you can likely find options for any game or event.

• Vivid Seats has a rewards program that rewards frequent buyers.

Cons

• Tickets marked up from face value (avg.  50-100%+).

• Vivid Seats tends to have about 25% worth of fees that you can only view after going through the full checkout process.

• Has a mixed customer service reputation based on other online reviews.

Gametime

Pros

• Beautifully designed and easy to use app.

• Great for buying last minute tickets because it's mobile-friendly and you don't need to print tickets.

Cons

• Lower-tier in terms of website traffic and it doesn't have as large of a ticket selection or as good of prices as the most popular brokers like StubHub.

• Some users have complained about an app glitch where they were charged for tickets that they didn't actually buy.

Pricing of Tickets – Transparency

StubHub

Shows the complete lack of transparency StubHub has regarding its pricing. “It is free to list tickets for sale, and to search for tickets to buy on StubHub. On each completed transaction, the buyer pays a 10% fee, and sellers are charged a 15% fee. For example, on the sale of a $100 ticket, the buyer would pay $110.

Ticketmaster

When you buy a ticket with Ticketmaster, the price you see right from the beginning is the total price you’ll pay. You may notice that this price includes some fees on top of the face value of the ticket. Ticketmaster doesn’t keep anything from the face value of the ticket, instead they take a proportion of the added fees to cover the cost of running their business. They use this revenue to provide you with the very best experience when buying tickets and getting into the show.

SeatGeek 

When it comes to the fees of this website you will notice several complaints in many reviews on vividseats.com. While their fees are no different from the majority of the websites that sell tickets and want to make a profit, they are still considered high and uncomfortable for the buyers more than for the sellers. Generally speaking, you can expect your final check-out price to be higher than the listed ticket price with 20% to 40%, due to the added fees. These extra fees are service fees and delivery fees and they vary greatly according to the ticket you purchase as well as the location you want it delivered at.

The service fees

The service fees the website adds to the final ticket price are meant to cover the maintenance of the platform as well as the commissions towards any third party involved in the transaction such as the event organizer. These fees also cover customer services as well as any processing fees involved in the transaction. As Vividseats states in their policy, the service fees are used to keep the security of the platform as well as to fix any problems that might appear with a transaction.

The delivery fees

There is a great range from the cheapest delivery fee which can be about $7 to the most expensive one which can get up to $25. The difference depends on the type of delivery you choose as well as the place you want your tickets delivered to.

Vivid Seats  

Compared to its rivals, Vivid Seats usually undercuts by a decent amount. There are fees—the price you see at first isn’t the price you pay, but costs are still below StubHub in many instances. The exact fees ticket resellers charge are hard to pin down, and unfortunately, you won’t see the total amount until you’re at the site’s checkout page. Vivid Seats’ service fees are reported to run from 20% to 40% of the original ticket price. This section is where the site makes its money. Additional fees, like shipping, can be as much as $25 or as little as $7.

Gametime

They know comparing prices across apps can be a pain, so Gametime prices are based in transparency. They display only the best deals, so you can skip the endless scrolling, and with All-In Pricing toggled on, you’ll see the full ticket price up front — no hidden fees!

Gift Cards and Promotions

StubHub

StubHub has gift card options available. In fact, you have multiple options at StubHub. You have an e-Gift Card or Plastic Gift Card. You can even make bulk orders. They do have several card policies and terms and conditions. Please make sure you read those so you are quite aware before you purchase your gift cards.

Currently, at StubHub, you can purchase gift cards up to $1000. They do charge a shipping fee “of course” of $2.95. You can then personalize your message and send it off.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster has gift card options available. In fact, you have multiple options at Ticketmaster. You have an Digital Gift Card or Physical Gift Card. Available in any amount from $25 to $500.

SeatGeek 

SeatGeek does not sell gift cards or gift certificates at this time.

Vivid Seats  

Whether you need a gift card for a concert or Broadway show, Vivid Seats can help you find the perfect gift for concert and theater fans alike. Know a die-hard sports fan? Give them a ticket voucher so they can buy tickets to a game of their choice. Currently, at Vivid Seats, you can purchase gift cards up to $1000. 

Gametime

Gametime does not offer gift cards at this time. 

As for promotions, all five sites offer certain deals throughout the year.  As we get closer to major events you can expect certain discounts to pop up. You can get on the email lists, text notification lists, or just check out the site frequently to see how you can save. These don’t come around very often but if they do check out the discount codes and promo codes to help you save money on your purchase.

Tip When Buying at Vivid Seats – If you get to the checkout at Vivid but don’t pull the trigger the odds are pretty good you’ll get an email from them within 24 hours. They will offer you the same seats for a discount of 5-10%. Keep that in mind if you want to save a little more money.

100% Guarantees

StubHub

StubHub provides fan protection. FanProtect means every order is 100% guaranteed. This is a fancy word for saying they will help you should you have a problem. They also have a 100% guarantee on your tickets. You can also expect good customer service until your event is over. Refunds are available on canceled and non-rescheduled events.

Buy tickets with confidence:

• Get valid tickets to any event or your money back.

• StubHub goes out of its way to find replacement tickets if there is an issue with your order.

• If your event is canceled and not rescheduled, you will receive a credit worth 120% of the amount you paid for the impacted event or the option of a cash refund.

Sell tickets safely and securely:

• It's free to list your tickets.

• Set your price and adjust it at any time before your tickets sell.

• Fast and hassle-free delivery followed by timely payment.

• StubHub will handle communications with buyers.

Ticketmaster

• All their tickets are 100% verified. The seat you buy is the seat you get.

• Their tickets are fully refundable for 24 hours after purchase up to two weeks before the event

• For a small fee you can swap or upgrade your original purchase for tickets equal to or higher in price for the same show or event.

• They've made their eTickets portable. You can now transfer your tickets on the web to a friend or family member at any time, meaning you won't have to arrive together.

• In the unlikely event a show cancels, they'll always give you your money back. Alternatively, they can rebook you into the rescheduled date (if announced) and the timing fits with your plans.

SeatGeek 

• Your tickets will be delivered in time for the event

• Your tickets will provide valid entry to the event

• The tickets you receive will be the same as those you ordered

• If any of these things do not occur, you will be provided with comparable or better tickets to the event, or offered a refund. Please contact SeatGeek immediately.

• If your event is canceled and not rescheduled, SeatGeek, in its sole discretion, will provide you with a full refund of the purchase price or, subject to applicable state laws, issue you a credit for use on a future purchase. They will notify you that the event was canceled and provide instructions on how to obtain the refund or credit.

• If an event is postponed, you may use the tickets on the rescheduled date. If replacement tickets are required for entry to the event on the rescheduled date, SeatGeek will work to obtain replacement tickets for you. If you cannot attend the event on the rescheduled date, you are encouraged to list the tickets on SeatGeek. Except when replacement tickets are required, SeatGeek does not provide refunds for postponed or rescheduled events.

Vivid Seats  

The buyer’s guarantee has been put in place to provide peace of mind to customers. It ensures that users are safe and secure when using the platform.

• Top quality customer care

• Tickets that are authentic and valid

• Transactions that are safe and secure

• Pre-event ticket delivery

If an event you have tickets for has been cancelled and shows no signs of rescheduling, Vivid Seats is more than happy to refund your purchase in full. Customer service will even help you sell your tickets if  the reschedule date of an event is unfavorable to you.

Gametime

Gametime stands behind every ticket sold on its site. They guarantee that any ticket purchased will be valid and get to you in time for the event. If that doesn’t happen, Gametime will make sure you get replacement tickets or a full refund. They don’t want anyone to be left out in the cold, so when you buy tickets with Gametime, they guarantee that you’ll get the tickets you want.

Which One is the Best Site to Buy Event Tickets?

Does it all come down to price? We think customer service is a close second when picking a ticket provider. There are a lot of things to consider when you finally make that purchase.

All five sites have something to provide their customer. We feel like if you purchase your tickets at either one you’ll be in good hands.

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