The 6 Most Reliable Concert Ticket Sites to Buy & Sell On
By Kay FleuryUpdated on September 11, 2023
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Most users worldwide
Oldest concert ticket site
Only buy & sell original tickets
Has the most concert users
Most popular for reselling
The oldest concert ticket resale site with the most users
Guarantees both its buyers and its sellers
Best customer service
Best concert resale customer service
Lower seller fees
Well-established with many users
No buyer fees
No buyers fees at all
Best Price Guarantee
Great customer service
There are so many ticket resale sites on the market, and seemingly new ones everyday, but in this growing industry, how many of these concert ticket websites are actually reliable, trustworthy, legitimate, stand behind their product, and put measures into place to ensure you’re being sold real valid tickets to get you into the concerts you want to go to?
If you’re torn about which to pick and want to know which ones are the most reputable concert ticket sites, we’ll cover that in this article, as well as:
Let’s get started with the basic criteria you should consider when evaluating the legitimacy of these concert ticket sites.
How to know if you’re using a legit concert ticket site
Whether a concert ticket website is legitimate depends on a number of factors - all things you should consider before taking a look at our ranked list below. These are the key things you should be thinking about before navigating to one of these websites:
- They offer a top-notch guarantee for buyers - All concert ticket websites have guarantees (we’ll explain below), but ideally the site you choose will have a very comprehensive one that offers real protection when you’re spending money on their platform, and stand behind reimbursing you fully if something isn’t right.
- They only use verified payment methods - You want to see labels for things like PayPal or ‘verified payment method’ on the site in the checkout area, and you should never use a concert ticket site that allows person-to-person transfers of funds directly.
- The website has been established for some time - The length of time a site like this has been around is a general indicator of trustworthiness, and ideally, you would choose a site that’s been around for years - not months.
- There are a lot of monthly users on the website - Having many users each month - ideally millions - is also a general indicator that a site is more reliable, as it means many people have been using the website successfully.
- The app and site both look nice and work well - It may seem like aesthetics aren't the most important thing, but a nice-looking website and app is an indicator that a legitimate team is working on the website and trying to improve your user experience while buying or selling concert tickets.
- They have great customer service - The main issue that occurs with concert ticket websites is that the tickets didn’t actually get you into the concert, or they were labeled differently than what your seats actually were. If you have an issue like this, you want to make sure their customer service team will deal with it quickly and assist you if needed - sometime the day of while you’re trying to get into the concert.
- You see it listed in our rankings below - We only included concert ticket sites that can be trusted and have good reputations - there are many more out there, but we narrowed it down to just these reliable sites.
6 safest sites to buy and sell concert tickets
We’ve covered the extensive list of the best ticket resale sites for buyers , and the best resale ticket sites for sellers in our other guides, but if you want only those that you know you can trust, these are the top 6.
1. Ticketmaster
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
15%
Seller Fees:
15%
Ticket Availability:
Very High
Ticket Availability:
Very High
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Support Methods:
Top Countries:
US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Australia
Top Countries:
US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Australia
What We Like
Selling concert tickets for more than 40 years
Most users of any ticketing site worldwide
Always original concert tickets
What We Don't Like
High fees that range from 15-30%
Typically bad customer service
Site is full of bots that buy concert tickets quickly
Our Recommendation
Of all concert ticket sites, Ticketmaster has the most trusted reputation, as it has been around the longest, and it is the virtually the only place to find original concert tickets. But Ticketmaster isn’t always the best place to find resale concert tickets, so it's better to use it for original tickets, and if being able to resolve issues during the purchase process is important to you, you won't get that on this website.
2. StubHub
What We Like
The biggest concert ticket resale site
Guarantees for both buyers and sellers
Great resources to solve any problem
What We Don't Like
Fees range from 28-46% inexplicably
Could offer more customer service options
Our Recommendation
StubHub has been around for many years, and has amassed a gigantic user base, so it is a trusted website to get authentic concert tickets from. However, if price is a key factor for you, make sure you take the time to compare the StubHub concert tickets you find to other websites as well, because StubHub has some of the biggest fees tacked on to concert tickets.
3. Vivid Seats
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
High
Ticket Availability:
High
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, Philippines, Mexico, UK
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, Philippines, Mexico, UK
What We Like
Most trusted customer service
Biggest concert resale user base other than StubHub
Lower seller fees at 10%
What We Don't Like
Buyer fees are quite steep at 32%
Additional small flat rate fees are often added at the last moment in checkout
Our Recommendation
Along with Ticketmaster and StubHub, Vivid Seats has been around for the longest time, and is one of the safest concert ticket sites to use without being afraid that your tickets will be invalid or your issues won't be resolved by customer service. But like StubHub, that trustworthiness comes with some of the steepest fees out there, so don't use only this site without comparing the final costs to others if you care about price.
4. TickPick
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Phone, Email, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Phone, Email, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, UK, Mexico, India
Top Countries:
USA, Canada, UK, Mexico, India
What We Like
No buyer fees & standard seller fees
Great customer service
Cheapest concert tickets ensured by Best Price Guarantee
What We Don't Like
Not as many sellers using this currently
Hasn't been established as long as some other sites
Our Recommendation
TickPick is not as old or well established as some of the older more popular sites, but because of its customer service, policies and protections, and their fee structure, they can be trusted as one of the safest sites to get concert tickets. TickPick is especially great to use as a concert ticket buyer and if your priorities are paying less rather than getting more availability.
5. TicketSwap
Buyer Fees:
Buyer Fees:
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Ticket Availability:
Medium
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany
Top Countries:
Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany
What We Like
Tickets are guaranteed to work as original tickets are destroyed
Only charges buyers and sellers a 5% fee
Customer service is fantastic
What We Don't Like
Less options for concert tickets and availability
Mainly used for concerts and events in the EU
Our Recommendation
Even though it's newer and not as established, TicketSwap can be trusted for getting legitimate concert tickets - even more so than some other sites - because they destroy the original ticket and "swap" it for a new one with new codes (they call this SecureSwap). So if your priority is knowing that the concert tickets you buy are guaranteed to be legitimate and gain you entry, this is by far the best option.
6. SeatGeek
Buyer Fees:
Ranges from 34-44%
Buyer Fees:
Ranges from 34-44%
Seller Fees:
Seller Fees:
Ticket Availability:
High
Ticket Availability:
High
Buyer Guarantee:
Buyer Guarantee:
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone Number, Contact Form, FAQ
Support Methods:
Instant Chat, Phone Number, Contact Form, FAQ
Top Countries:
US, Canada, Mexico, UK, India
Top Countries:
US, Canada, Mexico, UK, India
What We Like
Lower than average seller fees at 10%
Has a large user base that's been around for years
Offers discounted tickets
What We Don't Like
Some of the highest buyer fees out there at 34-44%
Lacking good customer support
Our Recommendation
SeatGeek can be used safely to buy concert tickets, as they stand behind any issues with their tickets, and have been established for many years with this practice. However, their customer service is subpar compared to many of their competitors, so you may find it to be more of a hassle than some other concert ticket sites. It's great if you're selling concert tickets though, as they only charge a10% commission.
Other concert ticket resale site options
If you’re still unsure that those will work for you, here are some of the other most popular and trusted concert ticket websites with a quick breakdown of their fees:
Ticket Website | Buyer Fees | Buyer Fees | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
viagogo | 24-28% + $6 handling fee | 10% | |
TicketNetwork | None* | 15% | |
TicketLiquidator | 31% | 15% | |
TicketCity | 27% + $7.50 delivery fee | Offers made to seller |
*But ticket prices seem to be inflated
FAQs about how trustworthy concert sites are
Here are the answers to common questions about staying safe while using concert ticket websites:
Are concert ticket sites safer for sellers or buyers?
In general, concert ticket websites are safe for both buyers and sellers, but sellers have slightly fewer things to be concerned about. Because the website usually acts as an intermediary between both parties, both can use it without fear of losing money, however buyers are the ones who experience issues like not being able to attend their concert because the tickets were fake; you get your money back, but you might still miss the concert.
These issues aren’t nearly as common on ticketing websites anymore, because the sites can verify the legitimacy of tickets so much better and faster than in recent years. And again, you will always get your money back, as you are always covered by the guarantee that all concert ticket websites offer.
How do concert ticket sites verify tickets?
Concert ticket resale sites use their own proprietary software to verify the information, so each website is a little different. For the most part, the software can scan the information on the ticket (like the barcode, QR code, placement of information, etc.), and instantly reject tickets from sellers that seem fake.
In most cases, fake tickets can be caught right away, and with each case of fraud, they continue to update their ticketing software to make it better at catching these issues. The main things they look for are illegitimate barcodes, duplicate tickets already being sold in the same system, ticket formatting that looks atypical, and anything else they can catch.
What recourse can I take if my concert tickets don’t get me in?
Refer to the website’s guarantee or any instructions you received when purchasing your concert tickets. All concert ticket sites have this, so you will be able to get your money back, you just need to find out if the website will refund you automatically (as is the case with many event cancellations), or if you need to contact customer service yourself (which is the case if you were sold fake tickets).
Typically you have a case if your tickets didn’t get you into the concert, your seats weren’t exactly as described (ex. “unobstructed view”), someone else was sitting in your seats and had ‘valid’ tickets as well, the event was canceled, or the event was postponed.
In any of these cases, it’s best to contact customer service right away to ensure you get your refund, as some guarantees do have time limitations on how long after the event you can submit a claim. In some cases, if there is still time before the concert, the website may be able to resolve your issue with enough time that you can either buy new tickets, or they can issue you new valid ones, and you may even still get into the concert!
How we conducted our trusted concert ticket resale sites research
With so many concert ticket websites out there, it’s so difficult to narrow down which ones are truly trustworthy and legitimate, but we did our best by working through over 30 hours of thorough research to get to the bottom of it. It was important for us to only include websites that go the extra mile when it comes to how far they will go to protect you as their user, and to make sure these sites were very well-established, with millions of happy users.
There are many factors that go into this evaluation, and many ticketing websites aren’t strictly upfront about many of their policies and what they’ll do for you. So we even went to the trouble of trying to purchase concert tickets for the same events in different cities and at different venues to get the truth about what they’re charging, and what the buying process really looks like on their platform.
By putting all this effort in, we truly believe we’re as informed as possible about all concert ticket websites, and could therefore rank them effectively for you so you can buy concert tickets without fear of losing your money, or standing outside a stadium with fake tickets, wishing you could get in.
That’s all for our overview of the safest sites to buy concert tickets on - or sell them. If you want to use one of these sites but are still undecided, check out our guide on the cheapest concert ticket sites to see which ones have the lowest fees and will get you the lowest bottom-line price when it comes to checkout.
If you’d like to take a deep dive into two of the top sites we listed here, check out our guides on Ticketmaster vs StubHub where we compare them in extreme detail to show how they stack up against one another. We have one for buyers or one for sellers.