Vivid Seats is a popular secondary ticket marketplace where people can buy and sell tickets for sports, concerts, theater shows, and other live events. When buying tickets from a secondary marketplace like Vivid Seats, some people are concerned whether the tickets are authentic and will get them into the event.
What are Vivid Seats?
Vivid Seats is an online ticket marketplace that allows users to buy and sell live event tickets. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Chicago. Vivid Seats sells tickets to over 140,000 events across concerts, sports, and theater genres. All ticket sales on Vivid Seats are between individual buyers and sellers rather than the company itself.
How Vivid Seats works
Vivid Seats operates as a ticket exchange platform, connecting individual ticket buyers and sellers. Sellers list event tickets for sale on the Vivid Seats marketplace at prices they set. Buyers can search for and purchase event tickets directly from the sellers.
Once a ticket purchase is made, Vivid Seats charges the buyer’s credit card and keeps the funds in escrow until after the event date. The seller then ships the tickets by the delivery method chosen during the transaction. After the event has passed and the buyer verifies the tickets were valid, Vivid Seats releases the payment to the seller minus a commission fee.
Are tickets sold on Vivid Seats guaranteed to be valid?
Vivid Seats guarantees that all tickets sold on its marketplace are 100% authentic and valid for entry. This “100% Buyer Guarantee” policy promises that if any ticket purchased on Vivid Seats is invalid or fails to grant entry, Vivid Seats will find replacement tickets of equal or better value or provide a full refund of the purchase.
Vivid Seats buyer guarantee policy
Here are the key details of Vivid Seats’ ticket buyer guarantee policy:
- Covers issues like invalid tickets, non-existent tickets, tickets that don’t match seat assignments, and denied event entry.
- Applies to all ticket purchases made through VividSeats.com and the Vivid Seats app.
- Vivid Seats will source replacement tickets for the buyer or issue a full refund of the order amount including shipping fees.
- Guarantee applies for ticket issues reported at least 1 hour prior to event start time.
- Buyers must contact Vivid Seats customer support regarding any ticket issues in a timely manner.
How does Vivid Seats ensure tickets are valid?
Vivid Seats employs a few measures to ensure all tickets sold through its marketplace are authentic and verify the tickets:
Seller verification
All sellers on Vivid Seats must go through a verification process by providing credit card and billing information. This ensures there is seller accountability to deter fraud.
Ticket review process
Listed tickets are examined by Vivid Seats support staff to check details like ticket source, seat locations, and pricing compared to current market rates.
Guaranteed delivery
Vivid Seats offers guaranteed delivery of tickets in time for the event. This prevents issues with last minute fake ticket listings.
Fraud detection
Vivid Seats utilizes fraud detection technology and dedicates staff to monitor transactions for suspicious activity. Suspected fake or invalid ticket sales may be cancelled.
What do customers say about Vivid Seats tickets?
Here are some examples of customer feedback on their experience purchasing tickets through Vivid Seats:
Customer Review | Rating |
---|---|
“Tickets arrived promptly with excellent customer service help. Tickets worked great at venue entrance.” | 5 stars |
“Vivid Seats makes ticket buying easy and their 100% buyer guarantee provides peace of mind in case of any issues.” | 4.5 stars |
“I’ve purchased many tickets from Vivid Seats over the years and never had any problems with invalid tickets.” | 5 stars |
“One time our tickets didn’t arrive in time and Vivid Seats promptly overnighted replacements at no charge.” | 4 stars |
The majority of customer feedback for Vivid Seats is positive, with most reviews confirming tickets purchased on the marketplace were valid and gained event access without issues. There are some isolated incidents of customers receiving invalid tickets, but in those cases they report Vivid Seats providing prompt refunds or replacement tickets as promised under their buyer guarantee.
Are there any common Vivid Seats scams?
While most tickets sold on Vivid Seats are legitimate, there are some scams buyers should be aware of:
Fake sellers listing non-existent tickets
In rare cases, someone may create a fake seller account and list tickets to in-demand events that they do not actually have. Once a purchase is made, they take the money and disappear.
Selling copied tickets
Unethical sellers may copy barcode information from a valid ticket and create multiple printouts hoping to sell more “tickets” than they actually have.
Selling previously sold tickets
A seller may deliberately or accidentally list the same tickets for sale across multiple platforms. The first buyer to redeem the tickets gets in, while any subsequent buyers receive invalid tickets.
Fake ticket scams
Scam artists may list fake ticket listings, especially for hot event tickets in short supply. They deliver mocked up fake ticket printouts and disappear with the buyers money.
How to avoid scams on Vivid Seats
While scams are uncommon on Vivid Seats, here are some tips buyers can use to avoid fake tickets:
- Buy from sellers with a long history and many reviews.
- Be skeptical of ticket prices way below market rates.
- Ensure the ticket delivery method has tracking capabilities.
- Review ticket details carefully for accuracy.
- Be wary of last minute ticket listings right before an event.
- Use buyer protections like PayPal.
- Document your purchase and confirm tickets as soon as you receive them.
Is Vivid Seats a worthwhile choice?
Overall, Vivid Seats remains one of the most popular and reputable secondary ticket marketplaces available. The vast majority of ticket purchases through Vivid Seats are legitimate and provide valid event access. There is some small risk of scams or receiving invalid tickets, mainly from dishonest individual sellers. However, Vivid Seats provides buyer protections through policies like:
- Requiring seller information
- Screening all ticket listings
- Guaranteeing valid tickets and event entry
- Offering full refunds or replacement tickets for any issues
While buyers should exercise reasonable precautions, Vivid Seats ticket legitimacy reviews and buyer protections make them one of the safer options for purchasing secondhand tickets online.
The bottom line
Vivid Seats has proven to be a generally trustworthy and reliable secondary ticket marketplace used by millions of buyers annually. Their 100% Buyer Guarantee provides assurance that if any ticket turns out to be invalid for entry, Vivid Seats will make it right with refunds or replacements. While buyers should be cautious of potential scams, overall Vivid Seats tickets are overwhelmingly legitimate.