Quick answer: Yes, it is legal to resell Ticketmaster tickets in France as long as you follow certain rules and regulations. The key things to keep in mind are:
- Reselling for above face value is illegal without authorization from the event organizer
- Reselling requires declaring your sales activity and income to tax authorities
- Ticketmaster has limits on how soon before an event you can list a ticket for resale
- Buyers and sellers should use a safe and trusted platform like Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange
Below we’ll go over the full details on the laws and processes around reselling Ticketmaster tickets in France. Both occasional sellers and professional ticket resellers need to follow certain steps to stay compliant with French ticket resale regulations.
Is it legal to resell Ticketmaster tickets in France?
Yes, it is legal to resell Ticketmaster tickets in France as long as you follow the rules. French law allows people to resell tickets, even for profit, as long as the resale price does not exceed the original face value printed on the ticket. If you want to resell your Ticketmaster tickets in France for more than face value, you need authorization from the event organizer.
Here are some key points on the legality of Ticketmaster ticket resales in France:
– Reselling tickets at or below face value is always legal.
– Reselling tickets above face value requires authorization from the event organizer. Doing so without permission is punishable by a fine of €15,000.
– All ticket resellers in France must declare their sales activity and related income to tax authorities.
– Occasional ticket resellers (those selling fewer than 20 tickets per year) must declare earnings, but don’t need authorization to resell at face value or below.
– Professional ticket resellers in France need to apply for formal approval from local authorities where they intend to operate. This application requires a judicial record and proof of tax compliance.
As long as you declare your sales activity and earnings, resell at or below face value, and avoid unauthorized inflated pricing, reselling Ticketmaster tickets is legal and allowed in France.
How does Ticketmaster handle ticket resales in France?
Ticketmaster facilitates approved ticket resales in France through their Ticket Exchange platform. Sellers can list eligible tickets for prices at or below face value. Buyers can shop resale inventory through Ticket Exchange instead of resorting to unauthorized channels.
Here are some key points on how Ticketmaster handles ticket resales in the French market:
– Tickets must be listed for resale on Ticket Exchange to comply with Ticketmaster’s terms in France. Reselling through unauthorized third party sites is prohibited.
– Ticketmaster enforces maximum resale prices at or below the ticket’s face value amount. Sellers have no ability to list above face value.
– Listings must comply with any event-specific transfer restrictions, which temporarily lock transfers leading up to the event.
– Sellers pay a percentage commission fee to Ticketmaster for each completed resale transaction. This fee is currently around 15%.
– Ticketmaster actively monitors Ticket Exchange activity to ensure compliance with French resale laws. Listings priced above face value will be removed.
The Ticket Exchange platform allows Ticketmaster to exercise control and oversight over ticket resales in France in accordance with applicable regulations.
What are the requirements for reselling tickets professionally in France?
Those who want to buy and resell tickets professionally in France must formally register as ticket resellers and comply with additional rules. Here are the key requirements:
– Apply for approval as a ticket reseller from the relevant local Prefectures office where you intend to operate. This process can take 1-3 months.
– Submit a judicial record and documentation showing you are up to date on taxes.
– Only purchase and resell tickets at their exact face value amount as printed. Reselling above face value requires organizer approval.
– Use an officially approved ticket exchange system for all resales. Informal exchanges and marketplaces are prohibited.
– Keep accurate sales records for tax reporting. Expect to pay income tax and potentially VAT on ticket resale earnings.
– Display your professional ticket reseller approval number clearly on any resale advertisements or listings.
– Renew your professional reseller approval annually. Authorities can conduct audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
Abiding by these requirements is essential, as the penalties for unauthorized or improper professional ticket resales in France are quite severe. Fines can reach €30,000 and up to 1 year imprisonment.
Are there any ticket resale restrictions I should know about?
Yes, Ticketmaster enforces some restrictions around resales for selected events in France:
– **Transfer locks**: For very high demand events, Ticketmaster will temporarily disable ticket transfers via Ticket Exchange in the final 72 hours leading up to the event. You cannot list or complete resales during this period.
– **Instant Transfer Only**: Some events require that resale tickets be instantly transferred from the seller to the buyer. The seller can’t retain possession of tickets once purchased by a new buyer.
– **No Resale Allowed**: In rare cases, certain events do not permit any ticket resales through Ticket Exchange. The tickets remain non-transferrable.
Always check the specific event’s Ticket Exchange settings before attempting to resell tickets. Restrictions will be clearly displayed during the resale listing process.
Abiding by any applicable transfer limits or restrictions is essential to remaining compliant with Ticketmaster’s terms of use and French ticket resale laws.
Can I sell my Ticketmaster tickets on a different resale site?
No, reselling Ticketmaster tickets through any platform other than Ticket Exchange is strictly prohibited. While some external resale sites like StubHub may display listings for tickets to events in France, Ticketmaster tickets may not be resold on or flow through these secondary marketplaces.
Here are the rules around reselling Ticketmaster tickets outside of their approved Ticket Exchange platform:
– Listing Ticketmaster tickets on eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or any other general marketplace is prohibited. The tickets will be invalidated.
– Selling through dedicated ticket resale sites like Stubhub is also prohibited, even if they show listings for the event.
– Transferring tickets directly to a new buyer instead of via Ticket Exchange may result in cancellation.
– Ticketmaster actively monitors external sites to find prohibited resale activity and enforce their ticket terms.
Sticking exclusively to Ticket Exchange ensures Ticketmaster tickets are exchanged safely and legally. The tickets remain valid, buyers and sellers remain protected, and the sales data and fees remain visible to Ticketmaster.
Can I give my extra Ticketmaster tickets to friends or family?
In most cases, yes you can transfer your extra Ticketmaster tickets to friends and family for free without having to resell them officially via Ticket Exchange. However, some restrictions apply:
– Check for any specific transfer limits on the event tickets in question. Some may be non-transferrable.
– Tickets can only be given away, not sold. You cannot charge friends/family more than the amount you paid.
– Transfers generally need to be done well in advance of the event date to allow enough time to update the ticket’s assigned name.
– There is often a limit of 4 tickets that can be transferred to a single person. Each unique transferee can receive up to 4 tickets.
Make sure any ticket transfers to friends and family are done as early as possible, coordinated directly with the recipient, and adhere to any per-event limits on transfers. Following these best practices helps ensure a smooth entry process at the venue.
How soon before an event am I allowed to resell tickets?
Ticketmaster enforces general limits around when you can list tickets for resale on Ticket Exchange:
– Tickets cannot be listed for the first time until 7 days after the initial onsale. This gives initial buyers time to receive their tickets before reselling.
– Tickets can be listed up to 1 hour before the event’s published start time.
– Within 72 hours of the event, Ticketmaster may impose temporary transfer locks to prohibit any new resale listings.
Here is a summary of Ticketmaster’s approximate resale timing restrictions:
| Days Before Event | Can List for Resale? |
|---|---|
| 7+ days | Yes |
| 72 hours – 7 days | Yes, but subject to transfer locks |
| Within 72 hours | No, transfers locked |
| Up to 1 hour before start | Yes, if no active lock |
Always double check for any special resale policies that could be enforced for high-demand events or concerts. Sticking within the standard limits helps ensure smooth processing of your Ticket Exchange sales.
Can I sell a single ticket, or do I have to sell all tickets together?
On Ticketmaster’s Ticket Exchange platform, you have the option to either:
– Sell all of your tickets for a given event together in a single listing.
– Break up and list tickets individually if you only want or need to sell some (not all) of your seats.
The choice is generally up to you as the ticket seller. Here are some factors to consider:
– It may be easier to find one buyer willing to purchase all of your tickets together versus buyers for each seat individually.
– But listing individually gives you the option to potentially sell tickets on different dates and times, possibly at different prices.
– If you only need to sell a portion of extra tickets, listing individually avoids having to transfer over tickets you want to keep.
– Any event transfer limits apply per ticket. Selling individually means each ticket has its own transfer quota.
Assess your specific goals, needs, and the level of demand for the particular event. This can help determine if selling the ticket block together or individually makes more sense. The Ticket Exchange platform supports both approaches.
What are the fees for buyers and sellers on Ticket Exchange?
Both buyers and sellers on Ticketmaster’s Ticket Exchange pay a fee for the convenience of using the resale marketplace:
Seller Fees
– Sellers pay a percentage commission on each resale ticket that is sold. This is around 10-15% of the final sales price.
– The percentage fee is deducted from the seller’s payout after the ticket is purchased by a new buyer.
– There are no upfront seller fees just for listing a ticket for sale. Fees only apply once tickets are sold.
Buyer Fees
– Ticket Exchange sets a fixed buyer fee per ticket purchased, typically around €5-10 per ticket.
– The buyer fee is added on top of the ticket’s resale price at checkout.
– Buyers see the exact total fees before completing checkout, so there are no hidden costs.
In summary, sellers pay a percentage commission while buyers pay a smaller fixed fee per ticket bought. The fees cover Ticketmaster’s costs for providing a safe, regulated resale marketplace.
How does the money work for Ticket Exchange transactions?
Here is an overview of how Ticket Exchange ticket resales work financially in France:
– The ticket buyer pays the ticket resale price plus the fixed buyer service fee. For example, €100 ticket price + €10 fee = €110 total paid.
– Ticketmaster deducts its seller commission percentage from the sale price. For a 15% commission, they would take €15 from a €100 ticket sale.
– The net remaining amount gets paid out to the ticket seller’s preferred payment method. In the above example, the seller would receive €85 in their account.
– Payouts are generally processed within 5-10 business days after the event occurs. Ticketmaster waits until after the event to allow time for any disputes, cancellations, etc.
– Canceled orders or fraudulent sales may result in non-payment. Sellers assume the risk until the tickets are used at the event.
Make sure to factor Ticket Exchange service fees into your pricing if you want to net a certain amount per ticket sold. Setting accurate prices and managing expectations around the payout timeline is important.
Are there any restrictions around what price I can set for resale?
Yes, Ticketmaster imposes some limits on what prices sellers can list their tickets for resale:
– As required by French law, Ticket Exchange will not allow tickets to be listed for sale at a price higher than the original face value printed on the ticket. Attempting inflated “market pricing” above face value is illegal without authorization from the event organizer.
– Typically, Ticket Exchange caps resale prices at around 50% above the original ticket’s face value price. Listings priced far higher than comparable tickets get removed.
– Dynamic pricing is allowed based on demand, but price gouging is prohibited. Reasonable price fluctuations are permitted.
– For high demand shows, Ticketmaster will freeze resale prices temporarily to prevent spikes in response to initial sellouts.
While French law allows ticket resales at face value or below with minimal restrictions, Ticketmaster does regulate the marketplace internally to prevent egregious pricing practices. Make sure to follow listed pricing guidance.
What protections are in place for buyers?
Ticketmaster provides several buyer protections through Ticket Exchange for added peace of mind:
– The 100% Guarantee ensures valid tickets that will work at the event as promised. Issues triggering a refund can include:
– Seller failed transfer tickets in time
– Tickets were already transferred/used by someone else
– Tickets were invalid or could not be scanned at entry
– All purchases are fully refundable if event is cancelled and not rescheduled.
– Secure online checkout and HTTPS site encryption help protect buyer payment info.
– Ticketmaster vets all sellers and listings to reduce fraud risk. Unverified or suspicious sellers get removed.
– Direct customer support is available via phone, chat, and email to quickly handle any buyer issues.
Between the refund guarantee, anti-fraud screening, and dedicated customer service, buyers can feel confident purchasing resale tickets through Ticket Exchange in France. Yet it’s still important to exercise common sense around avoiding scams on any resale platform.
What protections exist for sellers on Ticket Exchange?
For extra assurance when reselling tickets, Ticketmaster provides several key protections for sellers too:
– Secure payment handling ensures sellers reliably get their payouts deposited after each completed sale.
– Seller account verification helps reduce cases of non-paying or fraudulent buyers.
– Anonymous selling means the new ticket buyer has no access to your personal information.
– Sales activity tracking and reporting helps sellers manage their ticket inventory and resale transactions.
– As a seller, you remain the ticket owner and retain control until the transfer is complete post-purchase. This reduces risk of unfinished sales.
– Clear display of all service fees helps avoid seller confusion over withheld amounts from payouts.
Overall, sellers benefit from a streamlined, tightly controlled resale process. Ticketmaster assumes more liability through its guarantees and safeguards.
Conclusion
Reselling Ticketmaster tickets legally in France is very feasible as long as you follow some important guidelines:
– Stick to their approved Ticket Exchange platform for all resales. Avoid unauthorized external sites.
– Adhere to any per-event transfer limits or restrictions that apply.
– Don’t attempt to list tickets for inflated prices above face value without organizer approval.
– Make sure to properly declare your ticket sales activity and related earnings.
– Allow sufficient lead time for Ticket Exchange transfers to process before the event.
Following the rules around ticket quotas, pricing, disclosure, and using the official Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange will ensure a smooth experience for both buyers and sellers of resold tickets. Ticket resales done properly help foster an efficient secondary market that expands options for consumers in France.