Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sales and distribution companies in the world. They sell tickets for a wide variety of events such as concerts, sports games, theater shows and more. Many major venues and artists exclusively use Ticketmaster to handle their ticket sales. With high demand events, tickets can sell out extremely quickly on Ticketmaster. This leads to the common question – can one person buy two or more tickets from Ticketmaster for the same event?
The short answer
The short answer is yes, one person can purchase multiple tickets on Ticketmaster for the same event, within certain limits. Ticketmaster’s purchase limits are usually enforced on a per transaction basis rather than per person. So one person could make multiple separate transactions to purchase more than the limit.
Ticket limits
For high demand events, Ticketmaster will often set ticket purchase limits. This is done to discourage ticket scalping and give more fans a chance to buy tickets. Common Ticketmaster ticket limits include:
- 4-8 tickets per transaction
- Limits on number of transactions per day or week
- Only allowing customers to buy tickets for certain sections or price levels for popular events
These limits can vary between different shows and sports games. The event organizer or venue usually sets the exact limits. Limits may also only apply during presales and initially ticket sales, then get relaxed later on.
Ways around ticket limits
While ticket limits are meant to discourage scalping, there are some ways that individuals try to work around the limits and buy more than the set amount:
- Making multiple small transactions – Buying one or a few tickets at a time, using different payment methods and accounts
- Using bots – Automated ticket buying bots can try to buy tickets faster than humans
- Using multiple accounts – Creating extra Ticketmaster accounts linked to different addresses and payment methods
However, Ticketmaster does try to detect and stop excessive purchases that violate ticket limits. Accounts making large volumes of purchases may get flagged or cancelled. Payment methods or addresses associated with flagged accounts may also get blocked in the future.
Are multiple purchases allowed?
In most cases, Ticketmaster’s terms and conditions do allow one person to make multiple separate ticket transactions. As each transaction usually follows the ticket limit rules, this is not strictly prohibited. However, Ticketmaster actively works to stop users who are obviously trying to circumvent ticket limits using things like bots. This type of bulk scalping activity violates their terms of use.
Some key points on Ticketmaster’s rules around multiple ticket purchases by a single user:
- Each transaction must follow the event’s ticket limit rules, such as 4 tickets per transaction
- Purchases must be for personal use only, not for commercial resale
- Ticketmaster monitors suspicious purchase activity and can cancel orders
- Tickets can get cancelled if a user is found to violate limits with bots, duplicate accounts, etc
So in summary – yes, one person can technically buy two or more tickets on Ticketmaster as separate transactions. But blatantly abusing this to scalp tickets is prohibited and risky.
Tips for buying multiple tickets
Here are some tips for successfully buying more than one ticket per person on Ticketmaster without violating limits:
- Use separate Ticketmaster accounts – Buy a set amount of tickets in one transaction per account
- Space out transactions – Don’t buy more right after purchasing a set
- Use different payment methods -rotate credit cards and gift cards
- Ship tickets to different addresses – But use legitimate addresses you have access to
- Avoid bots or automation tools – These get detected and banned
The key things are to avoid buying an excessive amount all at once, space out transactions, and use legitimate personal accounts and payment methods not linked to scalping. This makes it look like normal personal purchases.
Odds of getting caught
Ticketmaster has gotten quite sophisticated at detecting and stopping ticket scalpers who violate limits. Some things they may do include:
- Tracking users by IP address, payment method, name, address etc
- Looking for patterns like repeated purchases across accounts
- Canceling sections of seats that are suspiciously purchased all at once
- Releasing more tickets later to thwart scalpers buying up initial batches
If Ticketmaster identifies a user that is intentionally abusing ticket limits through mass scalping, they will likely cancel those orders and any associated accounts. People trying to buy just a couple extra tickets carefully using separate accounts are less likely to face problems.
Ethics of buying multiple tickets
While buying some extra tickets within reason may be allowed, some people view buying up many tickets just to resell at a profit as unethical. Key concerns include:
- It prices real fans out of seeing shows when tickets get marked up
- Scalping encourages buyers to use prohibited tactics like bots
- It circumvents limits meant to make ticket buying fairer
So even if you can get away with buying many tickets, it could come at the expense of other fans. Buying just an extra ticket or two for friends reduces the ethical issues versus trying to scalp large quantities.
Alternatives to multiple purchases
If you need multiple tickets, some other options besides making multiple purchases yourself include:
- Having friends or family also try to buy from their accounts
- Looking for ticket resale exchanges sponsored by the venue
- Waiting until after initial sales when limits maybe relaxed
- Considering VIP or package deals that come with more tickets
These alternatives can potentially get you extra tickets while staying within the intended ticket limits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ticketmaster does allow one person to buy two or more tickets by making separate transactions. However, there are limits in place per transaction, enforced to stop scalping. Excessive mass purchases with intent to resell will likely get cancelled or banned. If you need more than one ticket, it is best to space out transactions, use different accounts/payments, buy no more than a few extras, and avoid prohibited tactics like bots. With some care, one person can successfully purchase a reasonable number of tickets on Ticketmaster for personal use.
