Buying tickets to concerts, sporting events, and other live entertainment has become increasingly complicated in recent years. With high demand and limited ticket availability for popular events, prices can skyrocket on the secondary resale market. Many ticket resale platforms now offer “verified resale tickets” to provide buyers with guarantees that their tickets are legitimate and will get them into the event. However, a common question from buyers is whether they can get a refund if their plans change and they can no longer attend the event they purchased verified resale tickets for.
What are verified resale tickets?
Verified resale tickets are tickets that are resold through an official ticket resale platform partnered with the original ticket issuer. They provide buyers with guarantees that their tickets are valid, legitimate event tickets that will get them into the venue on the day of the show.
The “verified” status indicates that the ticket resale platform has validated that the seller has legitimate tickets in-hand to transfer to buyers. This gives buyers peace of mind that they are not being scammed and that their tickets are 100% guaranteed by the resale platform.
Many major ticket companies like Ticketmaster and AXS have integrated verified resale marketplaces into their platforms. There are also large verified-only resale marketplaces like StubHub and VividSeats that work with ticket issuers to ensure valid tickets.
Are there refunds on verified resale tickets?
Whether verified resale tickets can be refunded largely depends on the policies of the specific resale platform they were purchased from. Each resale marketplace has their own terms and conditions for refunds that buyers agree to when completing their ticket purchase.
However, most major resale platforms do not offer refunds on verified resale ticket purchases except in very limited circumstances. Some key things to note about verified resale ticket refunds:
Most resale platforms have no refunds as standard policy
When you complete a ticket order on a resale marketplace, you typically agree to their posted Terms of Use which state that all sales are final and no refunds are offered except at the platform’s sole discretion in very rare cases. Their terms will usually state that you are responsible for all tickets purchased at the agreed upon price regardless of any changes in your personal circumstances.
Refunds are offered in extreme extenuating circumstances
While most resale platforms maintain no refund policies, some may offer refunds on a case-by-case basis for certain extreme extenuating circumstances such as:
- The event was cancelled with no rescheduled date
- The tickets sold were found to be fraudulent or non-transferable
- The seller failed to delivery valid tickets to the buyer
- There was a death in the buyer’s immediate family
- The buyer had an unexpected serious medical emergency or illness
In these type of unforeseen cases where the buyer couldn’t attend through no fault of their own, the resale platform may issue a refund as an exceptional one-time courtesy. However, this is determined on a case by case basis and standard policy remains no refunds on verified resale tickets.
Refunds are not offered for personal schedule changes
If a buyer purchases verified resale tickets but then simply changes their mind, has a personal schedule conflict come up, or decides they no longer want to attend the event, virtually no resale platforms will offer them a refund. The buyer normally agrees to the resale marketplace’s posted policies that sales are final and no refunds are given for personal schedule changes or convenience reasons.
Options if you can no longer attend the event
If you purchase verified resale tickets but then find you are unable to attend the event, there are some options you can consider even if refunds from the resale platform are unavailable:
Resell Your Tickets
Rather than absorb the total loss on your ticket purchase if you can’t attend, you can relist your tickets for resale yourself on a platform like you originally bought from. You likely need to price below recent sales to attract buyers. But reselling your own tickets allows you to recoup some of your costs. Be aware you may take a loss compared to your original purchase depending on demand.
Gift Your Tickets
Gifting your nonrefundable tickets to a friend, family member, or even a charity organization is another option if you can no longer attend. This allows someone else to enjoy the event rather than the tickets going to waste. Some resale platforms may charge a small fee for transferring tickets to a new buyer. But it’s often cheaper than eating the total ticket cost.
Informal Resale
If you purchased paper tickets, or can transfer mobile tickets outside the resale platform, you may be able to resell them informally through Craigslist, Facebook, ticket resale groups or forums. However, you don’t have the guarantees you get from formal resale platforms. Be extremely cautious vetting potential buyers.
Policies of major resale platforms
Here is a rundown of standard refund policies for some of the largest verified ticket resale marketplaces:
StubHub
- StubHub offers refunds to the original buyer only if:
- The event is cancelled with no reschedule date announced
- The ticket is found to be fraudulent or non-transferrable
- No refunds are given for personal reasons or schedule changes
- Sellers who list invalid tickets may have funds deducted from their StubHub accounts
- Buyers may be offered StubHub credits in some exceptional circumstances approved case-by-case
VividSeats
- VividSeats offers refunds at its sole discretion in only these cases:
- The event is cancelled with no reschedule date set
- The tickets sold were found to be fraudulent or non-transferrable
- No refunds are given for personal reasons or schedule changes
- 100% Buyer Guarantee ensures buyers valid tickets or equivalent seats
Ticketmaster
- Ticketmaster’s Purchase Policy states all Verified Resale sales are final
- Refunds are only considered if event is cancelled without reschedule
- No refunds are given for personal reasons or schedule changes
- Ticketmaster guarantees fans will get into the event with valid tickets
AXS
- AXS’s Purchase Policy does not offer refunds on resale tickets
- Extreme medical/family emergencies may warrant at AXS’s sole discretion
- No refunds for personal reasons, schedule conflicts, etc.
- 100% guarantee fans will receive valid tickets for entry
SeatGeek
- SeatGeek’s purchase policy states no refunds on resale tickets
- Cancellations without reschedule may warrant refunds
- No refunds for personal schedule changes or reasons
- Buyers provided comparable seats if ticket issue arises
Tips for buying verified resale tickets
Since you likely cannot get a refund if your plans change, here are some tips when purchasing verified resale tickets:
- Make sure your schedule is clear before committing to buy tickets, treat as a firm unchangeable plan
- Review seller ratings/feedback before purchasing from an individual
- Understand the resale platform’s policies before completing your purchase
- Only buy from reputable large verified resale marketplaces, not unknown sellers
- Ensure tickets are transferable if you may need to resell them yourself
- Use secure electronic payment methods, never wire cash transfers
Following these tips can help ensure a smooth experience buying verified resale tickets even though refunds will generally not be available.
The risks of verified versus unverified tickets
While the lack of refunds can make buying verified resale tickets risky if your plans fall through, the bigger risk is buying unverified tickets from unknown sellers or sources. With unverified tickets:
- You have no guarantees tickets are valid or will get you into the event
- Fake ticket scams are common from dishonest sellers
- Stolen tickets could be invalidated and not scan at the venue
- Tickets could be for wrong date, seats, or even wrong event
- No support from resale platform if issues arise with tickets
These risks usually make the benefits of verified tickets worth the no refund policy. You have complete assurance you will receive valid tickets that get you into the event you bought them for.
How venues view verified resale tickets
For high demand events, venues appreciate and endorse the verified resale process. It ensures:
- Tickets are kept within the official marketplace versus unchecked resellers
- Fans have a safe buying experience with guarantees against fraud
- Tickets are efficiently allocated to those most eager to attend the event
- Scams and counterfeit tickets are mitigated through validation processes
By cooperating with major resale marketplaces, venues can reduce unofficial unverified reselling. Even with no refunds, they see verified resale as the lesser of two evils versus a black market for their tickets.
Future outlook on verified resale ticket refunds
In the future, will verified resale platforms begin relaxing their no refunds policies to better accommodate buyers? The outlook is unlikely that they will do so in standard cases:
- Refunds reduce incentive for season ticket holders to resell unused tickets
- Resale sites need to avoid being stuck holding the bag on unused tickets
- Loose refund policies could enable fraud from repeat buyers
- Refunds reduce free market forces establishing an optimal ticket price point
However, resale platforms may increasingly offer credits or vouchers instead of refunds in some exceptional cases or for repeat/loyal buyers. This middle ground would accommodate buyers with emergencies while not completely reversing transactions.
It’s also possible primary ticket sellers like Ticketmaster begin absorbing resale functions directly. This would let them set unified policies across primary and resale markets. But for now, third party verified resale sites remain the dominant player.
Conclusion
While verified resale tickets offer buyers guarantees against fraud and illegitimate tickets, they come with the trade-off of virtually no refunds except in the most extreme circumstances. For the vast majority of buyers who change plans for personal reasons, they will not be eligible for refunds on their ticket purchase. This is the cost that comes with the security of buying verified resale tickets. Your plans must be very firmly set before buying.
But when compared to the massive risks of buying unverified tickets from unknown sources, the nonrefundable nature of verified tickets is the lesser evil. Even if you end up eating some costs from unused verified tickets, you are protected against much greater losses from scams or counterfeits. In an imperfect market, verified resale emerged as the best compromise balancing buyer protection with market efficiency.