If you are looking to get concert tickets, but you’re also trying to save a buck, you may be thinking about using StubHub. If you haven’t used it in a while or if you’re just brand new to the resale site, this post will tell you everything you need to know about buying tickets on StubHub.
For more help saving money, check out all of our frugal posts.
A few months ago, I heard Weird Al was coming to play a large, outdoor venue near our house.
That was exciting because it’s Weird Al and he’s great, but not exciting because this venue is not my favorite. It’s in a space that doubles as a town park, which means that the lawn seats are on flat ground, which is good for playing soccer but bad when you’re trying to see a stage.
Another problem is that because it’s a park, it can’t have permanent structures. So giant screens are prohibited, which means if you do buy a cheap seat, it’s really hard to see what’s going on on stage.
Our first show at this venue was Tenacious D. If you’ve ever seen them, you know there’s a lot of banter going on and we missed the majority of that because of how the venue is.
And, finally, just in general, concert tickets are very expensive.
So, we don’t love going here.
But, Weird Al is really funny live. Because I had seen him previously, I knew much of his show relies on projecting scenes from his movies and television clips behind him while he has costume changes. So I knew that, even if we sat in the lawn, we would still have a great experience.
But, that still didn’t mean I wanted to overpay for tickets.
So, I bought them on StubHub.
It has been over a decade since I used StubHub, and, I never used it at this venue.
So to say that I was nervous is an understatement. After I purchased tickets, RIP to my nerves.
Everything ended up being just fine, despite what Reddit posts and Facebook comments led me to believe. So, to help calm any fears that you might have for using StubHub, I put together this guide.
Hopefully it helps keep you calmer than I was.
If you got your tickets, you want to have the best time at the concert — and that means not forgetting anything. Our Outdoor Concert Essentials list will make packing easier for you.
Everything You Need To Know About Buying Tickets On StubHub
Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.
This is strictly based on my experience. Drugstore Divas has no affiliation with StubHub and is not responsible if you have an experience that’s different than the one depicted in this post.
StubHub History
Stubhub is a ticket exchange and resale site that was started in 2000. It currently operates in 90+ countries and countless venues.
It’s a website (and now app) where ticket holders list their tickets and people can purchase those tickets from them.
There is no contact between the seller or the buyer. StubHub is the go-between. And there’s no haggling. The price is the price.
It’s expected that the reseller will transfer the tickets to the buyer prior to the event. The buyer can then download the tickets and use them to get into the concert, sporting event, etc.
This is a great way to purchase sold out tickets. It’s also potentially a way to save some money on tickets because sometimes circumstances arise where a person can’t use their tickets and they list them for below face value in hopes of recouping at least some of the cost.
That’s how I was able to get lawn tickets for Weird Al for $14 even though Ticketmaster was selling them for $40.
StubHub Marketplace
The StubHub interface is actually pretty great. You can see a layout of the venue and each section is labeled with the lowest ticket price in that section. If you click on a section, you are able to see multiple listings of tickets for that section, if there are any.
That’s really good for seats because you can see if a closer row is actually selling for less than seats that are further away.
Because the seller sets their price. So one seller may have a ticket for $20 while another has one for $25 — in the same section. But be careful because if you don’t buy the ticket you’re looking at, someone else could and then you’re stuck with the higher priced seats.
The prices do fluctuate a lot, too. I saw lawn tickets for everywhere between $9 up to $50. I missed the $9 seats (because we weren’t sure if we were gonna go to the show) and then checked every few days, finally snagging a pair for $14 each.
I did watch from when I purchased until the date of the show, and the tickets never went under $29 after that, so we got really lucky with our price.
Purchasing On StubHub
You choose the seats that you wanna purchase and add them to your cart.
You have 15 minutes to safely and securely type in your credit card information and check out. After that time, the price isn’t guaranteed.
StubHub handles everything else.
The reseller never has access to your name, address, or credit card information.
After you buy, you wait. The waiting is the hardest part because, what you don’t find out until after your transaction is complete and you receive a confirmation email, is that the seller has up to four hours before the event starts to transfer the tickets to you.
There’s some fine print about how some venues are trying to reduce reselling and scalping and don’t release tickets to any purchasers until 24 or 48 hours prior to the event. So, StubHub extends this very gracious grace to it sellers.
Which is very nerve-racking for purchasers like me.
I purchased tickets about 48 hours before the event and spent the next 24 hours constantly refreshing my email looking for the tickets.
I finally got the email about 20 or so hours before the event was to start.
StubHub FanProtect Guarantee
I was very nervous about the tickets not arriving, although I shouldn’t have been because StubHub has a FanProtect Guarantee that states if the seller doesn’t provide the tickets, StubHub will find you either comparable or better tickets — or will offer you refund.
The start of that guarantee sounds great. Tickets are tickets and better tickets are better.
But, it was the latter part of that sentence that I didn’t like. Refund means that you don’t have tickets. And the whole point of purchasing tickets is to have tickets.
Did I say tickets enough?
When I was down my rabbit hole of StubHub disasters, I actually couldn’t find a single experience from anyone who didn’t get their tickets. There were lots of worried people who hadn’t received tickets yet, but none of those people seem to have gone without.
For us, we only had to drive 15 minutes to get to the venue where Weird Al was. And, we got downtown 45 minutes before paid parking stopped, so we only had to pay two dollars in parking fees.
I can only imagine how nerve-racking purchasing on StubHub could be for people who need to travel, book plane tickets, or book hotels around the event.
Those people might feel a little more comforted by the guarantee. They may also feel comforted by the fact that I checked the Weird Al tickets on StubHub when we were already inside the venue and, to my surprise, not all the tickets were reduced.
I don’t know why someone would purchase a last-minute ticket on StubHub when the show wasn’t actually sold out.
So, I imagine those unsold tickets are the ones that StubHub uses in the case it needs to uphold its guarantee, but that’s just me guessing.
My StubHub Experience
Overall, my StubHub experience was a great one. Yes, I was a ball of nerves and driving my friends crazy while I was waiting for the tickets, but that’s just me. Knowing what I know now, next time I order from StubHub, I won’t worry.
I purchased tickets for about a third of the price two days before the show, got the email, clicked it to reveal my tickets, and showed those barcodes at the venue. They scanned no problem and we had a great time.
For a show we really wanted to see, I would probably order from Ticketmaster (or whatever ticket site) directly to guarantee we got tickets because it’s not a guarantee that StubHub will have any tickets for an event.
But, for a last minute date night, I would absolutely use it again.
Save On StubHub
Groupon has a StubHub coupon code listed here. I didn’t notice the codes until after I ordered my tickets, so I don’t know how often they’re posted or how reliable they are, but hey, it’s worth a try. If it works, great, you saved some money. And if it doesn’t, that’s okay.
Have you ever used StubHub to purchase tickets? Let us know your experience, good or bad, in the comments below.