Planning to sell tickets on Ticketmaster but unsure of where to start? I was in the same predicament years ago, but I’ve now mastered Ticketmaster—and I’m here to show you how!
Operating in over 32 countries, Ticketmaster is one of the world’s largest ticket sales and distribution companies. It sells nearly 45 million tickets monthly, totaling approximately 500 million tickets annually.
With such impressive stats, it’s only natural to want to be a part of the massive marketplace.
In this article, I’ll show you how to sell tickets on Ticketmaster and earn a high return on your investment.
I’ll also discuss the pros, cons, and factors to consider when selling on the website.
- Why You Should Consider Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster
- Problems With Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster
- What You’ll Need to Sell Tickets on Ticketmaster
- What Types of Tickets to Sell on Ticketmaster
- How To Sell Tickets on Ticketmaster: Step-By-Step Instructions
- Things to Consider When Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Similar Tutorials to Check Out
- Wrapping Up
Why You Should Consider Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster
Here are some of the biggest reasons why you should consider selling tickets on Ticketmaster:
- Biggest and most reputable ticket distribution company: By selling tickets on Ticketmaster, you won’t have to worry about scams or sketchy terms and conditions. It’s a legitimate company with over 30 years of experience under its belt.
- Millions of visitors daily: Selling tickets on Ticketmaster gives you the highest chance of visibility. The site attracts millions of fans looking for tickets every day, so you have a big market to sell your tickets in.
- Pricing flexibility: Ticketmaster gives you full control of your ticket prices and gives you real-time ticket pricing information as a baseline.
- Straightforward transaction: Listing your tickets to Ticketmaster is a straightforward affair. Create a Ticketmaster account, choose “Sell Ticket,” then select the ticket you want to sell. Enter the barcode of the ticket you want to sell and set your price. That’s all there is to it!
Did you know? Selling tickets is a great side hustle, when done correctly. It’s hard, but the payoffs can be huge.
Problems With Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster
As with most distribution platforms, Ticketmaster has its fair share of negatives.
Here are the reasons why you might not want to sell your tickets on Ticketmaster:
1. Certain Tickets Aren’t Available for Resale
If you purchased tickets over the phone with Ticketmaster or through a third-party site, the ticket won’t be eligible for resale. This means that either the promoter or Ticketmaster hasn’t enabled ticket reselling for the event.
You likewise can’t resell tickets to events where Ticketmaster isn’t the primary ticket provider.
2. Hefty Processing Fee
Ticketmaster doesn’t charge you for listing a ticket on the website, but it does take a sizable commission fee of 10% to 50% for using the ticketing service.
So if you sell a ticket for $100, you’ll only get around $85 in return. The issue with this is that Ticketmaster only discloses this fee until you’re in the process of listing your tickets.
3. Limited Payment Methods
You need to have a bank account to sell on Ticketmaster. The accepted payment methods include American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or a debit card with a major credit card logo.
Ticketmaster doesn’t accept PayPal, Vimeo, Payoneer prepaid, and most other online e-wallet services as a bank account.
4. Only Sells in Selected Countries
Ticketmaster is available in 32 countries, including the US, the UK, and certain parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Other ticket distribution companies, like StubHub for example, allow you to sell tickets in over 90 countries.
What You’ll Need to Sell Tickets on Ticketmaster
Planning to sell tickets on Ticketmaster? Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Valid payment method: Like MasterCard, AmericanExpress, Visa, or a debit card from a well-known bank. Payments will be transferred directly into your bank account within five to seven working days upon buyer purchase.
- Tax Identification Number (for US sellers): For tax purchases, Ticketmaster is required to collect taxpayer information such as an address, legal name, phone number, and Tax Identification Number (TIN). With this information, you won’t be able to sell tickets on the platform.
- Small deposit: For security purposes, Ticketmaster requires you to verify two small deposits if you’re getting paid via direct deposit into your bank account.
What Types of Tickets to Sell on Ticketmaster
Unsure of what types of tickets to sell on Ticketmaster? Here are some ideas:
Concert Tickets
According to a study published by Yale University, Ticketmaster controls over 70% of ticket sales for live concert events. Ticketmaster is the primary ticket provider for thousands of official music events and concerts, from Ed Sheeran to Adele.
Why This Product Sells Well
Reselling concert tickets make up the majority of Ticketmaster’s sales.
If you have a concert ticket to spare—especially if it’s a concert of a popular singer/performer—Ticketmaster is the best place to guarantee a speedy resell. The more in-demand a ticket is, the higher it sells.
Ticketmaster is the biggest place you’ll find with fans willing to purchase tickets triple or even quadruple the normal price to watch a concert hosted by their idols.
Sports Tickets
Ticketmaster is the official ticket reseller of the NHL, WNDA, NBA, and a bunch of other well-known sports organizations.
People often come to Ticketmaster to purchase tickets for up-and-coming sports events, whether it’s from big-name teams to college games.
Why This Product Sells Well
Sports events follow a schedule, allowing you to book tickets months if not weeks beforehand to get ahead of the competition.
If you manage to get your hands on a season ticket, you’ll entice buyers with season ticket holder perks (chance to renew seats, discounts on retail purchases, etc.), making the ticket even more valuable.
Playoff tickets can rack in huge profits, allowing you to double or triple the investment.
Theater Tickets
Ticketmaster is part of the Live Nation Entertainment company, which works with concert halls and amphitheaters across the world.
Ticketmaster regularly sells tickets for popular musicals and plays, from Disney to classical to Broadway.
What This Product Sells Well
Theater tickets give you the chance to discover lesser-known “under the radar” events and potentially earn huge profits.
There will always be new up-and-coming theater events from artists old and new, so you’ll never run out of tickets to sell.
How To Sell Tickets on Ticketmaster: Step-By-Step Instructions
Ready to start selling tickets on Ticketmaster? Follow these steps:
Step 1: Create an Account
You can create a Ticketmaster account through the website or the mobile app.
On the Ticketmaster front page, select “Sign In” then click the option that says, “New to Ticketmaster? Sign Up.”
You’ll be redirected to a page that asks for your email address, password, first and last name, and country of residence. Type in your information and press “Next.”
You’ll then be asked to enter your phone number to complete the sign-up process, where you’ll receive a text with a one-time security code. Type the code in the box and select “Confirm.”
If you don’t have a mobile phone/number, you can use a landline number to verify your account. Ticketmaster will call you on the landline to provide you with the verification code.
Step 2: Log in to Your Account
Log in to your Ticketmaster account and click on the “My Account” section.
From there, choose “Sell Tickets” and find the event you want to list from the search bar.
If you want to resell a ticket you’ve previously bought from Ticketmaster, select “My Tickets.” Choose the ticket you want to sell by ticking the checkbox.
Step 3: Sell Your Ticket(s)
On the event page, you’ll be given two options: Transfer Tickets or Sell Tickets. Select the “Sell Tickets” option.
Enter the barcode number of the ticket(s) you want to sell. You’ll find the barcode on the ticket itself or in the email confirmation you received when you first bought the ticket.
Step 4: Enter Your Price
Once you’ve entered a valid barcode, you’ll be asked to list your chosen price.
To help you decide a price, look at the interactive pricing tool. The tool will help you see how your price compares to the average price on the website.
It will also show you how much other sellers sell the tickets according to the seat/section/floor map. Adjust the price as you see fit.
It’s important to note that Ticketmaster won’t allow you to sell less than the minimum price requirement.
If the ticket sells for a minimum price of $30, you won’t be able to sell it for, say, $29. Event masters don’t want their tickets to sell below a certain threshold, so Ticketmaster adds this restriction to maintain some level of market consistency or value.
Upon listing your price, Ticketmaster will show you how much money you’ll receive when the ticket gets sold in the “You’ll Get Paid” section.
You’ll find a full breakdown of the calculation by clicking on “How is this payment amount calculated?” in the lower right corner of the screen.
From there, you’ll see the associated service fees, payout per ticket, and the total amount you’ll get.
Ticketmaster’s service fee depends on the ticket’s demand/popularity. The more a ticket is in demand, the higher the service fee. Service fees cost anywhere between 5% to upwards of 50%.
Step 5: Select Your Payment Method
Ticketmaster asks you to input two types of payment methods: direct deposit and card refund.
The accepted payment methods include MasterCard, AmericanExpress, Discover, Visa, and International bank cards (if you live outside the US).
Unfortunately, Ticketmaster doesn’t allow PayPal, Vemoo, and other e-wallets as a bank account.
The refund account is the card Ticketmaster will use to refund the customer his/her money back if the event is postponed or canceled.
Once you’ve added a payment method, click “Confirm.” Your ticket will be posted on Ticketmaster’s resale marketplace for fans to purchase.
You can cancel and relist the ticket for a different price at any time, so long as it wasn’t bought out.
Things to Consider When Selling Tickets on Ticketmaster
Now that you know how to sell your tickets on Ticketmaster, here are some additional factors to consider:
1. Service Fee
Ticketmaster’s service fees are among the highest in the industry. Unlike other ticket distributors like StubHub which charge no more than 15%, Ticketmaster can charge up to 50%. Some events even charge a 100% service fee, though events such as these are rare.
Before listing your ticket, make sure that the service fee covers the cost of the ticket you’ve bought so you’re not selling at a loss.
2. Not All Tickets Can Be Sold
Ticketmaster doesn’t resell all ticket types. To find out if the ticket you own is eligible for a resell, click on the “Sell” button on the event page.
If a resale is available, you can resell the ticket. If it’s not available, you’ll see a message detailing the reason why.
3. Listing vs. Selling Today
When you list your tickets for sale, you can either opt for an open offer or an immediate sale.
If someone has made an offer for your ticket, you’ll be able to accept the offer and sell it to the buyer.
If you opt for the latter option, you’ll sell the ticket on the Ticketmaster Marketplace and get the amount you’ve previously listed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Easy to Sell Tickets on Ticketmaster?
Selling tickets on Ticketmaster doesn’t take any effort at all.
Once you’ve created an account, all you’ll need to do is to select the “Sell Ticket” option, name your price, submit your bank card information, and list the ticket on the Ticketmaster Marketplace.
Why Won’t Ticketmaster Let Me Sell My Tickets?
Ticketmaster won’t let you sell your tickets because of the following reasons: You’ve bought the ticket from a third-party ticketer, the event organizer disabled ticket reselling, or the event organizer has yet to allow ticket reselling. You can only put the ticket up for resale four business days before the event.
Similar Tutorials to Check Out
Unsure of Ticketmaster’s policies and service fees? Check out these alternative ticketing websites:
- How to Sell Tickets on Vivid Seats: Much like Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats is an American ticket exchange/resale company. It’s been around since 2001 and sells upwards of 50 million tickets annually.
- How to Sell Tickets on SeatGeek: SeatGeek is a ticketing platform available with nearly 13 million active users and more than 200,000 merchant partners, making it a competitive alternative to Ticketmaster.
- How to Sell Tickets on StubHub: StubHub is one of the largest ticket marketplaces in the world, operating in over 90 countries.
Wrapping Up
There you have it, folks; my comprehensive guide on how to sell tickets on Ticketmaster!
Ticketmaster is a reputable ticket marketplace, receiving billions of page views every year. If you want to sell your tickets fast, Ticketmaster is the place to go!
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