We’ve all had that one flaky friend who bails on us last minute, leaving us with an extra ticket to a concert or sporting event. Although your night might be a bust, that doesn’t mean you have to walk away empty-handed.
Here’s our ‘ and earn some quick cash, plus tips on making the process go as smoothly as possible.
1. Check Comparative Pricing: Most websites will do this for you, but make sure you aren’t listing that One Direction nosebleed ticket for double the cost of the guy next to you.
2. Be Accurate & Detailed: Before listing any ticket, triple check you have all the details correct. Is your ticket in obstructed seating? ADA accessible? Standing room only? If you fail to list key details, or make mistakes in your seating info, you stand to lose the sale and be charged a fee on top of that.
3. Sell Tickets in Pairs: If selling a chunk of tickets, it is recommended to sell them in one group or in pairs. The theory being that it’s more likely two people will attend an event together than one random person just flying solo; and if you have six tickets and are left with just one, it will be harder to sell the last single seat.
4. E-Tickets are King: The general population is still learning to trust the online ticket marketplace, as such folks tend to favor E-tickets over paper delivery because they are instant. If you can, always upload and list your tickets electronically, because they will sell much more quickly than ones via snail mail. Also, no delivery fees!
A staple in the online ticket purchasing game, SeatGeek is still new to the ticket selling game. Last month the company launched a new feature that allows users to effortlessly list tickets on their desktop site and more recently, their mobile app. All you have to do is head to SeatGeek, click “start selling,” and they will fill in all of your ticket details and even use their Deal Score algorithm to set a competitive price. In keeping with SeatGeek’s spirit of transparency, the price you set is the price the buyer will see.
Along with their new selling feature, SeatGeek has also built in the ability to transfer tickets to friends, with the option to charge them for it. It’s kind of like Venmo… only with tickets. Use SeatGeek to sell concert tickets, sports tickets, Broadway tickets–basically if something requires tickets, you can sell it on SeatGeek.
Beloved by the hippie community, Cash or Trade is the destination for buying and selling tickets to jam band concerts and music festivals. Their tagline reads, “embrace the face,” meaning they are the only ticket marketplace that does not allow its users to sell anything over the face value. So if your aim is to make a profit from selling your ticket, head elsewhere. But if you are looking for a place to sell festival and jam tickets to fans, come on in.
Though under fire recently for confusion regarding their “all-in pricing,” StubHub has been one of the most popular marketplaces for ticket buying and selling over the years. To list yours, simply create an account on their website, click “sell tickets” in the top navigation bar, and search for the event. It will guide you through a step-by-step process that will get them listed correctly. StubHub also gives you the option to have dynamic pricing, which will adjust the ticket price based on the market as the event gets closer. The website has included an instructional video on how the process works, which you can find here.
For better or worse, when it comes to buying primary tickets and live events, Ticketmaster is the king. However, the company has also been known to dabble in the ticket-selling ring. They’ve teamed up with the NFL, NHL and NBA to create a “ticket exchange” program, where fans can buy and sell tickets to sporting events in a trusted environment. Similarly to SeatGeek, you can also transfer tickets to your friends through Ticketmaster free of charge.