Blog
Nov 5, 2021
Nowadays people don’t think twice about reselling tickets online. It’s a simple and easy way to make money and dispose of extra tickets. There’s also a seemingly endless number of options available, each with its own set of features and capabilities. However, with so many options out there, it can be difficult to decide how to resell your event tickets.
Enter StubHub! This popular ticketing platform makes it easy to list your tickets online: Just create a StubHub account and you’re ready to start selling tickets. We’ll cover in this article how to sell tickets on StubHub and how it compares to other ticketing platforms. Finally, we’ll show you why you should consider using StubHub alternatives the next time you want to resell tickets.
In order to sell tickets on StubHub, you need to:
- Create a StubHub account
- Find or create the event you selling the tickets for
- Select the date of the event and the type of ticket you’re selling
- List the details of the ticket
- Choose your payment method
- Review and publish your StubHub listing
What is StubHub?
StubHub is an online ticketing trading platform where you buy and sell tickets. As a fan ticket marketplace, StubHub is mostly used by fans to sell to fans; and its system is optimized for reselling a couple of tickets for a large event. Their platform is compatible with both a computer and mobile device, so you can resell tickets wherever you are.
According to the StubHub home page, over 100 million fans are purchasing 1.3 tickets on StubHub every single second. Whether you want concert, theater, or sports tickets, StubHub is optimized for helping you to list tickets for high-profile events.
Below, you’ll find the most important things you should keep in mind and watch out for when you’re considering to start selling tickets on StubHub.
What Are the StubHub Fees?
Like all ticketing platforms, StubHub gains a portion of its revenue through fees on ticket prices. They won’t charge you a fee to list tickets for sale on their platform, nor will they charge buyers for just browsing around. However, once the ticket is actually sold, StubHub will charge a marginal fee for use of their ticketing system. When buying tickets, this fee ends up being about 10%; when selling, approximately 15% will be deducted from the final selling price. Let’s say you intended to sell a ticket for $100 through StubHub. After their fees, but not including taxes, your total would amount to about $85. Visit StubHub for a breakdown of how their fees are calculated.
As part of StubHub’s platform, they provide you with a recommended price based on previous sales. Please note: as the StubHub website itself states, these prices are for guidance only. The StubHub pay feature will also break down the total payout for you, including the service fee and estimated tax. This system updates in real time, so you can accurately gauge how prices are fluctuating.
How to Create an Event on StubHub
In order to create a StubHub listing, the ticket’s event has to be registered in their system. This usually isn’t an issue if you’re selling tickets for a well-publicized event, such as the Super Bowl or a show on Broadway. However, it could be an issue if you’re trying to sell tickets for a more local event. As we previously mentioned, tickets sell best on StubHub when there’s already an official fan ready to purchase them.
If your event isn’t registered in StubHub’s system, you’ll have to add it. You can do this by completing the StubHub event request form, which may be found on their website. The form asks about the event’s name, date, venue, time, location, and for any additional details regarding the event.
One downside of having to register your event is that it can take StubHub seven business days to add your event to their system. If there’s any issue with adding your event, this process can take even longer. Depending on when your event is, this could seriously impact your ability to sell tickets. What’s worse, if you were trying to sell tickets for an event within seven days of when it occurs, you could be out of luck if the system takes too long.
Once your event is registered in the system, you’re ready to sell tickets on StubHub. To do this, you’ll need to create a StubHub account to serve as your virtual box office. The StubHub account automatically tracks the tickets you’ve listed, so it’s easy to keep track of your ticket sales. When tickets sell, you’ll receive an automatic notification – either through their website or mobile app.
How to Sell Tickets on StubHub
Reselling tickets for large events is where StubHub’s platform really shines. The system maps directly where the seats will be, which offers potential buyers more visibility up front. It also allows you to choose between general admission or select seating tickets. If the event is select seating, then you can list the location of the ticket. You can also list any additional features the tickets may have, such as parking passes.
StubHub handles the actual communication between buyer and seller. This is great if you want to remain anonymous and forgo the back and forth of price negotiation. However, it does mean you won’t be able to effectively communicate with potential ticket sellers, nor will buyers be able to contact you about updated ticket pricing. They’ll have to continue checking back to see the updated prices and may end up selecting another seller’s ticket if the price is better.
Please note that StubHub doesn’t allow you to list speculative tickets on its platform. In other words, tickets that haven’t gone on sale yet aren’t allowed. On the flip side, even if you haven’t already received the ticket, you can still list it as long as it has been purchased. Also, you need to make sure that you have tickets that are transferable. Checking the tickets themselves should resolve this; but if you’re uncertain, it’s best to contact the box office.
You will be required to list the face value of your ticket. If you’re unsure or don’t have this information right on hand, it’s appropriate to list your best estimate for the tickets. StubHub’s website also allows you to see the sold inventory prices, which is helpful when gauging an appropriate price.
The Types of Tickets on StubHub
StubHub is equipped to sell multiple different ticket types. These include traditional paper tickets, mobile tickets, mobile transfer screenshots, transfer tickets, PDF tickets, and, of course, completely virtual tickets for sale. Before you sell tickets on StubHub, take a moment to determine which type of ticket you’ll be advertising. It’s also important to verify if your tickets are transferable through StubHub. Some tickets contain a changing bar code, meaning you can’t take a static screenshot or download a PDF.
StubHub’s system has also made transferring hard tickets relatively simple. Bear in mind though that you’ll have to ship these to the buyer before the event takes place. Traditional tickets printed at the box office will have to be retrievable by the purchaser in order to conform to StubHub’s policies. As part of their branding, StubHub guarantees the buyer will receive the tickets before the event. If this doesn’t happen, you could be hit with a penalty.
Alternative to StubHub
At the end of the day, StubHub is a ticketing service built for individuals who want to sell one or a few tickets to a preexisting fanbase. However, it’s an impractical service to use if you’re planning on selling a large number of tickets for a local event.
Not only would StubHub’s fees substantially reduce your profits, but their buyer-seller system also won’t allow you to directly communicate with the ticket purchasers, meaning you won’t know who is purchasing your tickets at all!
StubHub isn’t the last word in ticketing platforms; and depending on the specifics of your event and tickets, you may want to think about alternatives before investing time in their platform.
What Is TicketsCandy?
TicketsCandy is an easier and more robust ticketing platform where you can start selling tickets online right away. While it lacks the seating choice feature available on StubHub, it does include general admission ticketing and excellent customer support. Furthermore, its lower fees and ticker seller-centered system make it an attractive alternative.
What Are the TicketsCandy Fees?
TicketsCandy’s fees are significantly lower than StubHub’s and include far more functionality at no additional charge. As the event holder, their services are completely free for you to use. That might sound too good to be true but trust us, it is not. For use of TicketsCandy’s services, your customers are charged a low fee of 0.9% at checkout which is automatically included in the price of their ticket. Meaning that your customers pay for your ticketing platform, not you.
Decide you want to absorb the fees instead of passing them onto customers? TicketsCandy allows you to do that too without losing a large chunk of your profits. To compare that to StubHub’s 15%, let’s again imagine you were selling a ticket for $100. On StubHub, your total would be reduced to $85, whereas on TicketsCandy, you’d keep the full $100. If you choose to absorb the fees, you keep $99.1. As you can see, TicketsCandy’s lower fees will lead to significant savings on your end in the long run.
How to Create an Event on TicketsCandy
To register an event with TicketsCandy, you’ll first need to create an online account. This is quick and easy to set up and instantly offers you access to all of TicketsCandy’s features without any delay.
Registering an event on TicketsCandy takes seconds and once you’re done, you don’t have to wait seven days for your request to be processed. Once all the required information (e.g., your name and email address) has been collected, TicketsCandy will automatically set up your account where you can start selling tickets right away.
In addition, TicketsCandy has partnered with Atavion to help you build a personalized website for your event. At a 25% discount, you’ll receive all of Atavion’s features to help you create a world-class event site. Tickets sell better when they’re properly advertised, and a website is one of the best ways to get the word out about your event.
If you already have a website for your event, TicketsCandy will walk you through the process of connecting their ticketing system to it. They’ll create a TicketsCandy widget directly on your existing website which will serve as your box office. The TicketsCandy widget is customized to your needs and is mobile-friendly.
TicketsCandy’s Dedicated Support
To make ticket selling even easier, every account on TicketsCandy is backed by a dedicated support team. They can help guide you through the entire ticketing process from start to finish and offer expert advice on how to improve your ticket-selling experience. TicketsCandy’s support team also handles the maintenance for you. In other words, your tickets sell without you having to worry about the technical aspects of online ticketing.
How to Sell Tickets on TicketsCandy
There are tons of ways to sell tickets on TicketsCandy, either through a website built by Atavion or one you already had. Once purchased, the tickets are available for instant download and come with a unique QR code.
Some of the best features that make listing tickets on TicketsCandy such a breeze:
- Unlimited ticket types, including VIP tickets, early bird tickets, ticket tiers, and bundles
- Unlimited number of tickets (no hidden fees for a higher number of tickets)
- No contracts
- Interactive, real-time data on your event
- Promo coupons
- The lowest fee on the market
- And so much more
Does TicketsCandy Have Reports?
Staying up to date on your ticket sales and customer orders is critical for keeping your event on track. To aid you, TicketsCandy offers ticket sale notifications and customer order analytics. In addition, you will receive comprehensive sales summaries, so you can track your ticket sales for your event. Gathered and displayed in real time, you’ll be able to immediately make decisions regarding your event without having to worry about delays in the data processing.
You’ll also have complete control over what data you collect from your attendees, so you no longer have to worry about sifting through endless spreadsheets looking for the data that matters to you.
Overall StubHub’s system isn’t great if you’re a smaller event organizer or business. Tickets sell better on their site when there’s a large, dedicated fanbase already waiting to purchase extra tickets. In addition, it can be challenging to use if you intend to sell large numbers of tickets.
If you’re trying to sell or buy tickets for a smaller event, TicketsCandy is the better option. Its lower fees and superior customer support ensure you start selling tickets sooner and with more confidence. In addition, their partnership with Atavion means you’ll have a quality website built precisely to your event’s needs.
