StubHub Fees Explained:
What You Actually Pay
Buyer fees, seller fees, how they are calculated, and why the total at checkout is always higher than the listed price. Plus Vivid Seats and SeatGeek fees compared so you know which platform costs less for your event.
How StubHub Fees Work
When you see a ticket price on StubHub, that is the seller's listing price - not what you will pay. StubHub adds service fees on top of the listed price at checkout. The fees cover the platform's operations, FanProtect guarantee, and customer service infrastructure.
What makes StubHub fees confusing is that they are not a fixed percentage. StubHub explicitly states on its own site that there is no set fee percentage, and that fees vary based on ticket price, event location, time to event, and supply and demand. The only way to know your actual total is to go to checkout and look.
Combined, these components produce an estimated total buyer fee of approximately 28% on StubHub across all event types and price points. For high-demand events or higher-priced tickets, buyer fees can reach 30-35% or more.
StubHub Seller Fees
If you are selling tickets on StubHub rather than buying, the fee structure is different. StubHub charges sellers a commission of 15% on the final sale price. This is more consistent than buyer fees - it is approximately 15% across most sales, though it may vary for some specific event types or seller agreements.
The practical implication: if you sell a pair of tickets for $200, StubHub keeps $30 as its commission and you receive $170. This is separate from and in addition to the buyer fees that the buyer pays on their end - meaning StubHub earns revenue from both sides of every transaction.
Fee Calculator: Your Event, Your Cost
Estimates based on estimated fee rates. Actual fees vary. Always check final total at checkout before purchasing on any platform.
Real-World Examples: What Fees Look Like in Practice
Mid-range concert - two tickets
Premium concert - two tickets
Same seats on TickPick
Same event on SeatGeek
The scenarios above illustrate a key point: a lower listed price does not mean a lower total price. The TickPick listing at $240 per ticket produces a final cost of $480 for two tickets. The SeatGeek listing at $210 per ticket produces $588 with fees. The $30 listed price difference becomes a $108 actual difference in the wrong direction.
Vivid Seats Fees Explained
Vivid Seats uses a similar structure to StubHub - buyer fees added on top of the listed price at checkout. Vivid Seats buyer fees can reach up to 24% of the ticket price. This is lower than StubHub's estimated of varies by event, but still significant. Like StubHub, the fees are not always visible until late in the checkout process.
Vivid Seats also charges sellers a commission when their tickets sell, similar to StubHub's 15% seller fee structure.
Platform Fee Comparison: All Major Sites
| Platform | Buyer fees | Seller fees | Fee shown when? | Can you see all-in price? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StubHub | varies by event avg (2-20%+ variable) | ~15% | Late in checkout | Yes - enable in settings |
| TicketNetwork | Competitive (check all-in) | Varies | Enable all-in view | Yes - with all-in toggle |
| Vivid Seats | varies by event | ~10% | Late in checkout | Yes - with toggle |
| SeatGeek | varies widely (wide variance) | ~10% | Late in checkout | Yes - toggle all-in |
| Ticketmaster | varies (typically lower than resale platforms) avg | ~10-15% | All-in since May 2025 | Yes - shown upfront |
| TickPick | $0 buyer fees | ~15% | Price shown is final price | Always - it is the default |
| Gametime | Included in listed price | Varies | All-in shown upfront | Always |
How to Reduce What You Pay in Fees
You cannot eliminate StubHub or Vivid Seats fees entirely when buying on those platforms. But you can minimize what you pay:
- Check TickPick first. No buyer fees means total costs are typically 10-25% lower for the same seats.
- Also compare TicketNetwork. Their broker network carries strong concert and touring show inventory - browse TicketNetwork alongside TickPick before committing to any fee-heavy platform.
- Always use all-in pricing to make honest comparisons. The teaser price means nothing.
- Buy early or day-of. Fees are applied as a percentage, so lower underlying ticket prices mean lower absolute fee amounts. Early and day-of prices are both lower than the 2-4 week peak.
- Use StubHub promo codes from Groupon or other sources to offset some fee cost. Available codes typically reduce 3-10% of the total.
- Buy at presale at face value. Face-value presale tickets avoid all secondary market fees entirely. See our complete presale code guide to access presales for any event.
Face-value presale access eliminates secondary market fees
Every fee in this article only applies when you buy on the secondary market. Presale access through artist fan clubs, credit cards, Spotify, or the TicketFlipping Flare Dashboard gets you tickets at face value before the event sells out - with only the primary market's lower fees applied. For high-demand events, this saves hundreds of dollars compared to the secondary market.
Get the full presale code guideBuy at Face Value With Presale Access
Every fee in this guide disappears when you buy in the presale. The free Roadmap shows you how to get access to every major event before it hits the secondary market.
Get the Free RoadmapFree - No credit card required