You can sell your Ticketmaster tickets directly through your Ticketmaster account, either on the website or the mobile app. The platform has a built-in resale feature that lets you list eligible tickets at a price you choose, and Ticketmaster handles the rest. If resale isn’t available for your event, you can also transfer tickets to a buyer on a third-party marketplace. Here’s how both options work.
Selling Through Ticketmaster’s Resale Feature
The fastest way to resell is through Ticketmaster itself. Log into your account on Ticketmaster.com or the Ticketmaster app, go to My Events, and find the event you want to sell. If the tickets are eligible for resale, you’ll see a “Sell” button. Select the tickets you want to list, set your price per ticket, and confirm the listing.
Once listed, your tickets appear alongside other resale listings on the same event page where primary tickets are sold. Buyers purchase them just like any other Ticketmaster ticket, and the barcode transfers automatically. You don’t need to meet anyone, mail anything, or generate a PDF. If your tickets don’t sell before the event, they revert back to you and the listing simply expires.
You can edit your listing price or remove it entirely at any time before someone buys. If you’re listing multiple seats, you can choose to sell some and keep others.
When the Sell Button Isn’t Available
Not every ticket is eligible for resale on Ticketmaster. Artists, teams, and venues decide whether resale is allowed for their events, and they can restrict it for the entire event, specific seating areas, or certain ticket types. If you don’t see a Sell option on your tickets, one of these situations likely applies:
- The event organizer or artist hasn’t activated resale. This is the most common reason. Some artists and promoters block resale entirely.
- You bought the tickets on a payment plan. Tickets purchased through a deposit scheme or installment plan typically can’t be resold until all payments are complete.
- Your order includes add-ons. Packages that bundle parking passes, early entry, or meet-and-greet access often can’t be split up for resale.
- You already transferred the tickets. Once tickets have been transferred to someone else, you no longer control them and can’t list them.
- You bought the tickets from resale. Some events don’t allow resold tickets to be relisted a second time.
- The tickets were purchased through a partner site. Orders placed through affiliated platforms like Ticketweb or Frontgate may not appear in your main Ticketmaster account.
- Ticketmaster wasn’t the original ticket provider. Resale through Ticketmaster is only available for events where Ticketmaster handled primary sales.
How You Get Paid
When your tickets sell, Ticketmaster doesn’t pay you immediately. You’ll receive your payout typically within seven business days after the event takes place. The delay exists because the transaction isn’t truly complete until the buyer attends (or at least has the opportunity to attend) the event.
Payment goes to the method you set up in your account. Make sure your payout details, such as your bank account or payment preference, are filled in before listing. If that information is missing or incorrect when the event passes, your payout could be delayed further.
Ticketmaster does charge seller fees on resale transactions. The exact fee structure can vary by event, so check the fee breakdown shown during the listing process before you confirm your price. Keep those fees in mind when setting your asking price so you walk away with what you expect.
Selling on Third-Party Marketplaces
If resale is blocked on Ticketmaster but your tickets are transferable, you can sell through a third-party marketplace like StubHub or SeatGeek. You list the tickets on that platform, and when they sell, you deliver them by using Ticketmaster’s transfer feature.
To transfer, sign into your Ticketmaster account, find the event, and select “Transfer.” Choose the tickets, then enter the buyer’s name, email address, and phone number. The buyer receives the tickets in their own Ticketmaster account. Each marketplace has its own rules about how quickly you need to complete the transfer after a sale, so check the platform’s seller guidelines before listing.
A few things to keep in mind with this route. Third-party sales are final unless the event is canceled, so there’s no backing out once the transaction goes through. The third-party platform will charge its own fees, which are separate from anything Ticketmaster charges. And some events use technology that prevents transfers altogether, which would make third-party selling impossible for those tickets.
Tax Reporting on Resale Income
If you sell enough tickets in a calendar year, the platform you sell on may be required to send you a 1099-K, which reports your gross payment transactions to the IRS. The current reporting threshold is $20,000 in gross payments and more than 200 transactions. If you stay below both of those numbers, you won’t receive a 1099-K.
That said, any profit you make on ticket sales is technically taxable income regardless of whether you receive a form. If you sell a pair of tickets for less than you paid, there’s no profit to report. But if you sell above face value and clear a gain, that income is reportable on your tax return.
Tips for Pricing Your Tickets
Resale prices fluctuate based on demand, and timing matters. Tickets for sold-out shows tend to climb in value as the event approaches, while tickets for events that haven’t sold out may need to be priced at or below face value to attract buyers. Check what similar seats are currently listed for on Ticketmaster or other platforms to gauge the market.
If you’re trying to sell close to the event date, consider lowering your price. Buyers get nervous about last-minute purchases, and a competitive price can make the difference between selling and being stuck with tickets you can’t use. Listing early gives you the most flexibility to adjust pricing as the event gets closer.