Anyone who purchases event tickets, sports tickets, or concert tickets has probably heard of online ticket brokers like StubHub. StubHub was one of the first ticket resellers to operate online. Individual people, of course, have long been in the ticket reselling business and are usually referred to as scalpers.
Buying tickets from scalpers is far from reliable. It’s not hard for people to make fake tickets that look legit. No one wants to cough up a lot of cash only to be turned away at the gate.
StubHub’s way of making it easier and safer to buy tickets for events was moving the process online and becoming a middleman. This action enables bundles of transactions for ticket buyers and sellers alike. As one might expect, some people love StubHub while others hate it. The company has gained quite a following but also attracts its share of criticism.
If you’re wondering whether or not StubHub is a safe service to use and purchase tickets from, we’ve got you covered. This article identifies if StubHub is a legitimate company and whether it is a legitimate, safe place to buy tickets.
About StubHub
StubHub was created in 2000 by Eric Baker and Jeff Fluhr, a pair of San Francisco-based Stanford Business School graduates and investment bankers. By 2003 the company had become profitable, and the pair sold StubHub to e-trading giant eBay in 2007 for a whopping $310 million. Since that time, eBay has made StubHub the core of its ticket reselling operation.
StubHub works by reselling tickets for live entertainment events. Venues, sports teams, performers, etc., can use the service directly to sell tickets, and individual ticket holders or brokers can also post tickets for sale on the site.
StubHub makes its money by collecting a commission on each ticket sold. While it is possible to get a discount ticket price via StubHub, the service is more useful for acquiring tickets at the last minute or for events that are officially sold out.
Is it Safe to Buy Tickets on StubHub?
In a word, yes. The company is entirely legitimate and has the right to sell or resell all the tickets on its website. As eBay owns it, it has the financial backing of one of the world’s largest companies.
That doesn’t mean StubHub is without faults, though.
StubHub has the same faults as its parent company: few resources dedicated to customer care, spotty (at best) after-sales service, and the appearance of not caring about customer satisfaction.
StubHub regularly garners less-than-stellar reviews online. It’s not hard to find customer complaints related to actually getting their tickets after purchasing them.
However, StubHub is also one of the few ticket resellers who guarantee the legitimacy of their tickets. That is something much of the competition does not or cannot do. Even if acquiring the ticket or tickets could be an unforeseen hassle, knowing the tickets will be authentic is still a critical layer of security.
While it can be a bit of a hassle to get your tickets, it certainly beats spending tens or hundreds of dollars on what could turn out to be little more than card stock if you purchase resold tickets from a less reputable service.
Public Perception of StubHub
As you might imagine, StubHub has its fair share of both fans and detractors, with reasonable explanations for both.
The Bad
In 2006, more than 100 New York Yankees season-ticket holders who had sold seats on StubHub received letters denying them the right to buy playoff tickets for 2006 and further banning them from buying season tickets for the 2007 season.
Although StubHub was not directly responsible for those fans’ alleged violation of Yankees rules regarding tickets, it was an open secret that the site permits people to sell tickets even when the original ticket issuer is unhappy with that.
A more severe incident occurred in 2006 when many New England Patriots fans reported they had been turned away from games due to phony tickets bought on StubHub. Some were counterfeit, while others were voided tickets sold by revoked fans during the season. The Patriots demanded that StubHub provide a list of Patriots season ticket holders who used the site. The site eventually lost in Massachusetts state courts.
The Good
While there are many negative reviews of StubHub, there are also plenty of positive ones. When reading reviews on any online organization, it’s essential to put things into perspective. Looking at Yelp, Consumer Reports, or the BBB shows lots of negative reviews about StubHub. Keep in mind that what you see is just a point of view. Commenters will have their own opinions and responses that may get posted while angry or happy. No matter what you see, remember that the company does guarantee its tickets. If you buy tickets on the site that turn out to be fake, you will get your money back.
While there might be a hundred negative reviews somewhere on the world wide web, there are also positive ones. Consider that a couple of hundred negative reviews compared to millions of transactions per year is not a lot, especially when you consider that most people are more likely to report negative experiences than report satisfying ones.
Of course, all businesses would prefer not to have negative reviews, but that isn’t possible for a business of this scale.
Using StubHub
Many people use StubHub and have done so for a few years, at the least. Obviously, they’ve been fortunate enough that all the tickets bought were legitimate and got them into the venues. However, some people haven’t been so lucky. There have been statements on how StubHub called the buyer, told them there was a problem with the tickets, and managed to source alternative ones for the same venue.
Overall, StubHub is a legitimate place to buy tickets, but it does have its limitations. As long as you use the site with awareness of the possibilities, you should have no problems.
Have you used StubHub? Have you had any issues? Any experiences of customer services, good or bad? Tell us about it below.
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11 thoughts on “Is StubHub Legit and Is It Safe to Buy Tickets From?”
Charges in hand but no ticket provided. Customer Service said they can’t help so I paid for a ticket and high “middleman” cost and no ticket or refund.
I can’t believe they are permitted to continue business.
I bought 17 Man City of which two were refused entry. I phoned Man City to be told my two tickets were fake. Man city would not get involved further, i.e. they would not provide proof that I was denied entry, which Stubhub will tell you is required to activate the guarantee. So there you have it impossible to activate the guarantee. 17 witnesses that two tickets did not work is not enough evidence to activate the Fan Guarantee. Stay away from this lot.
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