Blog · July 14, 2026
The FTC banned hidden ticket fees — so why are tickets still so expensive?
On May 12, 2025, the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees took effect: ticket sites must show the total, all-in price everywhere a price appears, instead of springing “service,” “processing,” and “fulfillment” charges at checkout. A year later, buyers see honest numbers sooner — and pay roughly the same ones. Here’s what the rule did and didn’t change, and what it means practically for fans and sellers.
What the rule changed: when you learn the price
The rule is about disclosure. Bait pricing — advertising $89 tickets that cost $124 by the last checkout screen — is now illegal in live events and lodging. Every major marketplace responded by switching their default displays to all-in pricing; Ticketmaster launched “All In Prices” the day the rule took effect, and SeatGeek, StubHub, and Vivid Seats followed the same playbook. That’s a real consumer win: you can finally comparison-shop on the first number you see.
What it didn’t change: the size of the fees
Nothing in the rule caps fees, and the platforms noticed. TicketNews’s reporting on internal venue documents showed Ticketmaster publicly championed all-in pricing while quietly restructuring charges — dropping the newly prohibited per-order processing fee and raising per-ticket service charges to keep revenue whole. StubHub went further: the FTC alleged it was still hiding fees on NFL listings days after the rule took effect, and in April 2026 StubHub agreed to refund $10 million to consumers.
The benchmark hasn’t moved either: the GAO’s study of the secondary market found fees averaging about 31% of the ticket price, and 2026 measurements of the big marketplaces still land in that 25–35% band between what the buyer pays and what the seller keeps. Our fee comparison has the per-platform numbers.
Why the fees persist
Because disclosure doesn’t create competition by itself. The marketplaces compete on inventory and habit more than price; most fans check one or two sites and take the all-in number as given. And the fee is split across two parties who each see only half of it — the buyer sees a service fee, the seller sees a commission, and neither sees the full ~30% spread they’re jointly paying. The structure survives because it’s nobody’s single line item.
What actually works: shrink the spread
The practical move for fans and sellers isn’t reading fee disclosures more carefully — it’s picking marketplaces where the spread is structurally small. Zero-buyer-fee marketplaces make the listed price the final price, which also stops the buyer fee from silently squeezing the seller’s payout. TickPick does this with a 15% seller commission. TixParley does it with a flat 7% seller fee and nothing added to the buyer — on a $200 sale, the buyer pays $200 and the seller keeps $186, a 7% spread against the industry’s ~31%. Add offer-based negotiation and escrowed payouts, and the price you agree on is genuinely the price that changes hands. See your payout before you list.
FAQ
What does the FTC junk-fee rule actually require?
Since May 12, 2025, live-event ticket sellers (and short-term lodging) must display the total price — including all mandatory fees — anywhere a price is shown, and can't misrepresent what fees are for. It's a disclosure rule: it governs how prices are presented, not how large the fees can be.
Did ticket fees go down after the rule?
Broadly, no. The all-in number became visible earlier, but reporting found the major platforms preserved their fee revenue — Ticketmaster dropped prohibited per-order processing fees while raising other charges, and the FTC alleged StubHub kept hiding fees days after the rule took effect, leading to a $10 million settlement in April 2026.
How much of a ticket's price goes to fees?
A GAO study of the secondary market found fees averaging about 31% of the ticket price (ranging 13–58%). Post-rule measurements of major marketplaces still land in that band: roughly 25–35% between what the buyer pays and what the seller receives on StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and Ticketmaster resale.
How do I avoid ticket fees when buying or selling?
You can't avoid fees on a given marketplace, but you can choose one with a smaller spread. TickPick charges buyers nothing (sellers pay 15%). TixParley charges buyers nothing and sellers a flat 7% — and because listings are negotiable, the price you agree on is the full, final amount that changes hands, minus the one fee.
Related reading
- StubHub vs Ticketmaster vs SeatGeek Fees: What Sellers Actually Keep (2026)
- How Much Does StubHub Take From Sellers? The 2026 Math
- Ticketmaster Resale Fees Explained: What Sellers and Buyers Actually Pay (2026)
- StubHub Alternatives in 2026: 6 Ticket Sites Ranked by What Sellers Keep
Fee figures verified July 2026 from each marketplace’s published policies and the independent sources linked above; dynamic fees vary by event and can change without notice. TixParley is not affiliated with StubHub, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, AXS, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, Gametime, or TickPick; their names are used only for comparison.