Selling tickets on StubHub means creating a listing, setting a price, and waiting for a buyer. If someone purchases your tickets before the event, you transfer them and wait for your payout to arrive after the show ends. Here is exactly how the process works, what it costs, and what to consider before you list.
Key Takeaways
StubHub is a marketplace, which means you are competing against every other seller with tickets to the same event. Seller fees run around 15 percent of the sale price. Buyers pay additional service fees on top of your listing price, which makes your tickets look more expensive compared to all-in priced platforms. StubHub holds your payout until 5 to 8 business days after the event ends, not when your ticket sells. There is no guarantee your tickets sell at all. If you want to skip the listing process entirely, XP Tickets buys directly from sellers with no fees and an offer within 24 hours.
What You Need Before You List on StubHub
Before you can sell anything on StubHub you need three things in place.
A StubHub account. If you do not have one, create one at stubhub.com. The signup process is straightforward and takes a few minutes.
A connected payout method. StubHub requires you to connect a bank account or PayPal before your payout can be released. You can add this during the listing process but it is worth doing upfront so nothing delays your payment later.
Your ticket details. You will need your section, row, and seat numbers. If your tickets are mobile transfers, you need to know which platform they live on, whether that is Ticketmaster, AXS, SeatGeek, or another app. If your tickets are PDFs or print-at-home, you will need the files ready to upload.
How to List Your Tickets on StubHub
Step 1. Go to the sell page
Log into your StubHub account and click Sell at the top of the page. Search for the event you are selling tickets to. StubHub will pull up the event listing and ask you to confirm the details.
Step 2. Enter your seat information
Select your section, row, and seat numbers. StubHub will show you what comparable seats in your section are currently listed for, which gives you a baseline for pricing. You are not required to match that price but it is a useful reference point.
Step 3. Set your price
You set the listing price, which is what buyers see before fees are added. StubHub adds buyer fees on top of your listing price at checkout, which means the all-in price a buyer sees is higher than what you listed. This affects how competitive your tickets look against platforms that show all-in pricing upfront.
StubHub offers a suggested price based on current market data. You can use it or ignore it. You can also change your price at any time after listing, which matters more than most sellers realize since prices shift as the event approaches.
Step 4. Select your delivery method
If your tickets are mobile transfers, select the electronic transfer option. This is the fastest and most buyer-friendly delivery method. If your tickets are PDFs, select instant download. If you have physical tickets, you will need to ship them, which requires enough lead time before the event for delivery to reach the buyer.
Mobile transfer tickets can be delivered instantly once a buyer purchases, which is a significant advantage for last-minute sales.
Step 5. Publish your listing
Review your listing details and confirm. Your tickets are now live on StubHub and visible to buyers. You will receive an email notification when someone purchases.
How Much Does StubHub Charge Sellers?
StubHub charges sellers a commission of around 15 percent of the sale price. This comes out of your payout automatically. On a $200 ticket, you walk away with around $170.
Buyers pay a separate service fee on top of your listing price. That fee can add another 10 to 15 percent to what the buyer sees at checkout. The combined effect is that the all-in price on StubHub is often 25 to 30 percent higher than your listing price, which makes your tickets less competitive against platforms that build fees into the displayed price from the start.
There are no upfront costs to list. StubHub only takes their cut when a ticket sells.
When Does StubHub Pay Sellers?
This is the part that surprises most first-time sellers. StubHub holds your payout until 5 to 8 business days after the event ends. Not when your ticket sells. After the event.
If you sell tickets to a show on a Friday and the event happens the following Saturday, you are waiting until sometime the week after the show to see your money. For sellers who need cash back before the event, this is a significant limitation.
The payout goes to whichever bank account or PayPal you connected when you set up your account.
How to Transfer Tickets on StubHub
Once a buyer purchases your tickets, StubHub sends you a notification with transfer instructions. The process varies depending on your ticket type.
For mobile transfer tickets, you will initiate the transfer through the original ticketing platform, whether that is Ticketmaster, AXS, or another app. You enter the buyer's email address and send the transfer. StubHub monitors the transfer and confirms when the buyer accepts.
For PDF tickets, you upload the files directly through StubHub's interface. The buyer receives them by email.
For physical tickets, you ship them using the prepaid label StubHub provides. Signature confirmation is required for most physical ticket sales.
You have a specific window to complete the transfer after a sale. Missing that window can result in the sale being cancelled and penalties applied to your account.
What Happens If Your Tickets Do Not Sell on StubHub?
Nothing automatic. Your listing stays active until you remove it or the event passes. If the event date arrives and your tickets have not sold, they expire worthless.
This is the fundamental risk of marketplace selling. There is no floor. No guarantee. If you priced too high, or the event softened, or a competing show pulled buyers away, you either drop your price and hope the last-minute rush saves you or you accept the loss.
If you are approaching the event with unsold tickets, there are two moves worth making before you give up. Drop your price below the current lowest comparable listing in your section. And if your event is still more than 24 hours away, submit your tickets to XP Tickets at xp.tickets/sell for a direct offer. You will have an answer within 24 hours and the sale is confirmed the moment you accept.
When Does Listing on StubHub Actually Make Sense?
StubHub works well under specific conditions. Premium seats for a high-demand event, several weeks of lead time, and a willingness to actively monitor and adjust your pricing are the circumstances where StubHub's massive buyer reach works in your favor. You are competing against other sellers but you have time to optimize and a large audience of buyers looking at your listing.
The conditions where StubHub works against you are just as clear. A soft event with uncertain demand, a listing created a week or less before the show, or a seller who sets a price and walks away without adjusting are all situations where the marketplace model fails to deliver. The listing sits, the event approaches, and the window to move the tickets closes.
For a full side by side comparison of StubHub and Ticketmaster against XP Tickets see our guide to selling on StubHub vs Ticketmaster vs XP Tickets.
A Simpler Alternative to Listing on StubHub
If the listing process sounds like more friction than it is worth, XP Tickets works differently. Instead of creating a listing and waiting for a buyer, you submit your ticket details and XP Tickets evaluates whether to buy them directly from you.
No listing. No competing against other sellers. No seller fees deducted from your payout. XP Tickets adds your money to escrow as soon as you successfully transfer your tickets. In many cases, if you follow the steps XP Tickets provides, you may get paid immediately after you transfer. Other scenarios require more verification or waiting until after the event. Either way, unlike StubHub, your money is already locked into escrow waiting for you rather than sitting in a platform's account until after the show ends.
Submit your tickets at xp.tickets/sell and get an offer within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Tickets on StubHub
Skip the StubHub listing. Get a direct offer from XP Tickets in 24 hours at xp.tickets/sell. No fees. No waiting on a buyer.
