Trying to sell tickets on Ticketmaster can be frustrating when the site won’t allow you to list them. There are a few key reasons why you may be blocked from reselling your tickets on Ticketmaster.
Tickets are non-transferable
Many event tickets sold on Ticketmaster are non-transferable. This means the tickets are tied specifically to the original purchaser and cannot be resold or given away. When you attempt to post non-transferable tickets for resale on Ticketmaster, the site will not allow it.
Non-transferable tickets are common for high-demand events where there are concerns about scalping. The artist or event organizer wants to make sure fans are paying regular prices, not inflated secondary market prices. They require purchasers to show ID matching the ticket order and turn away anyone trying to use tickets from a third-party source.
If you bought non-transferable tickets, the fine print likely explained they cannot be resold. You may have overlooked this policy during checkout. But Ticketmaster’s system will catch it if you attempt to post the non-transferrable tickets.
Tickets are “Credit Card Entry Only”
Related to non-transferable tickets are “Credit Card Entry Only” tickets. With these, purchasers must show the credit card used to buy the tickets along with photo ID. It’s another anti-scalping measure – stopping people from reselling at higher prices since buyers won’t be able to get in without the original purchaser’s credit card.
When tickets are Credit Card Entry Only, Ticketmaster prohibits reselling them on their platform. If you bought these types of restricted tickets, you’ll receive an error if you try to list them for sale on your account.
Sell limits have been reached
Ticketmaster places limits on how many tickets a single account can resell. This varies event to event, but is typically in the 4-6 ticket range. If you already sold the maximum amount permitted for a particular event, you’ll be blocked from listing any more from that same order.
These types of limits aim to discourage bulk scalping where buyers swoop in and grab large quantities of tickets using bots or coordinated groups. It helps get more tickets directly into the hands of the general public.
If you reach the resale cap, you may need to create a different Ticketmaster account and sell from there. Or find a friend who hasn’t sold their full allotment and transfer to them first before posting.
Tickets are Will Call only
Some event tickets are issued as Will Call only. This means customers cannot receive paper tickets or print them at home. Fans have to pick them up in-person at the venue’s box office before the event using the credit card and ID of the original purchaser.
Obviously it’s impossible to transfer these types of tickets until the day of the event. So Ticketmaster does not permit reselling Will Call tickets. The box office will not release them to anyone except the original ticket buyer.
Will Call tickets are identified during the initial purchase process. But it’s easy to overlook that detail in the excitement of scoring seats to a hot event. If your tickets ended up as Will Call only, you have no choice but to attend or let the tickets go unused.
Event organizer has restricted resale
In some cases, the event organizer or artist chooses to prohibit resale for a specific event or tour. They have control over configuring resale policies when listing events with Ticketmaster.
Artists like Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift have blocked reselling on past tours. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks restrict NFL ticket resale for high-demand games. There are also restrictions on major festivals like Coachella and ComicCon. If the organizer restricts it, you cannot resell those tickets on Ticketmaster no matter what.
These restrictions are typically advertised up front during the initial ticket sale. But it’s easy to overlook the fine print, so you may not realize it until you attempt to relist the tickets later.
Your tickets are pending verification
Ticketmaster has fraud prevention processes that sometimes flag ticket orders for additional verification. This might occur if you’re a new user, used an unusual payment method, made a large bulk purchase with multiple credit cards, or triggered any other red flags.
Until your ticket order is fully verified and cleared from fraud review, the tickets remain locked and cannot be transferred or resold on Ticketmaster. You’ll receive an error if you attempt to post pending tickets.
The verification process can take 24-48 hours in most cases. If your order was unjustly flagged, customer support can help expedite it. But you will have to wait until it clears before reselling.
Your Ticketmaster account is blocked
If Ticketmaster has restricted your account, you will be unable to resell tickets until restrictions are lifted. This can happen for different reasons:
- Too many declined payments or refunds issued
- Suspected fraudulent activity
- Resale policy violations
- Prohibited use of bots or other unfair practices
Account restrictions are imposed at Ticketmaster’s sole discretion. Severity ranges from temporary blocks to permanent termination. You would need to go through customer service to regain access if possible.
The event is not yet on sale
You obviously cannot resell tickets on Ticketmaster for an event that is not on sale yet. The site will not allow you to create listings for events that haven’t gone through the public on-sale date.
In some cases, presales occur before the general on-sale. Ticketmaster resale is not available during presales. You’ll have to wait until tickets fully go on sale to the general public before reselling them.
Conclusion
In summary, there are quite a few reasons you may be unable to resell tickets on Ticketmaster:
- Non-transferable tickets
- Credit Card Entry Only tickets
- Reaching sell limits for that event
- Will Call only tickets
- Restrictions imposed by event organizer
- Pending fraud verification
- Account restrictions on Ticketmaster
- Event not yet fully on sale
It can be confusing navigating all of Ticketmaster’s rules and restrictions around reselling. But these policies ultimately aim to get more tickets into the hands of genuine fans. If you’re unable to resell on Ticketmaster itself, you can use other secondary markets. But non-transferable tickets usually cannot be sold at all. The best option is reading carefully when purchasing tickets initially so there are no surprises later if you need to resell.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resale controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Ticketmaster’s strict resale policies can make it tricky to offload tickets you can no longer use. But they have legitimate reasons for imposing limits. Understanding the rules ahead of time helps avoid issues if you need to resell your seats. With high demands for hot events, Ticketmaster aims to give regular fans fair access over scalpers and brokers reselling at inflated prices. The tradeoff is restrictions that sometimes block even well-meaning fans from transferring tickets bought in good faith. But abusers of the system ruined it for everyone, forcing Ticketmaster to go on the defensive with tighter resell controls. Knowing the intricacies of their policies provides insight into why you may hit roadblocks when trying to sell tickets you can no longer use.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key summary points on Ticketmaster’s resale policies:
- Non-transferable tickets cannot be resold on Ticketmaster or anywhere else
- “Credit card entry only” tickets also prohibit resale
- Reaching the resale limit per event blocks further sales
- Will Call tickets must be picked up by original buyer
- Event organizers can impose their own restrictions
- Pending fraud verification holds up ticket transfers
- Account restrictions on Ticketmaster block resale
- Tickets can’t be posted for unopened events
The bottom line is Ticketmaster heavily regulates resale to discourage scalping and get more tickets in the hands of genuine fans. While this can create headaches for individuals trying to resell extra tickets, it stems from a well-intentioned place of fair access. Understanding the rules of the Ticketmaster resale system provides clarity into why you may struggle to offload tickets you can’t use.