The tickets are gone in nine minutes. A resale page appears with a seat and a price twice as high. Pause.

The Citizens Advice page (England) was last reviewed 26 January 2018, so treat it as a checklist and check for current text.

Before buying

  • Buy from the event, venue or artist's official seller where possible.
  • Check the seller is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR).
  • Read the terms for refunds if tickets arrive late or the event is cancelled.
  • Avoid sites selling tickets not yet on sale, sites that are hard to contact and sites without "https". (Https alone proves nothing, so treat it as a minimum.)

Check before paying

Look for pre-sale access through fan clubs, phone or card companies. Add up the extra fees: booking, handling, transaction or delivery charges. Find out whether photo ID is needed at entry and whether the artist or event bans reselling.

Resale listings

A good listing shows the seat or standing type, the face value and the total price including the buyer fee. The page says that fee is usually around 10% of face value. See whether the seller is linked to the site or organiser. If the seller is a business, screenshot its name and address, and save ticket reference numbers, which can help verify the seat with the original seller.

Paying: the page says to pay online by credit or debit card, because your bank will usually help if the tickets are fake, and to be very careful if a reselling site asks for a bank transfer, which might be a scam.

Risks the page lists: refused entry if the ticket is not in your name, fakes, cancelled resold tickets and unclear refund rights.

Last checked: 21 October 2026. General information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Sources: Citizens Advice, Buying event tickets safely online (reviewed 26 January 2018; accessed 15 October 2026).