Review: StubHub vs. SeatGeek

I am sure most savvy savers are aware of StubHub, the most popular online source for re-selling tickets to sporting and entertainment events. I have used them a few times and I like the fact I can save a few bucks off of the list price of a ticket if someone can’t make the game and didn’t want to have to scalp them. The process is simple, well laid-out, and easy to make a secure purchase. However, the one beef I had with StubHub was the extra processing charges at checkout. I am not saying other companies or even the sports teams themselves don’t do it, they all tack on another $10-$15 or so for a service fee that nobody can really explain.

Welcome to SeatGeek, a newer ticket reseller that doesn’t advertise a base price and then hit you with large fees at checkout. I like being able to just pull up a list of prices and not have to guess at a total price. SeatGeek is a little different than StubHub in how they supply tickets as well, using other suppliers like Uberseat, TicketCity, and FanXchange. These suppliers are other online budget ticket re-sellers and some may not be as reputable as others. That means your individual experience with SeatGeek may only be as good as the actual supplier you get the tickets from. The good news is that you are able to see what company is supplying the seats before you purchase.

Here is what SeatGeek’s main graphical seat selection map looks like. All prices include fees and shipping. You can see the re-seller supplying the seats and the value meter shows you the best deals to be had.

Selection Features

My first SeatGeek buying experience was a good one. I purchased two tickets to a baseball game, trying to get them just under cover from the rain should that happen (it has happened in two of the last three games I have attended). Browsing for the right seats was easier online than it was on my phone as there were so many seats in a small space on a phone display graphically although the list view was OK. I ended up buying online because the visual search was easier to see. However, if where there are not so many seats open in one area, having the graphical display of available seats is an added bonus for SeatGeek over Stubhub’s app. A search consists of entering the team name and event date you want and then you will see large grouping of seats displayed. You can filter that out by entering how many seats you are purchasing and setting a target price or by clicking on a seat section and then sorting those results.

The selection process is pretty similar for Stubhub and SeatGeek, both online and through their apps. One nice feature common to the two re-sellers is their value meter. This helps you identify the best deals. StubHub has bars like signal strength on a cell phone to indicate the greatness of the deal and SeatGeek shows all seats with a colored circle, the bigger and greener the circle, the better the deal. Additional filters for StubHub include type of delivery and seat features. Both StubHub and SeatGeek will email you when prices drop if you like.

Below is StubHub’s seat map. Pretty similar to SeatGeek’s, but they don’t have a quick way to see the value of the seats prior to selecting a section unless you select the “Best value” tab in the filter section on the right.

Reviews

If you look online for user reviews you could get scared off from buying from a re-seller like StubHub or SeatGeek. You will see many negative reviews talking about buying tickets to events from the wrong date or even events that have already taken place. Many buyers complain about tickets not being able to be scanned at the gates from the barcodes on their phones. Others have issues with missing information like seats that have limited viewing not being stated as such prior to purchase. I took a look and it seems the complaints about both companies are about equal, but I did notice more buyers with grievances over fake tickets through SeatGeek.

There are some drawbacks for sellers too. Some sellers report a major difference in reimbursement than when dealing with StubHub. SeatGeek will not pay sellers until after the event. StubHub pays the seller soon after your tickets sell. It could be that SeatGeek wants to cut down on fraudulent sales. If the seller knows they won’t get paid if the buyer reports the fake tickets, maybe they won’t try to sell them in the first place. For legitimate sellers, this delay in getting paid may not be a big deal, but the speed of payment is worth noting.

Price

When it comes to getting a deal, price is going to matter. SeatGeek is routinely cheaper than Stubhub when shopping around for sports or entertainment tickets. There are two reasons for this, the first is the extra fees that most ticket sellers will try to make at the end. They figure if you got that far you might be willing to put up with the high service and “delivery” (most are downloads) fees. The second reason is that SeatGeek advertises other re-sellers on their site, so there is more competition to choose from. We aren’t talking about a dollar or two difference either. Take a look at my recent shopping experience below. This is pretty much in line with other searches I have performed. SeatGeek will save you money.

We included FanXchange in the comparison because that is the reseller that was used via the SeatGeek site for the tickets we chose.

Conclusion

While there is some additional risk associated with SeatGeek due to their many re-sellers, the cost difference and no hidden fees approach makes them an easy choice over Stubhub in our opinion. However, overall reviews for ticket re-sellers in general are not good, so make sure you are smart with your purchase to avoid some obvious mistakes. Verify the date and time of your event. If using Stubhub, check the box to “Exclude obstructed views” under the “seat features” filter and then make a screen print for proof if you have any doubts about the quality of the seat. Simple steps can help alleviate the some of the risk of buying from a re-seller market, but the reward of cheap seats awaits you.

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Give SeatGeek a try and see for yourself