Mark Christensen sells two-day Metallica concert tickets on StubHub and follows all the rules. But when the buyer gets confused, StubHub sides with them, costing Christensen not only his sales proceeds but also charging him for the buyer’s new tickets. Can he undo this $1,782 injustice?
Q: I'm a loyal StubHub customer of over 20 years, and I’m hoping you can help me with a situation that has me at my wits' end.
I sold a pair of two-day tickets recently for a Metallica concert. I bought the tickets originally from Ticketmaster and knew how they worked. For this particular tour, a single ticket transfer is valid for both days of the event.
I listed my tickets on StubHub, found a buyer, and transferred the tickets exactly as required by StubHub's policy. The buyer accepted the transfer and successfully used the tickets for the first day of the concert.
But then things went sideways. For some reason, the buyer apparently didn’t try to use the same tickets for the second show. They seemed to think they needed a separate transfer for the second day, which was incorrect. Instead of contacting me or StubHub, or even just trying the tickets at the gate, they bought new tickets for the second day.
Then StubHub dropped the hammer on me. It sided with the buyer, claiming I hadn't fulfilled my responsibilities as a seller. Not only did StubHub withhold my payment of $844, but it also charged my credit card $600 for the cost of the buyer's new tickets. To add insult to injury, it also reduced another payout I was expecting from an unrelated sale by $338. The grand total of this error: $1,782.
I immediately filed a dispute, but StubHub sent a vague rejection from a "no-reply" email address. I have proof from Ticketmaster that the tickets were valid for both days. In fact, I sold a second pair of tickets to the same concert, transferred them in the same way, and that buyer had no problem attending both days. This clearly shows the first buyer either made a mistake or was trying to get a free ticket upgrade at my expense. Can you help me get my $1,782 back? — Mark Christensen, Fremont, Calif.
A: StubHub should have understood the product being sold on its platform. A quick check would have revealed that Metallica had a "no repeat weekend," where one ticket granted access to two distinct shows. Instead, StubHub automatically sided with the confused buyer and penalized you.
StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee claims to protect both buyers and sellers. But in your case, it protected a buyer’s mistake while punishing a seller who followed the rules. I wouldn't call that a guarantee.
You did almost everything right. You kept a meticulous paper trail and tried to resolve the issue yourself before reaching out to me. You even tried to contact the StubHub executives I list on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
The big lesson here is about the quality of your evidence. StubHub noted that some of your initial proof was not from an official source. When you're in a dispute, always go to the primary source for documentation — in your case, that would be an official confirmation from Ticketmaster or the venue, not a screenshot of a chatbot conversation.
I contacted StubHub on your behalf. A representative reached out to my team and reopened your case.
"We’ve reviewed the details of this case, including the format of the Metallica 2-day pass and the seller’s delivery method," StubHub told me in a statement. "We can confirm the seller has now been paid out.
The representative reiterated that StubHub is committed to protecting both buyers and sellers through its FanProtect Guarantee.
"When questions arise around multi-day events, we take care to ensure resolutions are consistent with the facts and event requirements," the representative added.
Shortly after, you received a notification from StubHub. The company apologized for the error and paid you the full $1,782.
This is a good reminder that even when a company's system fails you, a well-documented appeal to the right people can still save the day. And sometimes, it just takes a little nudge from an advocate to get them to act.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/