Getting Sold-Out Gig Tickets
Official exchanges, face-value resale and late releases give fans a real chance at a sold-out show without paying touts or falling for ticket scams.
Once a gig is sold out, the best chance is the organiser-approved resale option, or a fresh look at the official event page and the venue box office for tickets released later. There are safe, legal routes that don't involve scams or rip-offs: stay with official channels and be patient.
Presales and the official event page
For the next big show, the simplest way to beat a sell-out is to get in early. Ticketmaster UK explains that presales run before the general sale and can be held by artists, venues, promoters and fan clubs, usually for fans who sign up in advance through the artist's sign-up page, the venue's mailing list or the official fan club.
Some presume that once a gig's sold out, no more tickets will become available. This isn't always so. Tickets come back when buyers use an official exchange, and extra tickets are sometimes released closer to the date. They usually reappear on the same official seller that ran the original sale, so keep checking the event page and the artist's, promoter's and venue's own social channels.
Official resale is the safest route
Look for official resale approved by the organiser, such as Ticketmaster's fan-to-fan resale. Ticketmaster UK says fans can sell tickets to another fan for no more than the price they paid, and resale tickets are marked with a symbol on the event page showing they are being sold by another fan.
Twickets is a fan-to-fan resale platform built around face-value resale, and some promoters use it as their official route: Gigs and Tours, for example, says tickets bought from it that are no longer needed can only be resold through Twickets. Read the original seller's terms to see which resale route a particular ticket allows.
Venues are worth checking too. Some handle returns through their own box office, so look at the venue's website or contact the box office before turning to an unknown seller.
What face value means and what to avoid
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, anyone reselling a ticket through a secondary platform must show its face value, the seat or standing area and any restriction on who can use it. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) describes face value as the amount stated on the ticket as its price. The government has set out plans to make reselling above face value illegal, so the rules are changing: check gov.uk and the CMA for the current position.
STAR (the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers) and the national fraud reporting service Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) advise buying only from the venue's box office, the official promoter or agent, or a well-known, reputable ticket site. They warn against paying by bank transfer, especially to someone unknown, because a credit card or a payment service such as PayPal gives a better chance of recovering money. Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts and adverts offering unbelievably good deals, and check whether a seller is a STAR member.
The practical rule: when a gig sells out, keep watching the official event page, the authorised resale platform and the venue, and walk away from any listing that is not clearly tied to the organiser.
