Support original journalism
Our award-winning research helps us in our mission to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone.
Join Which?Secondary ticketing market could con fans out of £24m this summer
Which? calls the government to bring forward a Bill in the next King's Speech to ban the resale of tickets above face value
Hannah Downes covers consumer rights issues for Which?, helping to empower consumers and make their lives fairer
Sales on unofficial secondary ticketing sites, such as Viagogo and Stubhub, could con fans out of around £24 million this summer if a resale cap is not introduced, Which? warns.
Viagogo and Stubhub are resale platforms used by touts to relist tickets for popular music and sports events, often at highly inflated prices.
In November 2025, following a number of Which? investigations, the government announced plans to introduce a ban on resale listings above face value.
But these plans are yet to come into fruition - putting genuine fans at risk of paying over the odds for popular gigs and events this summer.
We're urging the government to bring forward a Bill in the next King's Speech that bans the resale of tickets above face value.
Harry Styles, BTS and Ariana Grande listings soar
Which? analysed listings on Viagogo and Stubhub for this summer's most sought-after concerts, across 66 artists.
We tracked their prices to see how much touts could pocket at the expense of genuine fans over the next few months.
In total, touts could make an eye-watering £24 million from relistings on these unofficial platforms.
This figure broke down as £13.3 million from resellers listed on Stubhub and £10.2 million for those on Viagogo.
The three artists whose listings generated the most money were Harry Styles, totalling £6.6 million, Ariana Grande, generating £4.9 million, and BTS, amounting to £1.3 million.
Tickets for popular artists often sell out on primary ticket sites - such as Ticketmaster and See Tickets - in a matter of minutes.
Often, touts use bots to buy up the tickets at face value price, before relisting them at far higher prices on secondary platforms.
Overseas resellers
Nearly three in 10 of the 190,475 tickets Which? analysed were listed by overseas resellers, with the USA and Europe being the most common places they were likely operating from.
It should be noted, though, that the value of these types of tickets was only £1.3 million, only 5% of the total value.
Which? previously found that many traders on Viagogo and Stubhub are based outside of the UK - suggesting there are global operations exploiting the UK’s broken ticket industry.
A Which? investigation carried out last year found that some of the traders – based in Alicante, Singapore, São Paulo, Dubai and Delaware – had prolific listings on either Viagogo or Stubhub (or both), often selling multiple sets of tickets for popular events.
No tickets, no refund
Buying tickets via these unofficial resale platforms is risky.
Paul bought two tickets to a Stereophonics gig via Viagogo in July 2025, paying £236.58.
But when the day of the gig came around, he still hadn't received the tickets. Paul tried calling and emailing Viagogo a number of times but was unable to get a response.
Shockingly, Viagogo then emailed Paul just before 10pm - after the gig had ended - notifying him that the tickets had finally been transferred.
Despite not receiving the tickets in time, Paul struggled to get a refund via Viagogo. He also made a Buyer Protection claim with PayPal but it was refused.
Which? contacted PayPal about the issue and it overturned the case in Paul's favour, issuing him a refund for the full amount of the tickets.
PayPal thanked Which? for bringing the case to its attention. It confirmed that Paul's case had previously been incorrectly denied and is pleased that it's now been resolved positively.
Viagogo told us it had contacted Paul to offer alternative tickets on the day of the event, as per its guarantee, but understands that Paul had requested a full refund.
It apologised for the miscommunication surrounding the ticket transfer, and also confirmed it would refund Paul, as well as issuing a voucher for its site.
It said its guarantee ensures that fans receive their tickets in time for the event and in the rare event of an issue, it will offer them replacement tickets or their money back.
Both Viagogo and Stubhub have previously told Which? that they offer guarantees of refunds or replacements in the event of a problem.
- Find out more: how to get a refund from a ticket seller
Which? calls for an overhaul of the ticket industry
In November 2025, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Department of Business and Trade (DBT) announced plans to make it illegal to resell tickets above face value (plus any unavoidable charges).
However, the government needs to act quickly and show its commitment by including a relevant Bill in the King’s Speech.
Which? is urging the government to bring forward a Bill in the next King’s Speech that caps secondary ticket sales at face value, including any unavoidable charges.
How to buy resale tickets safely
If you're looking to buy resale tickets for a sold-out gig or festival, we recommend using the event organiser's official resale site.
Most events will partner with a resale platform (such as Twickets or Ticketmaster's fan-to-fan exchange), where unwanted tickets will be sold at face value.
It's best to always use these official platforms to ensure you're getting a fair price and legitimate tickets.
Some event organisers explicitly prohibit the resale of tickets on sites such as StubHub International and Viagogo, meaning you could face higher prices and be refused entry when buying from these platforms.
If you bought from Viagogo or StubHub International and had issues with your tickets, contact the website where you made the purchase and request a refund.
If you’re not offered a refund, you should complain, including as much evidence as possible, such as screenshots of your confirmation email.
