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StubHub will refund $10 million to consumers and revamp how it displays ticket prices after the Federal Trade Commission accused the company of deceptively advertising live-event tickets without fully disclosing mandatory fees upfront.
“The Commission’s Fees Rule makes it very clear that the total price of live-event tickets must be disclosed up-front to enable consumers to make fully informed purchasing decisions,” FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige wrote in a statement. “Price transparency is essential to a free and competitive marketplace. Today’s settlement underscores the Commission’s commitment to ensuring that consumers pay the price they are promised.”
The company had advertised ticket prices on its website during a three-day stretch last May “without clearly and conspicuously disclosing up-front how much consumers actually would pay, including all mandatory fees,” the FTC wrote in a complaint and proposed settlement filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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The window of a StubHub office in midtown Manhattan.
A StubHub spokesperson said the company disagreed with the FTC’s view of the case but is refunding a portion of affected buyers’ fees to address the agency’s concerns.
“This settlement covers a limited number of transactions, spanning just three days in May 2025, where some listings on our site may have displayed ticket prices exclusive of fees,” the spokesperson said.
The agency began enforcing its “Fees Rule” in May 2025, requiring businesses to clearly disclose the total price of live-event tickets.
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The FTC said it had sent a warning letter to the ticketing platform after the rule was formed.
Through this settlement, the company will provide monetary relief to eligible consumers and the order also requires StubHub to disclose the total price more prominently on its platform.
The agency has increased its enforcement efforts following the Trump administration’s executive order on ticketing in March of last year, which directs the FTC to “take appropriate action… to ensure price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process, including the secondary ticketing market.”
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“My administration is committed to making as accessible as possible the arts and entertainment that enrich Americans’ lives,” Trump’s order said. “The rent-seeking behaviors surrounding the ticketing industry are contrary to this goal. They are detrimental to consumers and capitalize on market distortions that must not be allowed to persist.”
The FTC highlighted sales of high-demand NFL tickets around May 14, 2025, when the league schedule was announced, as an example of the alleged violations.
The settlement would require StubHub to fund a $10 million consumer redress program for eligible buyers who purchased tickets for U.S. live events between May 12 and 14, 2025. Within 90 days of the order, the company must provide refunds to two groups: consumers whose total ticket price was not disclosed on the initial pricing display, and all other consumers who bought tickets during that period.
Andrew Ferguson became the FTC chair under President Donald Trump’s second administration. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Getty)
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Beyond the monetary relief, the proposed order would bar StubHub from misrepresenting the total price of goods or services, the nature or amount of fees, the final payment amount, and other material facts, including refund and cancellation terms.
The commission voted 2-0 to authorize the complaint and stipulated final order. The case was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York. The settlement will take effect if approved by a district court judge.
