#stubhub

Two ticket-reselling platforms named by Ontario for allegedly breaking its strict rules are pushing back, accusing the Ford government of botching the implementation of the new system. Stubhub and Seatgeek, two resale sites, were added to Ontario’s consumer beware list for allegedly allowing the sale of tickets above face value on June 10, more than a month after the province outlawed the practice. As part of its 2026 budget, the government made it illegal to resell tickets for more than their original price and recently finalized hefty new fines for those caught failing to comply.

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I was looking on StubHub and discovered that they hide tickets by default.

Take Zayn's first US show in DC for example. When you first open the page it shows "3 listings" for a set of 2 tickets:

However, when you click on "filters", you see this "recommended tickets" filter toggled on. When you turn that filter off, you actually see 100 listings are available:

Here you can see the comparison of the results for GA tickets with the filter on vs off:

It makes it look like there's only 1 GA listing available with the default filter on. When in reality there are 98 listings available for GA:

Liz Dye at Public Notice:

In 2024, it was just possible to pretend that Trump’s populist bombast might translate into a real antitrust policy. His VP pick, then-Sen. JD Vance, provoked dramatic pearl-clutching from the Wall Street Journal with his avowed support for muscular corporate regulation. But corporations were never fooled. They plowed a record $239 million into Trump’s inauguration fund — more than double the $109 million he raised in 2017, and almost four times what Biden raised in 2021 (albeit during covid).

Among the well-wishers was Live Nation Entertainment, which contributed $500,000 to the party. That turned out to be a pretty good investment. On Monday, the Trump Justice Department ended a federal antitrust lawsuit against the concert behemoth, allowing it to hang on to Ticketmaster and the hundreds of concert venues that make up its stranglehold on America’s live music market. The mid-trial settlement blindsided the 39 states and the District of Columbia that had joined as co-plaintiffs and infuriated the federal judge overseeing the case. It’s likely to infuriate the fans, too, as they continue to see massive Ticketmaster surcharges — service fees, platinum fees, per-order fees, payment processing fees, facility fees, magical money-sh*tting unicorn fees — on top of already sky-high ticket prices. And the pain may be just beginning. In September, Live Nation’s CEO Michael Rapino said “the concert is underpriced and has been for a long time.” [...]

Break it off?

In May 2024, the Justice Department, along with 39 states and the District of Columbia, filed an antitrust lawsuit against LiveNation. The complaint detailed the flywheel, the Oak View Group collusion, the TEG threats, the exclusive ticketing contracts, and the fee extraction machinery in exhaustive, damning detail. It demanded that the company spin off Ticketmaster, effectively reversing the 2010 merger that created the juggernaut. Blessing that merger was not the Obama administration’s finest hour. Back in 2010, Live Nation was the country’s second-largest primary ticketer and hoping to eliminate the nascent competition. The DOJ greenlit the deal after Live Nation agreed not to retaliate against venues that signed with Ticketmaster competitors. A DOJ official involved in the review later acknowledged to the New York Times that lawyers had considered litigation but thought it “virtually impossible” to win, in part because the music industry was so closely knit that it was “very hard to find credible witnesses” willing to testify against the combined company. This time around, the government made a different calculation. And after 15 months of discovery, prosecutors amassed enough proof to survive a motion for summary judgment.

[...]

The settlement is a playful slap on the wrist. Live Nation’s damages to the states are capped at $280 million — less than one percent of its 2025 revenue. The company retains Ticketmaster, although it must agree to allow venues to use multiple ticketers on a new “platform sharing” system and to open its amphitheaters to other promoters. And Live Nation’s fees are capped at 15 percent of ticket price at venues it owns.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a “betrayal of every music lover and concertgoer exploited by Live Nation-Ticketmaster” and noted that the Trump administration had “ousted the DOJ’s antitrust enforcer” before cutting the deal. Judge Subramanian was apoplectic at the abuse of court resources. “It shows absolute disrespect for the court, the jury and this entire process,” he fumed. “It is absolutely unacceptable.” But the judge isn’t half as furious as the states, who’ve been left holding the bag. In joint federal-state antitrust litigation, the Justice Department will always take the lead — after all, it has the greatest resources and the most experience enforcing federal law. The state co-counsels might provide support, particularly when it comes to their state-law claims. But the feds are the ones who prepare witnesses, issue subpoenas, and craft a trial strategy. Now, the DOJ is abandoning the field, and actually taking their witnesses with them.

That’s because, before the DOJ can finalize its settlement, it has to satisfy the requirements of the Tunney Act, which was passed passed in 1974 after it emerged that Richard Nixon’s DOJ had dropped antitrust cases against International Telephone & Telegraph shortly after the company donated $400,000 to the Republican National Committee. That’s about $3.1 million adjusted for inflation — much less than the Live Nation’s $500,000 inauguration check, although that figure doesn’t include Davis, Conway, and Grenell. Under the Act, the court must investigate the proposed settlement and ensure that it’s in the public interest. It’s rare for a judge not to approve a settlement under the Tunney Act, but the feds will almost certainly rely on the same expert witnesses they designated for trial if and when they have to defend the agreement in court. And if the states are adverse to the settlement, as 27 of them have said they are, then they’ll have to attack those witnesses they were relying on for their case in chief — a case they were never planning on having to make themselves.

It is. I've used them a number of times and never had any issues. I'm sure there are people who've bought fake tickets from them, but they at least will refund your money.

It's been a while since I used them, though. Perhaps they've improved the ways in which they discern real tickets from fakes.

Im sure this a long shot but i figured i would try anyway… im looking for Eras Tour tickets for any of the Toronto shows, hoping for a decent price?? I missed the original ticket sale as i was in the hospital and its been impossible trying to get tickets ever since… Teo years ago i received a pretty scary diagnosis - Pulmonary Hypertension - there is no cure, and any kinds of “treatments” are just to try and help with symptoms. My PH is inoperable as my heart and lungs aren’t strong enough for surgery.. this whole thing has been very hard to accept and try to live my life with whatever time i have left.. This led me to starting my bucket list and of course I had to add The Eras Tour to that list! Taylor Swift has unknowingly gotten me through some of the hardest, scariest times of my life and if im able to go to one last concert The Eras Tour is it for me.. unfortunately there are some cruel people in this world and I’ve had someone try to scam me and using my illness to do so.. it was heartbreaking and the fact that someone would go so far as to use my illness against me? When all im trying to do is make lasting memories for my sister so when im no longer here she’ll have all these amazing memories to look back on! So if anyone is selling tickets or knows someone selling tickets (or is willing to help me find affordable tickets?) I would be so incredibly grateful!!