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StubHub will refund $10 million to consumers and revamp the way ticket prices are displayed Federal Trade Commission accused the company of deceptively advertising tickets to live events without fully disclosing the mandatory fees in advance.
“The Commission’s Fees Rule makes it very clear that the total price of tickets for live events must be disclosed in advance so that consumers can make fully informed purchasing decisions,” Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, wrote in a statement. “Price transparency is essential to a free and competitive market. Today’s settlement underlines the Commission’s commitment to ensuring consumers pay the promised price.”
The company had advertised ticket prices on its website for three days last May “without clearly and conspicuously disclosing in advance how much consumers would actually pay, including all mandatory fees,” the company said. FTC wrote in a complaint and filed a proposed settlement in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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The window of a StubHub office in downtown Manhattan.
A spokesperson for StubHub said the company disagreed with the FTC’s position on the matter but was refunding some of the costs. affected buyers compensation 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 shown ticket prices net of fees,” the spokesperson said.
The agency started enforcement of the “compensation rule” in May 2025, with companies required to clearly disclose the total price of tickets for live events.
The FTC said yes 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 more prominently disclose the total price on its platform.
The agency has stepped up its enforcement efforts in response to the The Trump administration’s executive order on ticket sales last March, directing the FTC to “take appropriate action… to ensure price transparency at all stages of the ticket purchasing process, including the secondary ticket 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 behavior surrounding the ticket industry is inconsistent with this goal. They harm consumers and benefit from market distortions that should not continue.”
The FTC highlighted sales of in-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 recovery program for eligible buyers who purchased tickets to live events in the U.S. between May 12 and 14, 2025. Within 90 days of the order, the company must issue refunds to two groups: consumers whose total ticket price was not disclosed on the original price display, and all other consumers who purchased tickets during that period.
Andrew Ferguson became chairman of the FTC under President Donald Trump’s second administration. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Getty)
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In addition to financial relief, the proposed order would restrain 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 committee voted 2-0 to approve the complaint and determined the final order. The case was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York. The settlement will become effective if it is approved by a subdistrict court judge.
