The Federal Trade Commission has ordered ticket exchange StubHub to pay $10 million to settle charges that it violated federal rules by failing to advertise the total price of tickets — including various fees — on its website.
“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,” Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement Thursday.
He continued, saying that 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.”
In May 2025, the FTC sent StubHub a warning letter noting that there were multiple instances of ticket prices displayed on its website that appeared to be in violation of the FTC’s Fees Rule.
The Fees Rule, which was enacted on May 12, 2025, states that any business offering, displaying, or advertising the price of a live-event ticket without listing its total price clearly — defined as “the maximum total of all fees or charges a consumer must pay for any good(s) or service(s) and any mandatory ancillary good or service” — is in violation of the agency’s rules.
Misrepresenting a ticket’s price also violates the Act.
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last year directs the FTC to “take appropriate action . . . to ensure price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process, including the secondary ticketing market.”
The FTC’s specific allegation against StubHub was that it failed to display the total cost of tickets — including for NFL tickets in the days prior to the league’s 2025 schedule announcement — on its website.
“On the initial two pricing displays, in numerous instances, the advertised price did not include all mandatory fees, and StubHub did not disclose the total price. On the third pricing display, StubHub listed multiple fees and charges but did not disclose the total price,” the FTC said.
The $10 million StubHub has been ordered to pay will be disbursed to provide monetary relief to eligible consumers affected by the alleged violation.
A StubHub spokesperson told The Independent, “We have long supported all-in pricing because it provides clarity for fans. 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.
“While we strongly disagree with the FTC’s view of the case, we are addressing their concerns by refunding a portion of those buyers’ fees,” the StubHub spokesperson said.
The proposed FTC order will also prohibit StubHub from offering, displaying, or advertising any price of a good or a service without clearly and conspicuously displaying the total price. It also bans the company from failing to disclose the total price more prominently than any other pricing information.
