Research Says Three Sellers Provide 75% of All StubHub UK Tickets

New research has claimed that nearly three quarters of all StubHub UK arena ticket listings are being posted by just three sellers.

An investigation carried out by the anti ticket touting campaign group FanFair Alliance found that 72 percent of tickets listed on StubHub UK for arena events in early June were linked to three high volume sellers.

The study identified 50,272 tickets available on the secondary ticketing platform for events taking place at major UK venues, including London’s The O2, Manchester’s Co op Live, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.

According to the findings, the three biggest sellers were Ticket Evolution, Your Ticket Delivery and PCE. Ticket Evolution accounted for 40.9 percent of the listings examined, while Your Ticket Delivery represented 19.5 percent and PCE made up 10.6 percent.

FanFair Alliance claims the results indicate widespread professional ticket reselling and raise concerns about speculative ticketing, where tickets are advertised before the seller has actually secured them.

The campaign group also said it contacted StubHub UK regarding more than 20,000 listings connected to Ticket Evolution, adding that those listings were removed from the platform soon afterward.

Adam Webb, campaign manager for FanFair Alliance, told IQ: “Incredibly, even after removing thousands of Ticket Evolution listings, we are still finding masses of dubious looking tickets from dubious looking touts.

“Such unlawful and anti consumer practices are not isolated to StubHub International. They are endemic across multiple ticket resale websites.”

He continued: “It’s time for a root and branch investigation into the entire ‘secondary ticketing’ sector, and for the government to fast track their plans to put fans first and ban ticket touting for good.”

Responding to the report, StubHub International said it has “systems in place to prevent speculative ticket sales on our UK platform,” adding that it operates “a comprehensive framework of controls to ensure listings are valid and sellers adhere to applicable rules.”

The company also said that professional sellers are clearly identified as “traders,” with their address details displayed, and that any listing found to breach its policies is removed.

“Sellers who repeatedly breach our policies may be suspended or banned,” the company added.

StubHub also stated: “Every order on our platform is backed by our 100 per cent guarantee, which means in the rare scenario that there is an issue with a ticket, we will provide a replacement or a full refund.”

The latest findings arrive as pressure continues to mount on the UK government to introduce stronger regulations for the secondary ticketing market.

Last November, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced plans to make it illegal for tickets to be resold above their original face value. The proposals would also place limits on the fees resale platforms are allowed to charge.

When asked how the new rules would be enforced, Nandy told NME: “There will be powers for the CMA [Competition And Markets Authority] to be able to fine platforms up to 10 per cent of their annual income. If they’re not complying, the CMA will intervene and it could result in multi million pound fines for rogue firms, wherever they’re based in the world.

“If a global business is targeting UK consumers, regardless of where they’re headquartered, the CMA will have the power to be able to find them if they’re not compliant with our laws.”

Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer also pledged in May to “stamp out ticket touts for good” and said his government would move as quickly as possible. In a letter to music fans, he promised that Labour would “protect fans so they can keep more of their hard earned money in their pockets.”

Despite those commitments, the music industry expressed disappointment after the King’s Speech included only a draft bill on ticket touting, meaning the proposed reforms must undergo further consultation before becoming law.

UK Music has since warned that the legislation may not move forward until the 2027 to 2028 parliamentary session, while urging ministers not to delay or weaken the planned measures.

Earlier this year, artists including Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Sam Fender and New Order signed an open letter urging action against what they described as “rip off” ticket resale practices.

The letter argued that exploitative activity within the secondary ticketing market is “draining money from the live music ecosystem” and making it increasingly difficult for genuine fans to buy tickets at fair prices.