Which? calls for a price cap on resale tickets and tougher enforcement
The government must stop online touts and tighten rules on dynamic pricing in order to fix the broken ticketing industry, Which? warns.
Ticket sales for major acts such as Oasis, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have thrown the ticketing industry into the spotlight over the past year.
All too often, fans are forced to battle misleading pricing, ticket touts and scammers when trying to get tickets to popular events.
In January, the government launched a consultation into the ticketing industry in a bid to tackle some of these issues.
Here, we look at the problems with resale sites and dynamic pricing – and our calls on the government to make ticket sales fairer for fans.
Price caps and ticket verification for resale sites
Which? believes the government must take action to shut down online ticket touts.
Tickets for popular events are often listed by touts on secondary ticketing sites, such as Stubhub and Viagogo, for well above face-value price. In the case of Beyoncé's upcoming tour, tickets were listed for inflated prices before general sale had even started.
Around four in 10 people have concerns about buying tickets on secondary sites, a Which? survey recently found*. For example, people worried that the ticket might be fake, a scam or not valid.
These concerns are validated by the number of fans who had problems. One in five of those who bought tickets through secondary sites experienced an issue. Worryingly, six in 10 of those who had issues with their ticket never made it to the event – they were either refused entry at the venue, or their ticket was either fake, invalid or never arrived.
We believe that resale platforms should be required by law to verify that the seller owns a ticket before it can be listed on their site. They should also verify key information about a ticket, such as the original price and location within the venue.
These secondary ticketing platforms should also be responsible for preventing the listing of tickets when the primary seller has prohibited resale.
- Find out more: Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour tickets listed for inflated prices on resale sites ahead of general sale
Tougher enforcement and dynamic pricing practices
Alongside changes to how resale sites work, Which? also believes the government should tighten the rules on dynamic pricing - by banning the practice being used to increase the price of tickets during the transaction process.
To ensure that ticketing sites adhere to these rules, Which? is calling for a tougher enforcement regime to oversee and issue penalties where businesses break the law.
A licensing regime may also be needed, which should extend to social media sites or pop-ups to prevent illegal sales moving onto these platforms.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said:
'Music, sport and theatre fans currently face an uphill battle against misleading pricing, ticket touts and scammers to secure tickets to popular events.
'The government must fix the broken ticketing industry and ensure consumers can buy tickets online without worrying about ticket touts or that prices could rise unexpectedly during the checkout process.
'Which? is calling for the government to stop online touts by introducing a price cap to ensure that tickets can only be resold on secondary sites at the original price. Ministers should also ban dynamic pricing being used to increase prices during the checkout process – and ensure that there is an effective enforcement regime in place to make sure businesses stick to the rules.'
- Read more: how to get a refund from a ticket seller
How to buy resale tickets safely
If you're looking to buy resale tickets for a sold-out gig or festival, we recommend using the event organiser's official resale site.
Most events will partner with a resale platform (such as Twickets or Ticketmaster's fan-to-fan exchange), where unwanted tickets will be sold at face-value price.
It's best to always use these official platforms to ensure you're getting a fair price and legitimate tickets.
Most event organisers explicitly prohibit the resale of tickets on sites such as Stubhub and Viagogo, meaning you could face higher prices and refused entry when buying from these platforms.
It's all too easy to find yourself on Viagogo's website, as it's often the first Google result when searching for event tickets. This can even be the case when tickets are still available via the primary ticket seller.
It's worth double-checking who you're buying from (and that they're the official primary ticket seller or official resale partner) before completing your purchase.
* Yonder, on behalf of Which?, conducted an online representative survey of 4,133 UK adults aged 18+ between 7 and 17 March 2025.
