Live-event ticketing junk fee compliance

Live-event ticketing is one of two industries the FTC explicitly named in its 2024 final rule. Common patterns:

• Face-value ticket prices displayed in search results that omit service fees, facility fees, or order processing fees.
• Vague fee labels ("convenience fee," "processing fee") that do not describe the actual purpose.
• Different fee structures across direct issuers and resellers, making total cost hard to compare.
• Fees that vary by quantity, tier, or seat selection but are not visible until the seat is selected.
• Mandatory fees disguised as optional (e.g., a "facility fee" that cannot be declined).

16 C.F.R. Part 464 directly covers "live-event tickets" — concerts, sporting events, theatrical performances, and similar events. The rule applies to original sellers, resellers, third-party platforms, and travel-agent or broker channels, both online and offline. Business-to-business transactions are within scope.

Required disclosures include the total inclusive price displayed at least as prominently as any other price, and accurate descriptions of fee nature, purpose, amount, and refundability before the consumer consents to pay.

Enforcement has been active. On April 9, 2026, the FTC announced that StubHub agreed to pay $10 million in consumer refunds to resolve allegations that it violated both the FTC Act and the Fees Rule between May 12 and 14, 2025 — within days of the rule taking effect. The District of Columbia Attorney General previously settled with Live Nation for $9.9 million over deceptive ticket pricing practices.

• Show the all-in price (face value plus mandatory fees) on the first display, search result, or seat-map view.
• Use accurate, descriptive fee labels — avoid "convenience" or "processing" without explanation.
• If the fee is mandatory, do not present it as optional or refundable when it is not.
• If selling on a third-party platform, confirm the platform displays the total price as prominently as the base price.
• Resellers must comply independently — being a reseller does not transfer the disclosure obligation to the original issuer.