Is Vivid Seats legit and safe to use?

Vivid Seats is a legitimate ticket resale platform with millions of users and an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. But just because it’s a large, established company doesn’t mean its customers are entirely safe from risks. While the company can provide access to sold-out shows and offers a 100% Buyer Guarantee, some customer complaints indicate that ticket shopping on Vivid Seats doesn’t always go as planned.

Gripes about high fees, poor customer service, and ticket delivery issues are somewhat common, and Vivid Seats’ reliance on third-party sellers can sometimes lead to an inconsistent customer experience, including potentially fake tickets.

In this article, we’ll explore how safe it is to buy tickets from Vivid Seats and what to do if you get scammed.

What is Vivid Seats?

Vivid Seats is a resale platform where users can purchase or list tickets for concerts, theater shows, major sporting events, and more. Users can even buy and sell parking passes.

Founded in Chicago in 2001, Vivid Seats is a secondary marketplace, which means it’s a place for individuals and verified, professional ticket traders to resell tickets — not venues or event organizers. As such, Vivid Seats doesn’t technically own any tickets: it just helps connect sellers and ticket hunters. Vivid Seats’ focus on resale allows it to offer fans a wide selection of tickets, including ones to sold-out events that aren’t available on primary sites like Ticketmaster.

The business, which earns revenue primarily through service fees, boasts that it’s sold over 100 million tickets since launching, with a user base exceeding 19 million.

How Vivid Seats works for buying tickets

The ticket-buying process on Vivid Seats is user-friendly. You can search by artist, team, or venue and filter your results by date, distance, budget, accessible ADA seating, or perks like VIP access. You can also choose to see only listings from “Super Sellers” who are highly rated sellers known for reliable service.

The platform organizes events into categories such as Sports, Concerts, and Theater & Comedy. You use an interactive seating chart to compare seat locations before buying.

Once you’ve found your tickets, simply add them to your cart and proceed to checkout, and Vivid Seats will finalize the order with the seller. During checkout, you’ll see the ticket type and delivery method, which may include:

• Physical tickets (shipped).
• Digital tickets (downloadable).
• Mobile transfers (sent via email).

Next, you wait. Once your order is confirmed, Vivid Seats will send you an email with the estimated delivery date for your ticket. Note that you may not receive your purchased tickets immediately. In fact, tickets bought on Vivid Seats may only become available a week or even a day before your event.

When your tickets become available, you’ll get an email explaining how to access them. This may involve downloading another app, like Ticketmaster. Mobile transfer tickets bought on Vivid Seats may arrive via an email from Ticketmaster, the venue where the event will take place, or the sports team you’re going to see.

How the selling process works on Vivid Seats

If you want to resell tickets, you’ll need to create a seller account. Listing tickets is free, but Vivid Seats charges a 10% sellers fee once they sell. After your listing goes live, you’ll be notified when your tickets are purchased.

You’re required to deliver your tickets using the same method you originally received them. You’ll receive payment after the event has occurred.

How Vivid Seats differs from primary marketplaces

Unlike primary sellers like Ticketmaster or AXS, which sell tickets directly from venues or promoters, Vivid Seats is a resale platform. That means:

• Ticket prices can vary significantly depending on demand.
• Sold-out or last-minute ticket options may be available.
• Ticket delivery may not be instant.
• Tickets come from third parties, so vet the source if possible.

Is Vivid Seats safe to buy and sell tickets?

Yes, Vivid Seats is generally safe for both buyers and sellers thanks to multiple protections built into the platform. Every ticket is backed by their 100% Buyer Guarantee, which promises valid tickets that arrive before the event or your money back.

If you receive invalid tickets, or if your tickets don’t arrive on time. Vivid Seats will issue a refund. You will also be compensated if your event is cancelled.

That said, some primary ticket vendors may attempt to ban ticket resale, which can result in ticketholders from Vivid Seats being denied entry to an event. While this is a disappointing experience, Vivid Seats should refund you if this happens, and it will normally warn you of this risk before you buy.

Vivid Seats uses secure, encrypted payment processing and partners with verified ticket sources to reduce the risk of fraud. When you buy tickets, the platform verifies the delivery method and tracks the transfer to make sure it goes through successfully.

Sellers must send tickets using the same method they received them, and all transactions must stay on the platform to protect your purchase from off-site scams or shady third-party sellers.

Vivid Seats has a solid reputation, is BBB-accredited, and holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. That is a signal that they take customer concerns seriously and have a process in place to resolve issues.

Is Vivid Seats reliable based on customer reviews?

Overall, Vivid Seats appears to be a reliable platform based on customer reviews. It holds an average rating of 4.3 stars on Trustpilot based on over 90,000 customer reviews, earning it an “Excellent” classification.

Nevertheless, not all customers are thrilled with Vivid Seats. While many users praise the platform for its ease of use and ticket selection, others have complained about the price of tickets and ticket delivery issues. There is even a Facebook group for dissatisfied Vivid Seats customers.

Common complaints about Vivid Seats

Common complaints about Vivid Seats tend to focus on high service fees, ticket delivery issues, and customer support. Bearing in mind that Vivid Seats has millions of satisfied customers, let’s dig into some frequent complaints:

• High service fees: Vivid Seats makes money off service fees, which can make the overall cost of a ticket more expensive. One BBB reviewer called ticket pricing “deceptive,” noting that they didn’t know about additional fees until the final checkout screen. The platform’s alleged “bait-and-switch” pricing techniques have even led to a class-action lawsuit. Likewise, users should note that Vivid Seats ticket pricing can vary day to day: cheaper tickets may become available later, potentially making users feel like they overpaid.
• Ticket delivery issues: Because tickets may arrive only hours before the event, some users get spooked, fearing they might not get their tickets at all. These fears are not always groundless: some Trustpilot reviewers report receiving their tickets only after the event ended, and a Reddit user shared that their seats were switched to another section just an hour before the show without notice.
• Confusing ticket delivery system: Users may need to log in to a separate app to access their tickets, and this process can sometimes feel convoluted. This can be frustrating to people who expect a PDF ticket emailed to them or to be able to find tickets in a few taps in the Vivid Seats app.
• Unhelpful customer support: Some Vivid Seats customers have expressed frustration with how the platform handles customer support, saying they’re forced to go through an unhelpful AI chatbot.
• Seat location misrepresentation: Many complaints about Vivid Seats have to do with the location of seats not being as advertised. Because Vivid Seats is a middleman, if the original seller fails to provide the promised tickets, the platform may need to step in and procure new ones, which could result in a different seat location. Sometimes, this could actually be an upgrade.

Can you get scammed on Vivid Seats?

Yes. Despite the platform’s best efforts, Vivid Seats users may get scammed or pay for tickets they can’t access. That’s because many listings are from third-party sellers instead of the original organizer or venue. Fortunately, eligible disappointed customers are covered by Vivid Seats’ 100% Buyer Guarantee.

Here are some common ways people report getting scammed on Vivid Seats:

• Fake tickets: Some people report buying tickets that have turned out to be duplicates, already used, or simply counterfeit, after which they were denied entry at the gate.
• Tickets never delivered (or delivered late): Some customers report never receiving their tickets and being unable to get a refund. Others say their tickets arrived too late to be useful. One Consumer Affairs reviewer shared that their tickets didn’t arrive until the third inning of a National League Wild Card game.
• Requests for off-platform payments: Scammers may ask fans to pay for tickets via text, email, or peer-to-peer (P2P) apps like Venmo or Zelle rather than on the Vivid Seats platform. This is highly risky, as paying off-platform may void Vivid Seats’ normal buyer protections.
• Imposter scams: Scammers may impersonate Vivid Seats through fraudulent phishing emails, texts, or lookalike websites designed to steal your login details or payment information.

How to buy tickets safely on Vivid Seats

Buying from a secondary marketplace like Vivid Seats can score you great seats, or leave you empty-handed if you’re careless. To help avoid scams, it’s important to follow some simple Vivid Seats safety practices.

• Verify the seller: Stick with verified listings or sellers with strong track records. Not every listing has seller info, but if you see a Super Seller badge, you can be extra confident that your purchase is secure.
• Confirm event details: Make sure you know exactly where your seats are, how your tickets will be delivered, and that the date is correct. Double-check the venue details to ensure everything lines up with what you’re buying.
• Avoid deals that seem too good to be true: If ticket prices look unusually low, there might be a catch. Compare prices for similar seats and be skeptical of steep discounts.
• Buy tickets with a credit card: Many credit card providers have insurance or purchase protection as a built-in feature. If you feel you were scammed on Vivid Seats and you can’t get a refund from the platform, try going through your credit card issuer.
• Use a scam detection tool: A Cyber Safety tool like Norton 360 Deluxe, which leverages AI-powered scam protection, adds an extra layer of security by flagging malicious websites, links, and texts. This can help you avoid costly mistakes — like landing on a Vivid Seats imposter site from a phishing link — before they happen.

What to do if you fall for a scam on Vivid Seats

If you think you’ve been scammed on Vivid Seats, here’s what you should do to limit the damage and increase your chances of getting your money back.

• Request a refund: Contact the Vivid Seats support team right away and explain the issue. You may qualify for reimbursement under their 100% Buyer Guarantee.
• Notify your credit card company: Inform your credit card issuer or bank about any fraudulent charges. Ask them to remove the transaction if you’re unable to do it through Vivid Seats.
• Protect your credit: If you clicked a phishing link and your payment info was compromised, or you fell for a Vivid Seats imposter scam, ask your financial institution to replace your card. You should also freeze your credit with the credit bureaus to help prevent scammers from opening new lines of credit in your name.
• Monitor your financial accounts: Review your accounts for suspicious activity and report any unauthorized charges to your bank immediately. Monitoring your credit can help combat identity theft.
• File a report with the FTC and IC3: Filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) helps these agencies investigate and track online fraud.

Buy tickets on Vivid Seats more safely

Vivid Seats is a trusted ticket resale platform used by millions, but that doesn’t mean Vivid Seats customers are entirely safe from ticketing scams. The internet is replete with fraud schemes targeting people who’ll do anything to get their hands on a sold-out ticket.

One way concert goers and sports fans are targeted by cybercriminals is spoofed websites: scammers can create fake websites that look almost exactly like the Vivid Seats platform, luring you into entering your credit card information to pay for expensive — but totally fake — tickets. Such websites could even appear as ads on social media.

Norton 360 Deluxe helps protect you with AI-powered scam detection. It can help block shady sites and advanced phishing attacks — even ones that look highly realistic — before they can do damage. It also includes a secure VPN to keep your connection more private, dark web monitoring, and robust antivirus software.

FAQs

What happens if my tickets don’t arrive on time?

If Vivid Seats doesn’t deliver your tickets before the event starts, they’ll usually just refund what you paid according to their terms of service. They recommend reaching out if you haven’t received your tickets at least 48 hours before the event starts.

How to tell if Vivid Seats tickets are fake?

Static barcodes, mismatched event details, and formatting errors can all be signs that you bought fake tickets. Verify that you purchased legitimate tickets by reaching out to the venue or Vivid Seats directly.

Does Vivid Seats refund fake tickets?

Yes, Vivid Seats has a 100% Buyer Guarantee, so you have a valid path toward a refund if you end up with fake tickets and you can prove you were denied entry. But you’ll need to follow their refund process and meet their eligibility criteria.

How do I get my tickets from Vivid Seats?

Vivid Seats delivers tickets using various methods, including physical tickets, digital tickets, and mobile e-tickets. You’ll get an email after placing your order that lists how the tickets will be delivered, along with the delivery date.

Is Vivid Seats the same as Ticketmaster?

No, Vivid Seats is not the same as Ticketmaster. Vivid Seats is a ticket resale platform that connects buyers with sellers. Ticketmaster is a primary ticketing platform that sells tickets directly from the venue or artist. Understanding this difference can help you avoid Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster scams.