Sell a spare ticket only when the issuer can honor it.
The exchange will list only tickets that participating issuers verify, permit to transfer, and can cancel and reissue. Total price up front, a replacement credential on confirmation, and no screenshot or PDF resale, ever.
The gate, in order
- Trademark review. Written counsel opinion on using the stub.cafe name for a ticket marketplace, with a fallback name if needed.
- Licensing by state. Massachusetts applies licensing to businesses facilitating qualifying ticket resale, with a September 1, 2026 milestone that has now passed. We treat resale involving Massachusetts as closed until counsel and the Division say otherwise.
- Issuer authorization. A signed organizer agreement naming the events, the transfer rules, who bears cancellation risk, and the technical ability to revoke and reissue.
- Payments partner approval. A licensed processor underwrites the marketplace flow, seller onboarding and payouts. We hold no funds and will never describe a payout delay as escrow.
- All-in pricing. The FTC rule on unfair or deceptive fees has applied to live-event tickets since May 12, 2025. Total price first, fees itemized, no drip.
- Concurrency and failure tests. Two buyers, one listing: one reservation. Issuer timeout mid-transfer: no duplicate transfer, deterministic refund. Event cancelled after sale: a written policy, not a scramble.
What will never list here
- Third-party PDFs, screenshots or photos "verified" by upload
- Mobile-only or non-transferable tickets without issuer approval
- Speculative listings for tickets the seller does not hold
- Inventory sourced by evading purchase limits or bot protections (BOTS Act)
- Pay statements, checks, invoices, receipts, boarding passes or IDs, in any form
Organizers with a sold-out event
The useful version of resale for a small event is simple: an attendee cannot come, someone on your waitlist can, and the admission record moves cleanly. If you run events here and want authorized transfers, tell us.
Exchange questions
Can I sell my own ticket from any platform here?
Not necessarily, and today not at all. Issuer transfer restrictions and regional law apply. A ticket PDF does not by itself prove valid admission.
Why was a listing blocked?
Unsupported transfer, expired or revoked ticket, region restriction, seller verification, or another explained policy. The reason is always shown.
Is this cheaper than StubHub?
That is not the pitch. StubHub's scale is a barrier, not a margin to copy. The pitch is issuer-authorized transfers for events the big marketplaces ignore, with proof of validity.
Do you hold my money in escrow?
No, and we will not use that word unless it is legally and contractually true. Payments, holds and payouts run through a licensed processor under its rules.