StubHub to pay $10M to settle FTC deceptive pricing allegations

StubHub has agreed to pay $10 million to settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—the US federal consumer protection agency—that the ticket marketplace failed to clearly disclose the full price of tickets. According to the FTC, the company violated the FTC Act and its Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees by deceptively advertising ticket prices on its website without clearly disclosing the total cost upfront, including all mandatory fees. The proposed settlement was filed on Thursday.

The regulatory dispute stems from rules that went into effect in May 2025, when the FTC began requiring ticket marketplaces to ensure price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process. The FTC sent a warning letter to StubHub on May 14, 2025, and the company fixed the issue the next day. However, the agency’s complaint alleges that StubHub chose to slow-walk compliance with the rule in part because the NFL was about to release its regular-season schedule. The complaint notes that the NFL schedule release is a 99th percentile traffic event for StubHub, alleging that executives decided the competitive advantage from misleading consumers outweighed the risk of being caught.

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson expressed disappointment in the company’s actions. “Given StubHub’s experience and public support for the rule, I was disappointed to learn that it was allegedly one of the rule’s first major violators,” Ferguson said in a statement. The $10 million settlement is intended to cover StubHub’s three days of noncompliance, with the FTC intending to use the funds to return ill-gotten profits to consumers.

For its part, StubHub defended its track record while agreeing to the settlement terms. A StubHub spokesperson stated that the company has long supported all-in pricing because it provides clarity for fans. The company noted that the settlement covers a limited number of transactions spanning just three days in May 2025, where some listings may have displayed ticket prices exclusive of fees. While StubHub stated it strongly disagrees with the FTC’s view of the case, the company is addressing the agency’s concerns by refunding a portion of those buyers’ fees.

The enforcement action against StubHub is part of a broader regulatory campaign by the US consumer protection agency to police ticket marketplaces. Last September, the FTC sued Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, for engaging in ticket resale tactics and deceiving consumers about price and ticket limits.

Why it matters

This settlement is part of a broader FTC campaign to enforce price transparency across the ticket marketplace industry, following similar actions against Ticketmaster and Live Nation. For digital platforms, the case underscores the regulatory risks of delaying compliance with consumer protection rules to capture peak traffic events.