Is buying resale tickets actually legal?
Yes. There's no law against reselling a ticket in the UK, and no general cap on how much above face value it can be sold for. What is regulated is what you have to be told before you hand over your money.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, anyone reselling a ticket online — and the platform they're selling it through — has to clearly disclose the ticket's face value (the original price printed on it), the seat or standing area, any restrictions on who can use it, and whether the seller is connected to the event organiser or the platform itself. This isn't small print — it has to be given to you before the contract is made, not buried in terms and conditions after you've already paid.
A platform that shows you face value upfront, before you buy, is complying with this by design — not just being generous with information.
How to spot a fake or risky listing
A few honest warning signs, based on how genuine sellers actually behave versus how scams tend to look:
- The seller won't tell you the ticket's original face value, or gets vague when asked
- No clear description of the seat, standing area, or entry type
- Payment requested by direct bank transfer only, with no buyer protection
- The price seems too good to be true for a sold-out or high-demand event
- No proof the ticket was ever genuinely purchased in the first place
None of these guarantee a scam on their own, but more than one together is a real reason to walk away.
What happens if the event is cancelled or rescheduled?
If an event is cancelled entirely, you're generally entitled to a refund — the seller hasn't delivered what you paid for, full stop. If it's rescheduled instead, your ticket usually stays valid for the new date, with a refund available if you genuinely can't make it.
What isn't a legal right: a refund because you've simply changed your mind, or because the seller has. That distinction matters — check a platform's actual refund policy before buying, not just its marketing.
Some tickets can't be safely resold at all
Certain tours and festivals — Tomorrowland is a well-known example — lock tickets to a specific person's name, checked against ID at the door. A resold ticket that hasn't been transferred through the organiser's own official process can be refused entry, regardless of how genuine the sale seemed. This is worth checking before you buy anything for an event known to work this way — the disclosure rules above tell you what a seller has to tell you, but they don't override an organiser's own entry requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to buy resale tickets in the UK?
Yes. Reselling tickets is legal in the UK, and there's no general cap on resale price — but resellers and the platforms they sell through are legally required to disclose the ticket's face value, its seat or standing area, any usage restrictions, and any connection to the original event organiser, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
What happens if the event is cancelled after I've bought a resale ticket?
You're generally entitled to a refund if the event doesn't go ahead at all. If it's rescheduled instead, your ticket normally stays valid for the new date, with a refund option if you can't attend. This is separate from a seller simply changing their mind about wanting to sell — that's not a legal right to a refund.
How can I tell if a resale ticket listing is genuine?
Be cautious of sellers who won't confirm the ticket's face value, can't describe the seat or entry type clearly, ask for payment by bank transfer only, or can't provide any proof of a genuine original purchase. A platform that discloses face value upfront and verifies tickets before listing them removes most of this guesswork.
Does this apply to every event on TicketScope?
Yes, wherever a ticket is genuinely resold — face value is shown alongside the resale price on every listing where we hold that information. Some events (like Tomorrowland) also have their own personalisation requirements on top of this, which is covered above.
Where can I actually browse tickets?
See everything currently available on our events page.