Frequently Asked Questions

• What are Ticketmaster Auctions?

  Ticketmaster auctions allow our venues, promoters, and artists to sell tickets and ticket packages directly to fans on Ticketmaster.com at a fair market price. There are no provisions for consumers to directly or indirectly sell their tickets via Ticketmaster auctions.

  When you bid on tickets, you will be deciding for yourself how much you would like to pay to attend the event. If you have a valid winning bid at the close of the auction and your credit card is authorized for full payment by your bank, you will receive tickets to the event. There are no charges for entering an auction that you do not win. You will have access to Ticketmaster customer service just as you do for tickets sold through a standard ticket sale.

• How many times may I bid in an auction?

  You may rebid as many times as you like from the same Ticketmaster Account while the auction is open. If you rebid, it is considered your new bid and your previous bid will no longer be valid. Please note that if you have more than one bid pending in the same auction through the use of more than one account and credit card, then it is possible that you may win more than one set of tickets in that auction (i.e. one set for each competing bid). Refer to the Ticketmaster Auction Terms for additional details.

• Can I cancel my bid?

  Once a bid has been submitted you may not cancel it. According to the Ticketmaster Auction Terms, once your bid has been submitted, you are required to make payment if it is a valid winning bid at the end of the auction.

• When and how much will my credit card be charged?

  Your card will not be charged when you submit a bid. Your card will be charged only if you have a valid winning bid at the close of the auction. The price you pay per ticket will be the actual amount you bid per ticket, unless the auction is a Uniform Payment Auction*. If you're bidding on a Uniform Payment Auction, your per ticket price will be equal to the lowest winning bid in your ticket group at the close of the auction. All winning bidders for every auction will pay a delivery fee (if applicable) and a processing fee. There are no fees for participating in an auction you don't win.

  * A Uniform Payment Auction will be clearly labeled. If you do not see the words "This is a Uniform Payment Auction" on the auction page, then the auction is not a Uniform Payment Auction.

• How do I bid in an auction?

  First, search for the event you'd like to attend to see whether the event has an auction currently running. You can then place and confirm your bid. You will be able to monitor your bid status and increase your bid at any time prior to the auction ending. Finally, you will be notified of your auction results via email.

  Refer to the How To Bid - Step by Step guide above the Frequently Asked Questions on this page for details on each step.

• How are Ticketmaster Auctions different from other online auctions?

  Ticketmaster Auctions are unlike other online auction sites that allow consumers to directly or indirectly sell their tickets. Our auctions allow our venues, promoters, and artists to sell tickets directly to fans-thereby letting the fans set the value for live entertainment. The main difference with Ticketmaster Auctions is there can be multiple winners within the same auction. However, you are NOT bidding for tickets to a particular seat, row or section. Instead, you are only bidding for tickets to see the show in a seat that will later be determined by comparing your bid with other bids that are submitted before the auction ends.

  Specifically, the tickets within an auction have been ranked according to what the event providers or Ticketmaster have determined in their subjective discretion to be from greater to lesser desirability. At the end of the auction, tickets will be assigned to winning bidders based on those rankings so that those who bid higher than you will be assigned higher ranked seats and those who bid lower than you will be assigned lower ranked seats, with ties broken in favor of those who submit their final bid earlier than other bids.

  Please note that while many other online auction sites employ "Proxy Bidding," we do not. "Proxy Bidding" is when you submit a confidential maximum bid and the auction system automatically increases your bid in order to maintain the high bid. The proxy bidding system stops when it has won the auction or has reached the maximum bid amount you specified-therefore your maximum bid may or may not be the price you actually pay once the auction ends. Ticketmaster Auctions do not employ Proxy Bidding because there can be multiple winners within the same auction and exact seat location assignments are determined by comparing your bid against other bids submitted.

  It is important for bidders to understand that, in Ticketmaster Auctions, the bid amount they enter will be the actual amount to be paid per ticket if the bid is a winning bid at the end of the auction. The one exception to this rule would be for Uniform Payment Auctions* where the per-ticket price is equal to the lowest winning bid in your ticket group at the close of the auction.

  * A Uniform Payment Auction will be clearly labeled. If you do not see the words "This is a Uniform Payment Auction" on the auction page, then the auction is not a Uniform Payment Auction.

• May I sell my tickets through Ticketmaster Auctions?

  Ticketmaster Auctions are client-based auctions that allow our venues, promoters, and artists to sell tickets directly to fans at a fair market price. There are no provisions for consumers to directly, or indirectly sell their tickets via our auctions. You may, however, wish to visit our TicketExchange site for possible options on reselling your event tickets through Ticketmaster.

• How many tickets may I bid on?

  You may bid up to the maximum number of tickets allowed on the auction bid page. You cannot have more than one valid bid at a time that uses the same credit card number or Ticketmaster account. If this event has an onsale or presale ticket limit, that ticket limit does not apply to tickets acquired through this auction. Refer to the Ticketmaster Auction Terms for additional details. Note that some auctions will only allow a set quantity of tickets per bid.

• What are Ticket Groups?

  A Ticket Group is simply a group of tickets that are included in the auction. Each Ticket Group typically consists of tickets with similar characteristics (e.g., the tickets are in certain rows, or the tickets are in a certain section). In some cases the Ticket Group heading will be a link that will provide additional information on the seats included in the auction or the types of tickets in a Ticket Group.

  If you place a valid winning bid it will fall into one of the Ticket Groups you selected. The bid will remain in a Ticket Group until it is ranked lower than all winning bids in that Ticket Group and then it will fall into the next Ticket Group. If it falls out of the last Ticket Group you selected, it will then be a losing bid.

• How are bids ranked?

  Bids are ranked first by the amount bid per ticket. Ties will be broken based on the time that the bids were placed with earlier bids receiving priority.

• Do Ticketmaster Auctions offer Proxy Bidding-where my bid automatically increases until it reaches my maximum bid amount?

  Please note that while many other online auction sites employ "Proxy Bidding," we do not. "Proxy Bidding" is when you submit a confidential maximum bid and the auction system automatically increases your bid in order to maintain the high bid. The proxy bidding system stops when it has won the auction or has reached the maximum bid amount you specified-therefore your maximum bid may or may not be the price you actually pay once the auction ends. Ticketmaster Auctions do not employ Proxy Bidding because there can be multiple winners within the same auction and exact seat location assignments are determined by comparing your bid against other bids submitted.

  It is important for bidders to understand that, in Ticketmaster Auctions, the bid amount they enter will be the actual amount to be paid per ticket if the bid is a winning bid at the end of the auction. The one exception to this rule would be for Uniform Payment Auctions* where the per-ticket price is equal to the lowest winning bid in your ticket group at the close of the auction.

  * A Uniform Payment Auction will be clearly labeled. If you do not see the words "This is a Uniform Payment Auction" on the auction page, then the auction is not a Uniform Payment Auction.

• How do I know if my bid is no longer winning?

  We will send you an e-mail to inform you if your bid no longer has a "winning" status. However, there can be unpredictable delays in e-mail transmission. We suggest that you regularly visit your My Ticketmaster Account and click on the Current Auction Bids link to monitor your bid status, especially in the last 15 minutes prior to your auction ending.

• How do I know where my seats are located?

  All valid winning bids at the end of the auction will receive the quantity of tickets that were selected in the bid. If the tickets are for assigned seats (i.e., they are not for General Admission) and the winning bid's ticket quantity is two or more, then the tickets in that bid will be for seats that are next to each other. You may find additional details about particular Ticket Groups on the auction page. Your payment authorization email will contain your exact seat locations.

• Can I change my address, contact information or credit card once I've submitted my bid?

  Once a bid is submitted you cannot change any billing or shipping information associated with that bid.

• How do I obtain accessible seats?

  Each venue will have its own procedure to obtain accessible seating. Select the accessible seating icon on the auction bid page to learn more about accessible seating for a specific event.

• What charges will I incur in addition to my bid amount per ticket?

  The only additional charges incurred are the delivery price (if applicable) for the delivery method selected and a processing fee. There are no other additional charges for Ticketmaster Auction purchases.

• Why do I see a $1.00 charge on my credit card?

  In order to participate in a Ticketmaster Auction, your credit card must pass pre-authorization. During the pre-authorization process, we use a $1.00 charge to query your bank and validate the billing address, customer identification, and active status of your card. If this validation passes, your bid is accepted, if not then you may not participate with that card. Every time you attempt to get your card through pre-authorization, a $1.00 charge will appear on your account. All pre-authorization charges are temporary, will not be collected, and should be removed from your transaction activity within 7-10 days depending on your financial institution's processes.

• Where can I find all my active Ticketmaster auction bids?

  Sign into your My Ticketmaster Account and click on the View Current Auction Bids link. All of your bids for any Ticketmaster auctions that have not closed will be displayed with a link that allows you to view your bid status for each auction. If any of the auctions you had bid on have closed, you will not see them on your Current Bids page.

• How do I know if I won?

  All bidders are notified by email immediately after the auction closes if their bid won or lost. Winning bidders will receive an email indicating that you won in the auction, subject to verification and payment authorization. Then, if your payment is processed successfully and your bid is determined to be valid, you will receive a final email with your payment authorization and seat locations. If you won and we are having problems processing your payment or there is a question regarding the validity of your bid, we will email you with details on how to resolve the discrepancies.

  Note: Both winning and losing bidders receive post auction notification. Consequently, in the absence of an won/lost e-mail notification, do not make assumptions. Please contact us for clarification

• When will I receive my tickets?

  Your tickets will be sent to you via the delivery method you have selected once your credit card has been authorized by your bank for payment. You will be sent an email verifying that your credit card has been charged and the email will include seat location and delivery information.

• Can I take a tax deduction for Charity Auctions?

  Ticketmaster generally is not told by event providers how much of the proceeds event providers plan to donate to charities, and Ticketmaster is not provided with any information by the event organizers about whether any portion of the amount you pay will be tax deductible. We are not tax advisors and cannot give tax advice. We recommend that if you have questions about whether amounts you pay are deductible, please consult with your tax advisor.