How does CashorTrade work? It’s a fan-to-fan ticket exchange where every ticket must be listed at face value or below — never above. Instead of click-to-buy, buyers request tickets and the seller picks who gets them, which shuts out bots and brokers. When the seller accepts, your card is charged and CashorTrade holds the money in escrow until the ticket transfer completes. Sellers pay nothing; buyers pay 10% (plus card processing), and Gold members transact with no platform fee. Here’s the full walkthrough for buying, selling, and trading.
CashorTrade (cashortrade.org) was founded in 2009 by brothers Dusty and Brando Rich in Burlington, Vermont, after they watched Phish reunion tickets hit $2,000 on the secondary market. Seventeen years on, it’s the hub of the face-value movement — “#EmbraceTheFace” — with artist partnerships including Phish, Billy Strings, Goose, Tyler Childers, The String Cheese Incident, and The Disco Biscuits, plus a 2026 integration with Ticketmaster for ticket verification. (For the trust verdict, see is CashorTrade legit?)
How Buying on CashorTrade Works (5 Steps)
- Find your show. Create a free account, search your artist, and pick the tour date — or browse the Ticket Feed to see every fan listing in order.
- Browse fan listings. Tickets come straight from fans, each listing showing seller reviews, a clear description, and the face-value price.
- Request to buy. Save a payment source, then send your request with a message. Sellers pick the buyer — there is deliberately no instant “buy now” button, which is what keeps bots and brokers out.
- Pay safely. When the seller accepts, your card is charged, the listing comes down, and CashorTrade holds your money in escrow until the transfer is complete.
- Get your tickets. The seller sends your tickets; check your account and mark them received. The seller is paid before the event — no other platform does that. After the show, both sides leave reviews.
How Selling on CashorTrade Works
- List your tickets — find your event and add face value, quantity, and seat details. Listing is free.
- Connect PayPal to receive your payout, then publish the listing.
- Choose your buyer. Review incoming requests — each shows the buyer’s trust level, reviews, and profile — and accept the one you want.
- Transfer the tickets exactly as described in your listing.
Seller warning: if you accept a request but can’t deliver the exact tickets, it’s a “dropped sale” — the buyer gets a full refund and you can be charged a penalty of up to 150% of the sale amount. Only list tickets you actually hold.
How Trading Tickets Works
CashorTrade also supports straight ticket-for-ticket trades (your Friday ticket for someone’s Saturday ticket, for example):
- Click Request to Trade on a listing and add the details of the tickets you have (artist, date, face value) plus your transfer info and a message.
- Chat with the lister to work out details, then click Commit Now and choose the card to be charged. Your card is only charged if the lister accepts, and both users can edit their asking price before acceptance.
- Once accepted, both users are charged the asking price of the tickets they’ll receive (processing and platform fees apply), and funds are held in escrow until tickets are marked received.
- Each trader sends their tickets and marks them Sent; once both mark Received, funds are released from escrow.
Payout timing: funds release 3–5 business days after tickets are marked received (or 3–5 business days after the event for larger amounts); payouts run Monday–Friday around 10pm EST and can take 1–5 business days to appear in PayPal.
CashorTrade Fees
| Fee | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | Buyers (non-Gold) | 10% of purchase |
| Platform fee | Gold members | $0 — only card processing; 5% (capped at $250) on purchases over $2,500 or select partnered events |
| Card processing | All buyers | 3–5% depending on card issuer |
| Listing / selling | Sellers | Free — no cost to list or sell |
| Dropped sale penalty | Sellers who fail to deliver | Up to 150% of the listing price |
| Chargeback fee | Buyer issuing a chargeback | $25 |
Gold members also get a 10-minute head start messaging sellers on new listings. Compare this to the major resale platforms, which typically take a combined 28–45% from buyers and sellers on top of already-inflated prices — versus face value plus roughly 10–15% here.
Escrow and Trader’s Protection
Every purchase is backed by Trader’s Protection — a 100% money-back guarantee with escrow at its core:
- Your payment is held by CashorTrade until the transfer completes; the seller isn’t paid until you’ve confirmed receipt.
- If tickets aren’t delivered as described, the buyer is entitled to a full refund — contact CashorTrade’s fan support team (available 9 AM–9 PM EST, 7 days a week) rather than filing a payment dispute, since they handle ticketing-specific issues directly.
- Since April 2026, Ticketmaster verification lets verified Ticketmaster tickets be resold on CashorTrade with the price confirmed at face value — no receipt uploads needed.
- Verified users, moderated listings, public two-way reviews, and community flagging of above-face-value listings add further accountability. Fraud is rare — the company says fewer than 1 in 200 trades even contact support.
One caveat: platform fees are non-refundable if an event is canceled — only the ticket price itself is covered. If a show is rescheduled rather than canceled, tickets typically remain valid for the new date.
The Rules That Make CashorTrade Different
- The face-value pledge: every member agrees never to charge more than face value — defined as the original primary-sale price including tax and fees. Even tickets you bought on a secondary market must be listed at the original face value. Violations can be flagged by the community and removed.
- No click-to-buy: the seller-chooses model is the anti-bot mechanism. Fill out your profile and write a genuine message — brand-new users with no reviews can get passed over.
- All sales are final once a transaction completes — there’s no buyer’s remorse window, so be sure before you request.
- Skews toward live music: the community is strongest for concerts and festivals (jam bands, indie, EDM); sports and theater inventory is thinner. For a face-value alternative with a different model, see is Tixel legit?
FAQs
How does CashorTrade work for buyers?
Create a free account, find your show, and send a request to buy a fan’s face-value listing. The seller picks the buyer; when accepted, your card is charged and funds are held in escrow until you receive the tickets and mark them received.
What fees does CashorTrade charge?
Sellers pay nothing. Buyers pay a 10% platform fee plus 3–5% card processing; Gold members pay no platform fee (only processing, with a 5% fee capped at $250 on purchases over $2,500). A $25 fee applies if a buyer issues a chargeback.
How does CashorTrade escrow work?
When a seller accepts your request, your payment is held by CashorTrade until the ticket transfer is complete and you’ve marked the tickets received. The seller is paid before the event. If tickets aren’t delivered as described, Trader’s Protection entitles the buyer to a full refund.
Can you sell tickets above face value on CashorTrade?
No — never. All listings must be at face value or below, where face value is the original primary-sale price including tax and fees. Even tickets bought on a secondary market must be listed at the original face value, and violations can be flagged and removed.
How does trading tickets on CashorTrade work?
Click “Request to Trade” on a listing, add details of the tickets you have, chat with the lister, then “Commit Now.” Both users are charged the asking price of the tickets they’ll receive, funds are held in escrow, and each trader sends their tickets and marks them received before funds release.
What happens if the seller doesn’t deliver my tickets?
Contact CashorTrade’s fan support team (9 AM–9 PM EST, 7 days a week). Under Trader’s Protection the buyer gets a full refund, and the seller faces a penalty of up to 150% of the sale amount for a dropped sale.
Is CashorTrade better than StubHub?
For price, yes: everything is capped at face value with ~10–15% in buyer fees, versus market pricing plus 20–30%+ buyer fees on StubHub. For selection and instant checkout, StubHub wins — CashorTrade only has what fans list, and sellers choose their buyers. Full verdict: is CashorTrade legit?
