Resale Profit Calculator
Find out what you will really keep when you resell your tickets. Enter what you paid, the price you plan to list at, and the platform, and see the seller fee, your payout, your profit, and your return on investment.
Work out your profit
Your estimated profit
You make a profit of $27.50 per ticket.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross sale: 2 × $150.00 | $300.00 |
| Seller fees (15%) | -$45.00 |
| Processing and other costs | -$0.00 |
| Your payout (what the platform pays you) | $255.00 |
| Your total cost: 2 × $100.00 | $200.00 |
| Profit | $55.00 |
How this calculator works
- Enter what you paid per ticket. Use your full original cost, including any fees you paid when you bought the ticket. That is the money you need to get back before you are in profit.
- Enter the price you plan to list at. This is the price the buyer sees for one ticket. Run the calculator once for each platform you are considering, with the same sell price, to see which one leaves you with the most.
- Pick the platform and check the seller-fee rate. The calculator fills in a typical seller-fee rate for that platform. If the platform shows you a payout preview, type the exact fee from that preview in instead.
- Add any processing or other costs. Some platforms add payment processing or a per-order charge on top of the seller fee. Put that flat amount in the “other costs” field so it is taken off your payout too.
- Read your payout, your profit, and your ROI. Your payout is what the platform pays you. Your profit is your payout minus what you paid. Your ROI is your profit as a percentage of what you paid, so you can compare one resale with another.
The math, in plain words: gross sale = sell price × number of tickets. Seller fees = gross sale × fee rate. Your payout = gross sale − seller fees − other costs. Your total cost = what you paid per ticket × number of tickets. Profit = your payout − your total cost. Profit per ticket = profit ÷ number of tickets. ROI = profit ÷ your total cost × 100.
Watch out for the buyer fee trap. A platform with low seller fees can still leave you with less money if buyers will not pay your price there. Buyers compare the all-in total, including their own fees. A listing that looks cheap to you can look expensive to a buyer once their fees are added, so it may sell slower or not at all.
Typical seller fees by platform
These are typical ranges from independent 2026 comparisons, not fixed rates. No major platform publishes a fixed seller-fee schedule. Fees move with the event, the ticket price, demand, and your account, so treat every number below as an estimate and change the fee rate in the calculator to match the payout preview shown when you list.
| Platform | Typical seller fee | Default used here | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AXS | About 7.5% | 7.5% | Lowest seller fee of the major platforms. The buyer pays a separate fee of about 12.5% on top of the resale price. |
| SeatGeek | 10% | 10% | Published 10% seller fee. Buyer fees are among the steepest, which can make your listing look pricey to buyers. |
| Vivid Seats | 10% | 10% | 10% deducted from the sale price. Listing is free, and buyer fees run about 20–40% on top. |
| Gametime | About 10% | 10% | No published seller rate; reported at about 10%, and about 15% for first-time sellers. Set per sale, so check your payout preview. |
| Ticketmaster Resale | About 10–15% | 12.5% | No published seller rate. Fees vary by agreement with venues, and the exact payout only appears in the listing flow. |
| StubHub | About 10–15% | 15% | No set percentage; fees adjust with price, timing, and demand. Independent guides most often report 15% as typical. |
| TickPick | 15% | 15% | Highest seller fee here, but buyers pay no service fee, so your listing can look cheaper to buyers than the same seat elsewhere. |
Payout timing is separate from the fee. Most platforms pay after the event, often within a few days, while some pay up to 14 days after the event. Check the payout timing on the platform before you list, especially if you need the money quickly.
Fees are only half the story
The platform that takes the smallest seller fee does not always leave you with the most money. A platform with a big buyer pool can sell your ticket faster, and sometimes at a higher price, than a cheaper platform with fewer buyers. A ticket that sits unsold and then drops in price as the event gets closer can lose more than any fee would have cost you.
That is why this calculator is a comparison tool, not a promise. Run the same sell price through two or three platforms, look at the payout on each, and then weigh the payout against how fast each platform usually sells that kind of ticket. The best listing is the one that actually sells, at a price that leaves you with a profit.
Also remember that some events cap resale prices, and some tickets cannot be transferred at all. Check the transfer and resale rules for your ticket before you list it anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my payout less than the sale price?
Because the platform takes a seller fee from the sale price before it pays you. If you list a ticket at $150 and the seller fee is 15%, the platform keeps $22.50 and pays you $127.50 for that ticket, before any processing costs. The buyer may also pay their own fees on top, but those do not come out of your payout.
Which platform keeps the most money in my pocket?
On fees alone, AXS at about 7.5% and SeatGeek and Vivid Seats at 10% usually leave you with the most from the same sale price. But the fee is only one part. A platform with a higher fee can still pay you more if your ticket sells there for a higher price, or sells at all when it would not sell elsewhere. Compare the payout on each platform for the same ticket, and consider how fast each one sells.
What is ROI, and why does it matter?
ROI stands for return on investment. It is your profit as a percentage of what you paid. If you paid $200 for two tickets and made $55 in profit, your ROI is 27.5%. ROI lets you compare resales fairly: a $55 profit on a $200 cost is a better return than a $55 profit on a $500 cost, even though the profit in dollars is the same.
Do I pay tax on resale profit?
Possibly. In the United States, profit from reselling tickets can be taxable income, and some platforms report seller earnings to the tax authorities once you pass a reporting threshold. The rules depend on your state and on how much you sell, and they change from year to year. This calculator does not work out tax. Keep records of what you paid and what you were paid, and talk to a tax professional if you sell often or in large amounts.
Why is my payout different from this calculator?
Most often for one of three reasons. First, the platform’s real seller-fee rate for your event is different from the typical default, so type the exact fee from your payout preview into the fee field. Second, processing or other costs were taken off that you had left at $0 here. Third, the platform applied a different rate because of your account type, the event, or the timing. The payout preview on the platform is always final.
Can I lose money reselling tickets?
Yes. If the sell price is low, the fee is high, or the ticket does not sell and you have to cut the price, you can end up with less than you paid. The calculator shows a loss in red when your payout is below your total cost. That is a useful warning: if the numbers show a loss at the price you planned, either raise the price, try a platform with a lower fee, or accept that selling at a loss may still be better than holding a ticket you cannot use.
Related guides
These guides from TheTicketLover explain the platforms, fees, and transfer rules behind the numbers above.
TheTicketLover is an independent ticket guide. It does not sell tickets. Platform names are used only to compare fees and selling options.