The fees essentially are the money that StubHub receives for providing a service to the customer (buyer or seller, there are fees on both sides). This is to pay for fraud protection, integrations with partner's ticketing systems, operational costs ,and to obviously profit.

StubHub is often more expensive than original ticket prices because it is a secondary marketplace where prices are driven by supply and demand, plus significant platform fees. When an event is "sold out" on the official site (like Ticketmaster), resellers list their tickets on StubHub at whatever price the market will bear—often 2x to 10x the face value for high-demand concerts or sports finals. In addition to the seller's markup, StubHub adds service and fulfillment fees that can account for 25% to 35% of the total ticket cost. These fees cover the cost of the "FanProtect Guarantee," which ensures you get a refund or replacement if your ticket is invalid, and pays for the platform's massive marketing and customer support operations. In 2026, many users use the "Include Fees" filter to avoid sticker shock at checkout, but the combination of high seller markups and the platform's high "take rate" ensures that StubHub remains a premium-priced option for those who missed out on the initial public sale.