How to get tickets for a sold-out show

Three places. First, the official resale channel, where the promoter or venue lets buyers return tickets at face value — reliable, but usually empty within minutes of anything appearing. Second, fan-to-fan marketplaces, where a seller lists a ticket and you wait for one to appear at the price cap the platform allows. Third, resale marketplaces like Bidwave, where tickets are already listed and the price is set by the market: sometimes below face value when demand fades, often above it for the biggest nights.

The practical difference is waiting versus buying. On a capped fan-to-fan site you compete with everyone else refreshing the page. On a resale marketplace the ticket is there now, and the question is only whether the price is worth it to you.

A resale price is a market price, and the market moves. In the weeks after a sell-out, prices sit well above face value. As the night approaches, sellers who still hold tickets drop their prices — the ticket is worth nothing to them after doors. Bidwave shows every listing's all-in price per ticket: the price you see is the price you pay, with no fees added at checkout.

If you can wait, bidding is the way to pay less: you set your price per ticket and win when the auction closes if nobody tops it. If the show is this week, buy outright — the cheapest listings go first.

Never pay a stranger by bank transfer or a payment app for a screenshot. A real resale marketplace holds your money until the ticket is delivered and refunds you if it is not valid for entry. On Bidwave, every order is covered by the Bidwave Guarantee: tickets delivered before doors, or a full refund.

Check the ticket type before buying. Mobile-transfer tickets are reassigned to your name in the official app; PDF tickets are files with a unique barcode. Both work; both are covered. What is not covered anywhere is a photo of someone's phone.