Buying Concert and Sports Tickets from ASU Students Safely

The Ticket Resale Reality at ASU

Sun Devil football games, Lila's at Marquee, Innings Festival, Phoenix Suns playoff games, concerts at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre — the Tempe area has a lot going on, and sometimes the only way to get a last-minute ticket is through another student.

This can be totally fine or a complete disaster depending on how you handle it. Fake tickets, double-transfers, and disappearing sellers are all real risks. Here's how to navigate it.

The Core Rule: Transfer, Not Cash for a Physical Ticket

For most events in 2026, tickets live in apps — Ticketmaster, AXS, SeatGeek, StubHub, Flash Seats. A seller who wants to hand you a printed PDF or a screenshot of a barcode is selling you something you cannot guarantee is valid.

Always request a proper digital transfer:

• Ticketmaster: Seller transfers through the Ticketmaster app to your account. You receive a notification. The ticket lives in your account.
• AXS: Same process through the AXS app.
• SeatGeek/StubHub: If the seller listed there, buy through the platform — it handles the transfer and offers buyer guarantees.

A transferred ticket in your account is yours. A photo of a barcode might be valid for one person, and that person might not be you.

How Physical ASU Event Tickets Work

For ASU Sun Devil Athletics events (football, basketball), ASU uses a ticketing system through Paciolan/TicketSmarter. ASU students often get student tickets that are tied to their Sun Card.

Important: Many ASU student tickets are non-transferable by policy. A student seat in the student section requires your Sun Card for entry. Buying a "student section ticket" from another student doesn't mean you can use it.

For non-student section tickets to ASU games (general public tickets a student bought and wants to sell), the transfer process works through the ASU Sun Devil Ticket Exchange or TicketSmarter's transfer function.

Always ask the seller: "Is this in the student section? Does it require a Sun Card?" before agreeing to buy.

What Fair Prices Look Like

Ticket pricing in the student market follows supply and demand closely. Some rough guides:

ASU Football (regular season home games): $20–$60 depending on opponent and seat location. Big games (rivalry, homecoming) run higher.

ASU Basketball (Desert Financial Arena): $15–$50 per ticket for most games. Less demand than football.

Concerts at Arizona Financial Theatre / Talking Stick / Marquee: Compare to StubHub's lowest available price. If a student is selling at 10–20% below StubHub, it's a fair deal. If they're asking significantly above StubHub, just buy from StubHub.

Innings Festival / Big festivals: $100–$300+ depending on day/tier. Verify everything before paying — high-value tickets are high-value scam targets.

Red Flags to Watch For

They can't transfer digitally: "I'll just send you a screenshot of the barcode" is almost never safe for events with digital ticketing systems. Barcodes can be reused until first scan.

They want payment before transfer: The correct sequence is: initiate transfer → you verify it's in your account → you pay. Not: you pay → then they transfer.

The price is suspiciously low: Two floor tickets to a sold-out concert for $40 when they're going for $200 on StubHub? You're about to buy fakes.

They can't answer basic questions: "What section are the seats in?" "When did you buy them?" "Are they in your Ticketmaster account right now?" If they fumble basic questions, something is wrong.

They pressure urgency: "I have three other people asking, decide now" is a classic pressure tactic. Legitimate sellers can wait five minutes for you to verify a transfer.

The Safe Sequence for Buying

1. Confirm the ticket is a real digital transfer (Ticketmaster, AXS, etc.), not a PDF or screenshot
2. Have the seller initiate the transfer to your email/account before you pay anything
3. Verify the transfer notification in your email or app
4. Open the app and confirm the ticket appears under your account with correct event details, date, venue, and seat
5. Pay via Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle — or cash in person
6. Do this in person whenever possible, or at minimum over video call so you can see them initiating the transfer in real time

Platforms for Finding Tickets

ASU List sometimes has ticket listings from students. Facebook groups for ASU students (ASU Class of [Year] groups, ASU Off-Campus Housing, etc.) regularly have people posting ticket sales.

For any ticket over $50, consider whether buying through an official resale platform (StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats) with their buyer guarantee is worth the premium. The guarantee matters more as ticket value increases.

If You Get Scammed

Report fake ticket fraud to:

• The event ticketing platform (Ticketmaster, AXS)
• Tempe Police: 480-350-8311
• The FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Your bank or card company if you paid with a card (may be able to dispute the charge)

Cash and peer-to-peer payment apps (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle) are almost never recoverable. This is another reason to verify the transfer is in your account before paying.