Single Seller Lists Over 2,000 U2 Tickets, Prompting Renewed Scrutiny of Resale Platforms

A single ticket trader is currently advertising a portfolio of U2 concert tickets valued at more than one million pounds on the resale platform StubHub. This significant inventory has raised fresh questions about how effectively the website combats professional traders who utilize automated software to acquire large volumes of tickets for resale.

The tickets are for the Irish band’s upcoming 2027 tour, titled The Greatest Show on Earth. The four-night London leg of the tour sold out rapidly last week following the general sale. Many fans found themselves outbid by prolific traders who listed the seats on StubHub at substantial markups over the original face value.

The listings for the shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium reveal that one seller, identified as Vladyslav Skrypka and based in Harlow, Essex, holds more than 2,000 tickets in total. For a single performance night alone, Skrypka has advertised over 1,800 seats. Some of these tickets are priced at more than four times their original cost. If all of his listed inventory were to sell at the advertised prices, the trader would generate revenue exceeding one million pounds.

These findings have occurred while music industry figures and artists are urging the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to advance legislation aimed at ending the practice of resale for profit. A bill to ban ticket touting is expected to be published during the current parliamentary session, which may continue into 2027. Until new laws take effect, thousands of tickets continue to change hands through professional touts, with some listings showing characteristics of bot usage, which has been illegal since 2018.

Bob Kupbens, the chief executive of StubHub International, recently told the BBC that the company does not support the use of bots. He expressed a desire for both the government and primary ticket sellers to improve their policing efforts to prevent such practices. Adam Webb, a representative of the FanFair Alliance, argued that the sheer volume of U2 tickets held by one seller suggests either bot activity or speculative selling. The latter involves agreeing to sell tickets before actually securing them, a practice that is also illegal.

Webb questioned whether StubHub had reviewed evidence of the specific transactions for Skrypka’s inventory. He asked if the platform was concerned that the tickets might have been obtained using the very technology that Kupbens publicly criticized. StubHub International, which is owned by the US investment group Digital Fuel Capital, stated that it does not allow speculative selling and requires sellers to confirm ownership of the tickets they list.

The company maintains that it is firmly against bots, noting that they are typically used during the primary sale phase before tickets reach resale marketplaces. They have called for stronger enforcement at the source. Ticketmaster, a primary ticketing agent, disputed the idea that it is responsible for bot activity. The company stated that it blocks 20 billion bots each month and spends millions on these efforts. Ticketmaster argued that resale sites like StubHub and Viagogo create the financial incentives for bots to be used.

A recent snapshot of StubHub listings showed 7,819 U2 tickets available for resale. Skrypka holds more than 2,000 of these, while other professional traders, defined as those selling more than 100 tickets a year, hold the majority of the rest. Only 562 tickets were listed by private sellers, such as individual fans who could no longer attend the shows. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has reaffirmed its commitment to stamping out touting through new legislation that is designed to be effective and future-proof.

U2 has been approached for comment regarding the situation. Additionally, messages sent to social media pages believed to be operated by Skrypka have not yet received a response.