How to Spot Profitable Events to Resell Tickets for a Profit

Ticket reselling can be a lucrative side hustle or business – if you know how to pick the right events. Not every concert, game, or show will make you money. Successful ticket brokers learn to spot profitable events to resell tickets for a profit by analyzing demand, timing, and market trends. In this guide, we’ll share ticket resale tips on choosing the best concerts, sports games, and theater shows to flip for profit. You’ll learn what makes an event a good candidate for resale, how to identify high-demand events early (think artist popularity or presale buzz), and how to leverage tools like ProTickets to stay ahead of the curve. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to boost your ticket flipping game, these strategies will help you maximize your returns while minimizing risk.

What Makes an Event Profitable to Resell?

Before diving into specific tips, it’s important to understand why some events are more profitable than others on the secondary market. It all comes down to supply and demand. Event organizers often price tickets below their true market value to ensure a quick sell-out, which means in-demand tickets can command higher prices later. In fact, truly hot tickets regularly resell for 1.5x to 3x their original price on secondary platforms, allowing savvy resellers to “buy low and sell high.” But which events have this kind of resale potential? Look for the following traits:

• Limited availability (scarcity): Events with limited seating or exclusive access tend to sell out quickly, driving up resale prices. A small venue concert or a one-night-only show creates scarcity – when tickets are hard to get, people pay a premium.
• High demand: If an event features a top artist, superstar athlete, or other big-name performer with a huge fan base, demand will be intense. When everyone wants tickets but not everyone can get them, the resale value climbs.
• Few opportunities (rare events): The rarer the event, the more valuable the ticket. Championship games, season finales, or farewell tours are great examples – fans know they might never get another chance, so they’re willing to pay more. For instance, a farewell concert or a once-in-a-lifetime reunion show can send secondary prices skyrocketing.
• Passionate fan base: Events with very dedicated fans often fetch higher resale prices. Die-hard fans will pay extra to see their favorite artist or team. A cult-following band’s gig or a local sports rivalry game can be easier to resell because loyal fans hate missing out.

In short, a profitable event to resell is one where demand vastly exceeds supply. If thousands of people want tickets and only hundreds (or a few thousand) are available, you have the ideal conditions for price inflation on the secondary market. As a ticket broker, your goal is to identify these high-demand, low-supply scenarios before everyone else realizes how coveted the tickets are.

Ticket Resale Tips: Spotting High-Demand Events Early

How can you tell if an event will be a hot seller ahead of time? Here are some key indicators and tips for identifying high-demand events early:

• Monitor artist and team popularity: Pay attention to how well an artist is trending or a sports team is performing before tickets go on sale. If a musician has a #1 hit or is blowing up on streaming charts, their upcoming tour will likely see a spike in demand. Similarly, if a sports team is on a winning streak or has a superstar player, their big games (especially playoffs) will attract more buyers. Analyzing music charts and social media buzz is a great way to gauge popularity. (ProTickets’ Billboard Charts integration, for example, highlights artists gaining momentum before ticket prices spike.)
• Look for tour announcement buzz: The period right after an event or tour is announced can tell you a lot. Are fans flooding Twitter, Reddit, or Discord with excitement? A spike in Google searches or trending hashtags for an artist’s tour is a strong sign of high interest. If you see an upcoming show making headlines or trending online, that event is likely to have high demand once tickets are released.
• Track presale and early sales activity: How fast do tickets initially sell? If an artist’s fan club presale or a venue presale sells out within minutes, that’s a huge green flag – it means demand is outstripping supply right away. Long virtual queues and instant sell-outs during the first sale phase signal that many buyers are waiting (and will turn to resale later). On the other hand, if tickets are still widely available after the general public on-sale, it might not be a great flip. As a rule of thumb: strong early sales = strong resale potential.
• Consider venue size and ticket supply: Always factor in the venue capacity. A superstar playing in a 2,000-seat theater is a recipe for high resale prices because only a limited number of fans can get tickets. Even a big stadium show can be profitable if the performer is popular enough to sell it out (think of a pop icon packing a football stadium – tens of thousands of tickets might seem like a lot, but they can disappear fast when millions of fans are vying for them). Small venues, limited tour dates, or exclusive festival passes (e.g. a one-weekend music festival) create supply constraints that drive up secondary market value.
• Leverage local knowledge: Don’t overlook your local market expertise – sometimes the best opportunities are in your backyard. For example, if you know your hometown hockey team’s rivalry game or a playoff matchup always sells out, that event is a solid bet for reselling. Likewise, a popular theater show coming to your regional theater for a limited run could have loyal local fans scrambling for tickets. Being tuned in to what events locals care about (and how big the venue is) gives you an edge in spotting under-the-radar winners.
• Research past events and trends: History often repeats itself in ticket markets. Before investing, check how similar events have performed. Did the artist’s last tour stop in this city sell out and were resale prices high? Has this theater production received rave reviews and sold-out shows elsewhere? A quick scan of secondary marketplaces like StubHub or SeatGeek for comparable events can reveal what people are willing to pay. Data is your friend – even simple research on recent sold-out events or price histories can help you predict if a new event will be a hot ticket. Seasonality matters too: big summer festivals or holiday-season shows often see higher demand, so factor that into your decision.

By combining these tips – watching popularity indicators, gauging buzz, monitoring early sales, and doing some homework on similar events – you’ll develop a knack for choosing events for ticket reselling wisely. Over time, you’ll start to recognize the patterns: the types of artists or events that consistently flip for profit and the warning signs of those that don’t. Next, let’s look at examples across concerts, sports, and theater where these principles come into play.

Best Events to Flip Tickets: Concerts, Sports, and Theater

Concerts – Tours, Festivals, and One-Off Shows

Concerts are the bread and butter for many ticket resellers, and for good reason. Fans are passionate about their favorite artists, and a hot tour can create explosive demand. The best concert events to resell often involve: major artists at peak popularity, special tour circumstances, or big festival hype. For example, global superstars like Taylor Swift or BTS are notorious for selling out stadiums within minutes – tickets for their shows often resell for several times face value due to massive fan demand. If an artist has recently dropped a hit album or won a Grammy, their concert tickets become prime flipping opportunities.

Also look for exclusive or rare concert events. Reunion tours, farewell tours, and limited-run shows by legendary artists can yield huge profits. A farewell concert by a beloved artist (think Elton John’s final tour) means each show is one of the last chances to see them, driving resale prices sky-high. Similarly, big music festivals (like Coachella) that always sell out are excellent targets – latecomers who missed the ticket release will pay a hefty premium for passes. When evaluating concerts, ask: Is this artist extremely popular right now? Is this tour generating a lot of buzz? Is the show limited in some way (small venue or few dates)? If yes, you might have a profitable concert on your hands.

Sports – Playoffs, Championships, and Marquee Matchups

Sports events can be gold mines for resellers, especially when teams are winning and titles are on the line. The most profitable sports tickets tend to be high-stakes games and those with widespread interest. Championship events like the Super Bowl are a classic example – they sell out every year and resale prices can be astronomical. Even playoff games leading up to the championship (NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, NCAA Final Four, etc.) see huge demand, with fans willing to pay top dollar to witness the drama live. A decisive Game 7 in a series, for instance, can fetch incredible resale prices due to its do-or-die excitement.

But you don’t need a national championship for a sports ticket to flip well. Popular regular-season matchups can work too if supply is limited – think rivalry games (like Yankees vs. Red Sox, or a local derby match), season openers in markets starved for action, or a superstar player’s debut/retirement game. If a team suddenly goes on a hot streak or a star player is chasing a record, demand explodes. Stay plugged into sports news so you can snag tickets when a potentially historic or highly anticipated game is announced. And as mentioned, use your local insight: if your city’s team hasn’t made the playoffs in years and finally does, those tickets will be on every fan’s wishlist (meaning big resale potential). In short, big games with big storylines equal big profits.

Theater – Hit Shows and Limited Engagements

While often overlooked by beginners, theater and Broadway tickets can also be profitable when the conditions are right. The key in theater is to target shows that have strong buzz or limited runs. Award-winning Broadway musicals or plays featuring A-list actors can generate frenzy among theatergoers, especially if the production is only in town for a short time. For example, Hamilton was a groundbreaking hit that still, years after its debut, has an immense following – tickets for Hamilton in major cities like New York often resell for multiple times their face value because everyone wants to see it. Shows that win Tony Awards or have viral popularity (like Hamilton or The Book of Mormon did) tend to maintain high demand throughout their runs.

When scouting theater events to flip, look for limited engagements – maybe a famous London play is coming to Broadway for just 8 weeks, or a high-profile actor is doing a one-month stint in a show. Limited ticket supply plus high interest equals profit. Likewise, regional theater productions that are touring hit Broadway shows can be in big demand if they’re the only chance for local fans to see a famous production without traveling. Always consider the scale of the venue (many theaters are relatively small) and the exclusivity of the show. If it’s the hottest ticket in town and the run is short, reselling those tickets can be quite lucrative.

Tip: Theater audiences may not be as quick to jump online as concert fans, so popular shows can sometimes have great resale value if you secure good seats early (for instance, by using presale codes or season ticket holder opportunities). Keep an eye on theater blogs, reviews, and forums to gauge which new shows are getting extraordinary buzz – those are the ones likely to sell out and see prices rise on StubHub or similar platforms.

Leverage ProTickets Tools to Choose Profitable Events

Identifying profitable events is easier when you have data and analytics on your side. Modern ticket brokers use specialized tools to analyze market trends, track hot events, and get early access to tickets. ProTickets offers a suite of features tailored for resellers, which can give you a competitive edge in spotting winners. Here’s how you can use these tools to maximize your success:

• Presale Codes & Early Access: One way to secure profitable tickets is to buy before the general public. The ProTickets Presale Codes feature (Codes Manager) lets you store and organize presale passwords, and even sends automatic alerts when presales are about to start. Instead of scrambling through emails or forums for the latest code, you can log into ProTickets and have all the codes in one place – whether it’s fan club presales, credit card offers, or venue passwords. By using presale codes, you can snag great seats at face value before they sell out, virtually guaranteeing a profit margin when demand is high. (In our community, brokers regularly share new presale passwords in real-time, so you’ll never miss a hot presale opportunity!)
• Event Analyzer & Market Data: Smart resellers rely on data, not hunches. ProTickets’ Event Analyzer tool provides deep market intelligence on upcoming events. You can explore historical ticket sale data, check current listings and price trends, and filter events by genre, city, date, and more. This means you can quickly gauge how similar events have performed and see real-time demand indicators. For example, before investing in a concert, you could use the Event Analyzer to see that the artist’s last tour stop in a comparable city sold out in minutes and resale prices doubled – a strong sign this new date will be profitable. The tool’s powerful filtering and AI-driven insights help you discover hidden gems that others might overlook. Essentially, it’s like having a personal market research assistant telling you which events have the best profit potential.
• Music Charts & Trending Artists: Knowing which artists are rising in popularity can point you to tomorrow’s hot tickets. ProTickets integrates Billboard charts and streaming data directly into the platform. Our Music Charts feature shows you real-time rankings of top artists and trending songs across genres, and even tracks changes in artist popularity over time. If you see an artist climbing the charts fast, you might anticipate that their newly announced tour will be in high demand. By keeping an eye on these metrics, you can pounce on tickets for artists who are on the verge of blowing up – often before the general public realizes how big they’ve become. In short, you’ll identify hot events early by seeing what’s hot in music and entertainment trends (and you won’t be caught off guard when an artist suddenly becomes the next big thing).
• Community Insights (Discord): Sometimes the best information comes from fellow brokers. ProTickets hosts a private Discord community where members discuss tips and flag noteworthy events in real time. This community is a goldmine for inside information – you might learn that a certain show’s presale sold out in seconds, or that a usually minor event is getting unusual buzz in a region. Our Discord channels feature data-driven picks for high-profit events and alerts for hand-picked presales worth joining. It’s also a place to ask questions and learn from the collective experience of successful resellers. By tapping into the community, you stay ahead of the curve on market trends and never feel like you’re figuring things out alone. As the saying goes, knowledge is power – and our network of ticket brokers ensures you’re always in the know about the next big opportunity.

ProTickets provides powerful tools – like an Event Analyzer with real-time data – to help you identify promising events across concerts, sports, and theater. (Above: a snapshot of the ProTickets platform showing an analytics dashboard for upcoming events.)

By utilizing these tools and insights, you take a lot of the guesswork out of spotting profitable events. Instead of relying purely on intuition, you’ll make data-driven decisions about which tickets to buy. The combination of early access (presales), market analysis, trend spotting, and community feedback creates a robust system to consistently choose winners and avoid duds in the ticket resale game.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that choosing the right events is the foundation of making money in ticket reselling. You now know that the best events to flip have high demand, limited supply, and plenty of buzz behind them. By applying the tips outlined above – from analyzing artist popularity and presale sell-through rates to focusing on concerts, games, and shows with passionate fan bases – you can greatly increase your chances of buying tickets that will resell at a healthy profit. Remember, even experienced brokers don’t hit a home run on every single event, but the goal is to consistently pick more winners than losers. Every flop is a learning opportunity, and every win builds your bankroll and confidence.

As you gain experience, keep refining your selection strategy. Stay informed on industry news (new tour announcements, chart-topping artists, playoff standings, etc.) and pay attention to what the market is telling you. And importantly, equip yourself with the right tools. In today’s fast-moving ticket market, an all-in-one platform like ProTickets can be your secret weapon. By using ProTickets’ features – from Presale Codes and the Event Analyzer to Billboard Charts integration and the Discord community – you’ll be armed with the information and access that many casual resellers lack.

Ready to turn ticket flipping into a truly profitable venture? It’s time to put these strategies into action. Start spotting your own profitable events and give yourself the best shot at success by leveraging professional tools. Join the ProTickets platform (we offer a free trial for new members) and connect with our community of successful ticket brokers. With the right knowledge and resources at your fingertips, you can confidently buy and resell tickets knowing you’ve picked the right event, at the right time, for the right price. Good luck, and happy ticket reselling!