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Resale tickets in Chicago: what you're buying

The links on this site go to a resale marketplace. Here is what its guarantee covers and when the box office is the better buy.

By the Chicago Show Guide editors · Facts checked Sep 25, 2026 against the venues' own pages · Event listings refresh daily

Every ticket link on this site goes to TicketNetwork, a resale marketplace founded in 2002. TicketNetwork says its listings come from professional ticket-selling companies and trusted sellers, not the venue, so prices can sit above or below face value. That is useful when a show is sold out; when the box office still has seats, compare before you buy. Here is how to tell which case you are in.

What the guarantee covers

TicketNetwork's 100% Money-Back Guarantee promises four things: the tickets are valid for entry; you get the seats you ordered or better; they arrive before the event; and you get a refund if the event is permanently cancelled. The cancellation refund excludes delivery fees.

It does not cover a change of plans. If an event is rescheduled rather than cancelled, check the marketplace's policy for moved dates; we flag rescheduled and postponed events in our listings when the feed reports them.

Fees and the price you see

The prices on this site are the lowest listing in the marketplace feed at our last refresh, usually that morning, and may not include fees. Since May 12, 2025, the FTC's fee rule requires live-event ticket sellers to show the total price, including mandatory fees, up front. Compare totals at checkout, not the headline number.

When the box office wins

Check the venue first when a show is not sold out: the box office sells at face value. Resale is the fallback for sold-out dates, and worth comparing on any date where listings sit below the box office price. Some venues' terms restrict resale; our venue guides flag it where they do.

Venue rules worth knowing

  • Broadway In Chicago (Cadillac Palace, CIBC, Nederlander, Broadway Playhouse): its terms say its tickets cannot be resold to any unauthorized platform, broker or other person, and resold orders may be canceled without notice.
  • Zanies: purchaser photo ID is required to claim seats, and no transfers are allowed.
  • United Center: only guarantees tickets from its own box office, website or Ticketmaster.
  • Wrigley Field and Rate Field: resale is banned on ballpark property; the Cubs' terms add that resale inside the ballpark, or where the law prohibits it, invalidates the ticket.

TicketNetwork's guarantee promises valid tickets; if a venue refuses one anyway, the remedy is a refund. At venues with rules like these, the official seller is the safer buy.

How we pick the numbers

We pull the full event list from TicketNetwork's public catalog every morning, keep events with tickets listed, and publish the cheapest and average listing. We don't take payments or hold tickets. More on how this site makes money.

Questions people ask

Official sources

Ticket links go to TicketNetwork, a resale marketplace, through an affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Resale prices can be above or below face value. Prices shown are the lowest listings in the feed on Sep 25, 2026 and change constantly; the seller's checkout shows the final total. How we make money.