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AXS Resale: How It Works and How to Catch Returned Tickets

• By The TicketRobin Team
AXS Resale: How It Works and How to Catch Returned Tickets

The short version: AXS Official Resale is where fans who can’t go sell their tickets to fans who can. In the UK, at places like The O2 and OVO Arena Wembley, a resale ticket can’t cost more than 10% over what the seller paid. In the US it’s on selected events, and any price limit is set by the event. Resale tickets sit on the normal seat map, so there’s no second site to check. The catch? AXS won’t tell you when they appear. Its own advice is to keep checking.

Where AXS resale tickets show up

No separate shop, no second site. Resale tickets appear on the event’s usual seat map, right next to standard tickets, labelled “Resale”. In the US they’re orange, and standard tickets are blue.

Once a fan lists their tickets, they show up on the event page within an hour. AXS Mobile ID is the ticket that lives in your AXS account, and it’s the only kind that can be resold, so whatever you buy lands in your account just like a standard ticket. At The O2 and OVO Arena Wembley, Mobile ID is the only way in anyway.

Some fans sell on fan-to-fan sites like Twickets instead. Thinking of buying there? Here’s whether Twickets is safe.

How AXS resale works in the UK

Here’s what you need to know for The O2, OVO Arena Wembley and the other UK venues that use AXS:

  • The 10% cap. A seller can’t ask more than 10% over what they paid. AXS says it keeps the cap that low because 10% isn’t enough to tempt a tout.
  • Not every show has it. Plenty of shows at The O2 and OVO Arena Wembley do, but a promoter can switch resale off. VIP tickets and special-offer tickets can’t be resold either.
  • When it opens. That depends on when tickets land in fans’ accounts, which can be a few days after the on-sale or much nearer the date. Some promoters hold resale back until closer to the show. The O2 says resale runs from 24 hours after general sale until an hour before doors, so treat the event page as the final word.
  • Fees. Listing is free. Sellers pay a fee when their tickets sell, and buyers pay a resale fee on each ticket. AXS doesn’t publish the amounts, and they vary by venue and event.
  • Sellers get paid within 10 working days of the event, to a UK bank account or PayPal.

One more thing: the UK government has said it will make it illegal to resell tickets for more than the original price plus unavoidable fees. That needs a new law first, and it hadn’t passed when we wrote this, so AXS’s 10% cap is the rule for now.

Chasing a sold-out night at The O2? We’ve covered how to get tickets for Stevie Wonder, Fontaines D.C. and sombr’s 2027 nights.

How AXS resale works in the US

  • Selected events only. Not every AXS show has Official Resale.
  • Prices. Sellers set their own, and some events set a minimum or maximum.
  • AXS Marketplace is a separate set of tickets you’ll see on some events. They come from a third-party reseller, and they can be above or below face value.
  • Fees. Sellers pay a fee when tickets sell, and buyers pay a resale fee on each ticket.
  • Sellers get paid after the event, and the money takes 7 to 10 business days to reach their bank.

Will AXS tell you when tickets come back?

No, and this is the bit that catches people out. AXS’s help pages don’t offer a “notify me” button for sold-out shows. The UK help centre tells you to “continue to check back”, and the US one says to “keep checking the event page”.

Here’s what AXS does have:

  • Waiting rooms. If an extra date gets added, AXS UK tells fans in the waiting room first.
  • The newsletter. AXS UK puts pre-sales in its weekly newsletter. Handy for new tours, not much help for returns.
  • Festival waitlists. Some US festivals run a waitlist. A refundable deposit holds your place, and returned passes go to fans on the list.

Why tickets come back on sold-out AXS shows

Sold out on AXS rarely means gone for good. Tickets come back because:

  • Fans resell. Plans change, and those tickets hit the seat map within the hour.
  • Held tickets get released. AXS’s terms say organisers can release extra tickets right up to the day of the show, and The O2 says more tickets sometimes turn up closer to the event.
  • Baskets time out. Tickets sit in someone’s basket while they pay. If they don’t finish, the tickets go back on sale. Our 10-minute rule explains when to look again.

None of this happens on a schedule. That’s why so many fans end up refreshing for hours.

How to catch AXS tickets with TicketRobin

TicketRobin keeps an eye on the AXS page for the show you pick and sends you an alert when tickets that match your settings appear. You buy on AXS as normal, and the tickets go to your AXS account. We don’t sell tickets, and we don’t hold them.

  1. Pick the exact show. Find it on our AXS ticket alerts page and double-check the date and venue. Happy to go on more than one night? Track each one.
  2. Choose your speed. Your first Basic tracker is free and checks once an hour. Fast checks every five minutes, and Instant checks every few seconds. Returns for a big arena show can go in minutes, so the faster plans give you a much better shot.
  3. Set your budget. Pick the most you’d pay per ticket. At UK AXS venues resale can’t go more than 10% over what the seller paid, but the buyer fee comes on top, so leave a little room. For example, a ticket that cost £80 can be listed for up to £88, plus the buyer fee.
  4. Get alerts you’ll actually see. Email comes with every plan. WhatsApp comes with Instant and can be added to Fast. Stay signed in to AXS so checkout is quick.

When you set up your tracker, you’ll see the ticket options for your show.

Questions fans ask

How does AXS resale work? Fans who can’t go list their AXS Mobile ID tickets through AXS Official Resale. They appear on the event’s seat map marked “Resale”, you buy them through AXS like any other ticket, and they land in your AXS account.

Is AXS resale capped? In the UK, yes: no more than 10% over what the seller paid. In the US, only if the event sets a limit.

Where are AXS resale tickets listed? On the event’s normal seat map, next to standard tickets. You don’t need to check anywhere else.

Are AXS resale tickets real tickets? Yes. They’re AXS Mobile ID tickets, and they go to your AXS account just like a standard ticket.

Does AXS have a waitlist? Not for most shows. Some US festivals run waitlists for returned passes, and AXS UK tells fans in a waiting room first when an extra date is added.

How long does AXS hold tickets in your basket? AXS doesn’t say. You’ll see a timer at the top right of the screen while you check out, and it resets as you move through each step.

Stop refreshing the seat map

Let a tracker do the watching, and get on with your day.

Set up an AXS ticket alert ->

Where these rules come from: AXS UK’s help pages on Official Resale, selling tickets, when you can list, shows without resale, the 10% cap, fees, getting paid, basket holds and the checkout timer; AXS US’s help pages on Official Resale, Marketplace, getting paid and festival waitlists; the AXS UK and AXS US purchase terms; The O2 on reselling and on later tickets; OVO Arena Wembley’s FAQs; and the UK government’s resale announcement.