Season ticket holders: team exchange or marketplace?
The team exchange is the least work; a marketplace reaches more buyers. Ticketmaster resale holds 35% of NFL listings here but far less in other leagues.
If your season tickets live in a team account on Ticketmaster, two buttons compete for each game you skip: the team’s exchange on Ticketmaster (for NFL teams, the NFL Ticket Exchange) and a transfer to a buyer from a marketplace. The right one depends on the league.
How big the team exchange is, league by league
Each share is a marketplace’s listings over the five marketplaces’ total, across the games of that league on this site.
| League | Ticketmaster resale | Top open marketplace | Its share |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | 34.7% | SeatGeek | 24.5% |
| College football | 17.4% | SeatGeek | 35.5% |
| NBA | 13.3% | SeatGeek | 58.6% |
| NHL | 6.5% | SeatGeek | 52.6% |
| College basketball | 4.6% | SeatGeek | 44.6% |
When the team exchange wins
- NFL games. Ticketmaster runs the NFL Ticket Exchange and carries the most listings for every NFL game here.
- When you want no handoff. Ticketmaster sends the tickets to the buyer, so there is no transfer to forget.
- When transfer is locked. A locked ticket can only sell through the team’s exchange.
When a marketplace wins
- Basketball and hockey. Ticketmaster resale holds a small share there, so most buyers shop elsewhere.
- When the season is long. Listing a few games on a busier marketplace can move seats the exchange leaves unsold. Delist everywhere else the moment one sells; see listing on more than one site.
The NFL change to watch
TicketNews reported in October 2026 that other authorized marketplaces are expected to get access to season ticket resale from all 32 NFL teams in the coming offseason, while Ticketmaster stays the league’s top-tier partner and keeps running the NFL Ticket Exchange. Until the league sets a date, treat it as expected, not done.