Flash Seats FAQs

Questions about buying seats

How do I buy seats?

It's easy to buy great seats to any event that is sold on Flash Seats. Simply:

  • Log in to your Flash Seats account
  • Click Buy at the top of the page. All available events are shown on the List of Events page.
  • Choose the event you want to buy, locate the best seats for you, and place a bid or click the Buy Now button.

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Where do seats that are available come from?

Flash Seats is the only place you can get access to event seats on an individual basis and be sure that you are purchasing valid, authentic seats to the event on a marketplace backed by your team or venue. Seats posted for sale come from Season Ticket Holders who are unable to attend and from people who have received or purchased Flash Seats tickets and are unable to use them.

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Can I cancel or get a refund for a purchase?

No, you cannot cancel any transaction once it has been completed. There are no refunds unless an event is cancelled and not rescheduled. In the case of a weather-related cancellation, face value, which might not be the actual amount paid for the seats, will be refunded to the owner of the seat (the person who currently has possession of the seats).

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How do I get my seats?

Anyone with Internet access can use Flash Seats. Seats are delivered immediately via email. That means no shipping fees. In fact, no shipping at all. Seats are transferred instantly - no waiting, no mailing, no insured deliveries.

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Will I have to deal with the seller directly?

No. In Flash Seats, both buyers and sellers are anonymous. Once a sale is made, the seats are transferred directly into the buyer's account and the payment is deposited directly into the seller's account.

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How quickly will I receive my seats?

Your seats are deposited into your account as soon as the transaction is complete!

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Does Flash Seats work like other online auction sites?

No. Flash Seats is a marketplace, not an auction. The most important differences between a market and an auction are:

  • A seller can accept ANY BID at ANY TIME up until the bid expires or is retracted (i.e., sellers can sell now)
  • A buyer can accept ANY OFFER at ANY TIME until the offer expires or is retracted (i.e., buyers can buy now)
  • A bid might still be ACCEPTED AFTER A HIGHER COMPETITIVE BID is placed (e.g., in the case where the higher bid expires). When any of these things happens, the transaction is completed instantly, obligating both parties.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind when bidding on tickets:

  • When you place a bid on a market, you set an expiration time.
  • Your bid can only be accepted by a seller until your bid expires. Your bid is an obligation to buy the item at the bid price if the seller accepts it before the bid expires.
  • If a higher competitive bid is placed, it does not change the fact that your bid is an obligation to purchase if the seller accepts it. The higher competitive bid may expire or be retracted before yours. This means that just because a higher competitive bid has been placed, your bid is not out of consideration. A seller can accept ANY bid at ANY time, regardless of whether the bid is the highest or lowest.

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How long is my bid valid?

When you place a bid, you can set an expiration time. Sellers have until the expiration time to accept your bid.

Important! When setting the expiration time for your bid, consider by what day and time you need to know if your bid is accepted. Because sellers can set their listings to expire at any time, even right before the event, and because they can accept any bid they choose, even if it's not the highest, your bid could be accepted at a time that is very close to the start of the event, depending on when you set your bid to expire. Once your bid is accepted by a seller, you are obligated to pay the bid price you agreed to, regardless of when your bid is accepted. To ensure that you are notified in enough time to attend the event, set a bid expiration that makes sense for you. In addition, if you have placed a bid on an event, be sure to check your email frequently because you will be notified via email if your bid is accepted.

You can choose one of the following expiration times for your bid:

  • One Day From Now
  • Two Days From Now
  • Three Days From Now
  • One Week From Now
  • One Day Before Offer Expiration
  • One Hour Before Offer Expiration
  • Two Hours Before Offer Expiration
  • Three Hours Before Offer Expiration
  • Custom: you choose the date and time your bid expires
  • Expires at Offer Expiration: the bid is valid until the listing expires

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How long can I accept a bid for my listing?

You can accept a bid up until it expires. When bidders place bids, they have the option to set one of the following expiration times:

  • One Day From Now
  • Two Days From Now
  • Three Days From Now
  • One Week From Now
  • One Day Before Offer Expiration
  • One Hour Before Offer Expiration
  • Two Hours Before Offer Expiration
  • Three Hours Before Offer Expiration
  • Custom: bidders can choose the date and time their bid expires
  • Expires at Offer Expiration: the bid is valid until the listing expires (based on the expiration time you chose when you listed your tickets for sale). As long as the bid hasn't expired, you can accept it; once it has expired, you can no longer accept it.

You can view the expiration dates for bids on your listing by doing the following:

  • Click Listings, and then find the listing for which you want to view the expiration times for bids.
  • In the Event Information column, click the linked event name. The Event Information page appears.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you can view all the bids for your listings. In the Bid Expires In column, you can view in how many hours and minutes the bid will expire.

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If I have the highest bid, do I automatically get the tickets?

No. Flash Seats is a marketplace, not an auction, so a seller can accept ANY bid at ANY time, regardless of whether the bid is the highest or lowest. The most important differences between a market and an auction are:

  • A seller can accept ANY BID at ANY TIME up until the bid expires or is retracted (i.e., sellers can sell now)
  • A buyer can accept ANY OFFER at ANY TIME until the offer expires or is retracted (i.e., buyers can buy now)
  • A bid might still be ACCEPTED AFTER A HIGHER COMPETITIVE BID is placed. (e.g., in the case where the higher bid expires.) When any of these things happens, the transaction is completed instantly, obligating both parties.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind when bidding on tickets:

  • When you place a bid on a market, you set an expiration time. Your bid can only be accepted by a seller until your bid expires.
  • Your bid is an obligation to buy the item at the bid price if the seller accepts it before the bid expires.
  • If a higher competitive bid is placed, it does not change the fact that your bid is an obligation to purchase if the seller accepts it. The higher competitive bid may expire or be retracted before yours. This means that just because a higher competitive bid has been placed, your bid is not out of consideration.

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Where can I see my bids when I log into the Flash Seats site?

If you have placed bids on tickets and want to view them, do the following:

  • Click Bids. All your active bids appear. You can filter the list of your bids by using the Show drop-down at the top of the page.

If you have an active listing and you want to view the bids that have been placed on it, do the following:

  • Click Listings, and then find the listing for which you want to view the expiration times for bids.
  • In the Event Information column, click the linked event name. The Event Information page appears.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you can view all the bids for your listing.

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How and when will I be notified if my bid is accepted?

As soon as a seller accepts your bid, which they can do at any time, as long as your bid is still valid based on the expiration time you set, you will be notified instantly via email that your bid was accepted. Once your bid is accepted by a seller, you are obligated to pay the bid price you agreed to, regardless of when your bid is accepted.

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Where can I see if other people bid on the same tickets I did?

To view all active bids for a listing that you bid on:

  • Click Bids. All your active bids appear.
  • In the Event Information column, click the linked event name. The Event Information page appears.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you can see all active bids on those tickets.

Important! Even if your bid is the highest, it does not mean that you will automatically get the tickets. Because Flash Seats is a marketplace, not an auction, a seller can accept ANY bid at ANY time, regardless of whether the bid is the highest or lowest.

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Do I need to enter my credit card information in order to place a bid on tickets?

Yes. Once a seller accepts a bid you have placed, the tickets are automatically and instantly sold to you through the Flash Seats system. When this happens, you are immediately obligated to pay the bid price you agreed to, which is why your credit card information needs to be entered into the system in order to place a bid.

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Once my bid is accepted, do I have to buy the tickets?

Yes. Once a seller accepts a bid you have placed, the tickets are automatically and instantly sold to you through the Flash Seats system, and you are immediately obligated to pay the bid price you agreed to, regardless of when your bid is accepted. Because you are immediately obligated, you should set an expiration time for your bid that gives you enough notice when your bid is accepted.

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Do I have to bid on tickets or can I just buy them?

In Flash Seats, you have the option to bid on tickets or buy them now. If you bid on tickets, the seller must accept your bid in order for you to gain ownership of the tickets. Because a seller can accept ANY bid at ANY time, regardless of whether the bid is the highest or lowest, you may decide to simply buy tickets now. This feature allows you to instantly buy tickets, without waiting for the seller to accept your bid, ensuring you will get tickets to the event of your choice.

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If I list tickets for sale, do they automatically go to the highest bidder?

No. You can accept ANY bid at ANY time, but in order to sell your tickets to a bidder, you MUST accept his or her bid. If you do not accept a bid and your listing expires, you are still the owner of the tickets.

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I want tickets for a specific event, so I placed bids on different tickets. How can I make sure that I don't get more tickets than I need?

Because Flash Seats is a marketplace, not an auction, a seller can accept ANY bid at ANY time. In order to be sure you get the tickets you want for a specific event, we recommend using the Buy Now feature. This feature allows you to instantly buy tickets and have them put into your Flash Seats account, ensuring you will be able to go to the event of your choice.

If you would still like to bid on tickets instead of buying them now, you should use the BidSafe™ feature. When this feature is turned on, you can bid on different sets of tickets for the same event knowing that only one of your bids can be accepted. All your other bids for the event will be automatically retracted when any of your bids is accepted and your payment is processed. To modify your BidSafe™ setting, click Account, and then click Options, where you can turn BidSafe™ on or off.

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Can bidders buy tickets that I listed if I don't accept their bid?

Yes. As soon as you list your tickets for sale, bidders have the option to purchase them for your ask price using the Buy Now feature. With this feature, the tickets are instantly purchased and placed in their Flash Seats account, requiring no action from you.

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I want to contact the seller to make sure I get the tickets I want. How can I do that?

In Flash Seats, buyers and sellers are anonymous, so you can't contact the seller. If you want to be sure you get tickets to a specific event, we recommend using the Buy Now feature. With this feature, the tickets are instantly purchased and placed in your Flash Seats account, ensuring you can attend the event of your choice.

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Enter events with your digital ID...it’s fast and easy! For more information, please call:
Customer Service:
888-360-SEAT (7328)
or customerservice@flashseats.com