How the guides library is organized
The guides library answers the questions that come before and after the purchase, in three tracks that follow the order you make decisions: buying tickets, choosing seats and event day. Each track opens with a pillar guide that explains the whole subject, followed by focused guides on single questions.
The venue, team, city and show pages handle specifics for one building or event. The guides explain the principles behind that advice, such as why resale prices move, what a limited-view seat is and why some stadiums ban most bags, so you can apply them anywhere.
Buying tickets: resale, fees and safety
The buying track starts with How Buying Event Tickets Works, which explains the primary market (tickets sold first by the team, venue or promoter) and the resale market (tickets listed again by fans and brokers). The focused guides cover whether resale tickets are legitimate, how ticket fees work, how to avoid scams, when prices tend to drop and how mobile ticket transfer works.
Fee rules changed recently. The Federal Trade Commission's rule on unfair or deceptive fees took effect on May 12, 2025, and requires sellers of live-event tickets to disclose the total price clearly and prominently whenever they show a price (FTC final rule, Federal Register). Scams remain a real risk: the FTC's 2024 Consumer Sentinel data ranked online shopping second among fraud categories, with 383,441 reports (FTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book 2024). That data does not break out event tickets, but the guide on scams shows where ticket fraud typically starts.
Choosing seats: charts, sightlines and trade-offs
The seating track opens with How to Choose Seats at Any Venue. The focused guides explain how to read a seating chart, whether floor seats beat the lower bowl, what obstructed and limited-view seats mean, and how to check the view from your seat before you buy. Three guides apply the method to specific events: the best seats at a concert, at an NFL game and at a baseball game.
These guides lean on judgment. A sideline seat 20 rows up often shows more of a football game than the front row of an end zone; a concert floor ticket can mean standing behind taller fans for three hours. The guides say plainly when a popular choice is a poor one.
Event day: what to know before you leave
The event-day track opens with Event Day: What to Know Before You Go. Its focused guides cover stadium bag policies and the clear-bag rule, NFL stadiums ranked by capacity, the practical difference between an arena and a stadium, and a checklist for your first concert.
Policies in this track change often. Clear-bag rules, mobile-entry requirements and parking arrangements vary by venue and season, so each guide dates what it describes and points you to the venue's own policy page.
Using the guides alongside the listings
The guides are written to be read before you buy, not instead of buying. A sensible order:
- Read the pillar for your question. It sets out the terms and the trade-offs.
- Open the venue guide. It applies those trade-offs to one building's sections.
- Compare listings in two or three sections. The seat, not the cheapest row, is the decision.
On timing, one academic study of resale baseball tickets found that sellers often cut prices by 40 percent or more as game day approached. That 2012 research covered regular-season MLB games, and high-demand concerts often behave differently, which is why the guide on price drops treats it as a historical pattern rather than a rule. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start if I have never bought resale tickets?
Start with How Buying Event Tickets Works, the pillar of the buying track, then read Are Resale Tickets Legit? and Ticket Fees Explained.
What is the FTC all-in price rule?
It is a Federal Trade Commission rule, effective May 12, 2025, that requires sellers of live-event tickets to show the total price, including mandatory fees, clearly and prominently whenever a price is displayed. The Ticket Fees Explained guide covers it in detail.
Do ticket prices always drop close to the event?
No. Research on resale baseball tickets found large late price cuts, but high-demand concerts and championship games often behave differently. The guide on price drops explains the patterns and their limits.
Which guide explains clear-bag rules?
Stadium Bag Policies: The Clear Bag Rule Explained, in the event-day track. Policies vary by venue and change by season, so confirm with the venue before you go.