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Tickets sold out very quickly, did they all go to touts/staff/etc?

Does Skiddle prevent bots from joining the queue and buying tickets?

Updated this week

At Skiddle, we’re committed to ensuring that all customers have a fair opportunity to buy tickets at face value. Here's how we manage ticket allocations and protect our platform from unfair practices.

Full Allocation Available — No Hidden Tickets

Skiddle sells 100% of the ticket allocation provided to us by event promoters. We do not:

  • Divert tickets to secondary ticketing platforms

  • Reserve tickets for staff or insiders

  • Create premium “Platinum” sections with inflated prices

  • Hold back any portion of tickets for private sale

Everything we receive is made available to you, the customer, directly through our platform.

Why Tickets Sell Out So Quickly

When you're purchasing tickets online, it’s easy to forget how many others are trying to buy at the same time. Unlike in a physical shop, you can’t see the crowd—but rest assured, it’s there.

It’s not uncommon for popular events to attract 100 times more customers than there are tickets available, especially in the first few minutes of a sale. As a result, tickets can sell out in mere minutes.

Sign Up for Pre-Sales

Many events offer pre-sale opportunities before general ticket releases. We strongly recommend signing up for pre-sale alerts or fan clubs, as these can significantly increase your chances of securing tickets. By the time the general sale opens, a large portion of the tickets may already be sold.

Our Anti-Touting Measures

We actively fight against ticket touting and scalping practices to protect genuine customers. Here’s how:

  • Suspicious activity monitoring: We flag and investigate unusual purchasing patterns.

  • Order cancellations: We cancel any orders we identify as being placed by touts or resellers.

  • Barcode delays: We delay releasing ticket barcodes until close to the event, making it harder for tickets to be resold.

  • Platform bans: We permanently block known touts from using our site.

These steps help keep the resale market in check and ensure more tickets are available at their original face value.


Do You Prevent Bots from Buying Tickets?

Yes. Skiddle uses a variety of advanced tools to detect and block automated bots from accessing ticket sales.

How We Handle Bots:

  • Real-time detection: Our systems monitor and block bot traffic as it attempts to join queues or make purchases.

  • Constant updates: Since bot technology evolves quickly, we regularly update our defences to stay ahead.

  • No queue advantage: Even if a bot manages to access the queue, our random queueing system gives it no speed advantage over human customers.

  • Immediate action: If a bot successfully makes a purchase, the order is swiftly identified and cancelled.

As a result of these measures, bot purchases on Skiddle are extremely rare.


Summary

We don’t hold tickets back. We don’t play pricing games. And we don’t tolerate touts or bots.

By making the full ticket allocation available, fighting off resellers, and leveling the playing field with smart technology, Skiddle gives genuine fans the best possible chance of attending the events they love—at the price they were meant to pay.

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