ResaleCap

Last checked

Method & sources

ResaleCap reads the statute, not summaries of it. Each rule below links to the primary source. Where the text does not settle a question, the point is marked unverified instead of guessed.

The math

  1. Base. The original all-in price: what was paid at first sale, including every fee and tax. You can enter it per ticket or for the whole order.
  2. DC. Seller’s maximum = base + 10% of base. Exchange fee maximum = 10% of base. Most a buyer can pay = the two added together (D.C. Code § 28-5506(b), (c)).
  3. Maine. No price cap. Marketplace fee maximum = 10% of the original total price including taxes and fees (8 M.R.S. § 1301(2-A)(G)).
  4. UK (preview). Maximum = the original price including unavoidable fees, per the 19 November 2025 announcement. Not law.

Rounding

All money is handled in whole cents. Each maximum is rounded down to the cent, because “up to 10%” makes any higher cent illegal. In DC the seller maximum and the fee maximum are rounded separately, then added. Example: a $99.99 ticket gives $109.98 + $9.99 = $119.97.

Quantity

The caps apply per ticket. With an order total for several tickets, the total is split evenly per ticket, each ticket’s maximum is rounded down, and the order maximum is that per-ticket maximum times the number of tickets. A listing price can be checked per ticket or for all of them.

Over-cap check

In DC, a listing above the buyer maximum is over the cap. A listing at or under the seller maximum is within it. Between the two, it depends on how much of the price is the exchange’s own fee; add the fee if the listing itemizes it, and ResaleCap checks both limits. Before 1 January 2027 the result says what will apply from that date.

The cap math is covered by unit tests in the source repository.

Washington DC: sources

Unclear or unverified

  • Shipping. § 28-5502(b) lets a listing add reasonable shipping for physical tickets on top of the disclosed total. Whether shipping may also sit on top of the cap is not stated in § 28-5506. This calculator leaves shipping out.
  • Rounding. The law gives percentages, not a rounding rule. ResaleCap rounds every maximum down to the cent, so the number shown is never above the legal limit.
  • Sports at DC venues. Home games of District-based professional and college teams are outside the law. Whether other sports events (for example a touring league or a team from outside DC) are covered depends on who organizes them. Unverified: check the organizer.
  • Future changes. From January 1, 2028 the Mayor may move the price cap to between 0% and 20% over the original price, and the fee cap to between 5% and 20% (§ 28-5507(b)). ResaleCap uses the statutory 10% and 10% until a rule is published.
  • Implementing rules. § 28-5507(a) says the Mayor shall issue rules. None were found on the date checked.

Maine: sources

Unclear or unverified

  • No price cap. § 1301 caps the marketplace fee, not the resale price itself. ResaleCap shows "no cap in law" for the price.
  • Who the fee cap binds. The rule is addressed to a "ticket reseller or ticket issuer". Whether every resale marketplace falls under those definitions is not settled in the text. Unverified.
  • Start date of the 2025 amendment (PL 2025, c. 354). Not confirmed from a primary source on the date checked. The section is shown as current law on the Revisor’s site.
  • Rounding. ResaleCap rounds the maximum fee down to the cent.

United Kingdom: sources

Unclear or unverified

  • Not law yet. On the date checked, no Act or regulation setting the cap was found. Dates, scope and exceptions can change.
  • The resale platform fee cap level has not been published. ResaleCap cannot calculate a maximum fee for the UK.

Independence

ResaleCap is not affiliated with any venue, team, artist, ticket issuer or marketplace, or with any government. It may later show ads or affiliate links; if it does, they will be labelled and they never change a result. See the disclosure.

Credits

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