Buying concert tickets during an onsale can feel like stepping into battle — you’re racing the clock, dodging bots, and outmanoeuvring thousands of eager fans. Whether you’re trying to grab front-row seats or simply avoid getting stuck in the dreaded virtual queue, understanding how a ticket onsale works is the key to success.
In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to buy concert tickets faster, smarter, and with better odds of landing those high-demand seats.
The way tickets are sold isn’t a deep dark secret — but there are crucial things you should know that will give you an advantage with major ticketing companies like Ticketmaster, AXS, and Eventim.
If you remember only two things, make it these: patience is a virtue, and a plan is your best friend.
Three Things To Do Before Tickets Go On Sale
- Create an account with the ticketing company and save all your details (especially payment info).
- Review the seating chart in advance if it’s a reserved seating event.
- Set your budget so you know your upper limit before the frenzy begins.
- Pick your first, second, and third-choice seats — flexibility can be the difference between a yes or a “sorry, sold out.”
What is a Ticket Onsale?
If tickets go on sale at exactly 10:00:00 a.m., it’s entirely possible that, within two seconds, every ticket is already sitting in someone’s shopping cart.
By 10:00:01 a.m., you might see a message that there are “currently no tickets available.” Notice the wording: currently — that’s your golden clue. It doesn’t mean the event is completely sold out.
What to Do If You Get Stuck in a Queue
Seeing the “no tickets available” message at 10:00:02 a.m. is frustrating, but it’s not the end. Tickets can (and often do) come back into the pool as people abandon their carts, run into payment issues, or second-guess their purchase.
Stay in the queue. Keep trying. Your patience might just pay off.
Why It’s So Hard to Buy Concert Tickets
Tickets for major events behave like hot commodities in a stock market surge — snapped up, abandoned, and re-entered into circulation at dizzying speed.
Here’s a typical onsale timeline:
| Time | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 10:00:00 | 4,000 tickets are released for sale. |
| 10:00:01 | All tickets are in shopping carts. “Currently no tickets available” message appears. |
| 10:01:00 | Some buyers hesitate, compare notes, and abandon their carts. |
| 10:04:00 | Released tickets reappear — opportunities open up! |
| 10:14:00 | Payment issues cause more tickets to be released. |
| 10:30:00 | Slow buyers lose their tickets — fresh inventory pops up again. |
Bottom line: Shows often appear “sold out” multiple times before every last ticket is truly sold.
Insider Tips for Beating the Ticket Rush
- Join the queue early — don’t show up fashionably late.
- Stay logged in and ready — having your payment info saved can save precious seconds.
- Keep refreshing smartly — but don’t hammer the refresh button if you’re in a queue (it can boot you out).
- Don’t give up immediately — tickets are often released back into the pool in waves.
Maximise Your Chances Next Time
Final Thoughts: How to Improve Your Odds of Buying Concert Tickets
Scoring tickets to a high-demand concert isn’t down to luck — it’s down to preparation, patience, and a bit of nerve. By setting up your account beforehand, knowing your seating priorities, and staying persistent even when you see “currently no tickets available,” you massively increase your chances of success.
Remember: ticket onsales are a dynamic process, not a one-shot deal. Tickets often reappear minutes — sometimes even hours — after the initial onsale. Keep calm, stick to your plan, and you might just walk away with the tickets everyone else thought were sold out.