Online sellers Kijiji and StubHub Inc. have merged, now making it possible for Kijiji users to buy and sell tickets straight from the site.
The two companies did not disclose financial details of the agreement, according to a press release.
Kijiji, a classified ads Web site, is now integrating with StubHub to offer a secure way to get tickets to games, concerts, plays, and other live entertainment events. Connecting about 10 million Canadians each month, Kijiji’s free service has local sites for about 100 cities and towns nationally.
The StubHub site is touted as the world’s largest ticket marketplace for fans to buy tickets from each other. It counts the San Francisco Giants and the University of Texas, as well as 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and NCAA as among its partners.
Both sites are owned by eBay Inc., which launched Kijiji in 2005 as an alternative to online classifieds powerhouse Craigslist Inc. It scooped up StubHub in January 2007 for about $310 million.
By buying or selling through StubHub on Kijiji, event-goers might have a good alternative to dealing with scalpers, especially if they want last-minute tickets, said Anthony Lipschitz, country lead of StubHub Canada.
That’s because StubHub offers a “FanProtect Guarantee,” which means the company backs every order.
For buyers, it promises to get them the tickets they ordered in time for the event, with the possibility of replacement tickets or a refund if they don’t work out. StubHub also provides customer support, so buyers and sellers don’t have to have direct contact. And if an event is cancelled and not rescheduled, buyers are still entitled to a refund.
On the seller side, StubHub allows sellers to list their tickets for free, and they’re allowed to set their prices and change them at any time before the tickets have been sold.
“With the StubHub FanProtect Guarantee, fans are protected from that awful experience of buying a ticket from a stranger outside an event because you couldn’t get one anywhere else and then being turned away at the door because there’s something wrong with the ticket,” said Lipschitz in a statement.
“Offering that same peace of mind to Kijiji users is good for everyone.”
