Ticket Fee Disclosure Audit Trail

PROBLEM: On 9 April 2026 the FTC announced that StubHub will pay $10 million to settle FTC charges that it deceptively advertised ticket prices without clearly and conspicuously disclosing up front how much consumers would actually pay, including all mandatory fees, in violation of the FTC Act and the FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees. The District of Columbia had sued StubHub on 31 July 2024 over the same "drip pricing" pattern, estimating about $118 million in hidden fees from District consumers since 2015. Buyers could not see the full price until the end of a long checkout.

SOLUTION: An IBM Cloud Ideas compliance audit trail that captures, for every ticket listing, the first-displayed price, each mandatory fee with its amount and purpose, the point in checkout at which each fee first appeared, and the final amount paid, flagging any listing where the total price was not disclosed up front and more prominently than the base price.

EVIDENCE BASIS: DOCUMENTED — FTC announced 9 Apr 2026 a $10 million StubHub settlement for deceptive ticket pricing under the FTC Act and the Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees; DC AG sued 31 Jul 2024 alleging drip pricing and an estimated $118 million in hidden fees from District consumers since 2015.