Your Blue Jays World Series tickets could be worth thousands — and trigger a tax bill, too

Imagine this: On October 21, 2025, you scored a pair of World Series tickets — about $500 each — figuring it would be fantastic to watch this iconic Canadian baseball team push for the pennant win. At the time, the purchase seemed justified: You’re a fan even if you don't bleed blue. But as the Blue Jays kept winning and you began to notice the resale price for those two tickets you hold creep up. Now, with the series tied one and one between the Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers, these tickets can be resold for $2,000 or more apiece.

So, it is tempting to consider selling your World Series Blue Jays tickets? Definitely. You could even use the funds to help pay for a week in Mexico this winter. But before you list them online and cash in, there’s something you need to know: If you sell those tickets for a profit, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will want their (tax) cut.

How much are people paying for Blue Jays World Series tickets?

In most years, post-regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) tickets carry a markup — as fans rush to support their team. This year, however, the resale value of tickets shot into the stratosphere. Here's how ticket prices escalated over the last few weeks:

• Face value for World Series seats at Rogers Centre generally ranged from $350 to $600, depending on location
• Resale “get-in” prices last week hovering around $1,275 to $1,390 for Game 1 and $1,330 to $1,660 for Game 2
• Tickets for game 7 in Toronto are currently being listed for $2,930 to $3,000 — with prices rising by the day

For reference, tickets to earlier playoff games — like the American League Division Series (ALDS) — were already being flipped for US$800 (C$1,100) or more for lower-bowl seats.

For those currently holding World Series tickets, this massive spike in ticket value can certainly trigger a question about whether or not to sell these tickets and cash in on their value.

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What the CRA says about profiting from ticket resales

The CRA doesn’t have a special rule just for sports tickets. Instead, profits from ticket resales fall under the same categories used for other types of income, in particular: capital gains or business income. The distinction comes down to your intent and actions when you purchased (and sold) the tickets.

For instance, if you bought the tickets with the plan to go to the game and then changed your mind and opted to sell these tickets later, at a profit, then the revenue generated would be considered a capital gain. Under CRA tax laws, a capital gain means that only 50% of the profit is taxable — and only at your marginal rate.

But if you bought those Blue Jays World Series tickets with the intent of flipping those tickets in the resale market for a profit (or you do this sort of thing regularly) the CRA could treat the profit as business or self-employment income — and 100% of that revenue is fully taxable at your marginal rate.

And it's not just about what you say your intent was but how the CRA views the factors around that purchase and sale. The CRA may look at a variety of factors, such as:

• How quickly you listed the tickets after buying them
• Whether you’ve done this kind of resale before
• If you’re selling multiple tickets or multiple events
• If you advertised your tickets widely or set up resale pages

In short, if reselling your Blue Jays World Series starts to look like it's part of a side hustle, the CRA might treat it like one and demand you pay tax on 100% of the profit.

Is it a capital gain or business income?

The key question to answer is whether or not the CRA will consider the profit you earned from selling the tickets as a capital gain or business (or self-employment) income. Unfortunately, there’s no magic checklist that guarantees one treatment or the other, by the CRA, but there are a few general guidelines:

How to determine if reselling a Blue Jays World Series ticket triggers a capital gain?

If you bought the ticket(s) intending to go to the game and only now choosing to sell rather than go to the game. Then you can probably report the profit on that ticket sale as a capital gain. This means:

• Your taxable amount is 50% of the difference between what you paid and what you sold the ticket for
• You use Schedule 3 of your tax return to report the gain

To illustrate, let's assume you paid $500 each for two tickets. Just before the start of Game 3 you sell each ticket for $1,600 — for a total profit of $2,200. On next year's tax return submission, you would add $1,100 to your taxable income — since a capital gain means you only pay tax on 50% of the profit, at your marginal tax rate.

How to determine if reselling a Blue Jays World Series ticket triggers business income tax?

If you bought the ticket(s) with the goal of selling the tickets to earn a profit then you can probably report the profit on that ticket sale as business (or self-employment) income. In this case:

• You report the full amount of profit as business or self-employment income
• You may need to use Form T2125 (Statement of Business or Professional Activities)
• If you surpass the small-supplier threshold ($30,000 in taxable sales), or operate in a businesslike manner, you may also need to charge and remit GST/HST

For that same pair of tickets, you would report $2,200 in taxable income, with tax charged based on your marginal tax rate.

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Is the CRA really watching ticket resellers?

While the CRA hasn’t released information about specific events, such as the Blue Jays World Series or even Taylor Swift ticket resales, media reports say the agency is paying close attention to big-ticket resale activity (1).

Earlier in 2025, the CRA warned Canadians that profits from flipping Taylor Swift concert tickets is a taxable event (2) and additional media noted that the CRA is “cracking down on cash businesses and ticket reselling,” targeting the underground economy where income goes unreported (3).

So while you might not get audited for a one-off sale, the trend is clear: High-profit ticket flipping is on the CRA’s radar and the tax agency enforcement on this cash business is tightening.

What you should do if you resell Blue Jays World Series tickets

If you decide to resell your Jays tickets, be sure to document everything:

• The original purchase receipt (including taxes and fees)
• The resale price and date of sale
• Any listing or transaction fees charged by platforms
• Communication or screenshots that support your intent (e.g., plans that changed)

When tax season arrives — and you go to file your income tax return for 2025 — be honest about the gain. If you're not sure how to report it, or whether the profit qualifies as business income, consider calling the CRA or speak to a tax professional. The potential penalty for unreported income outweighs the hassle.

Bottom line

The Blue Jays making it to the World Series, for the first time in 32 years, is the stuff of Canadian baseball dreams. For fans who got in early, the resale market looks like a golden opportunity. But flipping your seats for a quick profit isn’t just a matter of supply and demand — it’s taxable income.

So before you click “list for sale,” make sure you understand where you stand with the CRA. Otherwise, your sunny getaway could come with a tax bill you didn’t see coming.

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

National Post: The CRA wants to know if you profited from reselling those Taylor Swift tickets (1); Global News: Did you resell Taylor Swift tickets? You may need to pay tax on that (2); The Voice: CRA cracks down on cash businesses and ticket reselling, targeting the underground economy (3)