Ticket Brokers

[rmackman]

I was able to get BCS Championship tickets this season, but it has been one of the rare occasions that my sports connections failed me. As a result, I had to turn to a ticket broker, where I paid $550 apeice for 5 tickets. Now I've been to a lot of different events. The World Series (twice), Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, a lot of different Bowl Games, major golf and tennis tournaments, etc. The BCS Championship and the 2006 NBA Finals are the only two times I've had to turn to ticket brokers.

That got me thinking. It seems it's more likely that I'll have to continue to go this route now because brokers have software programs that enables them to pass through security restrictions in order to buy up more tickets via the internet. It's no surprise that the secondary market is rapidly growing. This ESPN.com article shows that even traditional states that were anti-scalping/brokers are starting to let up: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2887957 Brokers have more of a shot at tickets now than ever before, and they mark them up at a rediculous rate. I did a little internet searching, and below my post I found and quoted these explanations on ticket brokers and the secondary industry. If you have time to read it all, more power to you. I think it says a lot though.

Ticket brokers will always say they're providing a service. They say that because of them you:

1. Don't have to stand in line
   
2. Enable you to get the best seats
   
3. Allow you to get tickets last minute
   
4. Make it possible for you to get tickets to a major event
   

It's my personal belief that they are not providing any service whatsoever. I would rather the event jack up their prices even more, and just let the fans go for it rather than having to deal with a broker and their service fees. Brokers are simply artificially bumping up the market in their favor in order to screw people to make a profit. They're simply professional crooks.

If I ran a professional team, I'd break up ticket sales. Season ticket holders and corporte sponsors get first crack at tickets on a specific day. They're the ones who buy regular seats in the first place. After that I'd begin individual game sales done by lottery format. No single person could buy more than four tickets at one time. All licensed broker companies are banned from purchasing tickets. All purchases would be made tentatively, meaning the team would be allowd to review a purchase, and revoke said purchase if it is deemed you are a ticket broker. I'm not so sure this would be a permanent solution, and it is a bit tedious. However, I feel this would help the situation.

Feel free to voice your opinions if you have any, and thanks for taking the time to read this long post.

From wisegeek.com:

If you've ever tried to get ticketsticketstickets to a concert, only to find them sold out three minutes after they went on sale, look no further than a ticketticketticket broker. With legions of employees both in line and online, a ticketticketticket broker has the resources to buy more ticketsticketstickets and buy them faster than an individual. If you can't find ticketsticketstickets to an event, chances are a ticketticketticket broker has them.

Many states have laws prohibiting the sale of ticketsticketstickets for more than face value. Some states have laws that specifically forbid a ticketticketticket broker to do business. With the worldwide access of the Internet, a ticketticketticket broker can operate in a state that allows him or her to do business, and sell ticketsticketstickets to concerts, shows, and events from all over the world.

A ticketticketticket broker makes money based on supply and demand. There is an artificially small supply of event ticketsticketstickets, because a show only plays so many dates and there are only so many seats at a venue. This allows a ticketticketticket broker to control a significant portion of the supply of ticketsticketstickets, and charge ten times the ticketticketticket price or more.

The ticketticketticket broker employs a group of buyers to purchase ticketsticketstickets for a particular event. The buyers stand in line at points of sale or use the Internet to make online purchases. The employees deliver the ticketsticketstickets to the ticketticketticket broker, who then resells them, usually through a website, at a huge markup. When people are unable to find ticketsticketstickets to the event, they turn to the ticketticketticket broker.

Of course, there are multiple sides to the discussion. TicketTicketTicket brokersbrokersbrokers claim to be providing a service. They say that by purchasing a large number of ticketsticketstickets and selling them at an extreme markup, they are only providing a true market economy. Their claim is that if people want to see a show badly enough to pay ten times the face value of the ticketticketticket, the ticketticketticket broker is justified in selling the ticketticketticket for that price.

Opponents of ticketticketticket brokersbrokersbrokers claim that because there is a very limited number of ticketsticketstickets, the brokersbrokersbrokers are providing unfair competition. They say that the ticketticketticket broker is cornering the market. These opponents do not believe that it is ethical of the brokersbrokersbrokers to act as middlemen, hoarding ticketsticketstickets and demanding an artificially high price without providing any significant service.

Some states have laws that agree with the ticketticketticket broker's desire to make a profit. Other states support the ticketticketticket buyer's desire to buy ticketsticketstickets at face value. You can bet that if there were a discussion on the issue, a ticket broker could get you a seat.

From smartmoney.com

10 Things Your Ticket Broker Won't Tell You

1. "We thrive on your confusion."

In recent years you might've noticed the options for buying tickets to concerts, sporting events and the theater have been expanding. First there are the venue box offices and event promoters, which sell seats directly to the public. Next comes what's called the primary market, including giants like Ticketmaster that contract with venues and promoters to sell seats at their events. Finally ? and this is where things get really confusing ? there's a growing secondary market for reselling tickets, including sites like StubHub (a Craigslist-style marketplace where people can sell tickets they've bought) and Onlineseats.com (which buys tickets for resale to the public).

The primary market is still the most common way to get tickets; it brought in $21 billion in 2007, versus $5 billion for the secondary market. But by 2012 the latter is expected to double its sales, according to Forrester Research. The problem is, the resellers' market is the Wild West of ticket sales, rife with opportunity as well as scam. And most folks don't even know there's a difference between primary and secondary sellers, says TicketNews.com publisher Crystal Astrachan. The upshot: When buying tickets, what you don't know can hurt you.

2. "You may be better off buying tickets the old-fashioned way."

A major reason for the growth of the secondary marketplace is the fact that people are willing to pay big bucks to see their favorite artists or teams perform. According to Forrester Research, three out of five consumers paid more than face value when buying tickets online through a secondary seller. Right now ticket prices simply aren't set as high as what they're worth on the open market, says Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail analyst at Forrester: "That's why you have a second market." Take the Super Bowl. Tickets to last season's game went for an average $3,540 on StubHub, versus $700 and $900 at face value.

The recent relaxation of antiscalping laws in 44 states ? including big ticket issuers like California, Nevada and New York ? has contributed as well, basically providing a free market for resellers. But that's not necessarily a good thing for consumers, says Mulpuru, who warns that eventually, the primary market will catch up and start chargingmore. "That's where this is all headed," she says. So what's the safest route for consumers? Stick to the box office or Ticketmaster when possible, until the ticket industry sorts itself out.

3. "You've got season tickets? Ka-ching!"

The secondary market has been a boon to season-ticket holders who want to sell their seats for a profit. Sean Pate, corporate communications head for StubHub, estimates 60 to 70 percent of sports tickets on the site are from season-ticket holders. But there's an important variable when it comes to price: Is the franchise any good? Seats for the Boston Celtics, one of the hottest teams in the NBA this season, went for an average $97 on StubHub, a 48 percent increase over average face value, according to Team Market Research. But owners of Miami Heat seats, one of the league's worst, were lucky to break even, Pate says.

The real money is in NFL tickets, says secondary reseller RazorGator CEO Jeff Lapin. Resale prices for football can easily be double, triple or, in the case of the Green Bay Packers, four times face value. If you happen to own season tickets to the New England Patriots, however, the team allows only face-value resale to people on its waiting list. "We state clearly that the reselling of tickets is a revocable offense," says a Patriots spokesperson. But that hasn't stopped the flow of tickets. "They're one of our best sellers," says StubHub's Pate.

4. "Our motto: 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'"

TicketMaster, the largest ticket seller in the world, sold an estimated $8.3 billion worth of tickets in 2007, roughly 40 percent of all ticket revenue in the primary market, according to Mulpuru. But with the secondary marketplace on the rise, Ticketmaster has hedged its bets by creating its own fan-to-fan ticket-reselling platform, TicketExchange, and purchasing TicketsNow, the third-largest online reseller. "Ticketmaster has intentionally tried to vilify the secondary market for years, making it seem like an underground black market," says Pate. "But buying TicketsNow validates the growth and future of the secondary market."

The result? Sean Moriarity, president and CEO of Ticketmaster, says the move "will allow us to provide a safer, more reliable and efficient resale experience." Indeed, Ticketmaster's new involvement in the secondary market has introduced more consumer protection there. But make no mistake: "You've got to be very, very careful when buying tickets for big-time events," says Stephen Happel, professor of economics at Arizona State University. "Make sure the fine print says you're guaranteed a ticket."

5. "Broadway tourists are such easy marks."

Out-of-town visitors to the Great White Way are often the least-savvy ticket buyers ? especially when they go online. Some have shown up at venues with tickets bought from secondary brokers for over $100 when their face value was under $30 and seats were still available from Telecharge.com or the box office, according to Alan S. Cohen, director of communications for trade association The Broadway League.

Part of the problem is the size of Broadway's theaters, which have from several hundred seats to 2,000 ? tiny compared with sports stadiums or amphitheaters. While there are fewer seats, the same number of brokers are snatching up tickets for the hottest events, jacking up prices. Another factor is the falling dollar, which has spawned an influx of international tourists to New York. According to The Broadway League's annual report, show attendance by foreign visitors rose almost 40 percent from the 2006 to 2007 season. So what's your best bet for scoring seats? Cohen suggests the theater box office or primary source www.broadwaytickets.com. If you don't mind the line, you can also get up to 50 percent off tickets at one of the TKTS discount booths in New York.

6. "'Sold out' is usually a big fat lie."

Surprised that a 13,000-seat venue can sell out within minutes? So were the angry soccer moms whotried to buy tickets to Hannah Montana's Kansas City, Mo., concert in September 2007. It turns out they had a reason to be furious: Only 4,000 seats were made available by promoter AEG to the general public on the initial on-sale date. (An AEG spokesperson says that's because the stage design wasn't set yet, and it wasn't clear what seats would be obstructed.) Of the rest, 4,000 tickets went to fan-club members; 1,600 went to various promotions, sponsors and comps; and the remaining seats were made available after the stage design was set.

"Events are never truly sold out," says Pate. Even when an event is listed as such with Ticketmaster, for example, there's still a chance for you to snag tickets from a primary source. Check back often as the date draws closer, since some of the outstanding tickets should eventually become available. Unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason to how many seats will pop up or when, and it varies by event. But you can always try the secondary marketplace ? if you have the stomach for it.

7. "This industry is a magnet for scam artists."

The online portion of the secondarymarket for tickets is expected to top $4.5 billion in 2012, so it's no surprise that opportunists are trying to claim their piece of the pie. Complaints about ticket brokers to the Better Business Bureau jumped 149 percent from 2002 to 2006. One of their biggest cons: advertising seats as located in a good section when they're actually in the nosebleeds.

Industry experts say the best way to protect yourself against fraud in the secondary market is to use a reputable resale platform, such as StubHub, or a direct reseller, such as Ticketmaster's TicketExchange. And pay with a credit card or via a system like PayPal; it means added protection and maybe even your money back should there be a problem with your tickets.

8. "Our computers know how to cheat the system."

If you've ever bought tickets fromTicketmaster, you might wonder why you're asked to retype a wonky string of letters as part of your order. It's actually a vital security measure that prevents automated computer programs from gobbling up all the tickets to an event. But even that's not enough to keep the pros from gaming the system. In 2007 Ticketmaster sued RMG Technologies, claiming it provided software that circumvented security and allowed brokers to cut to the head of the virtual line. The case is still pending, but RMG President Cipriano Garibay maintains the company did nothing wrong. "Ticketmaster underestimated the efficiency of our system," he says.

Even when everybody plays by the rules, it still seems secondary brokers are winning out over consumers. It's a matter of sheer volume: There are at minimum 1,000 secondary brokers out there, each of which may have anywhere from one to 100 people working for them whose job it is to score the maximum number of tickets for any given event as quickly as possible. How to play against the pros? Think like them. Be poised and ready at the keyboard the precise moment tickets go on sale, and hit the purchase button the minute the sale begins.

9. "What you see isn't necessarily what you'll get."

Tickets to see the Dave Matthews Band at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Mass., on June 24 were scheduled to go on sale to the general public on Mar. 29. But oddly enough, on Mar. 20 there were already 195 tickets available on the TicketsNow site ? even though the brokers advertising there didn't actually have those tickets yet. "It's the same thing that happens with every big concert," says Mike Joliat, marketing director at brokerage site SelectATicket.com. "As soon as it's announced, brokers list tickets even though they don't have them." ("The tickets on our site are owned and supplied by over 800 different licensed ticket brokers," says a TicketsNow spokesperson. "They have to deliver that ticket at that price. These folks that we let list on our system know what they're doing.")

The practice is "very unethical," says retail analyst Mulpuru. "It's done to assess whether there's a market for the particular event and how hard the brokers should pursue the tickets." Case in point: Lawn seats to the Dave Matthews concert listed on TicketsNow prior to their on-sale date ranged from $65 to $225, notably higher than their $40 face value. "All they're doing is guessing what they think they can sell the ticket for," says econ professor Happel. "The prices start out real high, then as the event gets closer, prices start to come down."

10. "Street scalpers might be your last hope."

Ticket-starved New York Giants fans who made the trek to Arizona to watch their team play in the Super Bowl this past February had the chance to get a big discount on tickets, if they were willing to wait until the day of the game. Faced with the possibility of getting nothing for their tickets, street scalpers were selling seats that had started off at $2,600 for $1,000. "It's open trading on game day," says Happel. "Your best bet is to go an hour before the game and take your chances. You can typically get tickets for face value or less."

Of course, there are always risks involved with buying tickets curbside. Steve Arena found that out firsthand when he bought three tickets for $900 outside the FedExForum for him and his two sons to watch a University of Memphis basketball game. When they got to their seats, the real ticket holders informed them they were the third or fourth group to show up with the same bogus tickets. Arena and his sons opted to roam the halls watching the game on the screens and standing in the aisles until someone asked them to move. "Counterfeit tickets are always going to be a worry," says Marianne Jennings, professor of legal and business ethics at Arizona State University. "However, from our experience, it's more of an issue online than it is on the street."

Additional reporting by Adam Drushal

[Gary]

I have had a couple interesting experiences with Ticket Brokers. But that was when I was young. One was the Phoenix(FBR now) Open where he offered two for 20 and than right as soon as I had 20 out he upped it to 60 per ticket just because he said I gave him a dirty look. I don't trust them. If I do buy tickets, I usually go right straight to the source or go to stubhub.com. It's so much easier to book your tickets. Because it's more like a marketplace than a scalper

[TBGKon]

As someone who is trying to break into the sports ticketing business (at least for the time being), I know it really doesn't matter to the organizations, as their tickets get sold, but the fact that the markup goes directly into the pockets of a broker/scalper when the customer was willing to spend more to begin with bugs me.

I know there's not really much to be done unless ticket scalping becomes illegal or security on internet selling sites gets better, but I usually just avoid scalpers and go straight to the source. If I am meant to go to a big event, I'll go. If not, I'll watch at home.

[TBGKon]

It's my personal belief that they are not providing any service whatsoever. I would rather the event jack up their prices even more, and just let the fans go for it rather than having to deal with a broker and their service fees. Brokers are simply artificially bumping up the market in their favor in order to screw people to make a profit. They're simply professional crooks.

If I ran a professional team, I'd break up ticket sales. Season ticket holders and corporte sponsors get first crack at tickets on a specific day. They're the ones who buy regular seats in the first place. After that I'd begin individual game sales done by lottery format. No single person could buy more than four tickets at one time. All licensed broker companies are banned from purchasing tickets. All purchases would be made tentatively, meaning the team would be allowd to review a purchase, and revoke said purchase if it is deemed you are a ticket broker. I'm not so sure this would be a permanent solution, and it is a bit tedious. However, I feel this would help the situation.

Great ideas, I know i would be time consuming, but it just might work out for the better.

From smartmoney.com

10 Things Your Ticket Broker Won't Tell You

6. "'Sold out' is usually a big fat lie."

Surprised that a 13,000-seat venue can sell out within minutes? So were the angry soccer moms whotried to buy tickets to Hannah Montana's Kansas City, Mo., concert in September 2007. It turns out they had a reason to be furious: Only 4,000 seats were made available by promoter AEG to the general public on the initial on-sale date. (An AEG spokesperson says that's because the stage design wasn't set yet, and it wasn't clear what seats would be obstructed.) Of the rest, 4,000 tickets went to fan-club members; 1,600 went to various promotions, sponsors and comps; and the remaining seats were made available after the stage design was set.

"Events are never truly sold out," says Pate. Even when an event is listed as such with Ticketmaster, for example, there's still a chance for you to snag tickets from a primary source. Check back often as the date draws closer, since some of the outstanding tickets should eventually become available. Unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason to how many seats will pop up or when, and it varies by event. But you can always try the secondary marketplace ? if you have the stomach for it.

OK, yeah, sometimes you may think an event is sold out, but did you really listen to the person on the phone? When I worked in Clearwater for the Phillies during spring training a few years back, we were told that when tickets were not able to be found for a certain game, we were to tell the guest that tickets were "unavailable at the moment". This meant that no tickets were available at that time, but there was a possibility of more opening up at some point (whether that be from group areas that go unsold or tickets reserved for player guest lists that are not needed). Sometimes you need to listen to the wording and not assume what you think is the case.

[Luigi74]

I used Razorgator.com to get my ticket to Super Bowl XL and I only paid $400 above face value, I bought it the afternoon before the game because a bunch of single tickets became available, before that they only came in pairs or more at around $800 to $1,000 above face value.

I also bought tickets to 1st/2nd round NCAA Basketball Tourney sessions below face value the past couple years from them.

[rmackman]

I don't trust them. If I do buy tickets, I usually go right straight to the source or go to stubhub.com. It's so much easier to book your tickets. Because it's more like a marketplace than a scalper

You do realize that many times ticket brokers are the ones selling tickets on StubHub.com? In that sense you're still working through brokers.

[Gary]

I don't trust them. If I do buy tickets, I usually go right straight to the source or go to stubhub.com. It's so much easier to book your tickets. Because it's more like a marketplace than a scalper

You do realize that many times ticket brokers are the ones selling tickets on StubHub.com? In that sense you're still working through brokers.

I know that, but I don't have to deal with the brokers directly. That is why i'd rather go there, find the price I want instead of trying to haggle with the brokers

[HedleyLamarr]

If I ran a professional team, I'd break up ticket sales. Season ticket holders and corporte sponsors get first crack at tickets on a specific day. They're the ones who buy regular seats in the first place. After that I'd begin individual game sales done by lottery format. No single person could buy more than four tickets at one time. All licensed broker companies are banned from purchasing tickets. All purchases would be made tentatively, meaning the team would be allowd to review a purchase, and revoke said purchase if it is deemed you are a ticket broker. I'm not so sure this would be a permanent solution, and it is a bit tedious. However, I feel this would help the situation.

It's January 1st, and Don Waddell informs you that you have a new role with the team: You are now the Director of Ticket Sales. As we both know, the team's struggling (to put it lightly), and losing teams generally have a tough time selling tickets, especially in today's economy. How willing are you to implement these purchasing procedures right away?

Are you willing to tell some father that he can't buy tickets for his family of five because you don't allow ticket purchases of over four per request?

Are you willing to tell some lady at the Boys and Girls Club that she can't purchase a group of 50 tickets because that'd look like a suspicious purchase like a broker would make?

You're honestly going to institute a rigorous background check on every single buyer?

You're foolish if you think the Atlanta Spirit, or any other owner in pro sports, is going to restrict folks from buying any amount of tickets to any amount of games. If a buyer wants to buy 100 tickets, you think any owner would require this guy to call 25 times to get these 100 tickets, then have him agree to perform a background check.....or just go ahead and approve the purchase?

I'm not getting your logic.....

[tp49]

If I ran a professional team, I'd break up ticket sales. Season ticket holders and corporte sponsors get first crack at tickets on a specific day. They're the ones who buy regular seats in the first place. After that I'd begin individual game sales done by lottery format. No single person could buy more than four tickets at one time. All licensed broker companies are banned from purchasing tickets. All purchases would be made tentatively, meaning the team would be allowd to review a purchase, and revoke said purchase if it is deemed you are a ticket broker. I'm not so sure this would be a permanent solution, and it is a bit tedious. However, I feel this would help the situation.

It's January 1st, and Don Waddell informs you that you have a new role with the team: You are now the Director of Ticket Sales. As we both know, the team's struggling (to put it lightly), and losing teams generally have a tough time selling tickets, especially in today's economy. How willing are you to implement these purchasing procedures right away?

Are you willing to tell some father that he can't buy tickets for his family of five because you don't allow ticket purchases of over four per request?

Are you willing to tell some lady at the Boys and Girls Club that she can't purchase a group of 50 tickets because that'd look like a suspicious purchase like a broker would make?

You're honestly going to institute a rigorous background check on every single buyer?

You're foolish if you think the Atlanta Spirit, or any other owner in pro sports, is going to restrict folks from buying any amount of tickets to any amount of games. If a buyer wants to buy 100 tickets, you think any owner would require this guy to call 25 times to get these 100 tickets, then have him agree to perform a background check.....or just go ahead and approve the purchase?

I'm not getting your logic.....

I generally agree with you here. However, don't you think that in the situation of the Boys and Girls Club (using your example) that they would generally go through the group sales department who operates differently from general ticket sales?

[rmackman]

If I ran a professional team, I'd break up ticket sales. Season ticket holders and corporte sponsors get first crack at tickets on a specific day. They're the ones who buy regular seats in the first place. After that I'd begin individual game sales done by lottery format. No single person could buy more than four tickets at one time. All licensed broker companies are banned from purchasing tickets. All purchases would be made tentatively, meaning the team would be allowd to review a purchase, and revoke said purchase if it is deemed you are a ticket broker. I'm not so sure this would be a permanent solution, and it is a bit tedious. However, I feel this would help the situation.

It's January 1st, and Don Waddell informs you that you have a new role with the team: You are now the Director of Ticket Sales. As we both know, the team's struggling (to put it lightly), and losing teams generally have a tough time selling tickets, especially in today's economy. How willing are you to implement these purchasing procedures right away?

Are you willing to tell some father that he can't buy tickets for his family of five because you don't allow ticket purchases of over four per request?

Are you willing to tell some lady at the Boys and Girls Club that she can't purchase a group of 50 tickets because that'd look like a suspicious purchase like a broker would make?

You're honestly going to institute a rigorous background check on every single buyer?

You're foolish if you think the Atlanta Spirit, or any other owner in pro sports, is going to restrict folks from buying any amount of tickets to any amount of games. If a buyer wants to buy 100 tickets, you think any owner would require this guy to call 25 times to get these 100 tickets, then have him agree to perform a background check.....or just go ahead and approve the purchase?

I'm not getting your logic.....

I generally agree with you here. However, don't you think that in the situation of the Boys and Girls Club (using your example) that they would generally go through the group sales department who operates differently from general ticket sales?

Exactly. Group sales is a completely different situation. Corporate sales is also a separate divison. Everything gets filtered like that. On a game to game basis you usually don't need to implement any of my suggestions. Especially if the team is doing poorly. The situations that would require my ideas would be major events such as late round playoffs, championships, golf majors, tennis grand slams, the world cup, etc.

[Roger Clemente]

I used Capitaltickets.ca, the official outlet for the Ottawa Senators, to get my tickets to the Ducks/Senators game in October on the day the tickets went on sale, and while I did pay face value (plus some $12 bull**** Capital Convenience Fee), if left me with a whopping ONE option as to where I could sit in the arena no matter what option I chose.

I used Stubhub.com to buy tickets to the Ducks/Canadiens game the next night and winded up paying about twice the face value, but I was practically forced to because the Canadiens actual new ticketing system that they use to sell tickets, at least if you were to try it during the first week that tickets go on sale, makes you sit in a virtual waiting room for over an hour while you are secretly assigned a number that you have no clue what it is. On the day they went on sale, I left my browser open for about 3 hours and got nowhere. In spite of the fact that there are other outlets that are probably cheaper, Stubhub actually have a convenient map of the arena where you can see what you're buying for.

I'm aware of how brokers work. I'm aware that I'll be paying a metric assload more money than the team sells it for, but that's the price for convenience. I prepared myself to spend about $800 total for tickets to both games and winded up only paying about $500, so I'm okay with it.

[FiddySicks]

I used Capitaltickets.ca, the official outlet for the Ottawa Senators, to get my tickets to the Ducks/Senators game in October on the day the tickets went on sale, and while I did pay face value (plus some $12 bull**** Capital Convenience Fee), if left me with a whopping ONE option as to where I could sit in the arena no matter what option I chose.

I used Stubhub.com to buy tickets to the Ducks/Canadiens game the next night and winded up paying about twice the face value, but I was practically forced to because the Canadiens actual new ticketing system that they use to sell tickets, at least if you were to try it during the first week that tickets go on sale, makes you sit in a virtual waiting room for over an hour while you are secretly assigned a number that you have no clue what it is. On the day they went on sale, I left my browser open for about 3 hours and got nowhere. In spite of the fact that there are other outlets that are probably cheaper, Stubhub actually have a convenient map of the arena where you can see what you're buying for.

I'm aware of how brokers work. I'm aware that I'll be paying a metric assload more money than the team sells it for, but that's the price for convenience. I prepared myself to spend about $800 total for tickets to both games and winded up only paying about $500, so I'm okay with it.

Thats crazy man. You can get Ducks tickets in Ahaheim day of game, vs some of the best teams in the league, for about 20 bucks a pop.

[friarcanuck]

I've had many experiences with scalpers and love making them look foolish. Coming to a Jays game 2.5 innings in and explaining that no matter how much the guy was trying to upsell me, he was only going to get $20 for his $40 ticket. Having a scalper outside of a Raptors game, who probably only had his grade 12, tell me about how economics works with lines like 'Hey, that's supply and demand."

Overall I understand that these people are trying to make a living off of the service they provide. You can't get to the ticket window the day they go on sale cause your kid is sick or you got to work? We got you covered. But charging 5 times the ticket price is branding your a P****. AC/DC tickets go on sale at 10am and I try all morning to get 2 floor seats for $100 each when you have 10 for sale at $450 each since 10:30am is not right.

And neither is TicketMaster saying 'We're all out of tickets, but check out sister site for re-sellers'. A little too convenient if you ask me.

[Lee.]

I used Capitaltickets.ca, the official outlet for the Ottawa Senators, to get my tickets to the Ducks/Senators game in October on the day the tickets went on sale, and while I did pay face value (plus some $12 bull**** Capital Convenience Fee), if left me with a whopping ONE option as to where I could sit in the arena no matter what option I chose.

I used Stubhub.com to buy tickets to the Ducks/Canadiens game the next night and winded up paying about twice the face value, but I was practically forced to because the Canadiens actual new ticketing system that they use to sell tickets, at least if you were to try it during the first week that tickets go on sale, makes you sit in a virtual waiting room for over an hour while you are secretly assigned a number that you have no clue what it is. On the day they went on sale, I left my browser open for about 3 hours and got nowhere. In spite of the fact that there are other outlets that are probably cheaper, Stubhub actually have a convenient map of the arena where you can see what you're buying for.

I'm aware of how brokers work. I'm aware that I'll be paying a metric assload more money than the team sells it for, but that's the price for convenience. I prepared myself to spend about $800 total for tickets to both games and winded up only paying about $500, so I'm okay with it.

Thats crazy man. You can get Ducks tickets in Ahaheim day of game, vs some of the best teams in the league, for about 20 bucks a pop.

Yeah, but if he's not in Anaheim, it's a moot point.

Stubhub, brokers or craigslist are pretty much the only way to see an event at GM Place. It's mostly season ticket holders, and they are given first refusal to any event taking place in the arena. I could have snagged tickets to the Canucks & Panthers for about $45 each, or half price, but then realized it's the Canucks v Panthers, and passed.

I will be using the site for tickets to see the Hurricanes play the Lightning on Jan 3 in Tampa, however, since I can get tickets for under $10 thru Stubhub. I might still be overpaying, but itll be the first time I get to an NHL game since the Jets lost to Detroit in the playoffs before moving to Phoenix. That's easily worth $10 to me

[NJTank]

I may need one to get to some Mets games next year, but I wish I could throw shoes at them.

[FiddySicks]

Overall, I don't mind ticket brokers. Sometimes there really is no other way to obtain tickets. I got tickets to two bowl games this season, the Emerald Bowl, and I just got Rose Bowl tickets today. Both charged ridiculous conveniance fees through ticketmaster, and really did something that grinds my gears on the whole situation. I love ticketmaster's print your tickets feature, but for some reason they don't do that with bowl game tickets. I was somewhat disappointed but I figured that I'd at least get the ticket stubs. Nope. My Emerald Bowl tickets came a few days ago from FedEx and they were the game ticket printed out on two sheets of printer paper. An extra $30 fee just so they could do what is normally offered to the buyer free of charge. Now that's a real disappointment.