Have you ever wanted to go to a concert or game and were forced to buy tickets for a price above the face value on the ticket?
By the time the tickets go on sale on a Saturday at 10:00am, have you realized the good seats are already gone and are posted on StubHub, Ebay or Craigslist already?
It is because the ticket brokers have already purchased tickets by knowing how and when to buy tickets before the general public, The kicker is, anybody can access the tickets the same way the ticket brokers do.
Here are my top ten tips ticket buying tips:
- Never pay more than face value for tickets. Ever. You should never give in and pay more than face value for tickets, there are a number of ways (described here) to help you be ahead of the game and not pad ticket brokers pockets with extra dough.
- Wait until the day of show to buy your tickets. It can be a bit of a gamble, but the venue will often release tickets the day of the show (typically in the late afternoon) or you can head down to the box office to try your luck.
- Buy tickets during a presale whenever possible. Fan clubs, credit cards, radio stations, venues and many other sources offer presales that have passwords to buy the tickets early. This will provide one of your best chances to get good seats.
- Download Ticketmaster and Live Nation mobile apps. These apps are very user friendly and allow you to buy tickets on the road. They sometimes seem to offer tickets not available through their websites.
- Use Twitter to get updates. Most venues, artists and teams will post presales on their Twitter feed. This is a nice, easy way to get them.
- Practice, practice, practice buying tickets fast. Just like anything, practice makes (almost) perfect. Learn how the website works where you are buying your tickets and practice being speedy before your tickets go onsale.
- Know the market – follow StubHub to see if you can get the ticket for less than face value. StubHub is the largest ticket reseller and a good resource to see what tickets are selling for, but just because they are listed for those prices does not mean they are selling for those prices. It is a good reference point, however.
- Join fan clubs to get early presales. Again, presales are the way to go, and fan clubs typically offer the best tickets. Some are paid memberships and some are free.
- Check often for ticket drops. Just because an event shows that it is sold out, does not mean it always is. Often times, especially in the days and hours before the event, tickets “drop,” meaning are released. Check often and you might get lucky.
- Don’t panic. Ultimately, if there is an event you are dying to go to, don’t panic. Follow these tips, have patience and good things will come.
As always, let me know if you have any questions, concerns or tips on making Ticket Crusader even better!
