Here are a few tips for buying tickets on eBay:

1.  Because eBay does not actually sell tickets, it is important to review the feedback of the Seller.  Look for how long they have sold on eBay, what Buyers have said in the comments, feedback score and percentage, and how much of their selling relates to tickets.

2.  If you are bidding on an auction - always wait until the last minute to bid (known as sniping.)  There is no advantage to bidding early.  Bid the maximum you are willing to pay, and do so at the last minute.

3.  Make sure you understand the fees associated with Buying.  Many sellers charge handling fees, in addition to shipping fees.  Consider all of these variables in the total cost before purchasing.

4.  Search for tickets on a regular basis.  Inventory changes quickly, so visit daily.  Even better, you can have eBay email you every time a new item is listed that matches your requirements.

5.  Don’t be afraid to email the Seller and ask if they are willing to lower their price.  Don’t give them your sob story, or try to convince them they are overpriced.  Simply send a respectful email that states you cannot afford the tickets at the price listed and ask if there is any chance they would be willing to sell the tickets for less.  We sell 2-3 sets of tickets well below our listed price each week.  We base our decisions on the market as well as how respectful the Buyer is in their email.

6.  If the Seller declines your offer, or you feel it is too aggressive to email and ask for a price reduction, consider sending an email that states you cannot afford the tickets at the price listed.  Thank the Seller for their time and let them know if anything changes, you would appreciate an email.  We have an entire list of people who have asked us to email them the day beofre a game or event if we need to sell our tickets.  Sometimes these Buyers get tickets at as little as 25% of face value.

7.  When searching for tickets - try every variation you can think of.  For example, SuperBowl is spelled as one word.  Every year amateur sellers list their tickets as Super Bowl Tickets.  Guess what?  Tickets listed with the misspelled version sell for 20% less.  Looking for Hannah Montana?  Have you tried Hanna Montana, or Hannah Montanna?  We have found some great deals on tickets by finding a hidden gem like this!  Professional Sellers list SuperBowl and SUper Bowl in their title - so every Buyer will find them.

8.  Always use Paypal and your Credit Card.  Their is nothing safer than Paypal on eBay, especially when you use your credit card.  Paypal offers its own fraud protection, and if that fails, your Credit Card company will almost always refund the fees in a fraud situation.

9.  Consider a deal off eBay.  This is strictly prohibited, but many Sellers will charge you 5-10% off the listed price for Tickets sold off eBay because they can save on fees.  I would still recommend using Paypal and your Credit Card - just to be as safe as possible. 

Good luck - and if you ahve a specific question or need help on eBay - let me know!

It begs the question - why hasn’t someone found a way to capture all the information regarding Tickets on sale, and list them on one site?

So if you needed tickets for the New England Patriots, Hannah Montana, The Police, Bon Jovi, or the Super Bowl you could visit one site that would compile the Sections, Rows, Seats and Prices in one location.  Instead of visiting Ticketmaster, eBay, Stubhub, TicketsNow, Craigslist, and a dozen other sites - you could make one stop and be confident in your purchase.

Turns out - SeatQuest - a Chicago based software company has built a site that does just that.  Their site is incredibly simple.  Just type in what you know about your event (anything from zip code to venue name, sports team to event date) and you will be given a list of options that match your search.

Once you narrow it down to a specific event - you will be able to view a map with all the seating options and pricing from SeatQuest affiliates.  Once you decide to purchase, you are redirected to the affiliate site to complete the sale.

In my initial research, I found that the only sources of tickets are currently eBay and TicketsNow.  I do not know if SeatQuest plans to add other large ticket sellers like StubHub or Ticketmaster. 

I also found some major events that did not have any tickets listed for sale.  Not sure if its a system glitch, or a result of only having a few affiliated sites.

In my opinion, if they add all the major players - they will instantly become the ONLY place to look for tickets.  If they remain affiliated with only a few of the players, they will just be one of a dozen places to look for tickets.  I sincerely hope they are able to come to terms with the other major ticket sites - as it will lead to an efficient market for everyone buying and selling tickets.

As of today, I have not bought or sold tickets on SeatQuest.  If you have either bought or sold tickets on SeatQuest please email me or leave a comment.  I will work to keep everyone informed of their progress!

1.  Ticketmaster

I get two emails a day from fans wanting to buy tickets for events that are NOT sold out.  Don’t assume an event is sold out!  Go straight to the source because buying face value that are guaranteed authentic is better than just about every other option.

2.  Ticketmaster’s Ticket Exchange

This Ticketmaster’s answer to eBay, Stubhub, and every other ticket reseller.  Basically they allow people to buy and sell tickets that were originally bought on Ticketmaster.  They charge a fee to Buyers and Sellers, but the big plus is that they cancel the original tickets and reissue new ones - making their guarantee that the tickets are authentic the best in the Business.

3.  Stubhub

Now owned by eBay, Stubhub is advertised as the place where “Fans Buy and Sell Tickets.”  Truth is, 90%+ of the sellers on StubHub are Brokers.  Their site is easy to navigate and the maps make it easy to quickly see how much tickets cost for each section.  They have a huge selection of tickets (2nd only to eBay) and have an iron clad guarantee.  Basically if you don’t get the tickets you ordered in time, they replace them with comparable or better seats.  Overall, you will find Stubhub’s prices to be higher than some of the other options mentioned here.

4.  eBay

Still the powerhouse and largest marketplace for tickets.  The best thing about eBay is that the prices are often lower than other sites.  You can also find real fans selling tickets, which sometimes leads to a great deal.  On the downside, finding tickets is not nearly as easy as Stubhub or Ticketmaster’s two options.  And eBay no longer has any fraud protection that comes automatically with a purchase. 

5.  Local Ticket Brokers

If you live in a large city, chances are good that there are local Ticket Brokers.  You can find them online, in the yellow pages, or the newspaper.  Most people don’t realize that there is software that Brokers use to view other Broker’s inventories.  So almost any Broker you call can sell you tickets from another Broker’s inventory.  Obviously if 2 Brokers are invloved, your price is likely higher.  Cut out the middleman, and deal with a local Broker who may have your actual tickets in their inventory - saving you 10% or more.  In additon, a local Broker like has a much larger selection for hometown shows and sports. 

6.  Craigslist

Everyone’s favorite free classified site often has real fans selling tickets for face value.  In fact, the site prohibits selling over face value (in theory.)  The major downside is wondering if the tickets are real, where do you meet to exchange tickets and money, etc.  Don’t be afraid to place a “Wanted Ad” so that someone selling tickets may find it and contact you directly before listing them for sale.

Good luck!

Blue Man Group

Martina McBride

Foo Fighters

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Chicago White Sox versus Cleveland Indians

James Blunt

Englebert Humperdinck

Ben Folds

Matchbox Twenty

Chris Brown

If you have any questions related to these tickets going on sale - or any other event tickets, please feel free to email me directly!

Good Luck!

To be fair - I get more positive emails than negative ones.  But there are definitely lots of people who wish there were no Ticket Brokers.  If you have not had the opportunity to read my rsponse to the negative email - you can read it here.

But back to the topic for today.

10 Ways to put Ticket Brokers out of Business

1.  Pass Federal Laws that prohibit the sale of tickets above face value - even when packaged with other items like airfare or hotels.  Right now the few states that have laws are ineffective because they only apply to residents - not Sellers in other states.

2.  Require that all tickets be purchased in person with photo ID and valid Credit Card.  No cash, No Telephone,  No Internet Sales.

3.  Allow each person to only buy 1 ticket.  If a family is going, or a couple, require each one to come to the ticket outlet to buy tickets.

4.  Allow people to only buy tickets for an event within 100 miles of their address.  The address must match their Credit Card bill AND Driver’s Licence.

5.  Make ticket non transferable.  Oprah does it.  If your name is not on the ticket, you can’t come to the show.  Period.

6.  Require Buyers to answer a Trivia Question.  David Letterman does it.  If you can’t answer something every Letterman fan knows, you don’t need a ticket.

7.  Make all tickets go on sale as part of an auction - so only the people who want to go most will get tickets.  In theory, if all true fans participated in the auction, and bid the absolute most they were willing to pay, Brokers would go out of business.  That’s because any Broker that won tickets in the auction would have paid more than the true fans were willing.

8.  More shows.  More games.  More Venues.  Bottom line - if Hannah Montana had 2 shows in every city, or the Patriots had a stadium that was twice as big - there would be more seats than demand, and tickets would always be face value.

9.  Make it against the law for fans to pay more than face value for tickets.  It’s illegal to sell or buy drugs.  Why not make it illegal to sell or buy tickets?

10.  Only allow each Fan to buy tickets for up to 4 shows / games / events per year.  This would be acceptable to most fans (except sports) but would drastically reduce Ticket Broker opportunities.

I think you will agree that most of these will never be done because some of them will hurt the teams or artists.  Some would be too costly to implement.  Others create undue inconvenience.

And as much as some fans may dislike Ticket Brokers, I believe many fans would dislike the above scenarios more.

I do believe one of the solutions could really work, and would not create too much inconvenience or cost.

Solution 5:  make tickets non-transferable.  It’s the perfect solution for ridding the world of Ticket Brokers.  Most fans would find it perfect.  No residency requirements, no ticket limits, no inconvenience.  Fans would just enter the names of everyone attending, and each ticket would get printed with one name.

Ticketmaster could do it easily.  They do it now with e-tickets for the NFL.

What’s the downside?  Well, if you can’t go, then you can’t resell the ticket.  Or if you break up with your girlfriend, you go alone or reunite for the evening.  If you buy season tickets for business clients or employees - you need to know months in advance who you would like to give them to.  But probably the worst downside is that if an event truly sold out to fans, and you could not get a ticket - there would be no solution for you.  Even if you wanted to pay a Broker - they couldn’t help.

What do you think?

Would my solution work?  Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

Recently, a friend of mine named Dave shared a story about how he and some friends basically controlled the entire ticket market in their town by camping out in front of the local record store.   They were able to get about 20 friends to line up in front of all the Ticketmaster outlets in town, before most of the outlets even knew the Grateful Dead were coming for a show!

Those were the good old days.  When no one bought tickets over the phone or Internet.  And real fans and entrepreneurs could buy tickets if they were willing to sleep on the sidewalk for a few days.

Nowadays, very few tickets are sold through Ticketmaster Outlets. 

Some buyers have abandoned the outlets because it’s simply inconvenient.  Why drive to an outlet, when you can buy them over the telephone or Internet? 

Others realize that unless you are first in line, your chances are slim of buying tickets.  After all, 1000’s are logging in while the lady at the front of your line is writing a check, or counting pennies, or simply can’t decide what section is best.

There is also a long standing belief that the people working at the Ticketmaster Outlets may be taking bribes from Brokers or friends to influence who gets the bets seats.

For those of you who still purchase at Ticketmaster Outlets - here are a few tips:

1.  You can now use credit cards for purchasing tickets at Ticketmaster Outlets.  For years, cash was the only accepted form of payment.

2.  No more camping out!  Now big events are handled by giving everyone a numbered bracelet, or placard.  They randomly pick one number, and that becomes the first person in line.  For example, eveyone lines up in the order they arrive.   Each person is given a number in sequential order, 1-100.  The Ticketmaster representative pulls a random number.  Let’s say they draw #50.  Then 50 becomes first in line, and so on.

3.  Because there is no camping out  - the best strategy is to have as many people as you know come with you - and space yourself out in line.  One of you should be #1, someone should be #25, #50, and #75.  This means, no matter what number they pick - you will be within 25 of the front of the line.  If the same people lined up #1-#4, and #5 was picked, you could be 95 spaces from the front!  There is no reason to get to the Ticketmaster outlet more than 1 hour before the tickets go on sale.

4.  If you don’t have anyone to bring with you - recruit people there!  Find a few other people like you, agree to split up, and buy tickets together.  You will all increase your chances for better tickets.

5.  Even if you decide to buy tickets in person - try calling Ticketmaster while in line at the retail outlet.  It can’t hurt to multi-task!  Use these tips and techniques to make sure you get through on the phone.

6.  Most cities only have a few Ticketmaster Outlets.  Choose the one that the least people may know about.  For example, there is one where we live that is located in a downtown store where all the surrounding businesses are closed on the weekend.  We also have one in the city’s Visitor’s Center.  You may also be able to find one in a neighboring town, or just over the state line if you live near a border.  Use this tool to find Ticketmaster Retail locations near you.

Thanks for the nostalgic reminder Dave.  Feel free to visit Dave at The Macro Trader and Blog Raters.

This simple question is really 3 questions:

1.  Is it illegal to sell tickets over face value?

2.  Is it illegal to buy tickets over face value?

3.   What is the likelihood I will be prosecuted?

Answers:  Maybe, Maybe, and Maybe.

The laws on buying and selling tickets vary by state, but most states allow sellers to set their own pricing, and buyers to decide how much they want the tickets.

In fact, several states including Florida, New York, and Connecticut have recently repealed their laws against “scalping.”  Some repealed the laws because it is hypocritical to say citizens can buy a house, car, baseball card, artwork or a mutual fund and sell it for a profit - but tickets cannot be sold for a profit.

Other states repealed the laws because they were ineffective against sales made over state lines.  Even when states laws do apply, it is very expensive and time consuming to try and investigate an Internet sale of tickets over face value.  It’s much more cost effective to arrest a dozen or so sellers at a game than it would be to locate a dozen sellers online.

But the single biggest reason states are making “scalping” legal is that it actually lowers the average cost of the tickets on the secondary market.

What?

I know - this is counter-intuitive, but consider the following:

1.  When it is illegal, only a few individuals will risk buying the tickets for the purpose of resale.  Because only a few have tickets for sale, and plenty of people still want them, prices go soaring.  (Small supply, large demand.)  Think of illegal drugs.  They would be much cheaper if legalized.  Or alcohol.  During prohibition in the United States, when alcohol was illegal, prices soared making criminals very wealthy.

2.  Making it legal means more people will buy tickets for the purpose of resale.  More tickets in the hands of resellers means higher supply and greater competition.  Increased competition always leads to lower prices because no one wants to have tickets left after the show starts.

3.  More sellers in the market inevitably means mistakes will be made.  New sellers might actually buy too many tickets for an event.  As the event nears, they are forced to lower their price below face value.  In this scenario, the fans pays less than if they bought it direct.  A great example is the NFL.  At least 30% of the games each season can be bought at face value or lower. 

Because I am not an attorney, I cannot give you legal advice.  I can direct you to a great link that will tell you the laws as they relate to you as a Buyer or Seller.

eBay is the largest marketplace for reselling tickets, and therefore has a great tool to help Buyers and Sellers (and eBay) stay legal.

You just need to answer if you are the buyer or seller, where the event is located, and if you reside in the same state as the event.  Click a button and you know your legal fate!

Check it out here:  http://pages.ebay.com/buyselltickets/rules.html

That was 10 years ago.  Years before eBay and StubHub were as huge as they are today.

We contacted a few Ticket Brokers and learned that they hire people to “pull tickets.”   Since many shows have residency requirements, or rules on how many tickets one person can purchase, Brokers use other people to buy tickets for them.

It’s quite simple.  The Brokers usually email their “pullers” the day before the tickets go on sale.  The email contains everything the “puller” would need to buy tickets for the Broker the next day. 

Here is an example:

Hannah Montana, Verizon Center - Washington, DC, On sale 10am tomorrow, Show Date 1/7/08.  Buy any floors Floors, and first 10 rows of lower level.  Even pairs only, no singles.  Ship 2nd day.  $10 per ticket Floors.  $7 per ticket lowers.  Will take all you can buy.

The “puller” simply logs in and buys everything he can that meets the Brokers requirements.

Once the tickets arrive at the “pullers” address, they are reshipped to the Broker.

The Broker pays the “puller” for the tickets costs, convenience charges, fees, shipping, etc and also tacks on the commission stated above.

Usually the ‘puller” is paid in full within 7 days of the original ticket purchase.

Let’s say the ticket puller had 2 credit cards, and the event  had an 8 ticket limit.  And he got lucky and was able to pull all floor seats.  He could make $160 (2 cards x 8 tickets per card x $10 per ticket.)   Let’s say he had one credit card, and only bought 4 tickets, and the tickets were lower level.  Still $28 (1 card x 4 tickets x $7 per ticket.) 

Buying the tickets takes about 5-10 minutes.  Reshipping them is another 5-10 minutes.  $28-$160 for 20 minutes of work.

The best part is you have NO risk.  The Broker has told you that he wants specific tickets, and he has told you what he will pay for them.  You don’t have to worry about anything the broker has to worry about (laws, demand for tickets, marketing, etc.)  It takes all the guesswork and risk out of the equation.

The other big advantage to starting out this way is that you will learn a ton about what shows to buy, what seats to focus on, and some trick and tips for how to get the seats.  Once you get your free education, and build up your startup capital - you can start buying and selling for yourself.

If you are interested, call or email a few Brokers.  Simply ask them if they ever hire people to “pull” tickets.  Explain that you are interested in working with them.  It’s that simple.

Good Luck! 

Earlier this week, Kenneth Donnell from Glasgow paid the unbelieveable sum to watch the band rehearse and perform in the one time gig this December.

 The proceeds benefited the BBC’s annual Children in Need charity drive.

Tickets for the concert were only about $250 face value, but over 1 million people submitted requests for tickets.  Only 20,000 tickets were awarded.

Led Zeppelin split in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham.  Bonham died from suffocation after a drinking binge.

The group’s lead singer Robert Plant Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones, with Bonham’s son Jason on drums, will headline the act.

The concert is a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the late founder of the Atlantic Records label.  He signed the group in 1968.  Led Zeppelin have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide and the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

As part of his purchase / donation, Donnel will get tickets for the show, be invited to a private rehearsal the day before, and will also receive a signed piece of memorabilia.

Unless it’s a check for about $190,000 - I think he overpaid! 

Show tickets for the hottest productions like Celine Dion, Jerry Seinfeld, any of the Cirque Du Soleil shows, or La Rev can easily cost over $100 per ticket. 

Even at those prices, many shows sell out months in advance.

There are few hard fast rules for Vegas show tickets, but here are several tips that may increase your chances for better seats at the best possible price:

1.  If you are set on seeing a particular show, make sure you make the show part of your planning process.  When checking airfare and hotel prices, check to see if tickets are available for the show you would like to see.  Remember, most shows are “black” 2 nights per week.

2.  Most show are housed in Casino / Hotels.  Most of the tickets are sold to the general public - so it does not matter if you are staying on that property, if you have the cash you can buy a ticket.  Many Hotels also keep an allotment for their regular guests.  They sometimes have packages that include show tickets.  It can definitely help to be staying at a hotel (or in the same family of hotels) as the show you would like to see.  Last, VIPs are often given free tickets or access to tickets based on the amount they wager in the Casinos.

3.  Because the Casinos cater to the big players, they always keep some tickets from being sold for every show.  There is no such thing as a sold out show in Vegas until the show begins.  These extra tickets are often released an hour before the show right up until the minute the show begins.  Check with the box office to see if they have a process for selling last minute cancellations or standby tickets.

4.  Do not underestimate the value of tipping in Vegas.  Unlike any other city - everyone seems to make a little cash on every interaction.  I always tip the front desk person when checking in.  Usually $20 - and I always end up with a suite or better, and always have a great view of the strip.  It’s hard to do it the first time, but it’s common in Vegas.  Tipping the Box Office person or Concierge often helps tickets magically appear.

5.  If you are not set on a specific show - take advantage of www.Tikets2nite.com.  This agency sells tickets for all the major shows at 25%-50% off the face value of the ticket.  Basically, if a show has tickets that have gone unsold for some reason, they sell them through Tickets2nite.  You can visit their location on the strip or call them anytime after 10:30am for shows later that evening.  No need to go to their location - you can check for show availability, pricing, and even purchase tickets over the phone!  I have seen some really big name show for half price through this service.

6.  Many of the lesser name shows or smaller casinos offer free tickets with the purchase of a couple of drinks.  Dozens more offer buy 1 ticket get one free ticket specials.  Ask your concierge, or pick up one of the many free magazines available in the hotels for coupons and specials.

7.  If you are a comedy fan, check out one of the half dozen comedy clubs in Las Vegas, and check to see who the headliners are that week.  Big name headliners fly in and out each week, some on short notice - so ask around.  Again, the magazines, concierge, or even the cabbies can give you a hot tip on who is in town that week.

Good Luck - and remember, $200 spent on a show could save you $1000’s in the casino!