How to Save Money on Event Tickets
May 23, 2008 – 2:06 pm
Whether for a sporting event, a concert, or a show, buying tickets to an event can be an overwhelming experience. While the Internet has made purchasing tickets easier and more legitimate than ever before, it’s not easy to understand all of the ways you can purchase tickets online, and ultimately, save money when buying event tickets.
Shopping around is the best way to save money on event tickets. There are two types of ticket sellers: primary and secondary. Primary ticket sellers have first access to the tickets and, obviously, are the first ones to sell the tickets. Ticketmaster is the best example of a primary seller. The price is set by the league/team/artist/venue/etc. and you buy the ticket at face value, typically along with a service charge or fee on top of the face value.
Secondary ticket sellers re-sell tickets that have already been purchased in the primary ticket market or through other channels not available to the general public. Scalpers are probably the best known secondary ticket sellers, but there are many official ticket resellers online today that can be a great way to buy hard-to-get or sold out tickets. A few examples of marketplaces for resellers are eBay, StubHub, and TicketsNow.
When buying tickets through the secondary market, I find that it is worth the extra few minutes to shop around, as often times you’ll find not only variances in ticket prices for similar tickets, but you’ll also find different fees charged by the different resellers.
One site that I use to shop around is www.SeatFetcher.com. This site lets you select an event, then search any of the major ticket resellers all from one place. It saves you time and can save you money, too. It only has a limited number of events currently, so it’s not great for all events, but if you’re looking to go to a number of different concerts, professional baseball games, NASCAR events, or the show Wicked, it’s a great help.