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Ticketmaster has always been the powerhouse when it comes to Ticket sales directly to the public.  Most venues, concerts, and sports teams use Ticketmaster to handle the initial sale of tickets.

Having said that, Ticketmaster has never been a player in the secondary ticket market.  Instead, billions of dollars are spent on tickets via eBay, StubHub, and Ticket Brokers.

Times are changing:  Ticketmaster now allows fans or Brokers to sell tickets through TicketExchange.

The concept is simple.  You go to Ticketmaster and look for tickets at face value.  If they are unavailable, you can click on the TicketExchange tab, and see if Tickets are available from other Sellers who have listed them on Ticketmaster for resale.  Most events are available, but not all.

Fans and Brokers can set their selling price anywhere they want, and Buyers are able to see the Sections, Rows, and Seats available.  Both the Seller and Buyer pay fees that are typical with any ticket transaction (although they vary by event.)

Buyers pay with their major Credit Card and are dealing directly with Ticketmaster, not the Seller.  I consider this a major advantage to buying tickets through TicketExchange.  Once you have completed payment, your tickets will be shipped either via UPS or e-mail - your choice.

There are other major advantages  for using Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange.  First, sometimes there are great deals to be found.  Like any site where fans list tickets - most tickets are prices accurately, but some are way overpriced and some are underpriced.  This can be an excellent opportunity to buy tickets at face value or lower.  If you are wondering why fans sometimes price their tickets too low - the answer is usually one of the following:  they don’t know what the market value is for the tickets, they don’t want to risk breaking the laws for selling tickets, or they are simply fans wanting to help other fans.

Possibly the largest advantage to buying tickets through TicketExchange is that they are the only tickets on the secondary market that are 100% guaranteed to be authentic.  That’s because when you sell your tickets on TicketExchange, you have to provide the barcodes on the original tickets.  Ticketmaster verifies their authenticity before placing them for sale.  Once purchased, Ticketmaster cancels the original barcodes, and issues new barcodes for your new tickets. 

Next time you need tickets for a sold out event, check out Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange:  http://www.ticketmaster.com/ticketexchangehome/  

I am about to share something that almost no one knows about.  Ticket Options.

Much like Stock Options allow someone to buy stock in the future at a set price.  Ticket Options do the same thing. 

You can buy Ticket Options for any major spots event such as the Super Bowl, the BCS Championship, the NBA Finals, or the World Series.  Virtually every major playoff game is offered.

How does it work?

At the beginning of each season, teams are assigned an initial offering price based on their likelihood they will make it to a particular game.

For example, at the beginning of the season, the New England Patriots were assigned an initial option price of $124 per ticket.  If you purchased 2 options for $124 each, and the New England Patriots were in the 2008 Super Bowl, you would be offered 2 tickets for the game at face value.  If the Patriots did not reach the Super Bowl, your $248 would be lost forever.

You don’t have to buy the option at the beginning of the season.  For example, at www.TicketReserve.com  you can buy 2 options for $1,075 each.  And at www.TicketOption.com you can buy 2 options for $995.00 each.  Remember, you still need to pay face value for the tickets if your team makes it to the big event.

Some people use these sites like stock investors, buying and selling options based on how a team is doing during the season.  Using the same example, if you bought 2 options for the Patriots for $124 each before the season, and sold them now for $1075 each, you would profit over $951 per option!

I think these ticket options as a great gift idea.  My husband is a Miami Dolphins fan - and for $10 I can buy 2 options for them in the Super Bowl.  Is it a waste of $10?  Maybe.  But for $10, it’s a fun way for him to stay involved with his favorite team.  We bought our babysitter 2 options for the Clemson Tigers to go to the BCS Championship.  It cost us $64 total and she was thrilled.  Again - the thought that she can go for face value to a game that will cost $1000’s per ticket is cool for most fans. 

There are fees to buy and sell options, but they are reasonable.  If your team ends up going to the big game, the site does all the work required to buy tickets on the secondary market, and sells them to you at face value.

Good luck!

Don’t be surprised if you are unable to buy tickets for an upcoming concert because you don’t live close enough to the venue.  The Hannah Montana craze of 2007 has prompted Ticketmaster, as well as other ticket distributors to change some of the requirements for buying event tickets.

In an effort to stop Ticket Brokers from buying tickets, some events will now require the buyer to live within a certain geographic region to buy tickets.  At first, this sounds like a great plan.  If only people who live within 100 miles of Philadelphia can buy tickets for a show in Philadelphia - most Brokers around the country would be exempt and more tickets would go to fans.  Sounds great!

Unfortunately, these rules will have little to no impact on Brokers and will actually hurt many fans!

Here are three simple examples of how fans will be punished with these new rules:

1. You live 120 miles from Philadelphia.  There is no venue closer to your home.  You don’t mind a 2 hour drive to see your favorite artist.  You might even get a room and make it a weekend.  You would not be allowed to buy tickets.
2. You live in Miami and want to attend a football game while in San Francisco on vacation later this year.  You would not be allowed to buy tickets. 
3. Your grandson lives in Detroit and you live in Atlanta.  As a gift, you want to buy your grandson tickets for an event.  You would not be allowed to buy tickets.

These three situations are very common, and the new rules for many events are preventing these fans from buying tickets.

The reason these new rules have little impact on Brokers is because they already know what I am about to teach you.  These residency requirements are based on your credit card billing address.

 If you are interested in buying tickets for an event that has residency requirements, consider the following:

• Locate any major business in the area where the event will take place.  Change your billing address on your credit card to that new address a few days before the tickets go on sale.  Select e-tickets (Ticketfast Tickets) so that your tickets will be emailed to you.  Usually the tickets are emailed within a few hours.  Call your credit card issuer once you have the tickets, and change your address back.  This is by far the easiest way to complete the transaction.  Just make sure that e-tickets available for your event, and that your credit card billing cycle does not end while you have the address incorrect in the system.  You don’t want you bill being mailed to Wal-Mart 2000 miles away!
• Other easy ways include changing your billing information to that of a friend or family member who lives in the correct geographic region or opening a post office box in the specific region of the event.

I know it seems like a lot of work - but isn’t it easier and cheaper than paying a Broker 5x face value for the same tickets?

One other tip - Ticketmaster may let your order go even though your zip code is not within the correct region.  Beware - your order will likely be cancelled prior to sending your tickets to you.  Once you have received your tickets (via email or snail mail) you are safe.  Ticketmaster won’t go back and re-verify your address once tickets are sent.

 Good Luck!