A Fan's Guide to Buying from a Scalper

by E. James Beale

So you lost out on the playoff ticket lottery? Here are nine quick tips to getting the best ticket for the best price outside of the system.

1. Show up late. Do you feel fine missing the top of the first? Do it. If not, show up as close to game time as possible. Scalpers always prefer selling cheap to eating a ticket.

The Way of the Scalper

2. Know the stadium. Ask to see a seating chart if you don't know exactly where the seats you're buying are. Not all 100 Level tickets are the same.

3. Don't jump the gun. Buy a ticket only after the gates open. Fake tickets are rare, but they exist. The guys selling them will generally do so before the gates open, then take off before you realize you've got a fake. If you buy a bum ticket after gates open — and can find the guy who sold it to you — you'll generally get your money back. For a scalper, it's not worth the loss of business to make a big scene.

4. Demand accountability. Still concerned your tickets are fake? Ask your scalper to walk you to the gate. If he refuses, move on.

5. Shop around. Online prices barely correlate to the numbers on the street, and occasionally you'll find a scalper asking for far more than some of the rest. Be sure to test the market.

6. Know your options. Check the ticket office, even for sold-out events. Participants/organizers occasionally turn back tickets at the last minute. The street isn't always going to get you the best price.

7. Think like a scalper. If you see a fan with an extra ticket, go to him. Scalpers do this because it works. A dude with an extra ticket isn't looking to gouge you; he just wants to get rid of the thing and get inside as quickly as possible.

8. Slow down. Make sure the tickets you're buying are together, make sure you received as many as you asked for. And make sure you're not handing over the money until your tickets are ready to go.

9. Find a scalper and keep him. Scalpers value regular customers. If you can find someone who doesn't press you and accommodates your requests, ask for his business card. You'd be surprised how many have them.