During the Life Light Music Festival this summer, it was announced that Newsboys and Stellar Kart would both be coming back to my area relatively soon. They’re definitely up there on the list of bands I enjoy, so I figured I’d see if I could get a couple of really good tickets. A few weeks later when tickets were just going on sale, I logged onto Ticketmaster and ordered a couple of tickets that are as close to the stage as can be without paying for the really expensive tickets. The two tickets I ordered were $25.00 a piece, but the total price ended up being $70.51 after Ticketmaster added all of their junk fees. Next time you want to go to a local concert or sporting event, don’t get ripped off by Ticketmaster.
Out of the $70.51 I ended up paying Ticketmaster, only 71% of that money actually went to pay for the tickets. There was a total of $13.30 in “convenience charges,” $3.00 in “building charges,” and $3.27 as an “order processing fee.” I could have almost purchased another full ticket if I haven’t had to pay all of the junk fees that Ticketmaster threw on.
You have a few options to acquire event tickets without paying all of the junk fees that Ticketmaster charges:
Go to the Box Office – You won’t be able to avoid all of the fees, but you’ll at least be able to throw out the ridiculous “convenience charge” by purchasing your tickets directly from the venue you would like to purchase tickets from. If all it takes is a quick trip over to the stadium, saving nearly 20% on the total price is well worth it.
Try to Win Some – Radio stations almost always have contests to give away tickets to upcoming sporting events. The dirty little secret in the radio industry is that very few people actually call in and try to win tickets for a lot of events, so your odds are a lot better than you might think. Sometimes no one will call in at all, especially on smaller stations, and they’ll make up a name of a supposed winner.
Buy them on Craigslist – If you’re looking for sold out event tickets, Craigslist is the single best place to go. You’ll likely be able to get tickets for a lot less than you’d pay a scalper or some online service. Since you meet person-to-person, you’re much less likely to buy counterfeit tickets and not know it.
Score Some Corporate Passes – Many companies purchase season tickets to local sporting events and performances. Often employees can pick out a date and grab some free tickets for themselves, friends, and family. Check and see if your company offers this as a benefit before going out and buying tickets.
Sometimes you’re just going to have to suck it up and pay Ticketmaster’s 30% markup on the tickets that they sell, but in a lot of cases you can get tickets for a lot less money, or even for free.
