Going to a sporting event can be a very special experience. In 2019, Americans spent over $45 billion on sports-related travel.
Depending on the game and the location of your seats, it could be a time that you remember for years to come.
One thing you have to do before you enter a stadium or arena for a game is to buy sports tickets. Some people will try to get cheap sports tickets or do not know where to look for genuine tickets.
Unfortunately, this can lead to you getting scammed and being out a decent amount of money that you invested for those tickets.
So, what can you do to make sure that you have authentic tickets? What can you do to make sure that you will have no problem with your tickets when you arrive at a stadium or an arena?
This is your guide to getting the right tickets from ticket sellers.
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Authorized Sports Tickets Sellers
The most important thing that you can do is to find authorized ticket sellers for the sporting event that you are interested in attending.
One example of this is using a website like ticketsonsale.com. This website mentions at the bottom of the link above that they have a 100% buyer guarantee. That means that if there is an issue with the tickets you buy from a website like this, then you will receive a full refund for your tickets.
There are several websites similar to this one that also offers buyer guarantees or buyer protection. Finding a resource such as that allows you to have a safer option for buying your tickets and having more assurance that the website that you choose to buy it from has your back.
Avoiding Social Media Groups
One way that some sports fans like to buy sports tickets is through other fans of the team or other fans of the sport in general.
An example of this would be being in a baseball group with a fan that is looking for tickets to a game. In that situation, you may have another fan in the group that is looking to get rid of some extra tickets that they possess.
It is possible that you may run into a genuine fan that is honest and wants to make their money back on their tickets but it is risky. The reason why it is risky is that there is no verification that your ticket seller is authentic.
Unfortunately, some fans use these social media groups to take advantage of other fans’ trusting nature over a common bond and end up selling them fake tickets. Then, that fan has no recourse to get their money back and no way to find out that they are fake until it is too late.
Using an authorized website instead of this gives you more protection in the event that another seller is trying to sell a fan fake tickets. In larger sports groups on social media, that seller can even end up taking advantage of a decent amount of members in that group.
Buying Directly From the Team
Another possibility that you can use to avoid getting scammed buying tickets is simply buying directly from the team’s website that you wish to see. So, if you want to see the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium, you can use their team’s website to buy a game to sit where you want on the field.
This is another way to assure that you are buying authentic tickets because with this option, you are buying directly from the source. It helps you avoid the paranoia of buying from an independent source and you are also less likely to have to pay a service fee.
Avoiding Scalpers
An old way of buying tickets for sporting events before the digital age was buying from a scalper right outside of a sports stadium. Some may be trying to get rid of tickets for chump change while others may be trying to make a massive profit.
However, there are others that go for the kill and try to sell tickets to fans that may be desperate to get into a stadium that does not even exist. This can especially be a concern if you are attending either a high-profile event or a game that costs more money than usual.
Thankfully for most fans, this way appears to be dying out considering how many virtual tickets are available now plus all of the third-party online options out there.
Watch the Average Price
There is an old saying that if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. The same applies to buying tickets because if there were enough tickets available at a certain price, then most likely more people would have those around that price.
An example of this is finding an upper deck ticket in a baseball stadium for $10 when the average ticket in that area is around $40. In that situation, you may be tempted to take the cheaper ticket and try to pull a fast one on the sellers.
While it is possible to find a decent deal on tickets, finding it from the wrong person may be a trap to get you to pay money that you are willing to spend for no product.
Buy Your Sports Tickets Properly
These are just some of the tips that you can use to make sure that you are getting authentic sports tickets. Use authorized websites, buy directly, and avoid scalpers and independent sellers in general.
For more related information, check out our Sports section.