HELP. Is there anyway to verify Broadway Play tickets?

[WrongWay]

Planning a trip to NYC and I am wanting to go see Spamalot. The show is completly sold out, so buying from the theater is out. I really don't want to wait till I get there to purchase tickets as this did not work out last time with The Lion King. I know the price is gonna be huge for these Spamalot tickets.

Note, I live in Colorado, so swinging by the theater is out.


So, hello ebay. Now I can Pay by PayPal and get buyers protection, but is there anything I can do, or somewhere/someone I can call once I have the tickets in hand to verify that these are real deal.

What scared me the most was I saw someone auctioning off a Playbill and used ticket on ebay and the ticket he had looked like a standard paper ticket. No hologram, no fraud protection of any kind I could see. Do Play tickets come with any type of protection? At this price you think there would be a huge market for B.S. tickets.

[Raiders Army]

I would read the description of the auction carefully. eBay/Paypal should cover you if they're bogus...but you probably won't know until you get there. I would think you could call something to make sure they're legit. My two cents.

[WrongWay]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

but you probably won't know until you get there. I would think you could call something to make sure they're legit. My two cents.

BINGO. As far as getting my money back I don't see a problem PayPAl & Capital One have saved my but with more than ebay auction. Generally telling the person about Paypal or Carpital One has rmoved some of the hurdles in getting things cleard up.


I am a measure twice, cut once kind of guy, so I just want to know for a fact that I will not arrive at the theater only to be turned away.



Hey, I am the guy that always buys the extended waranty, the rental car insurance, and somtimes just an extra one, you know in case I lose the original one.

[KWhit]

I've been to a ton of plays on BWay and none of the tickets have ever had any kind of hologram or anything like that on them.

[KevinNU7]

Originally Posted by KWhit

I've been to a ton of plays on BWay and none of the tickets have ever had any kind of hologram or anything like that on them.

Ditto, the usually look like they cost 5 cents to make

[Joe]

you should just buy tickets every 6 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. you'll end up with something that's legit.

[Passacaglia]

I'd be skeptical of assuming that eBay or PayPal will cover you if the tickets are fake. Isn't it illegal to scalp tickets on eBay? From what I remember, sellers get around it by selling something else, and throwing in the tickets free. That's what I remember when searching for Michigan tickets...just made me think that eBay might not be that willing to get your back.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

I'd be skeptical of assuming that eBay or PayPal will cover you if the tickets are fake. Isn't it illegal to scalp tickets on eBay? From what I remember, sellers get around it by selling something else, and throwing in the tickets free. That's what I remember when searching for Michigan tickets...just made me think that eBay might not be that willing to get your back.

Yeah, its illegal to sell tickets on ebay for anything more than face value.

[Celeval]

Can also try ticket brokers - most of the ones that carry sporting events can also do Broadway shows.

Edit: StubHub.com has Monty Python's Spamalot tickets for a variety of prices and dates. I've used them with no problems before.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

Yeah, its illegal to sell tickets on ebay for anything more than face value.

I thought it was only illegal to ask for more then initial value and if people bid the price up it was ok..?

[Joe]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I thought it was only illegal to ask for more then initial value and if people bid the price up it was ok..?

unless things have changed recently.. when the final four was here (this was 2001 i think), I remember reading that no matter what the high bidders price was, you had to sell it to them at face value. i think ebay ends some auctions early when they get to that price as well.

[WrongWay]

Doesn't this have to do with location? I seem to remember buying Football tickets and having to be so far away from the stadium?


As far as these Play tickets, most of the Ebay auction all include at the bottom of the auction some kind of disclaimer that reads:

New York residents: New York state law limits the resale ticket price for this event location, so your maximum bid cannot exceed $2232.00. See eBay's ticket policy.

[JimboJ]

Each state has its own laws on scalping (ie. no more than 15% over face value). Ebay enforces those laws by automatically ending the auction when the price gets to the limit. They make you enter the face value and number of the tickets, and then depending on which state the seller is registered in, they calculate the price at which the auction will end. It tells you that amount up front before you actually submit the listing.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by JimboJ

Each state has its own laws on scalping (ie. no more than 15% over face value). Ebay enforces those laws by automatically ending the auction when the price gets to the limit. They make you enter the face value and number of the tickets, and then depending on which state the seller is registered in, they calculate the price at which the auction will end. It tells you that amount up front before you actually submit the listing.

Which, if the seller is outside of the state, does not apply. For example, someone selling Cubs tickets on Ebay from anywhere other than IL can mark em up as high as they damn well please.

Sucks.