Ticket Watch 1.2 Sees Rain
What is this? A new feature tracking the secondary ticket market because I'm too cheap to buy season tickets. Also because that strategy has worked for me pretty well so far. I strongly encourage interaction from the readers on this because I'm still feeling my way on format and it's a very big market. Quite a few people already have emailed me with their tricks for ticket trading. A few have noted that I'm way more helpful to buyers than sellers, which probably can't be helped since that's what I am, but I'll try to throw some good selling opportunities out there when I see them.
LESSONS FROM YESTERDAY'S TRADING
I got me and a friend into BYU for free, and the morning of the game I got offered face value on the 50 yard line (Section 2, row 44). Both were because the "Dances with Dirt" run overlapped with the game. Mental note: when scouting ahead for tickets know about events that green thumb Ann Arbor types can't resist.
There was also a craigslist post from pretty close to me offering face or best offer right when I was leaving. They were actually trading about that on the sites, which surprised me. Since I already had tickets I didn't check them after 9 but I did walk down to the Main & Stadium entrance to find people selling the typical "wife didn't make it" tickets for $10 and trying to get $40/ticket for a pair at about 11:30.
THE NEXT GAME
The rest of Maryland tickets went to garbage the second a wild Bowling Green appeared (never schedule an Art Briles acolyte), but local Michigan fans were keeping the night matchup the premier event on the Terps' schedule. Ralph Garcia of TiqIQ before the storm:
The game at Maryland has seen a 25% decrease in average price over the past week. Current average is $133.21. Cheapest ticket available is $70. This is Maryland's most expensive game of the season.
http://www.tiqiq.com/tickets/maryland-terrapins-vs-michigan-wolverines--10-03-2015/16787731414
And then…
SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL SELL! If you have a pair already put them up now under market and pray they go—you'll find a new set on the way down. Things around the 50 are already under $100 out the door:
On StubHub there's a pair upstairs for $30/each (plus $15 for fees).
The weather news already halted the market, and it's been just hours since the new start time ruined the plans of mice and men expected to be at Erin Frost's Bat Mitzvah in Rockford at 10:30 a.m. and no you are not missing it that's why we are in town, not your football game; family comes first. Also: Mazel tov from MGoBlog, Erin.
If you've been waiting to buy tickets I suggest hitting the last-minute market. There are going to be empty seats and last-ditch attempts to unload them after Erin's oneg, and a lot of those tickets will never even make it near the stadium. I'd also be willing to gamble that there will be plenty held between thumbs and forefingers around the stadium.
NO NOT SCALPERS
Skip scalpers unless you're desperate. They do not call them gently shavers.
CURRENT RATES
The BYU game awoke the Michigan monster in a lot of people, and tickets climbed 10% across the board, especially for the MSU game (because we have so much respect for the #2 Spartans, Mark, no other reason).
Again, my process is I spend a week of tracking prices on TiqIQ (which collates all the smaller markets), Stubhub, and Craigslist (Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit), then post a price per ticket for two or more seats together:
| Game | In Aug | Now | Dips | Buy? | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @Maryland | $85 | $30 | $30 | at game | Weather plus new start time 8 hours from old one. |
| Northwestern | $80 | $81 | $74 | at dip. | Price is going up since it's homecoming + BYU bump |
| MSU | $194 | $225 | $168 | at $150 | State fans still driving up. |
| @Minnesota | $78 | $40 | - | at game | says you. |
| Rutgers | $43 | not moving | lol | whenever | Hello permanent I-AA team on our schedule. |
| @Indiana | $63 | $60 | - | wait. | They still haven't lost. |
| @Penn State | $145 | $108 | $100 | next loss | Going back up again. I'm bearish on PSU though. |
| Ohio State | $217 | $181 | $165 | Now | Crawling up. If M beats Sparty these will bust $200 |
Sigh, Rutgers. I'm not even reporting the price because I was watching the same face value ticket at the top of TiqIQ all friggin' week. Nobody's buying, and nobody wants to admit yet that they're not going to get their money back on that thing.
The BYU effect is happening on Northwestern too, since it's both homecoming (so people aren't letting their tickets go) and it's the next home game after a home game everyone wishes they'd been at. That had been trending downward since it's neither a premier game nor that one if you just want to take the whole family to one game (hi Rutgers).
Looking ahead to some road tilts in driving distance, Indiana is on a winning streak and faces Ohio State so let's wait for that bubble to burst. Penn State fans are driving the market for their game and are back to convincing themselves they have an offense. Unfortunately there isn't much on their schedule to trip them up. Army is next and unlike Air Force this triple-option outfit doesn't cut knees away. After that is Indiana. Then Ohio State, Maryland, Illinois, and at Northwestern. I'd wait till they play in Columbus, unless they lose at home to Indiana first.
Minnesota I got some advice from several people in the comments and on twitter. Apparently Gophers fans are not filling their stadium for anything, so treat it like a Northwestern game. If they beat a real opponent maybe get out ahead since you're banking a flight on this. But it still seems like this is a ticket you can get at the game, especially since it's too far away for a guy like to me to decide to go on Friday.
CHEAP TIP
Commodities markets always move with news. Games are like crop reports: everyone recalibrates after. Emotions are a market inefficiency. So are things like Randy Edsall's players meeting without him while he flubs Forrest Gump quotes.
BEST DEAL RIGHT NOW (that I can find on the sponsor's site because let's support people who support us okay?)
I'm bullish on Michigan and Ohio State right now. If either gets a win over MSU then The Game will be a tough one to get into.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
YES!!! THANKYOU
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^
Pretty shocked OSU price is below MSU. Yes MSU fans are closer but cmon its 3.5 hrs away and you have a NC team coming in to play Harbaugh in 1 of the greatest rivalries in the sport and you can't force demand to Sparty level?
They have become spoiled by winning.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
Thanksgiving was always a bad place for that game. Its changed the market considerably.
I paid $150 back in the 90's, those should be going for $300
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:30 AM ^
If UM beats Sparty, OSU prices will start to soar.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^
Does this feature sorta cut against that sponsor?
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
yeah maybe sorta?
But this feature introduced me to TiqIQ and I sold Maryland tix through that site because of it - so it also is good for the sponsor. It's EASILY my favorite site to use.
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
Here's your answer, basically. They're not going to pretend like they're the only place you can buy and sell tickets. They do what they do: aggregate all the not-StubHub sites, and guarantee the tix you buy. If you want to use them for that, great. If you don't it's not like they lost business. They're our friends for a reason.
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
For any "buy at the game" there's also ones to wait or to watch for certain prices, i.e., keep going to the site and looking. So, they get extra clicks for whatever ad money they get on their site, and the feature drives traffic there to buy as well, so they get whatever commission they get from your purchase.
If anything, this feature is a way better piece of advertising for them than any actual advertising they can do on the site, and since the feature tells you when not to use said sponsor's services in some cases, it's not the pure "sponsored content" garbage that is infesting publications all over. Provides useful, truthful information and recommendations, but still directs traffic to the site in a way a banner ad, or even simple mentions in content, never could/would.
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:32 AM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
Great to have this back.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
Re: at minnesota -- These tickets are going to skyrocket if they haven't lost, but I still think a significant amount of people will try to dump them on the Saturday of as more exciting Haloweeny- type plans arise
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
Just a heads up about that Minnesota game: the $40 GA tickets on Stubhub are in the student section, which you'll need a Minnesota student ID to use. General public seating is starting at $60 plus fees.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:35 AM ^
This feature introduced me to TiqIQ. It's great. I had extra tix for Maryland and sold to MGoBloggers, which was nice. Easy easy to sell through the site.
I have one more ticket available - cheapest price / best seats behind UM bench, near UM viisitor section, but 30 yard line (SEC 4). Check out TiqIQ to contact.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:39 AM ^
I had a bad experience using Razorgator. I bought hockey tickets the night before a Wings playoff game in Tampa and they didn't notify me until the next day - right before the game - that they had already sold my tickets and I happened to buy them before they were removed from the site. I'm a bit hesitant to use any of those services that Seatgeek tracks due to this experience - at least within 48 hours of a game. I got my money back, but I lost a whole night of looking for a better deal on tickets.
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^
I'd been using StubHub for some concert tickets and they hit you hard with sevice charges. I've got 2 I'm trying to sell for MD game... I'll see how it goes.
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:07 AM ^
Did you mean Rockville? It is a short drive, not that it matters. While I am Catholic I have been to several of those and with the kiddush and everything else, you were going to be lucky to get to the 8 pm kickoff. :)
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:18 AM ^
Don't go back there . . . .
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 10:14 PM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
Kpete879(AT)att.net
Been looking at a pair of club seats. Would be awesome seats but I'm not sure I want to pay 375$ for tickets to see Rutgers.
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
Unless they figured out a way to pump in the noise from the game, stay away from the club seats. I had indoor Jack Roth Club seats for 3 games last year and it it's like a morgue in there. You can barely hear the crowd outside and the sound they pump in is minimal. No atmosphere whatsoever.
Now if your wife is not a football fan or hates cold weather, then you may want to consider the club seats. No lines for food or bathroom goes a long way as well as being in a heated environment.
That being said - I got club seats for tomorrow's Maryland game so that my wife wouldn't be cold or wet at the game. I also got club seats for the Penn State game since that is at the end of November. If I was going with my friends, I'd probaby just sit as close as possible on the Michigan side line.
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
I'm indifferent aside from the indoors aspect. She was also a BIG fan of the individual chairs and seat backs. That's her biggest gripe when we go to a game having someone's knees in your back.
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
The third level is all outdoors on the Jack Roth Club side. The middle sections on the 4th level are indoors.
October 2nd, 2015 at 2:00 PM ^
I sent you an email @Bigasshammm
October 3rd, 2015 at 6:18 AM ^
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October 2nd, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
Done, tickets bought. Yes.
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
True. Actually I was planning on it for early next week initially but the huge swing in Maryland tickets made it more relevant for this week. I had it ready yesterday but we had a flood of content yesterday and I didn't need to bump UFR down any further.
October 2nd, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
Look out, Seth, you've got a deluge of criticism coming your way for that remark . . . .
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
Not that it's all that relevant to the topic, but I ran the Dances with Dirt race the two years I was in Ann Arbor for business school (2001/2002). They have a few formats, but at a summary level, this is a 100K, 5 person relay race that takes place in and around Hell, MI. Each person runs 3 legs, covering an average of 20K. The course covers trails, roads, woods, lakes, rivers, etc. There really isn't anything that the race organizers consider out of bounds. I don't know all of the history of the race, but it certainly feels like it was a precursor to the Spartan and Muddy Buddy Races.
Some people run the race solo, which is just insane.
The race fills up immediately when registration opens, making it a very sought after event. It doesn't surprise me that some season ticketholders elected to run the race vs. go to the game.
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
They'll overnight if possible or issue an e-ticket. I bought my 2012 MSU ticket from them at 3pm Friday and it was on my doorstep before we left the next morning. I think it added six bucks or something.
October 2nd, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^
October 2nd, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^
Is that they have an option to do a meet up. I know from experience that's not possible with StubHub.
October 2nd, 2015 at 1:08 PM ^
Anyone have any idea when they should announce the MSU kick? hoping to fly out Sat night but that only works if 12 & 3 kick.
I thought I remember hearing that they would NOT make MSU a night game.. That accurate?
October 2nd, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^
I heard it's a fight. TV wants a night game, and Ann Arbor PD are like no fucking way you're going to have SPARTANS drinking in our city all day.
I'd bet it's 3:30.
October 2nd, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
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October 2nd, 2015 at 3:44 PM ^
I just noticed that Sparty has had both the WMU and Oregon games at night, and has the Rutgers and Nebraska games scheduled for night. Oregon was the only home game of those 4. I wonder what are the biggest factors in deciding what teams play after the 3:30 slot - and if the coaching staff gets to have a say...
As for the AA PD not wanting the Spartans drinking all day, well, I'm thinking that the business owners would gladly take their $$...
October 2nd, 2015 at 6:44 PM ^
I'm sure they're worried about STAEE yutzes painting the cars, I mean town, all day
October 2nd, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
Thanks for doing this, Seth. It is helpful for calibrating when and where and how and for how much to buy tickets. I, like you, have largely bought tickets to the games I could go to, not having season tickets since graduating many years ago. Being in Chicago, with other commitments and limited income, there are only so many games I can attend.
Just a few comments. First I also second 707Oxford: if you are putting info about the upcoming game, this post would be better by Wed. or Thurs.
Second, I started a thread several days ago on a related but different topic.
LINK: META: Way for Mgobloggers to help other Mgobloggers with Tix.
It would be great if there was a mechanism to link mgobloggers to other mgobloggers as regards tickets. I'm sure that tiqiq is good, but that is more of an open market. And that is more about really buying and selling. One way to help mgobloggers would be some kind of blog specific IM capability. Is that beyond the programming skilz of mgoblog staff, or the time, or the server ability?
On a completely unrelated topic, I now have 4 mgoblog windows open (the number needed to page down to my post of 3 days ago). I know it is in the plans to eventually fix this. Is "in the plans" something that means this year? Next year? Maybe in 10 years? Inquiring minds . . .
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