E-Tix authenticity - 2021 football tix
Hello,
Long time lurker, first-time poster. Moved back from Houston to west Michigan last year, after a decade hiatus from living in the Mitten...
GF has never been to the Big House - want to take her to Washington, as I haven't been to an UTL as of yet either.
Vivid Seats currently has a pair I'm looking at, but charges a $24.95 UPS Overnight Delivery Fee. This was standard protocol in several prior purchases, but with the move to 100% e-tickets for all sports (with the important caveat that football season tix renewals still have the option for printed ticket stock), I was curious if the $24.95 delivery seems a bit suspicious, or if I'm overthinking it. Perhaps it's a bonus that a season-ticket holder has/will have ticket stock, and will actually overnight these. I'd be more confident with StubHub for issue resolution, any experience/insight as to the legitimacy of said tix/VividSeats guarantee in general?
Thank you all and forever GO BLUE
I used VividSeats for Steve Wonder's Vegas residency a few years ago. It seemed a bit scary but everything worked out fine. I think it will work for you too.
Never had any issues with VividSeats, but if you're concerned check out TickPick. It lists all tickets as either e-ticket or FedEx so you know if you're getting electronic or a physical ticket.
I use TickPick whenever possible. No fees added in so you know what you'll be paying up front.
While true that TickPick doesn't appear to add on fees, they actually do. In the case you mean though, they don't surprise you with a higher price at checkout. They just tack it on at the beginning which is definitely nicer for the buyer to know. StubHub has a filter where you can select "show prices with estimated fees" that basically covers everything but potential delivery costs.
In regards to the FedEx overnight issue, that is something you probably cannot really get around. They will likely have the tickets in hand much sooner than a few days prior to the game where overnighting is necessary. The problem is that you'll still be charged that fee even if they overnight the tickets in July.
One last thing to consider: StubHub is the official resale partner for UM. This doesn't seem like a big deal but it does for authenticity. When you sell a UM ticket on StubHub, you have to input the barcode numbers for each ticket. At that point, they invalidate that ticket and regenerate a new ticket and barcode for the buyer. Not saying they are the best for all resale tickets, but that's definitely the place to go as long as prices are close. See you at the game.
I use StubHub often and exclusively. The fees suck but I've heard legit stories about their guarantees.
Me and a buddy were going to a Colts game a few years back. His girlfriend and cousin went to the tailgate and decided to buy tickets on StubHub. Turned out the barcode had already been used. StubHub refunded 100% of their money plus got them better seats. Only downside was they missed the first quarter.
I think they said season ticket holders would still get their tickets as physical tickets?
The ticket office has been able to confirm I purchased tickets from stubhub when I had an issue once - they were not with vivid when it wouldn't scan in at the gate and their customer service was difficult to reach on gameday... not that stubhub is much better, but they at least are partners and I've never had an issue getting denied entry like I did with vivid. Fees suck but I'm ok spending a little extra with peace of mind.
Yes, we were told we will be getting physical tickets in the mail.
You are overthinking the legitimacy. You are not overthinking the fact that they’re gouging you (and everyone else)
Do you have another suggestion for an out of towner to get game tickets without being gouged?
I kinda miss the Ticket Watch feature and maybe Seth is going to put that back on again this year with fans in attendance. Unless you really, really, really have a set of seats you are looking for I'd wait at least a month for things to shake out a bit on tickets. With ticket packages being sold a bit later this month that would put all the stock in the market (right now it is limited based on the ticket packs which will be resold being not available).
Further, if you are willing to wait until week of game (and have the stones to pull that off) you tend to do a bit better. I have had seasons for a long time but for sure have paid more than my colleague who approaches acquiring tickets as a weekly grudge match between he and Michigan.
I seem to recall an .xlsx spreadsheet too, where buyers/sellers could coordinate sans ridic 30%+ 3rd-party fees - if that is still operational/an option I'd love to directly put the cash in a UM season ticket holder's pocket - we could even split the 30% fee markup 15% each...