Hoek

January 31st, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^

I renewed 2 out of 4 tickets, it is just to much money. Plus coming from kalamazoo the cost of gas, food, beer, and parking. Both my kids are into sports in the fall and I have found it very difficult to sell the tickets we don't use, sick of eating that money.

MLaw06

January 31st, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^

I fly in from NYC w/ the wife and kids for about half of the games.  Flight is about two hours and then rent a car and 30 min drive.   Not too bad. 

I renewed my PSDs and will try to upgrade.  I figure I have the best chance to lock in good seats during the bad years.

MadMonkey

January 31st, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^

in the family for a couple generations.   

I love my alma mater, but some of the changes taking place have changed our thinking about how and when we will enjoy the gameday experience in Ann Arbor.   Really a sad day for us.

 

buckeyeh8er

January 31st, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^

I have been driving or flying in from Georgia or Maryland for a few years now and only make the big games as of now. not sure how people have been eating money on the tickets. I have made money every year so far although I am hoping just to break even this year.

MLaw06

January 31st, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^

Well you can lose money if you don't sell them or sell them too late. I.e., like if someone backs out to go a few days before and then you have to basically dump the tix. 

It definitely can happen and does happen frequently.

Section 1

January 31st, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^

Because I don't believe it.

I made out like a bandit last year, when I sold my 4 ND tickets for $2000.  I don't know anybody who did better.  But the ONLY way I could have possibly "made" money was if I had sold off ND, and OSU, and not only that but timed the sale of the OSU tickets exactly right.

I just don't believe you.  There is no way on earth that you can buy season tickets this year and break even.  I am telling you in no uncertain terms that you will lose money.

Go ahead and tell me how I am wrong; but be specific.  Start by telling me how much your PSD is, and how you factor that in to any profits or losses.

Section 1

January 31st, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^

Did your brother-in-law just find a single buyer who paid $1000 over face value for the whole season?

What is your brother-in-law's PSD?  Did the buyer pay that too?

There is no way that I can possibly break even on my tickets.  I'd sell all of my tickets, here and now, if I could break even for 2014.

Here's the price, if anybody is interested:

$2,400 (PSD) + $1875 (est. ticket cost) = $4275.

I make zero profit on this deal.

Four tickets together on the fifty yard line in what I will say is an ideal row.  One year.  All yours.  With smart, pleasant, knowledgable people all around.  I'm betting no one will take this offer.

MLaw06

January 31st, 2014 at 3:11 PM ^

Victors PSD is a bad deal. 

I did the analysis a while back on Excel and I found Maize PSD to be the best bang for the buck if you're going to resell.  Also, if you are Endzone, you will make money.  I did the math based on average sold price per PSD category on Stubhub for all games vs. total expense (i.e., PSD, ticket cost, Stubhub fee, etc.).

MLaw06

January 31st, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^

In addition, Section 1, you should net out the cash benefit of your deduction in order to get at the true cost to you.

I.e., you should subtract out approx. another $865.

$2,400 x 80% = $1,920 (allowable deduction per 80/20 IRS rule)

$1,920 x 45% = $864 (approx tax rate of someone who is in the top federal tax bracket plus average state tax).  Taxes would generally be lower in MI, then CA, NY or NJ, but this is an approximation.

 

HELLE

January 31st, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^

end zone seats are easier to make a profit on due to the low PSD. I make money but it requires a bit of work to figure out the best time to sell. This year will be tougher but you will just have to accept a little loss before the big profit you will receive next year. Not everyone is patient enough to get the great deals stubhub offers. People are actually buying tickets right now for way over face value.

Bando Calrissian

January 31st, 2014 at 2:06 PM ^

This year was the first season in about five that our family didn't eat a single ticket, but I strongly suspect that will change next year. It used to be you'd ask people if they wanted to go to a Michigan game, they'd jump at the chance. Now, between the cost, the hassle of parking and getting in/out of Ann Arbor on a gameday, the eroding gameday experience, it seems we're always left holding a ticket or two to most games that aren't a major conference opponent. And we only have four to work with to begin with.

Now, if we were really looking to sell tickets, there's absolutely no way we'd ever break even. Ever. Not even a possibility.

ZB75

January 31st, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^

Me too.  It was so hard for me to give up my tickets.  I really had mixed feelings about doing it.  I just cant afford coming up with large sums of cash on Jan 31 and in May for the actual tickets any more.  I plan on being at six of the seven games in 2014, but Stub Hub is the way to go.  I will save alot of money this fall. 

FabFiver5

January 31st, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^

Thanks for the reminder. Coudn't remember if I paid mine or not. FYI, I called the ticket office and they were able to confirm it for me if anyone is in the same boat.

readyourguard

January 31st, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^

I reluctantly sent mine in.  With the recent Gibbons fiasco, the constant wringing of every cent from fans, the escalating salaries, and the fact that damn near all athletic facility gets re-done seemingly every 5 years while the CCRB and IM remain embarraassing shitholes had me teetering on the edge of not renewing.  The fact that my son attends UM, and going to games is another opportunity to see him was the deciding factor.

 

Row26

January 31st, 2014 at 1:19 PM ^

I had finally decided to suck it up and renew this week, though I went back and forth for a long time and it was a really tough decision. The Gibbons thing didn't really factor in for me, but it did make me feel dirty sending hundreds of dollars to the athletic department after knowing what happened. I kind of feel like I need to donate to SAPAC just to balance it out a little.

And tthe fact that when you pay the PSD online, a window pops up asking if you'd like to donate EVEN MORE to the scholarship fund just added to my hatred for Brandon.

MadMonkey

January 31st, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^

us have to be considered the hard-core fringe of the Michigan faithful.   If we aren't going to show up, what about all of the people who sell their tickets to OSU and State fans?  

However, the math will still work.  Brandon will take the significantly higher price and modestly lower volume.   Also, he knows that if Hoke can get the team to win consistently that we will show up whatever the cost.  From a revenue management standpoint, his approach looks justified.

 

LSAClassOf2000

January 31st, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^

It is an interesting issue. I know we've had numerous chats in numerous threads on the fantastic problem Michigan has with having comparatively inelastic demand for its product, but the question always comes back to this - when does the behavior which makes it inelastic begin to change? Are we beginning to see it happen? I do wonder sometimes, although it might be years (and the decline would need to be consistent) before the university would notice financially. 

Bosch

January 31st, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^

....is the effect that losing a part of your hard core fan base and their families might have on the sales of licensed merchandise. We are currently top 5. I would suspect that could drop.... Perhaps my view is exaggerated, but I don't see any good coming from pricing out the middle class.

Section 1

January 31st, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^

From the sounds of things- Under 100k game attendance coming soon to a screen near us!

 

The seats will still be there; the tickets will still be for sale; and the marketplace might well drive the price down to where people will buy.

So the "100,000" metric is a misleading one in my view.  They could well have 100,000 people in Michigan Stadium, but many of them will have purchased tickets for $30 on StubHub.

The unseen metric is the vast difference between what season ticket purchasers pay/donate, and what the market price of those tickets are.  It's a rapidly-widening gap.  Season ticket holders are being asked to pay sometimes 100% more than the face value of tickets, and the face value of tickets is routinely 100% more than the market value.

Michigan season football tickets are nothing more than a very large tax on alumni loyalty and family tradition associated with Michigan football.

Bosch

January 31st, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^

Did the donation online. Thought it was comical that my receipt for my "donation" was short $30 for "goods and services." So.... they call it a donation but then say you didn't really donate the full amount. If the pair of tickets I kept wasn't seated together with two other pairs (friends), I'd let those go also. Whether or not we continue to buy for 2015 will be a topic of discussion at the tailgates this fall....