You logged in and locked in 15 minutes before the drop. All payment preferences are up to date; the internet connection is secure. You sequestered yourself away from distractions because this won’t be like last time. This time, you are scoring those seats.
Except you are not alone. You, along with at least 30,000 hockey-crazed Buffalonians, are virtually lining up to try and snag one of the few thousand remaining tickets for second-round Buffalo Sabres home playoff games.
So when the queue opens, a familiar dreadful sight appears: “There are 15,450 people ahead of you in line.” You can stay calm and watch the line dwindle little by little, but that patience won’t always be rewarded. In all likelihood, the straight-from-Sabres seats will be gone.
Now where do you turn?
The digital ticket marketplace is rife with options that plot different points across the “Price” y-axis and “Risk” x-axis.
Let’s explore some of the ways you can acquire tickets, weighing the pros and cons of each avenue.
TICKETMASTER VERIFIED RESALE
We start with the lowest risk option – and the highest priced one as well.
Buying directly from Ticketmaster will guarantee that the transaction will be safe from any hiccups. Ticketmaster already holds the tickets, rather than the seller, so there is no potential of falling through a trapdoor if the seller gets cold feet (more on that later).
Once you take that big gulp, close your eyes and confirm the purchase, the tickets immediately appear in your email or Ticketmaster app, ready to be added to your digital wallet.
This blend of instant gratification and security comes at a price. These will be the highest priced tickets you come across.
For some who have already committed to spending hundreds of dollars to get in the door, the added security of buying straight from Ticketmaster will be worth it.
But there are better deals to be found.
THIRD-PARTY RESALE
Third-party ticket sellers such as StubHub and GameTime fall in the middle-middle portion of the Price-Risk assessment chart.
There is no worry about being scammed out of both your money and the tickets (more on that later). However, there is a chance for hiccups during the transfer phase – the time between you paying for the tickets and the tickets arriving in your inbox.
Here’s why: These third-party providers do not hold the tickets themselves, like Ticketmaster does. The tickets still belong to the seller, who, upon being alerted from StubHub or GameTime of a sale, are given a window of time to transfer them to you.
The risk here is if that window expires and, for whatever reason, the seller hasn’t transferred the tickets. One of two things then happens: You are refunded your money (but you don’t get the tickets), or the third-party provider will reach out to another seller with similarly priced tickets and attempt to broker a deal.
Full disclosure: This happened to me once. I ended up with better seats at the same price I originally paid, but there was a stretch of time where I didn’t know if I was going to get any tickets at all, which can be tough for planning purposes.
If you are willing to take on that amount of risk, there are savings to be had.
Or you can saddle up and ride to the Wild West.
SOCIAL MEDIA TICKET SALES
If you read my previous work, you are aware of how much misinformation and AI-fueled sketchiness exists on social media.
But before you run for the hills, let me be clear: There are legitimate people making legitimate sales on Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.
That’s especially true with the upcoming series between the Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. There are Buffalo fans who want to ensure they sell their tickets to other Blue and Gold supporters – instead of well-traveled Montreal fans. When selling on Ticketmaster or StubHub or GameTime, a seller has no control over who they sell to.
And there are good chances these prices will be the closest to the initial-release cost, as they won't include any types of added vendor fees associated with other resellers.
You just need to do some due diligence in order to not leave with an empty wallet and no tickets:
Verify the identity of the seller. If they have a private profile, send them a friend or follow request so you can see their activity and friends list. Single-digit friends or a recent profile creation date are red flags.
Use a second method of communication. If verification isn’t attainable, ask to speak outside of the social media messaging platform. That can be email, voice/video chat or, if you’re comfortable, in person. This will give you more context to make an informed decision.
Use purchase protection. If you are paying for the tickets using a payment app such as Venmo or PayPal, you can choose to enact purchase protection. This doesn’t change your purchase price, but it takes a small percentage of purchase profits away from the seller. This way, if the product doesn’t meet your expectations (the tickets aren’t sent or are for the wrong day/location), you can request a refund. Most sellers won’t be happy to lose a percentage, so you can use that as leverage to force better identification verification.
Reading through all these steps – not to mention the ticket prices themselves – might lead you straight to the couch instead of the arena. I understand it. But if the past 15 years have taught us anything, these moments can be fleeting, and I hope this helps you navigate the after-market waters to find the path to tickets for you.
Alex Jankowski is the Digital News Editor for Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
