Re: Advice for buying SB XLII tickets
For those that are watching closely, do you think that prices have bottomed out? They were going down until yesterday and seem to have stabilized.
What do you expect to see happen with prices next week? Any chance it falls further?
Anyone have stories about purchasing tickets on gameday from scalpers?
I would be willing to try were it not for the fear of getting fakes.
First and foremost, once you've exhausted all personal contacts for finding tickets, eBay is the only way to go, in my opinion. The prices are generally lower than the broker sites. It's really a balancing act between price and timing. Have you made your travel and hotel arrangements? Have you decided you must have your tickets in hand before traveling, or are you willing to do in-person pickup from a broker in Glendale? There's a bit of risk involved no matter how you do it.
I gambled and purchased cheap flights for my buddy and myself to San Diego the week before the AFCCG ($233 round trip from Manchester N.H.). We'll rent a car and drive two hours to a hotel in Yuma Saturday night, then drive three hours to Glendale Sunday morning. Sunday night staying again in Yuma, and flying back home Monday afternoon.
I got tickets through an eBay auction that ended 2:30 a.m. Thursday, the pair costing $4,741. This was the best price among all the auction winners I saw up to that time, and these were better seats than most -- sec. 416 (upper deck) row 13, Patriots side, about the 15 yard line. Here's the kicker: Many potential bidders passed this one up because the seller would accept only a money order as payment (no Paypal). He had great eBay feedback, though, with a history showing he had sold World Series tickets, so I investigated further. After several e-mail exchanges and phone conversations with the seller, I determined he was trustworthy and had good reasons for not accepting other forms of payment. He had been screwed in the past by people defaulting/reneging even via Paypal (yes, it's possible) and other forms of payment. I have all his contact information -- name, home address, phone number, etc. Yeah, it's still a risk, but an educated one I was willing to take. (And you can bet that if I end up being a sucker you'll all hear about it in this forum.) I'm comfortable with the transaction and expect the tickets to arrive by Tuesday at the latest.
I personally would not fly to the game without tickets in hand. I know many brokers/agents on eBay promise quick and easy local pickup at a hotel or other temporary site the day before or day of the game, but too much can go wrong -- flat tire, getting lost, a crowd of people waiting to pick up their tickets, etc. That's why I think it's best to deal with a private individual who has the tickets IN HAND and can overnight them to you directly.
So again, it boils down to how much you can afford and how quickly you need the tickets. E-mail and/or talk to the seller, investigate their eBay feedback. Always use Paypal (which offers some protection) unless you are convinced that other payment methods are safe. AND ABOVE ALL ELSE: Do not look at this logically or else you'll NEVER go to a Super Bowl. I mean, spending thousands of dollars for a football game? It makes no real sense, but believe me, having gone to Super Bowls 38 and 39, it is worth every penny. :rocker:
