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Say you just HAVE to see a certain show, on a certain date. The box office is sold out. What do you do?
The answer depends on the specific show, because shows use different ticketing systems (such as Ticketmaster, Telecharge, OvationTix, etc). Here are our best tips for how to navigate the confusion! First, we’ve created special guides for the two most-requested sold-out shows:
If you’re looking for other shows:
1. Enter the digital lottery. You might win, but if you do, you need to see the show on that same day. So this is not usually a good option for most people. [Digital lottery details]
2. Check StubHub. StubHub works like eBay (which owns StubHub) -- sellers list their tickets, and you can buy the tickets using the online platform. The key is to make sure the tickets aren't fake, and that you get them on time. StubHub has very strong customer service and consumer protections in place, which is partly why they are the market leader. In addition, StubHub is sometimes cheaper than Ticketmaster resale, since Ticketmaster resale puts limits on how low the price can go relative to the face value of the ticket.
3. If it’s a Ticketmaster show, look for “Verified Resale Tickets” on Ticketmaster.com. “Resale” means that someone else bought these tickets, and is now reselling them. “Verified” means that Ticketmaster guarantees the ticket’s legitimacy. This is a key point, since there are MANY scams related to Broadway tickets. Your best bet is to buy “resale” tickets directly from Ticketmaster.
4. Call a ticket broker. Many communities have local ticket brokers, and if there’s no one local there are plentiful options online. The advantage of calling them is that they do the sleuthing for you, typically by searching the sites we’ve listed above. In other words, it is VERY rare that a ticket broker will have access to seats that you can’t find listed on the major resale sites yourself. Of course, for the convenience of having someone do the searching for you, you’ll pay a hefty service charge.
The bottom line is that it’s actually pretty easy to get tickets for sold-out shows, provided you are ready to pony up for the privilege of seeing something truly amazing!
Do you have other tips for finding tickets for sold-out shows? Did we get something wrong? Please help your fellow theater fans by commenting below. We’ll update the article and credit you!