How to Safely Buy Tickets Online

Watching an event live is much better than sitting at home in front of the TV. You can soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the action in real time without ad breaks or the kids wanting snacks or another showing of Frozen. The problem is not a lack of a suitable event to go and see. Rather, it is finding tickets for the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the right price.

There are numerous online ticket websites selling tickets for gigs, comedy clubs, sporting events, theater shows, and any other live gig you can think of. In theory, this is a safer way to buy legitimate tickets than dealing with a ticket tout at the venue, but in practice, the process is still fraught with risk.

Buy from Official Outlets

The safest way to buy tickets online is to wait for tickets to be released by the official promoter. Check the official website to find out when tickets go on sale and make sure you have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone when the box office opens.

There is a lot of luck involved, unfortunately, as most popular events sell out within minutes. Ticket touts snap up large numbers of tickets using sophisticated software, primarily so they can resell them at a profit. It isn’t fair, but until the practice is outlawed by the government, buying tickets online is an arbitrary affair.

Buy from a Resale Site

If you are unsuccessful, your next option is to try one of the larger ticket resale websites such as Ticketliquidator, StubHub, or TicketsNow. Official resellers typically sell tickets to big events at the cover price, plus a small fee. This is a popular way to pick up tickets for concerts, sporting events and theater outings. Your transaction will be processed via a secure payment system and if you do experience any problems, these sites offer help and advice.

Whilst official resellers are the best places to buy tickets, big name tickets sell out fast and you may end up out of luck via the main sites. There will still be tickets available, but you need to be on your guard for scams.

Look on eBay or Gumtree

People often resell legitimate tickets when they can’t attend an event. Look on eBay or Gumtree for tickets to the event you are interested in – if it’s a big name band or similar, there could be tickets available. However, be very careful about bidding a huge sum of money, as the tickets may not be genuine. eBay has safeguards in place to protect buyers, but you need to pay via PayPal rather than in person, for cash. Gumtree is another popular venue for listing unwanted tickets, but again, you must be very careful when buying tickets.

Buyer Beware

If possible, arrange to meet the vendor in person so you can inspect the tickets. Make sure they are official tickets – if in doubt, call the venue and check the ticket serial number to make sure the ticket is genuine. Scammers usually avoid handing over tickets in person, so this should be a red flag warning.

Lastly, don’t pay for tickets up front if you have arranged to collect them in person. They might not show up!

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