Tickets to playoff games

[Madhawk23]

For the first time this year, I bought into one of the "season seat holder" packages - and I'm trying to determine if it's worth buying tickets to all of the available home games that I can purchase tickets for (if I'm unable to use all of them). So, my question for anyone here that had experience selling some of their postseason tickets last year: did you have success selling them through Stubhub or any other outlet? Did you lose money on buying them through the ticket office and then selling them through a 3rd party ticket site? Or, did you make a little money off of them?

 

Again - just trying to determine if it's worth buying as many tickets as I can, and then trying to sell the one's that I cannot use.

 

Thanks in advance.

[LaprilOne]

I had full season strips last year and 2011. I could not use all of them. I made enough off stub hub to almost pay for what I kept.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

There are a million variables. I'll be up front - I attended every playoff game except NLCS Game 2 last year and made $1200 however there is a major caveat with that story - see below.

 

My strategy is usually to just buy the playoff strip in full in your season seats, then sell them as the games come up. Usually, you profit a little bit, then I replace the seats at the pre-sales with something much closer, and use those.

 

However, you just as easily lose money on games. For example, I bought 4 to each NLCS game last year. I sold my entire strip. I used all 4 seats to games 1. By the time it came back to game 6, we were down 3-2, my group had little interest, the thought being people would go if they forced 7, but they didn't want to spend $$ on 6. I went to Game 6, but took a loss on the extras.

 

The times and days can have drastic effect as well.

 

And here's the caveat. Last year also had the benefit of a potential matchup with the Cubs. Many Cubs fans bought the overpriced StubHub seats the night of their WC game. Then they lost. Prices dropped like a rock when it was Colorado instead. I listed 4 extras I had to Game 1, and priced them where I was certain they would not be purchased, at around $500 each. My reason for this was that I was waiting to hear back from people who'd half committed, and if they backed out, I would then make the price marketable. I didn't actually want to sell them at that point, but I didn't want to be left entering in barcodes 4 hours before the game. I was sitting around watching the Wild Card game when I got a notice someone bought them, and I could not believe it.

 

My advice? Buy what you know you can use, and don't buy to sell. Buying the strip is always a good idea, because it can almost always be sold off at at least face, and it's really your only true guarantee of getting in. They can change the sales as they see fit, but your strip is yours.

 

I can confirm that the Brewers are locking out customers who sell seats they bought at the presales

 

They do not take this action if you sell your purchased strip of seats. I plan to do what I've done - sell my strip and buy better seats at the pre-sales. But buying solely to sell is quite stressful and IMO not really worth it. What happened to me last year is probably in no way normal.

[MrTPlush]

It is better to get them sold earlier rather than closer to game date. Whether a strip or the pre sale trying to sell off initial excitement is the best course of action. it usually only goes down from there.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Early biters tend to be better than later, but even that isn't fail-safe, like last year when you could buy Game 7 for less before it was guaranteed to occur. The margin is not usually a life-altering sum and by the time every ticket fee and broker fee has been paid your margins aren't worth it for the headache you endure, imo.

 

The section also matters. I doubt you'd ever have trouble getting face for the terrace, but you have some trouble on the field, especially along where the cut off is with platinum and diamond box. The margins can sometimes be much safer on good but not "great" seats. I just don't want to deal with it all again personally, so I'm not buying extras unless people guarantee me they're coming.

 

It's really just people's inconsiderate, lazy nature that annoys me more than the Brewers. It's easy to wait until the last second to decide you're going or not when you're paying face value and someone else fronted the price. I'm just sick of that scenario unfolding.

[BruisedCrew]

My biggest annoyance with these games is having no idea what the dates and times will be.

 

My two daughters who live in town would love to go to a playoff game but, because of their jobs, weeknights aren’t real convenient and week days are out. I’m thinking about skipping the wild card game because that would be a weeknight for sure, but getting NLDS game 3 (first game in Milwaukee) and hope that it’s on Sunday, or at worst Monday night, and not Monday afternoon.

[Outlander]

There is nothing to hope for, NLDS#3 is a Sunday, 4 is Monday.

[KeithStone53151]

I did pretty well on tickets last year as well, but I'm much less optimistic for this year. The games all being weekday and no possibility of cubs crushes the chances to make significant money. I think if i bought 8 tickets to wildcard and 4 each to games 3 and 4 at market rate, i should be lucky to average a $10/ticket profit...all with a ton of risk that things don't break perfectly. My playoff strip is in a much more reasonable location this year, so I'm only buying extras as a legit passthru to friends that 100% plan to attend... that's my stance through NLDS and that's as far ahead as I'm willing to think

[Eye Black]

My biggest annoyance with these games is having no idea what the dates and times will be.

If the Cardinals win the division this would be the playoff scenario for the Brewers...

 

The NL Wild Card game is going to be Tuesday, October 1st with a very likely start time of 7:00pm CT.

 

The first NLDS game the Brewers would host is Sunday, October 6th at likely either 3:30pm or 7:00pm CT.

 

The second NLDS game (if necessary) the Brewers would host is Monday, October 7th. There is a possibility of four playoff games that day, so it could start anywhere from 12:30pm to mid-afternoon (i.e. 3:30pm) to that evening (7:00pm or possibly even later). I am guessing a day game or late afternoon game would be the most likely scenario (i.e. 12:30pm or 3:30pm)

[Madhawk23]

Thanks again for everyone's feedback on all of this. I think I might play it safe then and just purchase whatever tickets I know that I'll need for any of these potential playoff games. I certainly don't want to get stuck with a bunch of extra tickets that I can't at least make my money back on - so it just feels to risky to go down that road.