Search by performer, event, or venue

For the moment, Brett Favre has retired and will not be playing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010-11. Does that mean he is actually retired? Who knows? But for now, Favre’s absence from the Vikings’ roster is having a startling affect on the team’s ticket prices on the secondary market.

SeatGeek’s Team Pages track the average ticket price for each team in the NFL over the last week, and rank the teams based on price. Over the past week, since news of Favre’s retirement, Vikings’ tickets have averaged only $45, which ranks them dead last out of the 32 NFL teams! Their current ticket price averages are also well below the Vikings’ historical average of $63. Click here to see the Minnesota Vikings Ticket Price & Fan Sentiment page.

What’s more, historical ticket prices for the Vikings have trended severely downward in the last week or so. Even before Favre retired, the uncertainty surrounding his status may have driven the price for tickets down on the secondary market. Certainly, fans’ willingness to pay a premium for tickets is a reflection of the product on the field; if an NFL legend such as Brett Favre is no longer playing for the Vikings, fans are not willing to pay as much as for tickets.

The highest prices are not surprisingly for the Packers vs. Vikings game at the Metrodome on November 21. Tickets for this game on average are listing for $186.

However, listing prices for tickets for Vikings’ away games are much higher than Vikings’ home games. In fact, the highest priced away game is Vikings vs. Packers at Lambeau Field on October 24. Tickets for this game are listing for an average of $395. As it stands now, though, Packers fans will not see their ex-QB Brett Favre play.

Curious to see where your favorite team ranks? Click here to see the ticket price rankings for all 32 NFL teams!

There are still many who don’t believe Favre will actually retire, as this Hyundai commercial below alludes to (2020 MVP at the age of 51?!). If you are one of those people, it might not be a bad idea to snag some tickets for cheaper than usual during Favre’s brief hiatus, as prices will undoubtedly spike if/when he returns to the field.

For any inquiries, feel free to email me at justin[at]seatgeek.com Also, remember to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeek and ‘Like’ us on Facebook for more ticket, sports and concert news!

Find sold out tickets right here at SeatGeek.com!

Part IV of our ‘Buying Sports and Concert Tickets: The Expert Series‘

So you procrastinated on buying tickets and now they are sold out. Ugh. Well don’t panic too much because there are a few simple ways to find sold out tickets online using ticket search engines (if you clicked that link you might be wondering where are we on that list…we were just about to launch SeatGeek!).

Primary Market – Why are you always sold out?

When tickets go on sale in the primary market they are sold at face value and are often quickly scooped up by diligent fans, ticket brokers, corporations, and other organizations (not to mention season tickets – though that is a discussion for another time). Legions of fans, looking to secure their spots, wait in lines (real or digital) to be the first to access these tickets when they hit the market. Many are afraid of what will happen if they sell out: 1) Where will I be able to find tickets? 2) What will happen to prices?

Fortunately we can help you with both those questions…

Insert: The Secondary Ticket Market…find tickets that are sold out

When tickets sell out on the primary market, that is when the real fun begins. Resale tickets have grown immensely in popularity as the secondary market has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry with sites like StubHub leading the charge. It is this active secondary market that offers you the opportunity to find and buy sold out tickets because there are many options to choose from. The same breadth, scope, and activity that makes the secondary market a great source for finding tickets, also can make the search process a little difficult.

However, at SeatGeek we built the tools to help you sort through through the depths of the market. We offer aggregation from the the major secondary ticket sites for side-by-side price comparison, as well as a ticket price forecasts. Why forecasts? Unlike the primary market, resale ticket prices fluctuate, but you can use our ticket prices forecasts to make sense of these fluctuations and buy sold out tickets with assurance that you are not overpaying and that your are purchasing at the right time.

As our co-founder Jack discussed in SmartMoney, roughly 80% of tickets sold on the secondary market are professional ticket brokers, but at the same time about 40% of resale tickets are at or below face value. There is a lot of opportunity to find the tickets you are looking for at the right price, you just have to do your homework…

Search and Understand the Different Ticket Markets

First, read the following resources:

• Guide to the Primary Ticket Market
• Guide to the Secondary Ticket Market
• Guide to Using Ticket Search Engines

Note, the secondary market offers access to an extensive inventory of tickets, so you can always find the events you want to attend if you know where to look. Using a ticket search engine provides a comprehensive look into all the sold out tickets that are availalbe, as well as a clear picture of the average asking price in the market (with more transparency than the primary market).

Now that you understand the basics of the market, we have provided a summary checklist you can follow next time you are looking for tickets.

Checklist for Buying Sold Out Tickets

1. Identify the event or game
2. Use a ticket search engine to find available tickets
3. Compare prices, deals, and inventory across major sites via the aggregation provided by ticket search sites
4. Compare the price of the tickets to their face value price
5. View price forecasts, if prices are going up, buy now – if prices are going down, set up an email alert to buy later
6. Buy when the price is right, and enjoy!