Even after being in this business for so long and really learning how to be a ticket broker, I still find myself in situations that are completely unexpected. Ticket brokering is a very learnable and masterable business, but you always have to keep your eyes open because there are so many variables to take into account.
Take the example of seating charts. I always make sure to include an image of the seating chart in every eBay listing I put up, so you can imagine how many seating charts I’ve had to hunt down, copy, and paste. Hundreds. But habit can be your worst enemy, because you’ll begin to miss things like this:
This is the Comcast Center.
If you look closely, you’ll notice something strange about this venue. The section numbers look normal and ordered in the right way. It’s easy to miss at first glance, but take a look at those row numbers.
Row F is the very first row in Sections 1 and 3.
Row M is the first row in Section 2.
Row C is the first row in Section 7.
What the?
Always double check
Who knows why the people who designed the Comcast Center decided to designate these Rows the way they did. Maybe this is only the case for General Admission Pit shows? Whatever the case may be, you’ll need to be on top of all this if you’re planning to learn how to sell concert tickets online.
When it comes to the Comcast Center, pulling Section 3, Row F tickets are possibly the most profitable tickets you could probably buy. But if you hadn’t checked out the seating chart beforehand, you would not have known that.
Be specific
Many beginning ticket brokers think that each concert venue has just one seating chart, and this can cost them big time.
The truth is, each concert has a seating chart.
Bon Jovi likes to have a Pit, with Floor sections behind them.
Daughtry likes to have a catwalk, with Floor sections to its left and right.
John Mayer likes to have reserved seating right in front of the stage.
Each artist has their own style and each venue will try to accommodate that style as best they can. Never assume that because the show is taking place at the Wachovia Center that you can just look up “Wachovia Center” in Google Images and be all set.
Where to find show-specific seating charts
In my experience, there are three ways to find seating charts that are specific to a particular show.
Ticketmaster
Although these charts are the prettiest, be warned that they are not always accurate. They get it right most of the time, but you’ll have to check with at least one of the other 2 resources (which I’ll soon mention) to verify that Ticketmaster is accurate.
At the ticket buying window, Ticketmaster will show you something like this:
In many cases, Tickemaster will already have selected the artist that you’re looking to buy tickets for, but not always. If you don’t see the exact artist name on that list, you cannot be sure that Ticketmaster is giving you an accurate seating chart.
So, Plan B.
StubHub
These seating charts aren’t as pretty as Ticketmaster’s, but they’re pretty much always accurate. If StubHub’s seating chart disagrees with Ticketmaster’s, I would trust StubHub’s every time, especially if the artist name was not on Ticketmaster’s list.
I’m not quite sure why StubHub and Ticketmaster sometimes disagree on seating charts, but I assume it’s because StubHub offers an interactive seating chart and Ticketmaster does not. In other words, if StubHub’s seating chart is wrong, sellers will immediately start to complain because they will be unable to submit their listing, or worse, they will be forced to submit it inaccurately. So it’s in StubHub’s best interests to always provide accurate seating charts.
If Ticketmaster provides an inaccurate seating chart, I guess their response would be, “Well, you should have double checked with the venue.”
And speaking of which…
Double checking with the venue
This is the third and final way to confirm the accuracy of a seating chart. You’ll almost never have to resort to this, but it’s a good tiebreaker. But a word of caution:
Do not trust the stock concert seating images they give you on their website. If you want to be absolutely sure, you must call them up yourself. In all my experience as a ticket broker, I’ve only had to do this once, but it will save you a big headache later on. If the Sun National Bank Center representative tells you that on June 20, the Daughtry show will have a catwalk with Sections 1 and 2 to its left and right, that’s all the verification you need.
And yes, this is exactly what happened to me. The stock seating charts on their website showed Sections 1, 2, and 3 right in front of the stage. But since Daughtry used a catwalk, Section 3 had to get pushed to the back. If I hadn’t called them, there was no way for me to know. (As usual, StubHub had it right in this case.)
Conclusion
Seating charts can be tricky. Next time you pull a Row F, make sure you didn’t just pull tickets for the front row! Those would be a shame to toss back. And all you have to do is check.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Brandon,
I bought your e-book and although slightly overpriced, I think it has a lot of great information. I do want to let you know that Stubhub is trending towards E-tickets as the more popular selling form of tickets. I have a friend who works at Stubhub and he monitors all tickets sold and he has come to the conclusion that instant E-tickets are the best way to go for sellers. His contact information is Tmason@stubhub.com if you would like to ask him questions directly.
Also, I would like to request that you create a post with upcoming HOT concerts you think will be good buys both for value and profit capabilities. I think that would be very helpful to us that bought the E-book.
Thanks for all your expert information,
Eric
Hey Eric,
Yeah, StubHub has been trending toward e-tickets. It’s a change I began noticing a few months ago. Thanks for that contact–good to know!
I have just replied to your email, too. 🙂
-Brandon
Bought the book. Learned one thing only, but it has made me more than you charged for the book.
Question: What is the formula for not getting locked out of TM? I do it everyday.
I got tickets in Section 3(P1) cc 31, 32 & 33
NOT sure WHAT P1 means? Also, are these good seats?
THANKS
Those are pretty good seats. P1 means price level 1. P2 and P3 are farther away from the stage. You’re directly in front of the stage, a few rows back. If there’s a GA Pit for your concert you’ll be behind that, also.
Hey. I just stumbled upon this while looking for info on my ticket and this was pretty interesting. I figured I’d leave a comment because you might be able to answer my question.
I just purchased a Section 8 Row Z ticket for a concert this summer at the Comcast Center. I was looking at the seating chart and it said the rows were A-CC. I know there aren’t 81 rows in the section, so how do the lettered rows work in that section?
Thanks.
Howdy,
I wouldn’t strongly disagree that StubHub has accurate seating charts.
Not just compared to TM, but ever.
They tend to use the standard Floor/Orchestra setups, even when they clearly don’t apply to the show in question.
They also label sections very awkwardly, making it confusing when customers receive their tickets and the printed ticket sections don’t match up with the StubHub section names.
TM definitely leaves a lot to be desired with seating charts, but it’s generally just a matter of detail or leaving out Pit sections.
Later.
Hello. For the brokers it is best to buy tickets for Row F.
That’s the best answer by far! Thanks for contirbuntig.
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I want to buy tickets on StubHub and they are listed as etickets. If I buy them is it possible to get StubHub to contact the seller and ask to get me the hard tickets? Is that a possibility at all?
Why do some list the tickets as available to ship 3 days before the show. If supposedly you are supposed to have the tickets as you list them.
Are section 4 row L seats good?
Hello! I have 4 tickets for one direction on June 26, 2013, section 3 row BB seats 3-6. I was wondering how many rows these are from the stage? Any help would be appreciated! Thank you so much!
I have tickets for Fleetwood Mac @ the Comcast Center in Mansfield Ma for June 21.
The seats are Covered Pavilion 2 Row “B” VIP
What can you tell me about these seats?
Are they close to the stage?
Thank you.RPM
Wow, what a great story. That’s really awesome – the power of social media at work! It also restores your faith in humanity in general when people come together like that to help, right?
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Wow thanks so much for this article! I’m in Row P of section 2 and I was under the impression I was going to be in row 16! But now thanks to you I almost had a heart attack (which is good!). Thank you!!
hi guys, are u on cardsapp? thanks