Scalping tips

[nmajdan]

So, I'm going to have my first scalping experience this weekend (buying, not selling). It's a big commitment for me to head to Norman without tickets already in hand, but the ND tickets online are way out of my price range. I'm going to hope I can get lower level seats (wife is scared of heights) for around 50% above face. Hopefully, they'll come down to that if I wait until a little after kickoff.

So, if anybody has any advice, I'm all ears. Where is the best place to look for scalpers? Any negotiating tips? Anyone to protect myself from getting counterfeit tickets?

[olevetonahill]

So, I'm going to have my first scalping experience this weekend (buying, not selling). It's a big commitment for me to head to Norman without tickets already in hand, but the ND tickets online are way out of my price range. I'm going to hope I can get lower level seats (wife is scared of heights) for around 50% above face. Hopefully, they'll come down to that if I wait until a little after kickoff.

So, if anybody has any advice, I'm all ears. Where is the best place to look for scalpers? Any negotiating tips? Anyone to protect myself from getting counterfeit tickets?

cruise Campus Corner
If they have a bunch offer em 1/2 what they are asking if the Game has started Name yer own price
Good Luck findin tickets for this one tho

[yermom]

i almost never scalp in Norman, but it's my experience that stubhub/ebay is often 2x what you see at the game

the arch by Brooks and Jenkins was packed with tickets on Saturday, but i also always see people with tickets in the area around the south side of Price Hall on either side of what used to be Brooks

i've had people give me tickets walking up Asp where the tour buses park. there always seem to be people there with people that didn't make the trip, etc...

i've never heard of issues with counterfeit tickets in Norman, but that doesn't mean it's not possible, i guess

this is a special case though. who knew they would be undefeated in the top 5 coming into Norman? it could be a jungle out there on Saturday looking for tickets. it's kinda hard to predict.

[yermom]

and yeah, like Olevet said, Campus Corner too. the north side of Asp and Boyd seems to be a place where they gather.

[olevetonahill]

Ive bot a Lot off of Ebay never had a Prob and always got tickets in the price range and section that I wanted

Heres some

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-football-tickets-OKLAHOMA-OU-Sooners-vs-Notre-Dame-ND-Fighting-Irish-/321007455325?pt=US_Tickets_all_in_one&hash=item4abd890c5d

[olevetonahill]

and yeah, like Olevet said, Campus Corner too. the north side of Asp and Boyd seems to be a place where they gather.

When we still had the TGs there I never went very far from the TG to get good tickets
I bet these are gonna be rare as Hens teeth tho .

[badger]

OK, not gonna try to tell you that your hopes are unrealistic, but here goes: You are going to be charged more than 50 percent above face (which is $99, so $150ish?) per ticket.

In 2008, the infamous OU-Tech game for our national title hopes and all of that funness, we were at the mercy of scalpers as well. Face value was less then I think ($80ish? $70ish?) so there's that as well.

Pro scalpers were seeking $200-$300, based on ticket location and if the tix were together.

The ONLY way that you are going to get good seats on the lower level together is to find a good samaritan, and I'm sorry, but you are highly likely to NOT find one, especially with a name opponent like Notre Dame (sorry Tech, you're not good travelers compared to Domer).

SO... if I haven't completely dissuaded you from bringing $200 per ticket MINIMUM at this point, here's how you have a hope and prayer of getting $150 per ticket or less:

1- Get tickets before the game via your Sooner friend/family network.
2- Find old alums before the game north of the stadium (where the Washington Monument-like memorial is) on the benches.
3- Seek SINGLE tickets, not a pair, and have your cell phones with you so that you sneak to the same section later in the game (when we are up by 50 in the first quarter).
4- Wear OU gear, be polite and make it clear that you are not going to turn around and resell them (I NEED TICKETS signs are dead giveaways, so just hold fingers in the air).

Things to not do:
1- Go up to the I NEED TICKETS guys, mostly located along Lindsey Ave/Jenkins south of the stadium. Pro scalpers will NOT sell for cheap, no matter how nice or OU-garbed up you are.
2- Buy too early before the game (unless you find old alums on the bench). Overchargers may lower their expectation closer to kickoff, as they want to get in the stadium at least 20 mins prior (that's when the band starts, -ish).
3- Give crappy counteroffers. Don't insult the sellers or they will walk away before you can. If they name a $250 price, they ARE NOT going to sell for $150.

Scalping lately has become a money game that buyers are losing around the OU campus, as face values are going up and attendance has never been a problem under Stoops, even when the Ball States visit town. About 7 years ago I could find $20 tickets for the Ball States, but now? Face value is the asking price even for the tune-up non-conference games, and the bigger games? You are going to be paying more.

The best scalping I've ever done was against Mizzou (when Chase McBooger was QB and the only team they lost to was us in 2007) and due to being nice, after I declined $100 per ticket offers, someone came up to me and offered $75 per after (I think face back then was $50ish). The other time was 08 Tech, where after being scared off by $200+ prices by the pros, I finally found someone west of the stadium an hour before kickoff, who had just declined $100 per from someone else, but was willing to do $125 per (he initially asked $150, but we explained that we didn't have that much on us... WE REALLY DIDN'T!).

Seriously though... good luck. This is going to be a seller's market, no doubt. :(

[badger]

PS:If you are worried about counterfeits, look for the holograms:
http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mMRiCshyc7BDkRCiizmeKxw.jpg
"GAME 4" at the top of the ticket will be hologramed, as will the "OCTOBER 27, 2012" at the bottom. The ticket itself is fairly cardpaperish, though.

[olevetonahill]

Gurl dont you remember the AtM ticket I gave you last year?
I was walkin back to the TG and this scalper was holding a handful up, I ask him how Much he said 120 I said whats yer best seats and he shwed me I offered 60 cause I was stayin at the TG that day anyway . He said No way , so I start off and he yells at me Ok he'll take it
Im then wondering WTH ima do with it
Saw you and problem was solved

[badger]

Gurl dont you remember the AtM ticket I gave you last year?
I was walkin back to the TG and this scalper was holding a handful up, I ask him how Much he said 120 I said whats yer best seats and he shwed me I offered 60 cause I was stayin at the TG that day anyway . He said No way , so I start off and he yells at me Ok he'll take it
Im then wondering WTH ima do with it
Saw you and problem was solved

DUDE... you PAID for that ticket? Dang it if I had known I would have paid you for it! I thought you just had a spare!

And that doesn't count as a scalp since you gave it to me. I was just planning to sit at the SF tailgate area and watch the game, since I was preggers at the time (no I didn't tell anyone) and wasn't sure if I wanted to go or not, given the sore feet phase had started.

So yes, if you find where the SF tailgate has gone to, and there is a nice gentleman with a spare ticket, you may get in free. And if you find the SF tailgate, tell the rest of us! :P

[MsProudSooner]

I have bought tickets outside the stadium for years now and the most I ever paid was $20 over face value - TT, 2008.

1) Stay away from professional scalpers.
2) Be willing to wait until the last minute to buy your ticket.

Even if you follow 1 & 2, you might have to pay more than 50% over face value because ND in Norman is such a rare occurance. Come prepared with enough cash to pay double face value.

[olevetonahill]

DUDE... you PAID for that ticket? Dang it if I had known I would have paid you for it! I thought you just had a spare!

And that doesn't count as a scalp since you gave it to me. I was just planning to sit at the SF tailgate area and watch the game, since I was preggers at the time (no I didn't tell anyone) and wasn't sure if I wanted to go or not, given the sore feet phase had started.

So yes, if you find where the SF tailgate has gone to, and there is a nice gentleman with a spare ticket, you may get in free. And if you find the SF tailgate, tell the rest of us! :P

Dint want Paid for it
Im just sayin I beat the scalper up on the price. I dint think he would take a 1/2 price offer either thats why I made it. Like I said I then wondered what the Hell I was gona do with it
If I member right wasnt it on the 30 or so?

[BermudaSooner]

First pull the hair back and locate the hairline....oh wait...you are talking about something else.

[instigator]

I generally don't scalp at home, but I didn't have seats for the Tech game in 2008 and it was tough. Usually there are plenty of tickets available but I saw hardly any that day and had to pay over $200 per for lower level seats. I have to imagine that this Saturday will be very similar. You won't see very many people selling that aren't professionals so the process will be much higher.

Good luck!

[badger]

Dint want Paid for it
Im just sayin I beat the scalper up on the price. I dint think he would take a 1/2 price offer either thats why I made it. Like I said I then wondered what the Hell I was gona do with it
If I member right wasnt it on the 30 or so?
50. It was right smack dab in the middle of the ****ing big boy donor section, olevet. I was maybe 50 rows up behind the OU sideline. You got a ticket that probably cost some big money man $500, including Boren/Castiglione fees.

So anyways, you should probably take olevet advice on tickets, not me :D

[olevetonahill]

50. It was right smack dab in the middle of the ****ing big boy donor section, olevet. I was maybe 50 rows up behind the OU sideline. You got a ticket that probably cost some big money man $500, including Boren/Castiglione fees.

So anyways, you should probably take olevet advice on tickets, not me :D

I couldnt member fer sure
Knew it was a Good seat tho

[nmajdan]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[olevetonahill]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Seriously tho for THIS game Id find tickets before I went

Good luck

[Soonerwake]

Seriously tho for THIS game Id find tickets before I went

Good luck

X2.. This would be the one game I wouldn't buy tickets outside the stadium. Sold mine and the buyer didn't blink at the price I quoted.

[5noubus]

Watch Craigslist just to know what the price is- we have found its pretty close to what they are going for on game day.

[JLEW1818]

I bought two OU-Iowa State tickets for $20 bucks each in 2010. Lower level. Think DM broke a record that night. The next day we were #1 in the BCS.

Buy thirty minutes before kick. Do not panic and buy at 4pm.

[soonertuba10]

You could always try a cash filled handshake to the right guard/ticket taker at the gate if you can't find any tickets. Course you won't have a specific seat but it gets you in the game...

[70sooner]

I bet these are gonna be rare as Hens teeth tho .


that was also said about the OU vs NU game in 71, but there were actually a lot of tickets available around the stadium that day.

[70sooner]

Buy thirty minutes before kick. Do not panic and buy at 4pm.


this!

[OUmillenium]

There are scalpers east of the stadium by the railroad tracks near Braums. I have dealt with them in the past. Not too bad

[VA Sooner]

First time I read the heading on this thread, I thought it said, "Scalding tips"...

same thing I guess.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I have only bought tickets at the stadium the last few years..My advice is don't panic and over pay..There will be some extra there..Look for a guy with a kid or some family with him instead of a pro scalper...someone who is selling a ticket because someone else hasn't shown up.

[JLEW1818]

I have only bought tickets at the stadium the last few years..My advice is don't panic and over pay..There will be some extra there..Look for a guy with a kid or some family with him instead of a pro scalper...someone who is selling a ticket because someone else hasn't shown up.

Bet Jenny could make some money off tickets....

[MamaMia]

I've been to games when the only signs you see are NEED 1, 2, 4 or whatever. I know people who are going to this game who haven't been to the stadium in 10 or 20 years. Good luck. :D

[MamaMia]

You could always try a cash filled handshake to the right guard/ticket taker at the gate if you can't find any tickets. Course you won't have a specific seat but it gets you in the game...
That is so uncool. I'm just going to assume you aren't serious.

[PLaw]

cruise Campus Corner
If they have a bunch offer em 1/2 what they are asking if the Game has started Name yer own price
Good Luck findin tickets for this one tho

Not sure I would be taking the wifey without tix - mine would have zero comprehension of the scalping process.

Listen to the wisdom of vet - tix will get real cheap about 15 seconds after kick off.

[MamaMia]

What about soonersports.com. Do they have any on their ticket site?

[Collier11]

I highly doubt you will find any tickets for less than face value x2, having said that def wait til about 30 min before kickoff to get the best price

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I've been to games when the only signs you see are NEED 1, 2, 4 or whatever. I know people who are going to this game who haven't been to the stadium in 10 or 20 years. Good luck. :DMy last OU home game was 1985, I think.(or was that '87?) The game where Keith Jackson ran the end around against nebbish to win the Big 8. Been to some bowls since, but that was my last home game.

[StoopTroup]

I highly doubt you will find any tickets for less than face value x2, having said that def wait til about 30 min before kickoff to get the best price

^this

If you do...buy them immediately. Even if you find them less ten minutes later...I bet you'll be able to get your money back instantly.

This is a game that even some folks who have been in nursing homes for a decade...will have their Grandson breaking them out of the place and taking them to the Stadium....:D

I don't think there has been a bigger Game since OU vs Nebraska in 2000.

If you are going....I wouldn't wait till kickoff for a cheap ticket on this one unless you are alone and aren't trying to buy two together.

I could be wrong but this just isn't your regular Home Game / Big XII matchup. This is a Non-Conference Game against a highly ranked undefeated Notre Dame who's Fans travel as well as ours and are always looking for tickets and if they can't find them....they will drink themselves to death outside the Stadium watching one of the Big Screens around Campus or down on Campus Corner.

[MamaMia]

The people with premium seats will be there if at all possible, so I don't think there will be a whole lot of premium seats for sale. This is a monumental game. If I cant go for whatever reason, I'm giving my seats to loved ones because this game is so meaningful.

There will be a LOT of alumni from other states there as well who haven't been to a game in ages and don't care what they pay for tickets. Their primary objective will be to find good seats and get into the stadium in plenty of time to take it all in. Tickets will be going fast, so I wouldn't wait too long.

[soonerboomer93]

I think I paid around $150 for Tech in 2008. Sat damn near the top in section 101

and it was worth every ****ing penny

[Sooner24]

This will be the toughest ticket ever for a home game. If you don't have a ticket when you get to Norman take lots of cash. There's a reason big donors didn't get any extras for this game.

[cleller]

Just to put a bug in folk's ears, it would be interesting to get a report after the game about what you saw tickets going for outside the stadium.

I remember hearing about how easy tickets were to get at the 2000 Neb game, which surprised me at the time. However, Neb had been to Norman regularly for years. The rankings were the main draw. This one will be a wild scene, I bet.

[olevetonahill]

This will be the toughest ticket ever for a home game. If you don't have a ticket when you get to Norman take lots of cash. There's a reason big donors didn't get any extras for this game.

What Im sayin Bro

Theres only been one time I never found Tickets some where around the TG and that was the Opening game 5 er 6 years ago when we had a Great chance to make a run for the MNC game
Think I found mybe 4 but they were so High priced I just watched at the TG

This game? with NO TG to watch from. No way Id make that trip hoping to find tickets

[Sooner24]

Just to put a bug in folk's ears, it would be interesting to get a report after the game about what you saw tickets going for outside the stadium.

I will act like I don't have tickets and see what the going rate is. I will try the "I need ticket sign holders" and regular folk. I hope my daughter-in-law realizes how lucky she is getting to go to this game.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Yes! Hard hitting investigative reporting. That's what keeps me coming back to this site. Well, that and boredom at work.

[badger]

Just to put a bug in folk's ears, it would be interesting to get a report after the game about what you saw tickets going for outside the stadium.

I remember hearing about how easy tickets were to get at the 2000 Neb game, which surprised me at the time. However, Neb had been to Norman regularly for years. The rankings were the main draw. This one will be a wild scene, I bet.

I have no intention of going (baby badger duty calls!) but yeah, it would be fun to check prices before the game.

[soonertuba10]

That is so uncool. I'm just going to assume you aren't serious.

Never tried it (season tickets for me) but I know people who have, a friend from lubbock got in to Tech in 08 with a $20 handshake. I'm not sure at what point in the game it was, probably well after kick, maybe even second half, but it worked FWIW.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Never tried it (season tickets for me) but I know people who have, a friend from lubbock got in to Tech in 08 with a $20 handshake. I'm not sure at what point in the game it was, probably well after kick, maybe even second half, but it worked FWIW.

Never even thought of doing that at OU, but a buddy and I got into a concert that way once. Slipped the guard a $20, and he suddenly found something interesting to look at in the other direction while we just strolled on in.

[MamaMia]

Didn't Notre Dame ask for more than the usual 4000?

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Didn't Notre Dame ask for more than the usual 4000?Somebody up there cajoled it one way or another, since the ticket office said none were available to the public from day one in august.

[colleyvillesooner]

From the other thread on this from Phil:


Well, here's the thing. It's a non-conference game, which means their allotment is whatever we agreed to give them in the contract to play the game. I don't know what that number is, but I can guarantee it's the same number of tickets they will give us when we make the return trip covered by the same contract. As the ticket forms said, the single game tickets come from returns from the opposing team, and ND isn't going to have any. I don't have an issue with it.

[badger]

Somebody up there cajoled it one way or another, since the ticket office said none were available to the public from day one in august.

I called their office just for the hell of it when someone here brought that up. They said that I needed to contact the OU ticket office, because they were not issued any tickets for public sale or something... I don't remember what I wrote or they said, so yeah. NO TICKETS FOR YOU!

[StoopTroup]

From the other thread on this from Phil:

Well, here's the thing. It's a non-conference game, which means their allotment is whatever we agreed to give them in the contract to play the game. I don't know what that number is, but I can guarantee it's the same number of tickets they will give us when we make the return trip covered by the same contract. As the ticket forms said, the single game tickets come from returns from the opposing team, and ND isn't going to have any. I don't have an issue with it.

^Always a good point for Ticket Holders who Travel with the Team and want to have a chance to buy them every year. That said....for most of the folks here....I doubt it makes any difference from them. Look at all the folks who have even quit buying Season Tickets when Bob has only 3 bad Seasons in 13 Seasons and no Seasons with a less than .500 Record.

If you want tickets to any College Game, you need to know what the scalping laws are in the Area.

What we need to do on this Message Board is tell ND Fans about how the Norman Police will arrest them for even trying to buy scalp tickets for the game. :D

OUr NO TOLERANCE SCALPING POLICY is something they should know about before they even think about coming to Norman. They would be better off watching on a Big Screen in South Bend. ;)

[badger]

If you want tickets to any College Game, you need to know what the scalping laws are in the Area.
Replace all of those campus "NO SMOKING ALLOWED" signs with "NO SCALPING ALLOWED" and we're golden. "smoking" and "scalping" have almost the same letters to them anyways.

Doctor em up!

[StoopTroup]

:D

[badger]

:D
seriously, the last time i was on campus (kstate weekend) there were too many damn no smoking signs. surely the campus police won't notice if a few suddenly say no scalping instead.

http://picasion.com/pic60/e3dc0dc87e77c46a3e5b7e0ef028ed16.gif

[StoopTroup]

lol. I like that it still says no smoking too. No dip sh*itting should also be there.