For the past few months, I have been wanting to see Sza, one of my favorite artists in concert. Conveniently, I had planned to visit family in Toronto for Thanksgiving, the same week that Sza performed. Last Wednesday, when I arrived for the concert, she had posted on social media that she was sick and decided not to play. Disappointment was an understatement. After gluing my eyes to TicketMaster, saving money, and getting schoolwork done before I left, it felt like the time I had spent getting excited was for nothing. However, as disappointing as it was, a positive that came out of it was that I had not yet bought my ticket for the concert. Given that I live in Sackville, NB, this decision ended up saving me hundreds of dollars for a concert that I could not attend. This is just one of the benefits of buying tickets late, below are more reasons why the waiting game pays off.
- If the concert works out, you are guaranteed to save
Yes, while it is nerve-wracking to wait until a few hours before the show starts to buy tickets, you will save plenty. Tickets resold online by people looking to make a profit from the original price may raise prices in the weeks before a concert as people begin to buy. Waiting until the final day before the concert will force some sellers to lower their ticket prices in order to make any profit or to avoid losing money on the original price of the ticket. For example, a study from a Lumineers concert last year showed that ticket prices stayed consistent throughout the weeks before the concert, however, in the final days when sellers became desperate to get rid of their tickets, concertgoers were able to score the best prices.
- There are still good seats left
While searching for tickets prior to the Sza concert, I found prices were decreasing even in good seats. It may seem worth it to buy a cheaper ticket in the nosebleed section, but waiting it out will reveal that prices are comparable depending on where you sit. Because most of the tickets being sold were from independent sellers, prices varied no matter the section. There were tickets selling for anything between $300 to $700 in the middle section. When looking at the floor, prices varied from $350 to $2000. The point is, prices are comparable no matter the seat. If you believe your budget is only suitable for upper bowl seats, waiting a few days prior to the concert could reveal similar prices in better sections.
- Use these apps
There are so many ticket apps out there so do not limit yourself to only Ticketmaster! While it is a decent app, I found Gametime to be easy and reliable. It lists tickets in order of cheapest to most expensive, allows you to filter prices to your budget, and has flash sales for specific seats. Make sure to convert to Canadian dollars as it is an American website. Other websites I used included Vivid Seats and Stub Hub. While buying from a scalper day of the concert is an option too, it is always important to use your judgment and determine whether you believe a price is legitimate or not.
Waiting day-before to buy tickets is a nail-biting exercise, believe me, I spent way too much time on ticket websites the past month. However, this will all pay off in the end and you will get to save some money by doing so!
