Bruins Announce 2016-17 Season Ticket Renewal Information

[schmautzy]

I can't believe people are complaining about Stanley Cup Final ticket prices. For two reasons:

1) If the Bruins are in the Final, it would be an absolute miracle.
2) If the Bruins are in the Final, you could get way more than what you paid by selling it or it would be worth the money to go.

True, but people will lose their shirt trying to sell during the first 2 rounds.

 

[Fenway]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...et-scalpers/SwJ1MU5dHOdkJqRJaD00YN/story.html

The team announced Monday that it has canceled the accounts of nearly 200 high-volume ticket resellers located outside New England and New York, after identifying them in an analysis of its sales data. The 1,000 season tickets freed up by the move will go to some of the 10,000 fans on a waiting list for season tickets, Bruins executives said.

High-volume ticket resellers within the local market, meanwhile, will now have to pay more for season tickets than fans do — a premium of nine percent or higher, depending on the location of the seats within TD Garden. Regular-season ticket holders will not see an increase in prices for the 2016 - 2017 National Hockey League season, the Bruins said.

“We wanted to better understand the mix of our entire season-ticket population, and we discovered we had a higher than projected number of resellers,†said Glen Thornborough, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Bruins and TD Garden, in an interview. “The idea was finding a way to increase the number of tickets for individuals that use the tickets for personal use, and allow more fans to come in at the discounted prices season ticket holders get.â€

 

[GordonGecko]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...et-scalpers/SwJ1MU5dHOdkJqRJaD00YN/story.html

Got to be at least some legitimate Bruins fans who are off at school in California or on contract working in Texas. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them

 

[Seidenbergy]

Got to be at least some legitimate Bruins fans who are off at school in California or on contract working in Texas. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them

But such students and temp workers wouldn't have their mailing address legally changed to CA or TX, so the B's would have no way of flagging them.

 

[Gee Wally]

Bruins to ice tix for resellers
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/03/bruins_to_ice_tix_for_resellers

 

[Fenian24]

I have to give credit where it is due, Jacobs co. seems to have done the right and decent thing with this move. I will be playing the lottery today and emailing Kate Upton and Margot Robbie for dates.

 

[Therick67]

I have to give credit where it is due, Jacobs co. seems to have done the right and decent thing with this move. I will be playing the lottery today and emailing Kate Upton and Margot Robbie for dates.

If I read this correctly, it will put more money in the Bruins pockets. Maybe I'm cynical when it comes to JJ - but I certainly don't think this was about concern for Bruins fans.

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

Oh so my bugaboo about the processing fee has been addressed:



Wow. That is very fair. I might even stop griping about how they ripped us off in 2013. (Ok, probably not)

Mobile only, no PDF's for that option.

 

[GordonGecko]

If I read this correctly, it will put more money in the Bruins pockets. Maybe I'm cynical when it comes to JJ - but I certainly don't think this was about concern for Bruins fans.

This is absolutely correct. The Bruins are angling to capture a larger share of the resale market and increase face values. Season ticket holders who can afford to go to most games come out way on top (the rich get richer) and the fans who need to sell most of their games get a big price increase (the poor get poorer). The out of state brokers lose it all, which is a completely fair result for local Bruins fans. But like you said, it's not out of the goodness of JJ's heart, he gets to sell them at a higher face and most likely will hold back the best of those seats for individual resale at a dynamic markup 200%-300% above STH face.

Yes he's doing a good thing for many legit fans but if there was no money in it for him he wouldn't bother with the trouble

 

[Fenian24]

If I read this correctly, it will put more money in the Bruins pockets. Maybe I'm cynical when it comes to JJ - but I certainly don't think this was about concern for Bruins fans.

Completely understandable, this may well be a case of doing something greedy and self serving that has the side effect of benefiting the STH.

I still endorse anything that hurts ticket scalpers.

 

[GordonGecko]

Completely understandable, this may well be a case of doing something greedy and self serving that has the side effect of benefiting the STH.

I still endorse anything that hurts ticket scalpers.

You do realize that all this hurts the average Bruins fan, right? The Bruins are punishing season ticket holders for reselling. Logically, that will lead to STHs reselling less tickets which means lower supply on the secondary market which means higher prices for everyone. Say 500 new fans on the waiting list now get season tickets - what about the other 9500 on the list, what about the million others not on the list? They all get to pay more to see the Bruins

Ideally you have some sort of vetting process (very difficult, out state is one way) to make sure that season tickets are held by actual fans, and you place no restriction on those fans for resale. That's the best possible situation for the greatest good

 

[Bruinsfan88]

You do realize that all this hurts the average Bruins fan, right? The Bruins are punishing season ticket holders for reselling. Logically, that will lead to STHs reselling less tickets which means lower supply on the secondary market which means higher prices for everyone. Say 500 new fans on the waiting list now get season tickets - what about the other 9500 on the list, what about the million others not on the list? They all get to pay more to see the Bruins

Ideally you have some sort of vetting process (very difficult, out state is one way) to make sure that season tickets are held by actual fans, and you place no restriction on those fans for resale. That's the best possible situation for the greatest good

I was thinking this same thing. I go to a few games each year and buy my tickets on stubhub the day of the game and usually get tickets for face value or below. With less supply, I doubt I'll be paying anywhere near face value next year. I miss the old days when you could get $20 tickets at the box office the day of the game.

 

[BruinsFTW]

This is absolutely correct. The Bruins are angling to capture a larger share of the resale market and increase face values. Season ticket holders who can afford to go to most games come out way on top (the rich get richer) and the fans who need to sell most of their games get a big price increase (the poor get poorer). The out of state brokers lose it all, which is a completely fair result for local Bruins fans. But like you said, it's not out of the goodness of JJ's heart, he gets to sell them at a higher face and most likely will hold back the best of those seats for individual resale at a dynamic markup 200%-300% above STH face.

Yes he's doing a good thing for many legit fans but if there was no money in it for him he wouldn't bother with the trouble

I was thinking this same thing. I go to a few games each year and buy my tickets on stubhub the day of the game and usually get tickets for face value or below. With less supply, I doubt I'll be paying anywhere near face value next year. I miss the old days when you could get $20 tickets at the box office the day of the game.

This....

This just hurts the poor Bruins fan who can barely afford to attend games or go to a few a year...

Looks like next year I won't be going to many now.

 

[nickyb]

I doubt this will affect secondary prices much, all depends on how the team is playing and there will still be plenty of people re-selling BESIDES this allotted group that the Bruins cut out.

 

[Looch]

This is absolutely correct. The Bruins are angling to capture a larger share of the resale market and increase face values. Season ticket holders who can afford to go to most games come out way on top (the rich get richer) and the fans who need to sell most of their games get a big price increase (the poor get poorer). The out of state brokers lose it all, which is a completely fair result for local Bruins fans. But like you said, it's not out of the goodness of JJ's heart, he gets to sell them at a higher face and most likely will hold back the best of those seats for individual resale at a dynamic markup 200%-300% above STH face.

Yes he's doing a good thing for many legit fans but if there was no money in it for him he wouldn't bother with the trouble

Point on.


The majority of new season ticket holders will be paying 20% more than the old STH. The press release fails for some reason to mention this, how convenient. JJ gets his PR campaign to look like he is Robbin Hood as he holds prices on tickets while he is making a significant amount more in season ticket revenue with the new blood he is bringing in.


The are many reseller accounts that have not been flagged that have many tickets in them and that analytics show are resellers accounts. A blind eye has been turned to those accounts that have made sure to take care of the people that need to be taken care of in the ticket office. I say this with absolute certainty because I am familiar with accounts that are still active with no price increase with 8+ tickets in them.

 

[Fenway]

The are many reseller accounts that have not been flagged that have many tickets in them and that analytics show are resellers accounts. A blind eye has been turned to those accounts that have made sure to take care of the people that need to be taken care of in the ticket office. I say this with absolute certainty because I am familiar with accounts that are still active with no price increase with 8+ tickets in them.

We can start right across the street with Ace Tickets. Ace over the years has acquired ticket portfolios that were controlled by defunct brokers such as Out of Town Tickets, Tyson, Valenti and Hub. Those agency's controlled some of the finest seats in the Garden. NESN happily takes major advertising money from Ace on both Red Sox and Bruins telecasts.

 

[Looch]

We can start right across the street with Ace Tickets. Ace over the years has acquired ticket portfolios that were controlled by defunct brokers such as Out of Town Tickets, Tyson, Valenti and Hub. Those agency's controlled some of the finest seats in the Garden. NESN happily takes major advertising money from Ace on both Red Sox and Bruins telecasts.

That would be an excellent example of a large broker who I'm sure has done their share of taking care of people. I can't speak to how many if any Ace accounts are still active without a price increase. I can speak to the fact I know there are many small sellers who have the same number of tickets I have any even more that have not had there accounts flagged and who will retain their seats going forward as if they are "regular" fans. These are much smaller volume selling season tickets holders who have taken care of people and as a result the ticket office is looking the other way.



I personally know of people who live in New England within 100 miles of Boston who only own a pair of seats who have had their account flagged for a price increase as a seller. While there are others with 8 or more tickets on their account who sell just as many tickets (any even more in some instances) and have not had their accounts flagged.


I am always for transparency in the industry. If JJ wants to target all resellers and treat them equally I can understand (while I may not agree). But I can't quite understand their lack of attention given to obvious accounts that are asking that have not been flagged.

 

[GordonGecko]

I doubt this will affect secondary prices much, all depends on how the team is playing and there will still be plenty of people re-selling BESIDES this allotted group that the Bruins cut out.

Put it this way, will less supply on the market make tickets cheaper? Definitely not, so the real question is will there be less tickets resold and if so then by how much. At best prices will be the same as would have been, new STHs will just be selling at market like the scalpers did, the only difference is they'll be selling less of them so there's less price competition. Eventually the Bruins like a lot of teams will cancel your account if you don't sell through their exchange so they can collect their 30% in fees. Then when stubhub and vivid shuts down that fee goes up to 40-45% - monopoly power.

 

[nickyb]

Put it this way, will less supply on the market make tickets cheaper? Definitely not, so the real question is will there be less tickets resold and if so then by how much. At best prices will be the same as would have been, new STHs will just be selling at market like the scalpers did, the only difference is they'll be selling less of them so there's less price competition. Eventually the Bruins like a lot of teams will cancel your account if you don't sell through their exchange so they can collect their 30% in fees. Then when stubhub and vivid shuts down that fee goes up to 40-45% - monopoly power.

If you're a Bruins STH that sells through TicketExchange, isn't it free of charge??

Not sure where the 30% came from.

 

[bossfan]

If you're a Bruins STH that sells through TicketExchange, isn't it free of charge??

Not sure where the 30% came from.

Buyer pays fees.

 

[GordonGecko]

If you're a Bruins STH that sells through TicketExchange, isn't it free of charge??

Not sure where the 30% came from.

30% is typical for most teams, I don't have the breakdown for the Bruins but it should be similar. From the Rangers, as a STH you pay a 10% fee and the buyer pays a 20% fee (30 total). If you just have a stub and put in the barcode, it's an extra 5% to the seller so that's 35% total. The less competition there is, the more pricing power the team gets. If you're paying 0% sell fees right now, that's pretty decent but I would tell you to look at the other teams to see what probably lies in your future.

 

[bossfan]

30% is typical for most teams, I don't have the breakdown for the Bruins but it should be similar. From the Rangers, as a STH you pay a 10% fee and the buyer pays a 20% fee (30 total). If you just have a stub and put in the barcode, it's an extra 5% to the seller so that's 35% total. The less competition there is, the more pricing power the team gets. If you're paying 0% sell fees right now, that's pretty decent but I would tell you to look at the other teams to see what probably lies in your future.

Bruins Tick Exchange does not charge anything to the seller. Not sure what the buyer fees are but there is no seller fees for us.

But your point is taken that if the B's are squeezing out the resellers and they get more action on the Exchange then they might change it so that they charge a seller fee also.

 

[talkinaway]

If you're a Bruins STH that sells through TicketExchange, isn't it free of charge??

Not sure where the 30% came from.

If you buy the official resale seat on TicketsNow (which is basically TicketExchange), you pay a 21.5% fee, not 30%. It's actually a better deal for fans than StubHub, as I found out by listing a ticket for 2 minutes. I put on a balcony ticket so that I would earn $200, and on StubHub, it cost the buyer about $262.50. I had to list it at $222.22, so that the 10% seller's fee was deducted to $200. Then that $222.22 is the price that appears on StubHub. That price has a buyers fee of 17%, plus $2.50 for eticket delivery, for $262.50.

On TicketsNow, my ticket had no buyers fee, so the $200 listed was the $200 I got. The 21.5% fee brings it to $243 - saving my buyer just a hair under $20.

The other advantage of TicketsNow is that their fees are stable - at least for this season. Every ticket I've examined has that fee. Conversely, while the 10% seller fee is pretty stable on StubHub, the 17% buyers fee bounces up and down from 17% to 23%. Transparency isn't there.

Plus, TicketsNow is 100% genuine/official. StubHub will do everything in their power to make it right if you get turned down at the gate from a scummy seller. In the best case, it's another ticket from their inventory at no extra charge to you. In the worst case, it's refunding your money, and MAYBE giving you a "FanCode" for some money off your next purchase. And if you're a seller on StubHub, good luck if the buyer claims that your ticket is no good. They tend to believe their buyers...pretty much just like eBay.

By the way, you probably shouldn't buy resale tickets directly off Ticketmaster, because the fees are different, for some reason.

 

[Looch]

If you're a Bruins STH that sells through TicketExchange, isn't it free of charge??

Not sure where the 30% came from.

I see your 316 row 10 craigslist ads running pretty consistently throughout the season. Your seats are right next to one of my pairs. Are you seriously saying you have never looked into selling tickets through ticketexchange and don't know what they charge for fees? It sure would save you a lot of trouble that you go to sell through CL.

 

[nickyb]

I see your 316 row 10 craigslist ads running pretty consistently throughout the season. Your seats are right next to one of my pairs. Are you seriously saying you have never looked into selling tickets through ticketexchange and don't know what they charge for fees? It sure would save you a lot of trouble that you go to sell through CL.

I'm in section 312 row 8.........will probably try TickExchange this year though