How to Buy World Series Tickets

It's the Fall Classic. Your team is playing. And you want to go. Here's what you need to do to get your hands on World Series tickets.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Credit Cards

1. Find friends, family members or coworkers who are season ticket holders for one of the playoff teams. They have the best chance at getting a ticket at the face value price.

2. Check the tickets section of the team's website to see if tickets are still available. You just might get lucky.

3. Try to purchase tickets from the team by phone or over the Internet during the scheduled sale period. These tickets will often sell out within 30 minutes. When the ticket agency or team provides multiple phone numbers to call - try to call the one that will be less busy. For example, if you want SF Giants playoff tickets don't call the San Francisco phone number; call the one in the small town of Redding a few hours north of the crowds.

4. Visit an independent ticket marketplace like StubHub.com and click on World Series tickets to see a wide selection of tickets and prices for any game available for purchase. These tickets are posted for sale by season ticket holders who can't make the game. Sites like this often sell the best seats in the house but you will need a major league bank account to afford them. While playoff tickets are never cheap, these sites will also sell tickets in the more affordable sections as well.

5. Consider the multitude of ticket broker websites you can find by searching on Google, but make sure to only deal with reputable sellers.

6. Drive in desperation to the game and try to buy a ticket from a scalper in front of the stadium. Expect to pay top dollar and work to minimize your risk of fraud. If you wait till after the start of the game, ticket prices may drop but there may be no more tickets left to buy.

Tips & Warnings

• There's no two ways about it: World Series tickets are expensive. Even tickets selling at face value can start at several hundred dollars each and you will rarely be able to buy a playoff ticket at this "bargain" price.

• Consider purchasing tickets for contingent games (Games 5, 6, or 7) or later rounds before they become necessary.

• For any Internet transaction you do, make sure the website where you buy tickets is secure and reputable. Look for a seal of approval from the Better Business Bureau, Verisign or similar organizations.

• In most cases (but not always), World Series tickets are available at better prices well in advance of the game, especially before the opponents are determined.

• eBay is often a good place to find tickets, but beware of fraudulent tickets and the disappointment of continually losing an auction. You can avoid this risk by using an independent ticket marketplace site like StubHub.com that offers a 100% guarantee on transactions.

• While "scalping" or selling tickets above face value is illegal (although rarely enforced) in some areas, it is almost always legal to buy these tickets.