yankees-will-no-longer-accept-your-printed-at-home-tickets
[h=1]Yankees will no longer accept your printed-at-home tickets[/h]By David K. Li
The Yankees will practically force Bombers fans to use their own in-house — and usually more expensive — secondary market seller by barring fans from using printed-out tickets.
The team this week quietly pulled the plug on the print-at-home option, in what’s being seen as an aggressive swipe against other sellers, especially StubHub — which regularly distribute their tickets via emailed PDF files.
Starting this season, fans will only be able to enter Yankee Stadium with an old-school ticket purchased from the box office or Ticketmaster, or with a mobile ticket that’ll be scanned off a customer’s smartphone.
The only secondary seller with the ability to send mobile tickets to smartphones for Bombers games will be the Yankees partner, Ticket Exchange, where ducats are usually more expensive due to a hard pricing floor that prevents tickets from being sold for less than face value.
The secondary market is a popular option for bargain-hunting Yankees, who target midweek games or dates against less-popular opponents when prices plummet. Under these new rules, fans looking to the secondary market have two less-than-desirable options:
Buy a mobile ticket through the Yankees’ partner Ticket Exchange — an unpopular choice for deal seekers because Ticket Exchange doesn’t allow any ducats to go for less than face value.
The secondary market is a popular option for bargain-hunting Yankees, who target midweek games or dates against less-popular opponents when prices plummet. Under these new rules, fans looking to the secondary market have two less-than-desirable options:
Buy a mobile ticket through the Yankees’ partner Ticket Exchange — an unpopular choice for deal seekers because Ticket Exchange doesn’t allow any ducats to go for less than face value.
Or buy from other secondary sellers, such as StubHub, and go through the hassle of meeting the seller in person to be handed the tickets. The buyer could also buy from sellers, other than Ticket Exchange, several days in advance so there’s enough time for tickets to be mailed.
“They’re making it harder for you to get a ticket and making you spend more money,” said Yankees fan Lisa Swan, who co-runs the New York baseball blog Subway Squawkers.
“It’s taking a lot of flexibility away from what people like to do.”
The move is a deathblow for fans who decide to go day of game, score an under-face-value ticket and then simply print them via an e-mailed PDF file.
“It’s clear the Yankees are trying to corner the secondary market via Yankees Ticket Exchange,” said Mike Axisa, editor of fan blog RiverAveBlues.com.
“I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve made a last-minute decision to go to a game, bought a ticket on StubHub, printed it out, then headed up to the Stadium. Can’t do that anymore.”
The Yankees insist the move was made to combat counterfeit tickets sold via print-at-home PDF files.
“Mobile is the most convenient, accessible, efficient and safe way to provide tickets,” said Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion.
“Yankees fans are extremely happy, this is what they wanted. The only unhappy people are the ticket brokers and ticket speculators
A rep for State AG Eric Schneiderman, a noted critic of ticket selling practices, declined comment on the Yankees move on Wednesday.
But the AG has previously said that any practices that artificially inflate prices could represent an illegal restraint of trade.
“I’ve never had a problem with free agents (players) making money where they can, or a team making money,” Swan said.
“But there’s a a flip side — fans should be able to buy and sell tickets using the free market.”
[h=1]Yankees will no longer accept your printed-at-home tickets[/h]By David K. Li
The Yankees will practically force Bombers fans to use their own in-house — and usually more expensive — secondary market seller by barring fans from using printed-out tickets.
The team this week quietly pulled the plug on the print-at-home option, in what’s being seen as an aggressive swipe against other sellers, especially StubHub — which regularly distribute their tickets via emailed PDF files.
Starting this season, fans will only be able to enter Yankee Stadium with an old-school ticket purchased from the box office or Ticketmaster, or with a mobile ticket that’ll be scanned off a customer’s smartphone.
The only secondary seller with the ability to send mobile tickets to smartphones for Bombers games will be the Yankees partner, Ticket Exchange, where ducats are usually more expensive due to a hard pricing floor that prevents tickets from being sold for less than face value.
The secondary market is a popular option for bargain-hunting Yankees, who target midweek games or dates against less-popular opponents when prices plummet. Under these new rules, fans looking to the secondary market have two less-than-desirable options:
Buy a mobile ticket through the Yankees’ partner Ticket Exchange — an unpopular choice for deal seekers because Ticket Exchange doesn’t allow any ducats to go for less than face value.
The secondary market is a popular option for bargain-hunting Yankees, who target midweek games or dates against less-popular opponents when prices plummet. Under these new rules, fans looking to the secondary market have two less-than-desirable options:
Buy a mobile ticket through the Yankees’ partner Ticket Exchange — an unpopular choice for deal seekers because Ticket Exchange doesn’t allow any ducats to go for less than face value.
Or buy from other secondary sellers, such as StubHub, and go through the hassle of meeting the seller in person to be handed the tickets. The buyer could also buy from sellers, other than Ticket Exchange, several days in advance so there’s enough time for tickets to be mailed.
“They’re making it harder for you to get a ticket and making you spend more money,” said Yankees fan Lisa Swan, who co-runs the New York baseball blog Subway Squawkers.
“It’s taking a lot of flexibility away from what people like to do.”
The move is a deathblow for fans who decide to go day of game, score an under-face-value ticket and then simply print them via an e-mailed PDF file.
“It’s clear the Yankees are trying to corner the secondary market via Yankees Ticket Exchange,” said Mike Axisa, editor of fan blog RiverAveBlues.com.
“I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve made a last-minute decision to go to a game, bought a ticket on StubHub, printed it out, then headed up to the Stadium. Can’t do that anymore.”
The Yankees insist the move was made to combat counterfeit tickets sold via print-at-home PDF files.
“Mobile is the most convenient, accessible, efficient and safe way to provide tickets,” said Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion.
“Yankees fans are extremely happy, this is what they wanted. The only unhappy people are the ticket brokers and ticket speculators
A rep for State AG Eric Schneiderman, a noted critic of ticket selling practices, declined comment on the Yankees move on Wednesday.
But the AG has previously said that any practices that artificially inflate prices could represent an illegal restraint of trade.
“I’ve never had a problem with free agents (players) making money where they can, or a team making money,” Swan said.
“But there’s a a flip side — fans should be able to buy and sell tickets using the free market.”
