Sabres New Ticket Sale Policy: “Hometown Advantage”

[That Aud Smell]

Ticket buyers from non-local zip codes are going to the “back of the line” for Sabres ticket sales.

Per TBN, linked below.

The article twice mentions how aggravated some Sabres players were with the Leafs having a super majority of the fans in the building last year when the Leafs visited and ran out to a 4-0 lead.

This sort of policy strikes me as pathetic. Become a better hockey team and the ticketing will take care of itself.

Also, they can’t control what STH will do with secondary markets.

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-planning-experiment-to-make-sure-their-fans-gets-first-chance-at-tickets/article_e657d1da-467a-11ee-872a-abe3a10ac2d4.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

[steveoath]

Completely disagree. This ensures Sabres fans rightly get first option on the tickets - not sure why this would upset people?

[That Aud Smell]

15 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Completely disagree. This ensures Sabres fans rightly get first option on the tickets - not sure why this would upset people?

It’s loser stuff.

Get the STH base way back up. Make it so those STH’s don’t want to sell their most valuable tickets.

You do that by being a good hockey team, not through artificial market restraints. We’re not Florida or Tampa, ffs.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, That Aud Smell said:

Ticket buyers from non-local zip codes are going to the “back of the line” for Sabres ticket sales.

Per TBN, linked below.

The article twice mentions how aggravated some Sabres players were with the Leafs having a super majority of the fans in the building last year when the Leafs visited and ran out to a 4-0 lead.

This sort of policy strikes me as pathetic. Become a better hockey team and the ticketing will take care of itself.

Also, they can’t control what STH will do with secondary markets.

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-planning-experiment-to-make-sure-their-fans-gets-first-chance-at-tickets/article_e657d1da-467a-11ee-872a-abe3a10ac2d4.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

No it won't. Leafs fans have filled the building since 1970. Heck, most of the Sabres Canadian season ticket holders probably buy just to see the Leafs in person.

33 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Completely disagree. This ensures Sabres fans rightly get first option on the tickets - not sure why this would upset people?

Because everything this team does...does.

[PromoTheRobot]

20 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

It’s loser stuff.

Get the STH base way back up. Make it so those STH’s don’t want to sell their most valuable tickets.

You do that by being a good hockey team, not through artificial market restraints. We’re not Florida or Tampa, ffs.

So you're telling a STHer to eat their most valuable resale tickets? A game that can pay off 3 or 4 games in some cases? Good luck.

Oh, and how do you stop those Sabres fans you sold your tickets to from reselling them at a profit?

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[Zamboni]

I no longer do this…

But as a long time STH I sold all my TOR games for 3-4 times what I paid for them. To anyone who wanted to fork over the cash. Two games a year. I would do the same for MTL games. So I would make a nice chunk of my thousands of dollars I paid for my ST’s back. No shame. No guilt.

Now, I just sell any game I’m not going to for what I paid for them. I don’t make a profit.

6 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

No it won't. Leafs fans have filled the building since 1970. Heck, most of the Sabres Canadian season ticket holders probably buy just to see the Leafs in person.

Because everything this team does...does.

Preach on. The last sentence is just so true.

[PromoTheRobot]

I just read the article. So it's okay that Washington, Vegas and Nashville use this policy but not the Sabres? 

[That Aud Smell]

13 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

So you're telling a STHer to eat their most valuable resale tickets? A game that can pay off 3 or 4 games in some cases? Good luck.

No one’s telling anyone to do anything.

But if the team is consistently good, you’ll have a big STH base and a large majority of them will attend rather than sell. Because they’ll want to. Not because anyone’s telling them to do that.

14 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Oh, and how do you stop those Sabres fans you sold your tickets to from reselling them at a profit?

You can’t. Although I think a Florida team tried for the playoffs? 

This is why it’s loser stuff.

Edited August 30, 2023 by That Aud Smell

[That Aud Smell]

5 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I just read the article. So it's okay that Washington, Vegas and Nashville use this policy but not the Sabres? 

More loser stuff.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, That Aud Smell said:

No one’s telling anyone to do anything.

But if the team is consistently good, you’ll have a big STH base and a large majority of them will attend rather than sell. Because they’ll want to. Not because anyone’s telling them to do that.

The fan base here isn't large enough to prevent other fans from showing up. Especially midweek. 

But if the Sabres can figure out a way to prevent resale tickets from being sold elsewhere, give it a try. It might mean some empty seats for games. 

[PromoTheRobot]

2 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

More loser stuff.

That's ironic because those teams were blocking playoff tickets.

[That Aud Smell]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

The fan base here isn't large enough to prevent other fans from showing up. Especially midweek. 

This isn’t a matter of keeping them out of the building. It’s a matter of keeping it a mostly Sabres crowd. The late 90s and 05-07 teams are proof that this can be done organically without restrictions on ticket sales.

[That Aud Smell]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

That's ironic because those teams were blocking playoff tickets.

I have no interest in the Sabres looking to emulate those franchises’ practices. This market is different from each of them. If the Sabres are in the playoffs, you won’t have to block “foreign” zip codes from buying tickets in order to have it be a rabid Sabres crowd.

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, That Aud Smell said:

This isn’t a matter of keeping them out of the building. It’s a matter of keeping it a mostly Sabres crowd. The late 90s and 05-07 teams are proof that this can be done organically without restrictions on ticket sales.

This is anecdotal. 

[That Aud Smell]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

This is anecdotal. 

Huh? It happened. I was there.

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, That Aud Smell said:

I have no interest in the Sabres looking to emulate those franchises’ practices. This market is different from each of them. If the Sabres are in the playoffs, you won’t have to block “foreign” zip codes from buying tickets in order to have it be a rabid Sabres crowd.

Most local fans won't drop $300 for a game ticket. Leafs fans won't bat an eye.

I'm willing to see if this policy will work. I don't think it will.

[That Aud Smell]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Most local fans won't drop $300 for a game ticket. Leafs fans won't bat an eye.

The 1999 ECF were very fun. The house was probably 1/3 (?) Leafs/Canada fans. That dynamic is fine. And repeatable.

[SDS]

 

47 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

It’s loser stuff.

Get the STH base way back up. Make it so those STH’s don’t want to sell their most valuable tickets.

You do that by being a good hockey team, not through artificial market restraints. We’re not Florida or Tampa, ffs.

Nah. You’re way off base here. The most important aspect of the situation is what those marginal dollars mean to the STH. Make WNY a wealthy metropolis and the STH will not be so tempted to claw back some of their money. For many, selling those tickets is probably included in their affordability calculation and that has nothing to do with how good the team is.

[Randall Flagg]

Sorry I really like this and I think that it is far more pathetic and embarrassing to allow the building to look like it does against Toronto and Montreal. I am ashamed that my fellow fans do that to save a buck and we made a vow when we bought seasons this year to attend these games specifically no matter what, or give them to sabres fans we know if we can't 

Will it even work though?

[ddaryl]

9 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

Nah. You’re way off base here. The most important aspect of the situation is what those marginal dollars mean to the STH. Make WNY a wealthy metropolis and the STH will not be so tempted to claw back some of their money. For many, selling those tickets is probably included in their affordability calculation and that has nothing to do with how good the team is.

When you have the chance to make 100% +++ profit on your tickets for a few games a year  after dumping $2500+++ on Seasons it makes sense for many.

[thewookie1]

In theory this might actually help season ticket holders.

If Sabres regions get 1st come, 1st serve over Toronto/Montreal's fans it could potentially create a fake squeeze on tickets in the resale market.

Bob from Buffalo buys 4 tickets for $150 each most years, this year he buys 10 tickets; why, because he knows he can easily sell them himself. Bob then sells 6 of the 10 tickets for $350 each.  While it doesn't fix the stadium fan issue; it certainly works well for savvy fans with some disposable income at their disposal.

[GASabresIUFAN]

How will this system work for actual Sabres fans, from say Atlanta for example, making a road trip to Buffalo ?

[LGR4GM]

14 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

When you have the chance to make 100% +++ profit on your tickets for a few games a year  after dumping $2500+++ on Seasons it makes sense for many.

I had a friend do this with Bills tickets. He has seasons, he picks the 4-5 games he wants to go to and then he sells the rest at a markup and basically breaks even on his seasons. 

[Eleven]

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

This sort of policy strikes me as pathetic.

Because it is pathetic.  It was pathetic when Carolina started it and it is pathetic now.

[shrader]

16 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

How will this system work for actual Sabres fans, from say Atlanta for example, making a road trip to Buffalo ?

I think that’s the worst part of the whole thing. This is a market where so many fans have relocated over the years. Why screw them over?