Make Sure You Know What You Are Buying - Also Known As ~Apples To Apples And Oranges To Oranges ~

There Is A Huge Difference Between Poorly Centered Seats And Well Centered Seats At Most Venues.  A Seller Does Not Withhold Seat Numbers For Security Or Safety Reasons - They Do So Because The Seats Are Poorly Centered. Depending On The Type Of Show, Centering May Not Be Critical, But Make Sure You Know The EXACT Seats That You Are Purchasing !  In Many Cases All Seats In The Center Orchestra, Or Center Floor Sections, Or Specific Seating Sections Are Going To Be Fine ( Trust Me - If They Are Dead Center Or Aisle Seats, The Seller Will Note That ) But Not In All Cases.  Take A Few Minutes To Look At A Seating Chart Again Before You Start Looking For Seats And Keep It Handy For Quick Reference.

Oddly, The Most Successful Secondary Site - Stub Hub - Does Not Guarantee Seat Numbers, Only Section And Row - Unless The Specific Seat Numbers Are Included In The Seller's Notes.  I Have Yet To Figure Out Why People Would Pay A Premium For Unknown Seats - I Certainly Would Not, And Unless It Is Obvious That The Specific Seats Don't Really Matter ( As In The Entire Row Is Well Centered ) I Would Not Suggest You Do So Either.

How Much Should You Expect To Pay?  

I Would Suggest That You Determine What You Are Willing To Pay For An Event, And Then Take A Look At What Is Available In That Price Range.  You May Find That You Have Set An Unrealistic Price And Have To Make An Adjustment, But Please - Never EVER Spend More On A Pair Of Seats Than You Are Comfortable With.  

There Are Generally Two SELL Opportunities - Defined As The Best Time For A Seller To Maximize Profits.   You Should Avoid These Times If You Don't Want To Pay Top Dollar For Your Seats.   The Worst Time To Buy Tickets Is Just Before, And Just After The Event Goes On Sale To The General Public - Give It At Least A Week After The General On Sale In Order For Demand And Prices To Fall Off.   The Other Time That You Want To Avoid Is Not As Easily Defined As It Varies, But Generally Prices Will Spike Again Around Three Weeks Before A Show.   All Other Times Should Be Considered As Prime Buying Opportunities - Brokers Do Not Like To Sit On Tickets And Will Price Accordingly.

Using Ebay Completed Listings Is Probably The Easiest Way To Get An Idea Of True Market Value Of Any Given Show.  If You Are Not Familiar With How To Do This, Please Read THIS.

You Can Also Monitor Prices On Sites Such As StubHub - The Same Pricing Variations Pertain, But Keep In Mind That These Sites Charge A Commission ( 15% ) To The Seller, So Even If I Were To Determine I Wanted To Get Off Of A Pair Of Seats At Cost, The Commission Would Still Be Reflected In The Price.

Check Often And Strike When The Opportunity Arises!

Whatever Secondary Market You Are Looking At, If You Were To Check Available Tickets For Any Show On A Constant Basis, You Would Quickly Realize That Fantastic Seats Well Below Market Price Show Up Frequently.   They Do Not - However - Stay For Very Long - Brokers Are Sniffing Those Opportunities Out Too!   Unlike The Maxim ~ If It Looks Too Good To Be True - It Probably Is, You Should Absolutely Grab A Pair Of Seats That Fit Within What You Are Looking For, If They Are Priced Below Market Value - There Are Always Brokers Who Will Get Off Of Tickets At, Below, Or Near Cost For Various Reasons - Don't Worry About Why - Just Grab Them Before Someone Else Does!