Yankees And Mets Among Baseball's Biggest Online Ticket Fee Gougers

A new study released by Rep. Weiner shows that Yankees and Mets fans are bleeding more than just their team colors, they’re also getting gouged with some of the highest online ticketing fees in baseball.

The study, which surveyed 30 different online ticketing websites, found the fees were high and arbitrary, with no consistency between teams, ticket prices and ticket vendors. You might buy a $5 Yankee ticket, only to pay $9.40 in convenience charges ($3.30 processing fee, $3.60 convenience fee, and a $2.50 printing fee) – a 188% markup.

Or, you might buy an $11 Mets ticket, and pay $11.50 in additional fees: a $5 order processing fee, $4 convenience fee, and a $2.50 printing fee. That’s a 105% markup.

But then a family going out for a ballgame buying $21 Mets tickets might pay $31.50 in fees – $5 processing fee, $24 in convenience fees, and our good old friend the $2.50 printing fee. This fee, by the way, is the fee assessed to you for hitting print on your home computer.

Weiner plans on proposing legislation that would mandate all online baseball ticket sellers to display the total amount of fees as a percentage of the ticket price, so fans have a better idea of what they shelling out.

It probably won’t change whether the average fan goes to to the game or not, but maybe it will influence where he chooses to buy his tickets online.

STUDY: Fans Who Buy Tickets Online Get Slammed: Buy a $5 Yankee Ticket; Pay a $9.40 Online Fee (PDF)

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