Ask a Ticket Broker about the Upcoming NCAA and NFL Football seasons

[EddieMoney]

Since these "Ask a..." threads were so popular and my PM/email box is starting to get a few emails about football tickets I figured it might be interesting and useful to have a more open/public forum. This is the time of year when we start to see heavier activity in football markets and when I solicit my clients to start telling me their fall plans so I can provide some general guidance on specific games and markets.

For those that may think this is spam, etc I can understand this perspective but please note that there are a decent number of posters on here who I have steered away from buying tickets through me because there was a more efficient/logical route to go and I helped them navigate that process. But I will also admit that since becoming public as the resident ticket broker it has been good (read good, not great) for my little company so I do my best to support the Shag and will continue to hop on interesting advertising opportunities and maybe sponsor a happy hour down the road... Blacklab, BIH, etc, feel free to move to shaglist or can you help me with this if you feel that is more appropriate.

So I'll start with what's been a common question so far...

"What do you think about the Nebraska-Texas Ticket market? Should I buy now or should I wait it out?"

[EddieMoney]

So I'll start with what's been a common question so far...

"What do you think about the Nebraska-Texas Ticket market? Should I buy now or should I wait it out?"

My answer depends on who your traveling companion is... if its a nagging wife or family member who will mention these tickets on a weekly if not daily basis until they are purchased I would go ahead and buy now. Reason being that while this market will come down at some point in price I don't think it will come down so much that the savings will have outweighed the peace of mind of having tickets in hand.

If your traveling companion is a buddy or someone who is historically flexible and understands how ticket markets work (read: there are ALWAYS tickets available the week of the game, its a matter if whether prices went up or down and if certain inventory is no longer available) I would probably play the market.

Meaning, set your ideal budget per ticket and take a look every so often at the key web sites... the best web sites to do this because of their maps are ticketsnow.com ; ticketliquidator.com ; stubhub.com ... these three combined also help you see every single option on the market. There is a lot of overlap of inventory of those three sites but there are some brokers/sellers that post on one or two but not the third. A lot of these sites have different policies and incentives so some big brokers keep their tickets off of one of the sites in exchange for a better rate on the other.

(SIDENOTE, do not actually buy on those sites. If you are looking at making a significant purchase on one of those sites you are going to pay a bunch of services fees. Unless you feel you are looking at the deal of all deals (and if you are, then go ahead and pull the trigger) PM me and I can help you figure out how to buy those tickets slightly cheaper... if those tickets are being posted by another broker I am comfortable with (and I am comfortable with almost all the key Austin based brokers) I will tell you who has them and you can shop with them and save as much as 25%... if its a transaction where there is some risk involved so as to alleviate that risk I may handle it for you and yes I will be making a small commission on this transaction.)

So if you are looking at those three sites on a somewhat regular basis you'll get a sense of what's out there and if you are looking in a specified price range you'll be more prone to notice a great deal. My plan of attack is to set a per ticket budget (right now I'm thinking $300-$350ea) and that gets me an OK end zone ticket right now... I'm betting that about 14 days out I'll be looking more at a goal line ticket and depending on how the teams are looking I may pull the trigger then or wait it out. If Nebraska has a loss or two I will definitely wait a little longer as I know some of their more unique inventory pops up late and I may be able to snag something cool.

[WhoooTex]

Local to Austin, group of 6-8 looking for UCLA tickets. What do you recommend? I wouldn't mind sitting in the East upper deck, simply because I love the view. $$$ is more important than seat location; not everyone in the group wants to shell out $125 for their ticket.

[Longhornmaniac8]

Hey Eddie,

Thanks for all the help on here regarding BCS championship tix and what not.

I'm curious as to your thoughts regarding the Dallas Cowboys games. What is the market generally like for these tickets? My roommate and I might be interested in going to a Cowboys game at some point during the fall semester, but tickets are really damn expensive, even to the "worst" of games. How does the Cowboys ticket market work? Are there ever deals to be had? I don't really care where we sit as long as it's not one of those infamous obstructed views.

Thanks!

[EddieMoney]

Hey Eddie,

Thanks for all the help on here regarding BCS championship tix and what not.

I'm curious as to your thoughts regarding the Dallas Cowboys games. What is the market generally like for these tickets? My roommate and I might be interested in going to a Cowboys game at some point during the fall semester, but tickets are really damn expensive, even to the "worst" of games. How does the Cowboys ticket market work? Are there ever deals to be had? I don't really care where we sit as long as it's not one of those infamous obstructed views.

Thanks!

This is a great question and one we do get pretty often.... and I answer it with bad news for me and good news for you. Basically a few years ago we invested in a bunch of PSLs for the new stadium thinking it would be a great investment. Well, every ticket broker and amateur ticket broker in the country had the same idea...

(side note: when everyone thinks a ticket purchase is a great investment, it means the market is going to be flooded and it probably won't be a great investment. It could be 'good' but it won't be great... yes, all the average joes who bought miami heat season tickets are in for a rude awakening. I'm not saying they'll lose money but the inventory the team was dumping on them made most brokers say 'pass'... Yikes.

Well, the Cowboys investment has been stable but not awesome... bottomline is that there are a TON of tickets on the secondary market, meaning prices can get pretty soft. On the other hand the market is still really strong, so if a game 'gets hot' (like last years reg season final against philly) and brokers have already liquidated inventory it can get really really pricey.

That being said, in general, I'd wait it out for Cowboys games. If you are traveling for a specific game though we may have some inventory that we can sell reasonably just so we can get some of it out the door. For example if you just want to go to a game, we can get you lower level end zone tickets for not much over face for the Jaguars game... which ironically is a game that could increase in value from here.

[EddieMoney]

Local to Austin, group of 6-8 looking for UCLA tickets. What do you recommend? I wouldn't mind sitting in the East upper deck, simply because I love the view. $$$ is more important than seat location; not everyone in the group wants to shell out $125 for their ticket.

If you can live with splitting the group in 2and4 or 3 and 4 or anything smaller than 6 I would say WAIT... If you absolutely have to have 6-8 together that kind of seating is less inventoried and can dry up. Even then I'd wait another month before even worrying about buying.

There could be a week of uptick in this game due to local revenge interest, but this game is slightly inflated now and there isn't a huge need to worry about it. Plenty of tickets out there

[lazytexasfan]

ou tickets. what's the best way to get a pair of them? location doesn't matter too much, but lower deck is preferable and obviously on the TX side. when is usually the best time to buy them?

never bought ou tickets as a non-student, so wondering what the best way to approach that for this year is. thanks!

[MNLonghorn10]

whats the market on favre's return going to jump to when it becomes "official"?

me and 3 others are going to the gb/vikes game in minny the sunday before i fly out for the aggy/horns game. should i buy now since its pretty much a given favre will be back and most if not all tickets will increase?

[EddieMoney]

ou tickets. what's the best way to get a pair of them? location doesn't matter too much, but lower deck is preferable and obviously on the TX side. when is usually the best time to buy them?

never bought ou tickets as a non-student, so wondering what the best way to approach that for this year is. thanks!

This market has been extremely volatile the past two years... 2008 it dropped harder than any other year in recent history and in 2009 it spiked up harder than any other year in recent history.

Due to how tight people's budgets are they choose to go to one maybe two games a year... this ends up being one of those games. While prices are inflated I don't think we'll see another huge crash like we did in most years in part to how people with extras know how to sell them before the game.

Prices are high but they won't go down a ton unless we have a loss... keep in mind all inventory out there is currently "spec" inventory meaning brokers are taking high end orders planning to fill them when inventory comes out.

This year I think the safest time to buy is the week the tickets get shipped to season ticket holders

[EddieMoney]

whats the market on favre's return going to jump to when it becomes "official"?

me and 3 others are going to the gb/vikes game in minny the sunday before i fly out for the aggy/horns game. should i buy now since its pretty much a given favre will be back and most if not all tickets will increase?

I think the market will remain pretty consistent, it depends on if you need some super special unique seats or if lower level end zone seats work... what kind of seats do you want?

[naked_bongo]

Lions / Rams tickets on 10/10/10 @ Ford Field - how sizzling hot are these tickets going to be?

[Montag]

How much will it cost to get MNLonghorn a ticket to the Saints/Vikings opener so he can watch the Saints drop the banner?

[Viper]

What's the Cowboys/Texan tickets looking like? When do single game Texans tickets go on sale or is the secondary market the only place to get tickets? When would be the best time to buy 3-5 tickets?

[Bernard]

I don't see Nebraska tickets going for anywhere near three bills. I've been to Lincoln (vs Texas) three times and tickets were widely available at reasonable prices. In 1998 I had four extras, decent seats in the NU section (courtesy of life insurance company that advertises in the stadium). I had to put in some real time and effort to even get face value for these tickets. Buyers were few and far between. In 2002, the weather was cold and wet. Tickets were everywhere. Buyers were nowhere. I just walked up to the turnstiles and yelled out, "Anyone have any tickets they aren't going to use?" At least 10 people tried to hand me a ticket. I grabbed the three from whoever was closest, all for free. In 2006, I already had seats in hand that I got for free. Didn't test the market on game day. No plans yet for this year, other than lots of beer, Sidetrack Tavern, and a Runza.

Bernard

[UofTOrange]

what's the cowboys/texan tickets looking like? When do single game texans tickets go on sale or is the secondary market the only place to get tickets? When would be the best time to buy 3-5 tickets?

this

[MNLonghorn10]

I think the market will remain pretty consistent, it depends on if you need some super special unique seats or if lower level end zone seats work... what kind of seats do you want?

lowers again. probably the cheaper the better though because thats an expensive ass week

How much will it cost to get MNLonghorn a ticket to the Saints/Vikings opener so he can watch the Saints drop the banner?

then to watch the vikes beat the saints and ruin the party? thatd be sweet

[EddieMoney]

Lions / Rams tickets on 10/10/10 @ Ford Field - how sizzling hot are these tickets going to be?

We have some nice Lions season tickets if you are interested... because so few brokers own seasons there now the market rarely plummets too far below face.

[EddieMoney]

What's the Cowboys/Texan tickets looking like? When do single game Texans tickets go on sale or is the secondary market the only place to get tickets? When would be the best time to buy 3-5 tickets?

Its an expensive ticket, without looking its $125 to get in and $250 to get into the lowers... there won't be a public single game on sale as they'll sell it in some package to make you take a preseason game and that will not be a good deal.

This market will hold because of when it is in the season. I don't see it going up much I don't see it going down... I could see a late surge on the super premium locations behind the cowboys bench.

Big groups are scarce in Reliant for lowers because of how the initial PSL offering was handled so if you need 6 or more together I'd make a move before it all dries up. If you have flexibility and can do 3 and 2 or some other combo you'll be better off.

I'd say the time to buy is when you are 100% certain who all in your group is 100% committed and you all have a budget picked out.

[EddieMoney]

lowers again. probably the cheaper the better though because thats an expensive ass week

Lets talk the week of the first preseason game... lowers are around $200 ea right now, I would think we could get something for $170

[bedeviledegg]

Alabama vs. Penn State or Tennessee vs. Oregon What's the better value?

I'm thinking of driving from Austin for a four day weekend and going to one of these games. I know the Bama tickets will be more expensive, but wouldn't the atmosphere be ridiculous?

[EddieMoney]

Alabama vs. Penn State or Tennessee vs. Oregon What's the better value?

I'm thinking of driving from Austin for a four day weekend and going to one of these games. I know the Bama tickets will be more expensive, but wouldn't the atmosphere be ridiculous?

Wow that's a pretty bad ass idea.... believe it or not the few SEC games I went to were not outrageously awesome. One issue is that they have these huge historic match ups multiple times a year, so you can see how the emotion can dampen a little. Don't get me wrong, it beats the hell out of most games but it's not magical in it of itself

Bama has a solid game day experience as does tennessee... I mean that penn state game will be nuts but the price to get in the stadium right now is about $300 (that won't hold... the market will crash) vs. $200 will get you a 50 yard line seat at the tennessee game.

If you are just going for atmosphere then the Bama game will be pretty cool, but if you want your experience to include having a great seat then Tennessee is the way to go.

[Montag]

Wow that's a pretty bad ass idea.... believe it or not the few SEC games I went to were not outrageously awesome. One issue is that they have these huge historic match ups multiple times a year, so you can see how the emotion can dampen a little. Don't get me wrong, it beats the hell out of most games but it's not magical in it of itself

Bama has a solid game day experience as does tennessee... I mean that penn state game will be nuts but the price to get in the stadium right now is about $300 (that won't hold... the market will crash) vs. $200 will get you a 50 yard line seat at the tennessee game.

If you are just going for atmosphere then the Bama game will be pretty cool, but if you want your experience to include having a great seat then Tennessee is the way to go.

Or you can come on down to the 1st Annual Cooking Anything and Drinking Moonshine Bayou Country Superfest, LSU vs WVU on Sept. 25.

[BrothaHorn]

If I want season tickets to the Texans, do I have to buy a PSL?

[EddieMoney]

If I want season tickets to the Texans, do I have to buy a PSL?

All lower level seats are PSL'd and some upper levels are. You can probably get upper level seats still that are not PSL'd.

We have stumbled upon some people unloading their Texans PSLs this past year and scooped them up, so if you find a nice deal it can be a decent investment vehicle if managed properly.

It all comes down to what kind of seats you need... are you needing primo seats or are you just looking for some to have a good time in and catch a few games? Will you go to every game?

[The Eyes]

Just here to vouch for Eddie. He's a solid guy and always puts the customer first. Buy some quilts from him already.

[Wally Fairway]

Eddie -
Are any of the pro leagues looking at a problem due to ticket prices:

- NBA, many arenas are nowhere near full, are season tickets sales strong enough in non-major markets?
- NHL, can the southern cities really continue to fill rinks at those prices?
- NFL, seem in the best situation only 10 games per year, any softness in crappy/small markets, St. Louie, Detroit, KC, Oak
- MLB, too many games, they must have the biggest unsold inventory...can they continue to build new smaller houses and keep prices up and fans paying?

Do you see any difference between loyalty at the college and pro levels in terms of fan support?

[royiv]

Alabama vs. Penn State or Tennessee vs. Oregon What's the better value?

I would take the Alabama game. I dated a girl in Knoxville for several years and went to games with her at Neyland and was pretty disappointed by the atmosphere. For a 100k seat stadium, the crowd is pretty tame.

[hullabelew]

I went to the last Penn St./Bama game in Tuscaloosa in the early 90s. We had a blast and they have added probably 40,000 seats since then.

Get their a day or two before the game so you can eat at Dreamland and Nicks-in-the-sticks (if it is still open).

[EddieMoney]

Eddie -
Are any of the pro leagues looking at a problem due to ticket prices:

- NBA, many arenas are nowhere near full, are season tickets sales strong enough in non-major markets?

Interestingly the teams in the non-major markets typically recognize their shortcomings and price season tickets as aggressively as possible, they will often work deals with high volume (read: brokers) clients so as to just get the inventory out the door. Where the NBA has gotten hurt the most is in premium sales... a ton of NBA inventory was overpriced but corporations just bought it and renewed their tickets on autopilot. That stopped abruptly a couple of years ago once the economy started tanking.

The NBA has learned that expansion has hurt them in that teams can't draw fans in for the bad games regardless of what promotions they run, yet they could sell 40,000 tickets for the marquis games.

Eddie -
Are any of the pro leagues looking at a problem due to ticket prices:

- NHL, can the southern cities really continue to fill rinks at those prices?

Nope and I wouldn't touch 95% of NHL season tickets with your credit card... meaning even if someone else was paying I don't think I want the headaches of managing them.

Similar problems to the NBA but most teams have a smaller audience.

Are any of the pro leagues looking at a problem due to ticket prices:

- NFL, seem in the best situation only 10 games per year, any softness in crappy/small markets, St. Louie, Detroit, KC, Oak

Four years ago you would have to pay $500 per seat to buy someone else's lower level season ticket rights in Kansas City (meaning they had a long wait list and fans would sell their long standing season ticket rights to those who didnt want to wait) ... now you can call up the chiefs and get any number of bad ass locations.

I think these teams might have some larger obstacles than basketball because they aren't fighting just the economy... meaning, it takes a hell of a game for someone to go in person instead of watching on HD at home. Especially when you can buy the NFL package and switch between all the games with ease.... The NFL has blackout rules for non sold out games, I wouldn't be completely shocked if the NFL raised the DirecTV package price for those living in NFL cities that aren't sold out of Season tickets. They could probably raise the price everywhere.

The NFL needs to lose one of the home preseason games and add another regular season game... that would help the season ticket holders a little.

Are any of the pro leagues looking at a problem due to ticket prices:

- MLB, too many games, they must have the biggest unsold inventory...can they continue to build new smaller houses and keep prices up and fans paying?

MLB is brutal, we went from carrying at times over 50 season tickets to various teams to now having exactly one pair of MLB season tickets in our inventory... one of the biggest problems is StubHub, Back in the day people would give away their extras and now they sell them... even if they are selling for well under face.

So basically the brain trust at MLB signed a contract with StubHub that cannibalizes their single game ticket sales.

Do you see any difference between loyalty at the college and pro levels in terms of fan support?

In terms of ticket buying, College fans are more of a bandwagon... most move away from their school and therefore it requires their team being good or having a significant game to go back... TCU couldn't sellout their stadium last year and then their home game against Utah became one of the hottest tickets of all time.

The college fans are more rabid when their team is good... no market swings up more... but as a whole, NFL fans are more faithful when it comes to buying tickets and traveling.

[EddieMoney]

I don't see Nebraska tickets going for anywhere near three bills. I've been to Lincoln (vs Texas) three times and tickets were widely available at reasonable prices. In 1998 I had four extras, decent seats in the NU section (courtesy of life insurance company that advertises in the stadium). I had to put in some real time and effort to even get face value for these tickets. Buyers were few and far between. In 2002, the weather was cold and wet. Tickets were everywhere. Buyers were nowhere. I just walked up to the turnstiles and yelled out, "Anyone have any tickets they aren't going to use?" At least 10 people tried to hand me a ticket. I grabbed the three from whoever was closest, all for free. In 2006, I already had seats in hand that I got for free. Didn't test the market on game day. No plans yet for this year, other than lots of beer, Sidetrack Tavern, and a Runza.

Bernard

I'm not saying this isn't valuable data but a lot has changed since 2006... for every one person in 2006 who knew how to unload tickets online well before a game, there are now 20. Meaning gameday inventory and market flooding for big games is a whole lot less common now. Also, this game means a lot more to them this year than in past years... see top 10 grudge match thread

http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/show...tches-for-2010

[orange dream]

Eddie,

Nice thread idea.

1. Texas vs. A&M - I need 8 tickets. Can't split less than 4 & 4. Don't have to be great but don't want the top corner of the upper deck either. I wasn't sure what to expect with it being the first Thanksgiving game in several years so I bought early for the 2008 game. I overpaid as there was lots of inventory on the street the afternoon and evening of the game. Any thoughts on best strategy for this year?

2. Titans @ Cowboys - Do you expect greater than usual demand for this game?

[BearLakeHorn]

Eddie, question about upper deck v lower deck at UT football games.

For crappy games (Rice, ULaLa types), what % does the average upper deck ticket get? If face is $75, what can you buy or sell yours for on gameday? 33% of face (ie, $25)? What about a lower level west side say 5-15 yard line ticket? 50%, 100%?

Lastly, same question but for a game like A&M or UCLA to a lesser degree?

[mez2]

can you get me free tix to the texas-ou game, and/or VY/Cowboys or cowboys/texans?

[EddieMoney]

can you get me free tix to the texas-ou game, and/or VY/Cowboys or cowboys/texans?

You are a good customer but not that good... but one day

[EddieMoney]

Eddie,

Nice thread idea.

1. Texas vs. A&M - I need 8 tickets. Can't split less than 4 & 4. Don't have to be great but don't want the top corner of the upper deck either. I wasn't sure what to expect with it being the first Thanksgiving game in several years so I bought early for the 2008 game. I overpaid as there was lots of inventory on the street the afternoon and evening of the game. Any thoughts on best strategy for this year?

2. Titans @ Cowboys - Do you expect greater than usual demand for this game?

1. I'd wait Texas-A&M... and my strategy would be to always wait that game out. Basically look back in history for the past 20 years, how many of those games were more significant at the time of the game than the potential for that game before that season... like 4 times right?

So during any given 10 year stretch you'll only get burned waiting 2 times. You'll do substantially better waiting 8 of those years... it will take a near miracle for the game to appreciate in price this year. Basically, will both teams be undefeated or is there a huge chance Aggy is playing for the Big 12 title game? Even then, I bet you can find something two weeks before that will be better priced than right now

2. Its been a relatively strong ticket, I see prices holding maybe dropping a little... keep in mind with NFL tickets this year brokers have so many unpaid invoices that they are dropping prices pretty hard earlier than before

[EddieMoney]

Eddie, question about upper deck v lower deck at UT football games.

For crappy games (Rice, ULaLa types), what % does the average upper deck ticket get? If face is $75, what can you buy or sell yours for on gameday? 33% of face (ie, $25)? What about a lower level west side say 5-15 yard line ticket? 50%, 100%?

Lastly, same question but for a game like A&M or UCLA to a lesser degree?

When the game gets bad or worthless its hard to get much more than that ... the lower level 15 yard lines might hold 50-75% of their value.

Interestingly having those tickets available online the friday before the game through a reputable web site and you can get quite a bit more than on the street.

I don't work the street too often as I typically try to dump them before that point so my data is not going to be as good as other posters on here who work gameday deals with regularity.

[HoosierHorn]

Need 4 VY/Cowboys... not in the stratosphere, but not sideline... and probably need parking (from what i'm told) PM me with some options, please, sir.

[skipperj]

EM - Thanks again for these threads. Last year's were very informative. I'll be coming back to this frequently throughout the year.

[MissingInAction]

I'd appreciate it if you could let me know when you have a good deal on 4 Cowboys tickets. Any game will do. Pop has never been and I'd like to get him up there this year.

[USMChorn]

I realize this is not a football question

Whenever I go to a Canucks game I am always screwed into just buying up whatever I can find on a given site. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about getting tickets at a better value to GM Place? Particularly Nov 20th Canucks/Blackhawks

[210816horn]

lol @ the VY/Cowboys game.

[bedeviledegg]

Or you can come on down to the 1st Annual Cooking Anything and Drinking Moonshine Bayou Country Superfest, LSU vs WVU on Sept. 25.

Great Googly Moogly, that might be the thing to do.

[mez2]

You are a good customer but not that good... but one day

i'm surprised you didnt tell me to 'fuck off'.

keep up the good work.

[EddieMoney]

I'd appreciate it if you could let me know when you have a good deal on 4 Cowboys tickets. Any game will do. Pop has never been and I'd like to get him up there this year.

I'd imagine you don't want to go to the Jags game on halloween... the Lions game on 11/21

I'd recommend section 125 row 10 (which is the third row of that section due to the shape of the stadium) ... for $125 ea. No additional service fees, free shipping... not much over face

[EddieMoney]

I realize this is not a football question

Whenever I go to a Canucks game I am always screwed into just buying up whatever I can find on a given site. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about getting tickets at a better value to GM Place? Particularly Nov 20th Canucks/Blackhawks

Thats a prettty tight market and that should be a pretty good game. PM in a month or so and I can maybe save you a few bucks

[Cheese Taco]

Cowboys/Packers in Green Bay. Will just need a single ticket. Should I buy now or wait.

[BearLakeHorn]

When the game gets bad or worthless its hard to get much more than that ... the lower level 15 yard lines might hold 50-75% of their value.

Interestingly having those tickets available online the friday before the game through a reputable web site and you can get quite a bit more than on the street.

I don't work the street too often as I typically try to dump them before that point so my data is not going to be as good as other posters on here who work gameday deals with regularity.

Followup question -> for the non street/gameday market, how much more does a lower level ~15 yard line seat command than an upper deck ticket? Say A&M is $100 face -> what is about the average for lower level 15 yard line vs. upper deck?

[chiwanna]

Great thread!

What will a single SuperBowl ticket go for? I know that it could depend on who is there but given two random teams how much is it going to be? If the Cowboys made it, would the price be through the roof?

[juz]

Great thread!

What will a single SuperBowl ticket go for? I know that it could depend on who is there but given two random teams how much is it going to be? If the Cowboys made it, would the price be through the roof?

I was given 4 tickets to the Pats/Panthers SB in Houston in 04, I sold 2 of those tickets on craigslist in a matter of minutes for $700 each a week before the game. These were upper level (first row) on the goal line seats, not bad but not great

That was 6 years ago so you are probably looking at 700-1000 just to get in the door, Eddie will know better then me, but I wouldn't think if the cowboys were in it or not would fluctuate prices that much since the number of tickets released to the public is so small already

[EddieMoney]

Cowboys/Packers in Green Bay. Will just need a single ticket. Should I buy now or wait.

Wait, definitely... a single is never something to stress out about unless you need something specific. PM when the season starts and there may be something floating around that is unique and affordable relatively speaking