After Roy Halladay's no-hitter on Wednesday--only the second ever in baseball's 118 years of post season history--a used ticket from that historic game sold on eBay for $73, only 44% below the actual price of tickets to the game itself. As of today, there are over 200 listings available for sale on eBay, evidence that the ticket after-after market is alive and well.
While we're not sure it has officially been named, tracked or analyzed, we're using this post to do all of those for the ticket after-after market. By way of introduction, the after-after market is the market for tickets to events that have already happened. This is in contrast to the regular old after-market, which has been driving ticket sales for over ten years, on the backs of Stubhub, eBay and others.
Compared to the $7B ticket after-market, the after-after market is significantly smaller in size. With maybe $1M annual revenue in a good year, it is nonetheless an active eBay niche, and this year a growing one.
Thanks in large part to Mr. Halladay, 2010 has been a banner year. With four no-hitters and one perfect game, a lot of new inventory has come online. 2010 was also the first time (we believe) that a team jumped into the after-after market. Earlier in the summer, after Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in baseball history, the Marlins capitalized on their anemic attendance by offering all 13,000 unsold tickets for face price days after the game. The Marlins managed to sell 3,500 tickets in the first few hours, and have since sold all of the tickets.
For rabid Phillies fans who couldn't get to game one of the ALDS, $73 may have felt like a good deal. Based on some comps, it actually may be. Stubs from Don Larsen's perfect game are hard to find, but we found one that went for $1,201 back in 1996. 54 years from now, Halladay's No-No may be worth a lot more than $73, and in the interim could make for nice wall decoration.
Aside from Halladay's game, if you have any questions about the health of the after-after market, the below links illustrate that it is alive and well. In addition to a piece of history, the after-after market also sells pieces of something even more interesting--history that actually never happened. For $24.95, you, too, could be the proud owner of a 2003 Cubs World Series ticket that almost was.
Some other Tickets currently available in the after-after market:
- Halladay Perfect Game, 5.29.10 (Full Ticket, Mint): $51
- Matt Garza No Hitter, 7.26.10 (Stub): $1.04
- Nolan Ryan's 6th No Hitter, 6.11.90 (Full Ticket, Mint): $49.99
- Mike Scott No-Hitter, Pennant Clincher, 9.25.86 (Stub): $99.95
- Cubs 2003 Phantom World Series (Full ticket, headphones not included): $24.95
- Cubs 1945 World Series, aka BillyGoat Curse Game (full ticket): $2,500
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