If you’ve ever been in the situation where you really want to see a show but the show is sold out for the day that you want then you may wish you had known about a service like viagogo.

Viagogo is a fan to fan ticket exchange service – a bit like eBay really but just for tickets.  In other words other fans have booked and paid for tickets but then for some reason or other can no longer go and due to the ticket terms and conditions these generally can’t be returned to the ticket agent.

In an effort to at least get some of there money back they can list them on a ticket exchange where hopefully somebody will be looking for the ticket that they have to offer – the buyer gets the ticket, the seller gets at least some (if not all) of there money back and everyone’s happy.

This guide is an attempt to explain how to use one ticket exchange service that can be used for musical theatre tickets – Viagogo.

Step 1 – Register for a Viagogo account
Before you can do anything on viagogo you need a viagogo account.  To get this process started click on the Sign In / Register button towards the top of the screen:

Then click the register button and fill in the form on the next page.

After completing the form you will be sent a welcome email confirming that your account setup was successful.

You will be automatically logged in after completing this process but if you need to re-login click the Sign In / Register button again and fill in your login information.

Step 2 – Find the tickets you want to buy
You can choose to either browse the directory listings which are handily classified by the type of event or if you know an exact event that you are after simply search for it using the large search box towards the top of the viagogo website.

For example if I was after Oliver! tickets I could search Oliver! in the search box or browse to the Arts and Theatre Tickets category, select musicals and then select Oliver!

Step 3 – Purchase the tickets
Scroll down the list of event dates and times until you find one which has a seller (not all will):

Click the green buy button under the price of the tickets you wish to purchase.

On the next page you will see a list of tickets that are available at the moment for this performance on the right. You can filter these results and see a (sometimes dynamic) seat plan of the theatre (or venue) on the left.

This screen also tells you what the seat row and number is and how many tickets are available.

To continue select how many tickets you would like from the drop down box next to the tickets you want to purchase and click the green buy button:

You will then enter a booking process in much the same way as you would with any other ticket agent by specifying a delivery address and payment details.

Once you have completed your order, the seller will be required to confirm your order. As soon as the seller has confirmed your order Viagogo will email you to let you know that your order is complete.

Step 4 – Ticket Dispatch
Your tickets will then be dispatched to you via the method you requested in your original order.

The Viagogo Guarantee

Viagogo is ultimatley a ticket exchange which involves real people and real fans so to keep things running smoothly Viagogo operates a guarantee.

For buyers the guarentee states “Once your order or winning auction has been confirmed by the seller:

Click here to get started with Viagogo.

I hope you’ve found this guide useful.

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