TORONTO – Would you be willing to remortgage your home for Leafs tickets?
It’s a question some die-hard fans might have to ask themselves if they are hoping to get their hands on tickets for the teams first shot at the Stanley Cup in nine years.
With the NHL playoffs set to begin on Tuesday, one eBay user is selling two tickets to game seven of the Stanley Cup Final for $13,567.76 (CDN) – assuming the Leafs even make it to the 4th round, that is.
The tickets are in Section 117, Row 27 – listed as the gold section on the Air Canada Centre website – seats which would normally be priced at $187.00 each, at the single game price.
But the eBay listing does not appear to be a joke – despite the sky high price of the tickets.
The seller, Signature Tickets, is listed on eBay as a top-rated seller – a title the site only gives to sellers that consistently receive high buyers’ ratings and have a record of “excellent service” on eBay. The website also notes that top-rated sellers are regularly reviewed.
But what happens if the Leafs don’t make it to the Stanley Cup Final?
The theoretical date of the game is listed as June 30, 2013. Signature Tickets return policy states, “All sales are final, no refunds or exchanges unless the event is completely cancelled.” However, the listing notes that date and time of the game are subject to change and offers no refund in that case.
Global News contacted Signature Tickets for comment, but received no response at time of publishing.
Signature Tickets has multiple listings on eBay for Leafs playoff tickets, with prices ranging from $2,267 to $11,307.
Other eBay sellers are also jumping at the chance to make big bucks selling playoff tickets.
A listing for two Leafs tickets to round 1, game 1 at the Air Canada Centre had reached $760 after 17 bids, with three days left to bid.
One user had even listed ticket presale passwords, used to login to Ticketmaster, for $15.
Leafs’ fans won’t be getting a break at the box office either.
Game 1 Leafs tickets are expected to rise by 75 per cent compared to regular season tickets – which are already the most expensive in the NHL, according to a report from U.S. based Team Marketing Report.
Read More: Leafs up playoff ticket prices by 75 per cent
Other Canadian teams will increase the price of a playoff ticket, but the increase isn’t expected to be a as sharp as in Toronto.
Vancouver Canucks playoffs tickets will go on sale Apr. 26 and will start at $123.75 up from an average ticket price of $87.83.
The Montreal Canadiens who’ve also secured a spot in the playoffs are expected to increase ticket prices from an average of $78.56 to a starting price of $143.
*With files from Andrew Russell
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