Has anyone ever used the vouchers you bid for on e-bay for Broadway shows? They seem incredibly cheap. If you have, was it hard to redeem them. I realize the shows are usually for mid-week performances. Thanks for your help.

Never having gone the ebay route, I'm not sure what these vouchers are. But I wonder whether they are the same vouchers that anyone can get for free in NYC.
Also, what shows are they for? That answer would help determine whether it's worth going that route.

TskTsk ([email protected]: Yes, this IS travel related. Some people actually go to the theater when they TRAVEL to NYC, and would like to know is if this is a money-saving option or a scam. GET IT?

Howard and Sara - thanks for the info. Yes, this is indeed a travel question, because anyone who is vacationing in NYC would love to get a break with the cost of theatre tickets. We wanted 6 tickets to see Beauty and the Beast and the vouchers are currently at $5.00 on ebay which supposedly offer regular orchestra seats/front mezzanine for $55.00 each but only for Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Wed. matinees. I'm going to call the theatre directly tomorrow and ask if they know anything about whether they are legitimate or not. Has anyone found these tickets (Beauty and the Beast) readily available at the ticket booth in Times Square? Thanks!

You don't have to spend the $5 for the vouchers. This is the same deal (along with specials for other shows) being offered now.
For Beauty and the Beast, call Ticketmaster at 212-307-4747 and mention code MILNY5 or log onto broadwayoffer.com and use code ILNYSFR. Tickets for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings and Wednesday matinee are $50, Friday and Sunday evenings are $60. Plus the usual Ticketmaster charge, which you would pay anyway if you bought the ebay tickets. The offer expires March 16.
If there's time before your visit, you can call 800-ILOVENY and mention Code 1856 for a copy of the discount brochure and then you can save the Ticketmaster charge by taking the coupon directly to the box office.
This is a better offer to start with. Why bother with the ebay thing?

One minor correction on my above posting: In referring to the ebay posting, I meant to say that it is similar to the deal I go on to explain.

Howard is absolutely correct. These 'vouchers' are available for free from various sources. ALso check the websites Hitshowclub.com, theatermania.com, and playbill.com. They all require registration but it's free and no problem.

Well, this is certainly American Ingenuity! Selling free stuff. In the ‘old days’ ticket purchasers would use the twofers as their profit vehicle.

The site http://www.ilovenytheater.com/ has the vouchers for free, no registration required. Been said before, but if you go to Broadway.com and register, you get many of the specials in your mail – both email and home mail.

Marueen – can you ‘rate’ the ebay seller and add a comment so others who read about him/her can realize this stuff is online for nothing?

Ok, since everyone has given Maureen some good advice about where to pick up the vouchers (great way to save!) I'll address "GOL's" eBay comment.

You can sell almost anything on eBay (no illegal stuff, weapons, etc.) It does NOT matter if the seller got the item for free, or if they paid a million dollars for it, or if there are piles of the item on the street free for the taking - they can sell it. If someone is willing to bid on the item, so be it.

You do not leave feedback (or "rate the seller") to "warn" people that the item is available for free somewhere else. Matter of fact, even if you try to go through the steps to leave the feedback, eBay won't let it go through; you can only leave feedback for some one if you actually have conducted a transaction with that person. Now, if you bid on the voucher, win it, pay for it, and the seller does not send it to you, THEN you can leave negative feedback - and with good reason!

There have been many posters on Fodor's extolling the virtues of e-bay. If nothing else, this thread illustrates that not everything for sale on e-bay is a bargain!

Actually, I think that buying on eBay is just like buying anywhere else; know what you are buying, how much the item is worth to you, know how much you are willing to spend, and then you can choose to buy it or not.

Thanks everyone once again - great information. Howard, you are definitely the authority on NYC and the Hudson Valley. Thanks!

Howard for President! nothing but solid advice from him.. Good job, Howard!

Kelly - thanks for the eBay clarification. Is there any way (other sites) that you can look up a seller by name and see if there are any references? Although nothing illegal or against the eBay agreement, selling what can be reached by simply typing a different internet site is dirty and preying on a person's ignorance. Nothing "illegal" about that, but would the seller of the vouchers have enough guts to charge $5 in person next to the box office?

I suspect that everybody here (I would, anyway) would even pay for a stamp and send people some of the twofers, send NYC tourist brochures, or perhaps even go to the box office and get tickets (although not necessary with computerized ticketing) The "Traveler Spirit" is common bond shared by people who share the joy of travel.

Absolutely fascinating!

Absolutely fascinating!