DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Lions fans looking to see the team take on the Minnesota Vikings in person for a pivotal week 18 matchup better be ready to pay up.
Prices for the game have been soaring, with the "get in the door" price nearing $500 after fees on resale.
The lowest price on StubHub after fees was $466 Thursday evening, while TickPick showed seats listed at $485 and Gametime had seats listed at $486.
Lower bowl seats ranged in price, with the cheapest being nearly $700 and some being listed for over $1,000.
"That's outrageous. That's just outrageous,” Lions fan Bernard Criscenti of Lincoln Park said.
“The demand is through the roof right now," said Kyle Zorn, head of content for TickPick, an online marketplace for event tickets known for showing the "all in" price without fees. "The Lions as far as demand goes across the NFL, they are the no. 1 team.”
Zorn says the top three most expensive NFL games this season on TickPick have all been Lions home games. The Buffalo Bills matchup is no. 1, the Vikings game is no. 2 and the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day was no. 3. However, the average purchase price for the Vikings game over the last month is $651, which would rank it first.
"This is comparable to more like a divisional or conference championship ticket price just how expensive this ticket is,” Zorn said. "This ticket price is very unlike any other regular season ticket price you'll see on average.”
Hear more from Kyle Zorn in the video player below:
With the sky-high prices, the Lions are warning fans about ticket scams. They encourage fans to use only reputable websites such as their official partner Ticketmaster. Fans are also encouraged to purchase with a credit card and if the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
“For these games, especially this game and a playoff game, I would always advise purchasing off a marketplace that has a guarantee unless you know the individual and have a relationship with them,” Zorn said. “Nine times out of 10 if you're purchasing from a major marketplace, you'll be 100% fine, but that's why these guarantees are put in place.”
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As for when to buy tickets?
“I always advise the night before," Zorn said. "A lot of fans, they're trained to purchase the day of or even a few hours before. I advise not to do that.”
However for many fans, buying these tickets just isn’t an option.
“They are outrageous," Criscenti said. "Last year, I got to get into a few games, they were affordable. But this year, they’re quite expensive.”
“It's kinda worth it at the same time, especially if they win," Lions fan Chase Robinson from Ypsilanti said. "But yeah no, $600 for a Lions ticket?! Definitely a change of pace.”
Zorn also said the vast majority of purchases for this game on TickPick are coming from Michigan, with just 2% coming from Minnesota.
"I just found it surprising that so little purchases are coming from Minnesota so far," Zorn said. "So should be a pretty heavy Detroit crowd for this game.”
