In times past, when you wanted to obtain tickets for a popular sporting event you had essentially two choices; you could wait in line at the box office for a very long time and hope to get your tickets before they were sold out, or you could purchase them the day of the event, for a high price, from a ticket scalper. Thankfully, today with the Internet, you can much more easily obtain those hard-to-get tickets. Buying tickets online is fast, secure, and easy to do, as long as you use a reputable ticket dealer.

The first place most people think of to look for tickets is popular auction websites. These sites are fine for tangible goods, but they are questionable in the area of ticket sales. Unscrupulous sellers often have fake tickets printed and sell them at auction for a ton of cash.

Nothing is worse than showing up to the Chicago Cubs game or to the famed Kentucky Derby and finding out your tickets are fake! You are out the money you paid for them, you have to miss the event, and how completely embarrassing trying to explain why you have fake tickets.

A better option than an auction site is to purchase your tickets from a reputable online ticket seller. By doing a simple online search for something like "Dallas Mavericks tickets," you will come up with literally thousands of online ticket sellers you can potentially work with.

At this point the problem becomes figuring out which online ticket seller is genuine and which is not. How do you do that and insure that you do not get ripped-off in the process?

There are some simple things you can do to avoid the unscrupulous sellers. The first thing you should always do when attempting to purchase tickets online is to deal with a reputable company with a physical address and phone number where you can contact the company any day during their regular business hours.

When you call you should reach the company itself and not an answering machine or answering service. You should be able to call and ask questions, and the person you are speaking with should be able to help you themselves and not have to have someone return your call.

If you are told someone will need to get back to you, then you should immediately deal with another company, as this is a big red flag that you could be scammed!

Any online ticket seller you deal with should be a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers as well as the Better Business Bureau. They should be members in good standing, and they should be able to provide you with references to check about their business if you ask for them.

Again, if they are unable to provide you with references, or are not members in good standing with both associations previously listed, then you should deal with another company.

Online ticket sellers are businesses and should be very professional in their associations and in their customer service when you speak to them. If they are not then that is another red flag that you may be taken advantage of.

Whether you are looking for NFL tickets, baseball, basketball, horse racing or other event tickets, you will want to make sure you are dealing with a reputable seller. By using your common sense and the tips listed above, you will be able to safely and securely purchase your event tickets. Enjoy your event!