Paying a Price for the Premium Events Overseas : Tickets: U.S.-based brokers provide a useful but expensive service by selling seats for popular London shows and high-demand sports contests.

For travelers heading overseas and hoping to attend premium sporting events such as the Wimbledon tennis championships or Grand Prix of Monaco auto race, or see the most popular plays in London’s West End, using the services of a U.S.-based ticket broker may be the easiest way to buy seats. But be prepared to pay a heavy price.

Though charges levied by ticket brokers can vary considerably, you could end up paying as much as 20 times the face value of a ticket. Then again, with a little patience and a little luck, you might be able to buy London theater tickets on your own for less than face value. Ditto for Wimbledon.

Though consumers can’t expect to save money dealing with ticket brokers for high-demand events, they will at least save time , which may be of more value anyway on trips where the emphasis is on seeing as much as possible and time is limited.

For most U.S.-based ticket brokers, overseas events representing the greatest demand are London shows. “Everyone wants to see the most popular shows in London,” said Rakhel Kaplan, owner of Tarzana-based London Stages. Kaplan reports that although hit productions such as “Miss Saigon” and “Les Miserables” are sold out until next March, her company has seats available for both shows.

According to Kaplan, London Stages works through a London ticket broker who purchases blocks of seats in various price categories for various shows. The agent marks the seat prices up by 30% to 35% and resells them to London Stages, which then offers them to consumers for the same markup price, plus an automatic $5 surcharge, regardless of the event.

Through London Stages, seats in the orchestra or dress circle (first section of the balcony) for “Miss Saigon” sell for $77. At the box office, the same seats cost 28, or about $54. For “Les Miserables,” the lowest-priced seat available from London Stages, in the front of the second balcony, is $56. That same seat costs 20 at the box office, or about $38.

Good Time Tickets, in Hollywood, adds a service charge that fluctuates according to its cost in obtaining tickets. “The basic factors are the location of the seat and our cost in getting it,” said Relissa Tobman, Good Time’s owner. Tobman said that a top orchestra or dress circle seat for “Miss Saigon” would cost the consumer from $150 to $200.

At Murray’s Tickets in Los Angeles, general manager Ken Solky said that seats to London plays are typically marked up 60% to 70%. Murray’s also sells tickets for Wimbledon, the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, World Cup soccer and the Grand Prix in Monaco. According to Solky, center-court seats at Wimbledon can cost anywhere from $250 to $2,000, depending on the round and the attractiveness of the matchups.

However, if your dream has always been to see a match at Wimbledon, there is a little-known system that could help you get center-court seats . . . and at discount, no less. Patrons with center-court seats who leave early can turn their ticket stubs in to a charity stand on the grounds. The stubs are then resold, with the money going to charity. Ticket buyers pay a small fee to get on the grounds, then line up at the charity stand for the chance to buy the returned ticket stubs.

When buying tickets from U.S. ticket brokers for overseas events, consumers will usually be given a voucher to redeem for their tickets when they arrive at the box office. “About 70% of the seats sold in the U.S. are in voucher form,” said Cheryl Hedgpeth, president of San Diego-based Sterling Tours, which specializes in obtaining premium seats for major cultural events and shows throughout Great Britain.

Travelers may only be confirmed for a certain section of a theater through a U.S. broker, not a specific seat. Thus, travelers should ask for a specific seat number and a seating plan of the theater, with their seat--or at least their seating area--marked off. Ask that your seat number also be specified on your voucher.

According to Tobman, if travelers want their tickets in hand before leaving the United States, they need to make their purchases at least three weeks in advance.

Even if a traveler loses or misplaces a voucher, explains Hedgpeth, a record of the sale is kept at the London ticket broker that Sterling Tours works with, and a replacement can be issued through the broker.

“If a problem arises at the box office, the theater personnel just have to phone the ticket broker, which stays open until the shows have begun,” she said.

One way for travelers to beat the high cost of London theater tickets is to take advantage of the half-price ticket booth at Leicester Square that sells discounted tickets for some shows on the day of the performance. Theatergoers can also line up at the theater itself for last-minute sales of returned tickets.

But Kaplan offers this caveat for travelers willing to wait in those long lines for the chance to buy returned tickets at the last minute:

“Most theaters, to avoid scalpers getting their hands on tickets, will only sell one ticket per person when they sell tickets returned for resale just prior to the performance,” she said. “Often there’s a couple, and the husband may wait in line while his wife shops or is at the hotel, and the poor man finds out he can’t buy two tickets. Make sure that everyone in your group is standing with you and not wandering off somewhere.”

What happens if you can’t make it to a London show for one reason or another?

Tickets are sold on a nonrefundable basis, which can make trip cancellation insurance worthwhile. U.S. brokers will attempt to resell a canceled ticket on their own, and also through the brokers they work with in London. If they are successful, consumers may get their money refunded, minus a service charge. Check on the policy of your ticket broker.

Another possible source for tickets when traveling overseas is the hotel concierge. Typically, charges are simply added to your bill or applied to a credit card. Just indicate to the concierge how much you’re willing to pay for tickets.

Complimentary copies of “The London Planner,” a monthly listing of plays, sporting events and other activities, is available from the British Tourist Authority in Los Angeles. Call (213) 628-3525.

Contact Good Time Tickets at (800) 422-7383 and (213) 464-7383; London Stages at (818) 881-8433; Murray’s Tickets at (800) 245-6688 and (818) 881-0844, and Sterling Tours at (800) 727-4359.