With some football fans being left in the cold, without the tickets they secured soon after their teams punched tickets to the Super Bowl, many are wondering how ticket brokers legally operate their businesses.

Some fans wanting to attend Super Bowl XLIX saw the tickets they put money down on weeks ago go to the highest bidder, with brokers reselling the tickets at higher prices before sending them to the original buyer.

Jay Spataro of Line Three Tickets explained the ins and outs of the shady business while a guest of Mac and Gaydos on KTAR News on Monday.

“With Super Bowl tickets and big-time events like this, what brokers will do — since tickets aren’t available through TicketMaster or any normal location — they’ll take the orders short and then resell the tickets later at a higher price,” he said.

With Super Bowl tickets selling for a minimum of $8,900 per seat the weekend before the big game, it’s easy to see why ticket brokers would seek a higher sale as events near. But how, exactly, do they manage to stay in the realm of legality?

“They’ll tell you that the tickets are guaranteed — ‘We’ll get you the tickets, no problem.’ And then they will wait and wait and wait for the price to either come down for less than what you paid, and then fill the order or, a lot of them have these terms and conditions on websites and, should they not come through, they’ll just refund you your money.”

Spataro’s advice? Only buy tickets from brokers with tickets in hand — who will ships tickets immediately. And read the fine print.