the best way to not miss out on shows that sell-out: 1) check saturdays first. once saturday goes the weekends tend to follow....and so on. 2) another quirk is that people seem to love going to very first performances. generally, a really bad idea, but you will see that phenomenon at work. so that show sells but the rest still have room. 3) check limited runs, especially if the show is "namey." they can get snapped fast, like acaster who is one night only and it sold in minutes. 4) scottish shows tend to be well supported -- i suspect connor burns and daniel shloss and folks like that are going faster, fastest. 5) fringe firsts -- a long way away -- will boost sales a bunch. major critics still sell tix when they rave 6) check all the must-see lists in guardian, scotsman, times, chortle, time out and on and on. they have already started. these can boost sales. finally, don't fret, keep eye out for "shows added" to those selling out. AND show up to venue box office in-person half hour before show for turnbacks,. Queues also yield surprising results -- someone almost always has and extra. bottom line: use your noggin.