Reliable third party tickets for colosseum?

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Colosseum+tickets&utf8=%E2%9C%93

Recent reports indicate this can be a frustrating experience for everyone. See the posts under the Search I just did.

Good luck!

Jenny, you didn't like the idea of buying tickets at the on-site office (suggested in your previous thread)? If you are already in Rome, that may be your best bet, although I don't know as you can purchase tours there of the Colosseum, possibly just general-entry tickets. Those tickets will include access to the Forum and Palatine.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/best-reliable-guided-tours-for-colosseum

Editing to add: we'd also suggested Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy, and Through Eternity. Yes, those will be tours, and much more expensive than Coopculture's on-site, entry-only tickets. If you book with any of them, I'd avoid any touting access to the underground as those tours reportedly have the biggest chance of cancellation.

I believe this is what you're looking at on booking.com? It's a tour operated by a 3rd party (Tours About) not by booking.com.
https://www.booking.com/attractions/it/pr2mbue2peym-colosseum-and-ancient-rome-skip-the-line-tour.html?date=2023-07-07&start_time=09%3A00

Here it is on Viator...
https://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/3Hour-Colosseum-Forum-and-Palatine-Hill/d511-62422P16

...and Tour About website (I'm unfamiliar with the company so can't vouch for credibility):
https://www.toursabout.com/en/tours-ancient-rome/

Kathy, what a thorough and kind reply.

Jenny, I second the idea of not getting worried about trying to get an underground tour. Get a tour that includes the colosseum and the forum.

With Rome being so busy there may not be any tours to be had, but we've used Through Eternity 3 times and never been disappointed with the quality of the tours. https://www.througheternity.com/en/colosseum-tours/ Personally, I thought the Forum and Palatine Hill were far more interesting than the Colosseum.

....Booking.com seems to be charging ~$60 per person, but I'm
skeptical about reliability and also that's much more than the 18
euros the coop culture site was asking.

Jenny, just to be clear, the Coopculture 18-euro ticket is NOT a tour. It's a standard timed-entry ticket for the Colosseum that also includes entry to the Palatine and Forum. You would be touring them all on your own without a human guide. That's the difference between that ticket price and the $60 pp tickets you were looking at: That IS a tour with a human guide for all 3 attractions so a different animal altogether. Make sense?

Thanks for the kind words, Carol! I try! It's just that the Colosseum is the #1 tourist attraction in all of Italy, and everyone and their brother is competing for the same tours and tickets. There's no magic wand, it seems, to make the process both painless AND cheap. Lining up early in the morning for on-site tickets seems to be the answer for folks wanting the most economical option without fighting the Coopculture online ticket-release hairball.

It is possible to buy the ticket to the Palatine Hill and Forum, which also includes the SUPER sites there, at any time - no timed entry. This ticket doesn't include the Colosseum, but that ship may have already sailed.

How many times a day do you check the Coopculture web site, as odd tickets do pop up. For example right now there are a number of Arena tix available for next Wednesday, in keeping with their policy of releasing additional tix one week in advance.

Right. There is a ticket JUST for the Forum SUPER sites and Palatine but the OP specifically mentioned the Colosseum and that ticket won't help them. Jenny, as you're down to just a day or so left in Rome, what did you decide to do?

We recently used Explore Italy Tours and had an excellent small group guided tour. Yes we paid extra for the guided tour but it was so worth it because of what we learned. The ticket is then also good for Forum and Palatine Hill when done at the Colosseum.