Lately I've been trying to buy tickets through Ticketmaster, and even though I'm on it non-stop from a few minutes before they go on sale, they're all sold out. Then a few minutes later. I go on Ebay and I see a shit load of tickets for the same show on sale for about three times the face value. And some sellers there seem to have made thousands of ticket sales this way.

This is obvious scalping and I can't figure out why Ebay allows this to happen. I wrote to them, but they can't give me an answer. If they restricted selling tickets for more than face value, the Ebay scalping would stop.

Personally, I think scalpers should all be beaten with spiked bats, but at least bust all these fuckers, even the ones at the shows themselves. How hard is it to send a cop or two to a show and take their tickets away? Then the tickets can be brought to the window and sold to fans who wait around all day to get some.

It's ridiculous for people to have to pay twice or three times as much for a ticket, just to see their favorite artists. I think I'm gonna have to become a famous musician, just so I can launch a campaign to kill....I mean, bust these scalpers.

So you are against free-enterprise and for greater regulations and control?

ShutItYou said:

Not generally, but this case is different. Are you a fan of scalpers?

Tickets are big business and before a show goes on sale the best seats are all ready gone. The promoters have blocks of seats set aside and sell them for big profits. It sucks but in many states it's legal. Prince is the only musician that's had any success getting the best seats to the fans.


(PS- NO Stumps!)

u2

Perhaps they are bound by state-to-state rules of ticket "re-selling". Some states don't have anti-scalping laws.

But it's ebay, dude. People sell organs there.

I have no problem with scalping if the scalpers follow the regular means to get the tickets but if they have an in with the promotor or the venue it does seem wrong. But scalping in general seems okay. If I have an extra 2 tickets to an event I'm going to sell them for as much as I can. Face value wouldn't cover an ebay auction either because of the ticketbastard fees, the ebay seller fees, and the paypal fees. If the tickets don't go for at least $40 above face value the seller is probably losing some dough.

I recently bought John Mellencamp tickets and the total with the ticketmaster fees came to 114 dollars even though face value was 86 total for the two tickets. This means that ticketmast has the nuts to charge a 25 percent sellers fee. Ticketmaster is the real scalper. Anyway if I sold them at face value I would have lose 28 bucks before ebay seller fees and paypal fees.

I've seen people getting busted for scalping at concerts by undercover cops in LA many times.

Ticketmaster is a scalper in their own right.....

starkitty said:

Yeah, but fuck that.

The problem has gotten so bad that it's almost impossible to get a ticket for a show unless you pay at least double the face value. And it's not like tickets are available to people for a long period of time. They're gone even one second after the sales begin.

lovemachine said:

That's fine. The tickets should be sold for no more than the seller paid for them, plus shipping. But that's it. And I'm sure you'd like to get as much as you can for your ticket, but by not regulating that, the crooked fucks are allowed to do their business and sell a Nine Inch Nails ticket for $300.

I wouldn't have such a problem with this if it hadn't become so difficult to get tickets. But the scalpers, brokers, and everyone else on the inside are the ones getting the tickets and selling them for ridiculous prices.

EvilWhiteMale said:

NIN was the first thing that entered my mind when I saw the topic this morning. NIN is playing small venues which also makes it harder to get tickets. Were you trying to get tickets? Did you try the presale? I would imagine tickets were gobbled up by scalpers durning the presale too.

CynthiasSocks said:

I tried the Music Today pre-sale, then the K-Rock pre-sale, and then the general sale. They were gone each time.

EvilWhiteMale said:

I hate it too! I was amazing what scalpers were charging for Musicology seats and it was obscene what was being charged for Madonna's last tour- $1300 and up!

There are only two ways for this to stop. Either every music fan out there decides to not buy a scalped ticket(which will never happen), or authorities can crack down.

Personally, I'd like for the government to stay out of it, but this issue affects everyone who tries to buy a ticket for something.

EvilWhiteMale said:

I don't think it's a government issue but perhaps if Ebay stopped allowing tickets to be sold altogether it would cut down on scalping. They won't do it because they make tons of cash of those inflated prices people are selling them for. The more they sell for the more Ebay makes.

lovemachine said:

Ebay needs to be cracked down on, ticket brokers need to be cracked down on, and scalpers at shows need to be cracked down on. I don't know how to go about it, but I'm sure there's a way.

heybaby said:

I know, same here. I can't believe I'm gonna miss U2.

tackam said:

and the concert in chicago in may is at the United Center. thats walking distance from where i live

heybaby said:

tackam said:

it really sucks