Ticket Scalpers!

[crazyme5kids]

So this whole controversy over the Hannah Montana concert and ticket sales has me intrigued. So I am going to ask some questions.

How do scalpers get these tickets ahead of time? Some might be season ticket holders, which explains some of it, such as knowing seat numbers before a show goes on sale. How else though?

How do you stop scalpers from purchasing tickets? How would they be identified as scalpers (address, credit cards?)?

I've wondered about these things for some time now, not just because of the HM thing. A long time ago, before the INTERNET scalpers would pay people to go stand on line to purchase tickets, so scalping isn't new, just more sophisticated.

What are the possible solutions?

 

[HollyJoy]

I would LOVE to know the answer to this! How did all these scalpers get their hands on tickets this morning, leaving thousands of little girls crying because there were no tickets available at 10:01am! Insane.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I don't know how they get them ahead either???

I do know one thing Ticketmaster did for the Rochester show was to limit sales for the first half hour to New York State residents only, for the first 30 mins of both pre-sale and today's sale. Residents of Long Island and NYC were excluded as well.

A step, but more could probably be done.

 

[trappednabox]

I don't know about them getting them early, but I used to work at a grocery store and we sold ticketmaster in the store. There used to be one guy who ran the "buisness" and he had a bunch of young high school and college guys who worked for him. He would send at least 3 very early in the morning to each store that sold ticketmaster and they would buy the max number of tickets each. Then they would take them back to Chris and he would jack up the price

 

[MM27]

I know when sporting events are sold at the box office as well as Ticketmaster, people wait on line overnight, sometimes longer, to get tickets and then buy the maximum amount. Ticketmaster tried to fix that by making you enter the word that comes up before the seats are released, which is supposed to stop automated systems from purchasing tickets.

Personally, I think the zip code thing is crazy. I have travelled to different states to see sporting events. It shouldn't matter where you live if you are willing to purchase tickets.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I don't know about them getting them early, but I used to work at a grocery store and we sold ticketmaster in the store. There used to be one guy who ran the "business" and he had a bunch of young high school and college guys who worked for him. He would send at least 3 very early in the morning to each store that sold ticketmaster and they would buy the max number of tickets each. Then they would take them back to Chris and he would jack up the price

I can see that happening. Did he ever get caught or reported?

I don't know about this whole zip code thing. I understand that it was done because of the public outcry of scalpers from out of state getting the tickets, but again, how would ticketmaster know if it was a scalper or a legitimate fan making the purchase? It does stink for the out of state fan who is willing to travel to see a show.

 

[maps]

I thought scalping tickets was illegal--so how is this allowed?

Aren't the people selling them on Ebay at ridiculous prices essentially scalpers?

I guess I don't understand this whole scalping business!

 

[dahrjo]

Why is it that so many people have tickets to re-sell for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars? They don't even want to go to the concert.
My DD was sooo upset yesterday, when I couldn't get a thing at 10:01 in Auburn Hills. She had her heart set on going.

 

[MushyMushy]

I don't understand how the brokers get around the law. I was reading up on re-sale laws in PA and you can only resell your tickets for something like 5% over the original price. How are they getting away with selling the tickets for thousands of dollars???

And I don't care how rich you are, why on earth are you paying those prices? It wouldn't take long to put these brokers out of business.

 

[java]

Yes it is frustrating. Try getting sports tickets. And they wouldn't be selling them if people weren't buying them.
Ticketmaster isn't a scalper- they are selling tickets at face +service fee right?
Online different scalpers charge different "surcharges" Some double the price some more than that. I think they get around the legal issues- by operating in certain states. I know there was a scalper here in NJ that closed and moved down south someplace because the laws here changed. I believe(not sure) that they can not sell tickets for events taking place in their state. They get around the % of price by calling the much higher price a "surcharge" or a processing fee. So they are selling you a $50 ticket for $55 plus a $100 processing fee to get a $150 ticket.
If the ticketsellers really wanted to stop the scalpers from getting tickets they could do it.
I do buy sports tickets online at stub hub through a specific guy- I buy his seats whenever I can. He charges me about double face value- but they are season tickets and I would never ever be able to get them at face value so I am willing to pay.
Sorry the girls were disappointed.

 

[dodukes]

I think that they get around it by offering other things with it. For example a limo ride to the venue. (obviously im not talking aout the on the streeet scalper but more like ticket brokers and other agencies online that ont hide whet they are doing. The can offer a "package" and that is essentially what you are paying for altho we al know that the tickets is what people ar really after. Now this is what I thought I understood once, so i may be wrong. And actually ebay tries to be clear about the resell policy but unless they are tiued to ticketmaster with the actual face value prices, you can easily lie and say face value is w/e you want it to be. At least that was my experince with it when we listed some tickets for sale. It seemed pretty easy to just ask for w/e you want, theres really no way to verify.

 

[MushyMushy]

I saw some tickets on sale for Pittsburgh through stubhub for $1100 each -- the seats were floor seats, but far back! You wouldn't be able to see anything from there, yet I know some moron will pay $2200 or $3300 for one evening of crappy music.

As much as my daughter adores Hannah Montana, she's smart enough to realize that $3300 could buy us a week in WDW or something a lot more valuable.

Sour grapes? You betcha! It's ridiculous.

 

[tekmom]

I don't understand how the brokers get around the law. I was reading up on re-sale laws in PA and you can only resell your tickets for something like 5% over the original price. How are they getting away with selling the tickets for thousands of dollars???

And I don't care how rich you are, why on earth are you paying those prices? It wouldn't take long to put these brokers out of business.

I agree. I was able to get two yesterday at exactly 10:00 for Long Island. They are kinda nosebleed, but at least I paid face value. By 10:01 they were all gone....10:01!!

Within minutes they were on every "broker" site for ridiculous amounts of money. I would never lay out that kind of money for a concert ticket.
It's strange, but if you look at the broker sites, they all have the exact same section, same row and same amount of seats for sale. Are they all centrally connected? They also mention on their sites that the 'price you paid may be different that the printed price on the ticket'. ya think??

If I paid $1000.00 for a concert ticket, I would puke if everytime I looked at it I saw $63.00 printed on it.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Yes it is frustrating. Try getting sports tickets. And they wouldn't be selling them if people weren't buying them.
Ticketmaster isn't a scalper- they are selling tickets at face +service fee right?
Online different scalpers charge different "surcharges" Some double the price some more than that. I think they get around the legal issues- by operating in certain states. I know there was a scalper here in NJ that closed and moved down south someplace because the laws here changed. I believe(not sure) that they can not sell tickets for events taking place in their state. They get around the % of price by calling the much higher price a "surcharge" or a processing fee. So they are selling you a $50 ticket for $55 plus a $100 processing fee to get a $150 ticket.
If the ticketsellers really wanted to stop the scalpers from getting tickets they could do it.
I do buy sports tickets online at stub hub through a specific guy- I buy his seats whenever I can. He charges me about double face value- but they are season tickets and I would never ever be able to get them at face value so I am willing to pay.
Sorry the girls were disappointed.

How could ticket sellers stop scalpers from getting tickets?

 

[HollyJoy]

What I'd like to know is HOW they got them? Did they sit at the computer at 10am just like the rest of us, only end up lucky?? Or did they have other means?

 

[Tiziminchac]

Once, way back, I went to see Van Halen. I didn't have a ticket but the local radio station was giving them out in the parking lot. They were having some sort of contest for them. I lost. But the people who won immediately turned around and sold them for some good money. The concert was supposed to be sold out and I thought I was out of luck.

Then my brother, who was with me, noticed a line at the ticket window on the auditorium. So we checked it out and they still had some tickets for sale. We bought as many as we could afford. Then went back down to the parking lot and cleaned up.

 

[tekmom]

What I'd like to know is HOW they got them? Did they sit at the computer at 10am just like the rest of us, only end up lucky?? Or did they have other means?

I did a news search about the Hannah ticket issue. The scalpers have a software that allows them to basically bump to the front of the computer 'line'
ahead of everyone else. Also because of the stage setup, the seats around behind the stage are almost a third of the venue seating, going unsold the first day...maybe opening up more closer to the show date.

At exactly 10:00, not only are the brokers waiting, but so are thousands of parents, as well as 'regular folk' scalpers looking for tickets just for the sell. Just about everyone in those categories are all looking for two or more tickets...so by 10:01 they could be all gone.

 

[tekmom]

Once, way back, I went to see Van Halen. I didn't have a ticket but the local radio station was giving them out in the parking lot. They were having some sort of contest for them. I lost. But the people who won immediately turned around and sold them for some good money. The concert was supposed to be sold out and I thought I was out of luck.

Then my brother, who was with me, noticed a line at the ticket window on the auditorium. So we checked it out and they still had some tickets for sale. We bought as many as we could afford. Then went back down to the parking lot and cleaned up.

Yeah, but on the 'Women and Children First' tour, tickets in our area were only $8.50 each.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I thought scalping tickets was illegal--so how is this allowed?

Aren't the people selling them on Ebay at ridiculous prices essentially scalpers?

I guess I don't understand this whole scalping business!

They said on the news that you can only charge $3 above face value. However, this does not apply to online tix sales. We couldn't get tickets for Greensboro and tried since 10am. We got nothing. IMO, the law needs to be rewritten to include internet sales.

 

[java]

How could ticket sellers stop scalpers from getting tickets?

Don't do online sales. That is where they clean up- those "codes" they make you fill out are a joke. The scalpers do it all by computers- tons of computers lined up all programmed to buy at exactly the right time. Also much more powerful computers than you or I have. While it might not be convenient for everyone to have to buy in person. I think it would really cut down on scalping. And I know some bands have changed the way tickets are sold- I can't remember but I think it was Limp Bizkit?