Too Many Acts Chasing Too Few Dollars?

[Conan71]

Maybe that is what happens when a bunch of scalpers try to run the show, they get f**ked by their own greed. 

I hope they are feeling good and reamed out today  ( o )

[FOTD]

The scalpers ARE the ticket agents....they are all intertwined. TICKETBASTARD and StubHub and Ticketsnow are all in bed together. The small timers who buy 6 tickets to scalp 4 to cover their cost for 2 are not the culprits. So, here's hoping the "brokers"/agents got reamed. Doubtful. But there were several out front dumping their extras and they were not the ones to hope "they got reamed." They were the ones Bruce writes about. The loners, unemployed, and disadvantaged trying to get by.

The devil too hopes Tiketbastard and its allies got reamed.

[TURobY]

The small timers who buy 6 tickets to scalp 4 to cover their cost for 2 are not the culprits.

I can't really feel sorry for them either. They took a risk and lost.

[cannon_fodder]

lol @ FOTD.

"Loners, disadvantaged, unemployed just trying to get by."  I have this picture in my mind of a homeless man selling aluminum cans in an effort to buy some Bruce Springsteen tickets in hopes of scalping them for enough money to feed his family.

While I wholeheartedly agree that ticket retailers/distribution companies scam for tons of money - more money goes to the acts.  The acts have risen their prices higher and higher and higher.  What would have cost $25 in 1995 costs $125 today.  All parties involved are milking big time concerts for big time money.  Screw it, it's no longer worth it me.

But in any event, most scalpers are 1 of 3 people:

1) Joe the Scalper.  Works his 9-5 on the weekdays and tries to make extra money scalping his tickets  on game days.  You'll only see him at the "big time" events - usually hanging around the event itself with whatever is left after their Ebay time frame has run.  Generally operating in pairs with a "Extra Tickets" guy and a buddy that "needs tickets."  

I enjoy telling these people who to find each other.  "Hey man, there was a guy that said he needs tickets about 4 blocks back that way.  You should find him."

Joe the Scalper may actually be unemployed in a technical sense.  Ticket scalping provides a tax free way to make money on a part time basis.  If he is successful, he can quit his other job and live full time by raising ticket prices on event goers.

2) Paul the "pay for my tickets" guy.  Paul wants 4 tickets, but they are expensive and he doesn't want to spend that much money.  So he buys 8 and plans on selling 4 of them for double face value when the event sells out so he essentially gets to go for free.  Paul probably posts his tickets on Ebay at a price that meets his need (not a price that will sell tickets) and after friends and family turn him down can often be found selling the tickets to Joe the Scalpers "need tickets" guy for 50% of face value.

3) Nolan the "no longer going" guy.  Nolan bought a few tickets are really was going to go to the event.  However, he can't, his friends aren't, something came up or the price got high enough it's worth it for him to sell.  Sometimes you can find his tickets on the internet, but frequently he will sell them at the game (in the event he is still going and friends backed out).  

Nolan is the only one of the 3 not out to make money by jacking up ticket prices more than Ticketmaster already has.

4) Then there is the hypothetical unemployed homeless father of 5.  Who spends the last 2 months panhandling money on buying $1500 worth of Brice Springsteen tickets and trying to scalp them.  Which I don't think I've really seen.


I don't care how many or if all of them took a bath on this.    Most scalpers are in the game to make money, if you lose you lose.  Their goal is to buy a product and by whatever means they can raise the price as high as possible and sell the same product at an inflated price.  If there isn't a rule against, good for them I guess.  If an event/venue is too stupid to price to demand then go try to make a buck.

But why would I give a damn if this noble goal ended up costing them money?

[Cats Cats Cats]

Getting rid of ticket scalpers doesn't mean you get tickets, it doesn't mean that you get tickets cheaper it only means that you won't have any availability if you wait too late.  Also all the scalpers gave money to the BOK Center and the artists than would have gone to the concert.  If they lower their price to cut their losses and sell to others that won't go that increases the foot traffic downtown and is good for downtown businesses.