Capitalism and Ticket Scalping

[hammy]

I think scalping sucks and should be illegal.

 

[BlackLantern]

I think scalping sucks and should be illegal.

any particular reason??

 

[Addendum]

I think thats BS though...what if I buy the tickets, I cant go because of some reason...I should be allowed to sell the tickets and try and recoup some of the money I spent....

 

[jaguarr]

I think thats BS though...what if I buy the tickets, I cant go because of some reason...I should be allowed to sell the tickets and try and recoup some of the money I spent....

Then you contact the promoters and tell them that your grammy died or whatever giant travesty happened to make you miss such a huge, once in a lifetime event, and tell them what's going on and see what they can do to help you. It's not like they'd have any trouble re-selling the tickets, so they'd probably refund your money and do just that. It basically says in the article that they want people to contact them if they have any issues with their tickets.

jag

 

[jaguarr]

any particular reason??

Ticket scalpers killed her family. Don't remind her.

jag

 

[Addendum]

They scalped tickets for her graduation, and her grandma couldn't go

 

[tzarinna]

I bought tickets for my first Dead show from a scalper, actually I think they were fake but we still got in.

When I went to the Winter Olympics in Torino I had extra tickets to events cause the guy that was suppose to go with me bailed. He gave me the money for them. On my way to my last event, Germany vs Canada hockey game, some guy was looking to buy so I was going to sell them for face value. He wasn't going for that and he kept trying to take them out of my hand and I wasn't going for that. Never sold any of them, they make nice souvenirs.

 

[hammy]

any particular reason??

Your link was dead when I just checked but I am familiar with the story. I read that prices were as high as $1,000. That's my reason. This isn't about capitalism, I don't have a problem with capitalism. But I do have a problem with greed. That's what this is about. Greed and opportunism. And at $64.00 a ticket, the original price, it would still be a very expensive night ($256.00) for a family of say, four. Driving it up even higher than that is just sickening.

 

[BlackLantern]

Your link was dead when I just checked but I am familiar with the story. I read that prices were as high as $1,000. That's my reason. This isn't about capitalism, I don't have a problem with capitalism. But I do have a problem with greed. That's what this is about. Greed and opportunism. And at $64.00 a ticket, the original price, it would still be a very expensive night ($256.00) for a family of say, four. Driving it up even higher than that is just sickening.

I pulled the link from CNN from the entertainment section, if you'd like to read it....I didnt even know about this whole thing untilll I read the story yesterday. If I plan to go to any event, I usually try and get tickets Day of sale because scalpers are just a part of the process where I live....I'm not a parent so I can't reallly speak to the impact this thing is having. I personally see nothing wrong with it....I feel that if I buy tickets to something, it is my property and I should be able to re-selll them If I so choose....

 

[Dorian Gray]

I've scalped Baltimore Ravens tickets before when I stole some season tickets from a guy at a tailgating party....but I probably wouldn't do it again.

 

[hammy]

I pulled the link from CNN from the entertainment section, if you'd like to read it....I didnt even know about this whole thing untilll I read the story yesterday. If I plan to go to any event, I usually try and get tickets Day of sale because scalpers are just a part of the process where I live....I'm not a parent so I can't reallly speak to the impact this thing is having. I personally see nothing wrong with it....I feel that if I buy tickets to something, it is my property and I should be able to re-selll them If I so choose....

I understand that. And if you had to cancel your plans for some reason, I can understand wanting to resell your tickets. That shouldn't be illegal. However, what if someone was able to 'intercept,' other things in your life, things far more important than some type of entertainment - and you were forced to pay five times the normal fee to obtain them? I have a feeling your opinion would change.

 

[BlackLantern]

I understand that. And if you had to cancel your plans for some reason, I can understand wanting to resell your tickets. That shouldn't be illegal. However, what if someone was able to 'intercept,' other things in your life, things far more important than some type of entertainment - and you were forced to pay five times the normal fee to obtain them? I have a feeling your opinion would change.

Maybe so, but no one is intercepting anything....these people (brokers and regular scalpers) are paying for the tickets, its not like they are sneaking into the office in the dead of night and taking them....

 

[hammy]

No because that would be stealing. Why is it so difficult for people to just be decent? It may not be illegal in a lot of places (yet) but it is unethical. And it promotes a black market and organized crime type of mentality.

Look at it this way; let's say Tony and his friends decided they wanted an easy way to make money, so they go to the local Safeway, Kroger, A & P or what have you and buy up every ounce of meat in the store. They do this day in and day out. They are the first 'customers,' when the doors open. Then they set up little road side stands to 're sell' what 'belongs' to them in the name of 'capitalism.' Now when you want meat, you pay Tony and his friends five times what they paid at the Supermarket. It's not illegal. They got the meat fair and square. They're just trying to make a living, like anyone else. If you want meat, you pay. Otherwise, you do without. Some people are rich enough not to care, so they pay. Others are just stupid, so they pay. But a lot of people just can't pay. They only have so much income and they just can't afford Tony's prices. Tony's doing great, but the community at large, suffers.

Besides, if someone is going to be paying $250.00 or more to see Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter jumping around the stage in an assortment of wigs, why isn't she the one making the money? She's the attraction, but in the scalpers scenario, she's getting the shaft just as much as the person paying for the over priced tickets.

 

[BlackLantern]

Being an unethical *****ebag isnt illegal.....good analogy with the meat though, I see your point...as far as Miley Cyrus is concerned, shes part of the Disney machine, I read that her show does about 5 million viewers weekly and her dad is one of the co-producers, I'm sure she's taken care of...

 

[Assassin]

The problem is, they subverted the authentication process on Ticketmaster.com using a computer program enabling someone to purchase hundreds of tickets online in a matter of minutes. No one ever had a chance in hell to get tickets even if they wanted to.

Couldnt get your tickets either huh?

 

[hammy]

Being an unethical *****ebag isnt illegal.....good analogy with the meat though, I see your point...as far as Miley Cyrus is concerned, shes part of the Disney machine, I read that her show does about 5 million viewers weekly and her dad is one of the co-producers, I'm sure she's taken care of...

Oh I know it isn't illegal, that's why I said why can't people just be decent? And my point about Miley had nothing to do with what she has already. For that matter, just being BR Cyrus' daughter there's a good chance she'd never have to work a day in her life. That's not the point. The point is, she wants to work, she is successful at it, so much so that people want to pay to go see her, so even if she is 'taken care of,' she could be all the more taken care of.

I mean, you could use that 'taken care of' logic on the *****ebags. Hey, you paid $64.00 dollars for the ticket man, what's wrong with a 50% mark up? Oh no, why settle for a 50% mark up when you can charge a 600% mark up? My point was that it is Miley that is the attraction. If anyone "deserves," the money, it's the person who is attracting the audience in the first place. Not the low lifes scalping the tickets.

 

[danoyse]

Besides, if someone is going to be paying $250.00 or more to see Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter jumping around the stage in an assortment of wigs, why isn't she the one making the money? She's the attraction, but in the scalpers scenario, she's getting the shaft just as much as the person paying for the over priced tickets.

That's true. It's why Disney has said they can't get involved because as far anything further that happens after the tickets were legally purchased is beyond their legal control. But trust me, they are not happy about this situation. They have angry parents who can't get into the Hannah shows (my boss among them), and there's nothing they can do to fix it.

I remember seeing Billy Joel years ago and he apologized to audience members who paid scalper prices...he said "I wish those little bastards all had one neck." And this was before online ticket sales.

I had a friend offer to price out Springsteen tickets for me when I couldn't get through on Ticketmaster, and I actually turned it down. I didn't think it was fair that this guy basically jumped in front of me on line using that software to hack through the code system, and now thinks he'd actually doing me a favor by selling those same tickets to me for at least 3x what they're worth. I'd rather not support it (although sadly, I'm sure someone else did).

And the happy ending is that I did wind up with Springsteen tickets for this Thursday night anyway. Woohoo!!! t:

 

[AhabTheArab]

if i could i would buy all of the tickets, and sell 0 of them so that no one goes to this blasted concert anyway... who the hell is this hanna montana....

 

[BlackLantern]

the show Hannah Montana is Disneys current hit show, pulling about 5 million viewers a week....the star is the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus.....apparently she can sing as disney has launched a tour which has become the most sought after tickets in recent memory.....

 

[bell110]

The problem isn't with the scalpers, it's the people who buy from scalpers. If everybody refused to buy scalped tickets, there would be no scalpers. $64 to see Hanna Montana is outrageous enough. $200+ is unexceptable. But you know what they say, a fool and his money are soon parted.

 

[SentinelMind]

I agree with Black Lantern, its a free market economy.....you don't have a right to buy tickets at a "reasonable" price.

 

[BlackLantern]

appparently some parent dropped 2K for tickets......

 

[Assassin]

I think scalping sucks and should be illegal.

it is, here

 

[Orko Is King]

I think scalping sucks and should be illegal.

I agree. It's a big reason why I got out of action figure collecting.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

Corruption,but i can imagine nothing gets done..why?Because all the tickets are bought,meaning the ticket sellers makes a profit...and the people have no choice but to buy them at a higher price also.It's a lose-lose situation.