Ticket Brokers Hoarding TBF Tix?

[telluride tran]

seems like the festival has a momentum all its own. everyone that has had a hand in making this festival what it is today...thankyou! but it is now bigger than the sum of its parts. you can't stop it...you can only hope to steer it in the right direction. and also ...tbf is not only a festival of great music and great people...it is also a dream for many like myself who has always dreamed of attending but has never had a chance to... until this year!!!!

[Zoeonelove]

It is pretty amazing how people come from all over the country to just experience TBF - after all, it IS the best festival of the year!!

[Auntie Hope]

It is pretty amazing how people come from all over the country to just experience TBF - after all, it IS the best festival of the year!!

Also amazing that they come from all over the WORLD! 

For those that don't know yet... Sam and Samantha from Great Britain (Run-A-Muck 2007) just had a BABY BOY! His name is Nathan. Still awaiting pictures of our newest international Festi-Kid!

Auntie Hope 

[JoeBu]

I know, I know...  I'm just engaging in some wishful thinking here.  The cat is out of the bag; the whole world knows by now.  I should be grateful I could still find tickets at all.  Actually, I AM grateful!

P.S. This is my current Facebook Cover...   

http://bonjourcolorado.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/telluride_houseband.jpg


 Listening to: Run Like an Antelope - Island Tour

[annpete]

To JoeBu:

     
Oh, be still my heart - I LOVE that shot!

 Listening to: Tim Obrien - Gentle on My Mind

[swander99]

P.S. This is my current Facebook Cover...  

http://bonjourcolorado.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/telluride_houseband.jpg

Yep, that says it all!       

[Hooch]

And now your current Facebook cover is my current computer wallpaper!

I know, I know...  I'm just engaging in some wishful thinking here.  The cat is out of the bag; the whole world knows by now.  I should be grateful I could still find tickets at all.  Actually, I AM grateful!

P.S. This is my current Facebook Cover...   

http://bonjourcolorado.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/telluride_houseband.jpg

[JoeBu]

To JoeBu:

     
Oh, be still my heart - I LOVE that shot!

I says to myself, "Self, what TBF photo can I share with my friends that will ensure they would never want to come to our little fest...."

and that's what I came up with 

I got a lot of comments on it like "Where is that, Chernobyl?"  and "Gross, smells like Bacon"

P.S.  I don't know whose photo that is, but whoever took it.  Thank you for sharing!

[trot03]

Never in my life would I ever wish harm on this festival-- my parents took me to my first Bluegrass when I was 11, and I've never looked back; I wish Planet Bluegrass all the success in the world.

My concern is less with the general "over face" one-man seller operations on CL and other places (because I do have faith that true Festivarians will not pay/sell over face, and will flag the people who are trying to sell as such), I am more concerned with the fact that the entire first page of Denver Craigslist and other such resources are flooded with "By Dealer" posts selling tickets, making it difficult for legitimate Festivarians to wade through all the BS trying to find real tickets (99 percent of the time, these broker sites do not offer face value tickets, they are above face).

If they are larger ticket broker operations selling festival passes for over face value, is there a way we can shut them down in their entirety?

That is to say, instead of just "flagging" each of their posts--  based on the specific ticket codes, is there a way to void the tickets that brokers have bought with the sole purpose of reselling for profit? 

Dustin, as always, I appreciate your input-- you always have an even-keeled approach to such matters, so I hope this doesn't come off as me trying to stir the pot!    I definitely understand that recent big names and other factors have increased the general knowledge of the fest, I just want to help eliminate the badness anyway I can!

[trot03]

It is pretty amazing how people come from all over the country to just experience TBF - after all, it IS the best festival of the year!!

It's more than the best festival of the year.  It's the best WEEK of the year... EVERY year!

[trot03]

Also-- please let it be understood.... I bought my own festival pass within the first few weeks they were on sale.  I love this festival with all my heart and will never miss it if I have a choice.


My frustrations stem from trying to find tickets for friends who are disillusioned by the process due to coming back with Ticket Broker posts every time they try to look for tickets...

[JoeBu]

Also-- please let it be understood.... I bought my own festival pass within the first few weeks they were on sale.  I love this festival with all my heart and will never miss it if I have a choice.


My frustrations stem from trying to find tickets for friends who are disillusioned by the process due to coming back with Ticket Broker posts every time they try to look for tickets...

To be fair, tickets were available for weeks.  It's not like at onsale a bunch of scalpers bought up all the tickets.  IMO, your frustration should lie with your friends inability to commit....there were even warning emails sent out.

I do hear your pain....but it's not like they used bots to slam the onsale and bought out all the tickets before any festivarians could get in....people with more clout that Planet Bluegrass (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam come to mind) have been trying to stop scalping for years.  All we can do is buy tickets when the go on sale and never buy for over face.  That is the only weapon.

[CHAMPAGNE]

It is a good point - that tickets were on sale for SOME time... at the normal prices.  This is my first year to attend and I did not start looking until two weeks ago.  On Stubhub, I was able to find a lot of 4 day tickets for $300.  This is still $50 above face, but not too terrible.  I imagine if I had been looking two months ago, I probably could have found plenty on Stubhub for about $250 or $260. 

Where they got me though, was my desire to be in Town Park camping.  I did pay a bit over face to get the 4 day plus Town Park camping...  but again, I knew that I had waited until the "last minute" and also I knew I had the option of buying other campground passes for face value... I was just really wanting Town Park - so I paid for it.

and to everyone's point about FaceBook and social media...  It is true that it would be nice to keep the festival somewhat smaller and accessible for the true festivarians, but the festival scene has blown up in these past few years and you simply cannot harness the power of TBGF.  It's awesome and the more people that hear about it, the better.  I think that the people in charge of the festival have done a fine job of doing lottery for tickets and such.  Festivaaaaal!

[Debbiefromtucson]

Ok- I'm going to try not to be too hard here BUT see that is exactly what we are talking about.. Tickets should not EVER be bought over farce.. If you would have come to this board, there's a more than good chance that you could have gotten the TP fix at face... AND the only reason those tic are blow only 300 on stub hub is because people have not been buying them..... They were at 500-2000 several months ago......

[CHAMPAGNE]

Well, not all people realize that they can log into a forum to find tickets. (I found the forum after I purchased tickets and was looking for other information about the Festivaaaaal!) You have to remember that TBGF is becoming known to folks that do not have the same knowledge that you do - about this particular forum and other places to find tickets.

Also, some people are not willing to jump on a forum with a bunch of folks they don't know - and then try to work out some way to purchase an expensive ($250) ticket from 3 states away.  I do know, however, that if I go through Stubhub, they have buyer protections in place. - Peace of Mind.  And I will recieve my tickets in the mail - versus driving to Colorado at the end of June, hoping that the person I am supposed to get tickets from - will come through on their end of the bargain.  (Or hoping that the person I just gave $250 to through paypal - is going to actually mail my tickets to me - to the right place, and on time).  I have faith in people - but you just can't trust anyone these days.  Not to say that I do not trust YOU - but I just don't trust ANYBODY.

There are a whole host of factors and dynamics that play into a person's purchase decision and the folks at TBGF have come to realize that and have to do what they can to protect the integrity of the festival.  i.e. ticket prices.
 
"there's a more than good chance that you could have gotten the TP fix at face... "   

Well I didn't want a "more than good chance".  I have a 100% chance because I DID get my tickets and I DID get the campsite I wanted.

I just don't believe that my buying a ticket for a little over face value a month before the fest - damages so many other people's chances at getting a ticket for face value - that's a little far-fetched.  Now, if EVERYONE was buying a $250 ticket for $500 -$1000, then yes, we may have a problem.  Now - not the case.

Trot - I hope that your friends can find a ticket for a reasonable price and attend this year's FESTIVAAAAAAAAAL!

If the ones on StubHub have been coming down in recent weeks like Debbie says, then your friends should be able to find tickets on there for $250 day now - it's just a matter of time.