Scalpers for tbf tickets SUCK

[ShatteredArm]

It's hard to believe that people will buy tickets thinking they might be going and post them at double the face value right away.. Just sayin'

There are, what, 100 tickets for sale on Stubhub... That would be something like 1.25% of the total 4 day passes.  I think it's unlikely that even 10% of them were bought by scalpers - probably less than 5%.  If that's the case, it means that scalpers barely contributed to the tickets selling out early.  Maybe if scalpers didn't buy any, they would've sold out five minutes later.

I'm not saying it's OK to scalp tickets.  I think it's one of the worst forms of opportunism, and I have never sold an extra for more than face value.  These threads pop up every single year, and every single time, it's more hysteria.  Scalpers really aren't making it much more difficult for you to obtain tickets.  It's really the people buying tickets for themselves who are making it most difficult for you to obtain tickets.

[Pete]

Here's the response I got from the scalper on ebay.  A true dickhead.

Dear petethebassguy,

do you really think i care? and it's not the scalpers that suck it your own "festivarians" that choose to pay the inflated prices to line my pockets. i'll see you there this year!!!!!! or maybe not if you haven't gotten tickets. this will be number 4 for me, love dancing my face off with a pocket full of cash!!!!!!!!!!

- beardedgitz1

So is this cool?  Is this what is supposed to happen at bluegrass? 

[Hot Sugar]

It's hard to believe that people will buy tickets thinking they might be going and post them at double the face value right away.. Just sayin'

There are, what, 100 tickets for sale on Stubhub... That would be something like 1.25% of the total 4 day passes.  I think it's unlikely that even 10% of them were bought by scalpers - probably less than 5%.  If that's the case, it means that scalpers barely contributed to the tickets selling out early.  Maybe if scalpers didn't buy any, they would've sold out five minutes later.

I'm not saying it's OK to scalp tickets.  I think it's one of the worst forms of opportunism, and I have never sold an extra for more than face value.  These threads pop up every single year, and every single time, it's more hysteria.  Scalpers really aren't making it much more difficult for you to obtain tickets.  It's really the people buying tickets for themselves who are making it most difficult for you to obtain tickets.

You, sir, just hit the nail right on the head.

[BradyCooling]

Gotta report those ticket scalping a-holes! Hopefully some action would come from the large amounts of ticket scalpers, they clearly do not care about the fest and people and just the money That was a crazy amount of people trying to buy and buying tickets in such a short period someone brought up! Around 6-7000 in a few minutes.. I like the way that SCI does their ticketing through Baseline ticketing, they release a certain amount in monthly increments leading up to the festival. (I think Horning's was the most obvious one) Then this can hopefully lead to less ticket scalping, and get tickets to fans who want to attend easier. Just a thought. Hope the scalping stops and everyone can get tickets for Face. 

 Listening to: The Steep Canyon Rangers

[MB]

Regardless of the actual number of scalpers, or scalped tickets, it's a heinous practice. In the interests of trying to prevent so much scalping, how about if actual humans in attendance at one of the festivals could buy next year's tickets AT the festival? Or at least put down a deposit that would hold tix for the following year? This might exclude some newbies, but might also exclude some scalpers!

[jlarsp]

The tickets have bar codes, so it would be possible to link the ticket to the person who bought it. Make them non-transferable--when you buy four tickets you give the names of the four people who will use them, and you have to show an ID when you redeem your ticket for a wristband. (Or at least the purchaser has to be there and show an ID to redeem the four tickets). I doubt any true festivarians would mind that, and it would prevent scalping.
And I agree with those who have crunched numbers and concluded there aren't that many scalpers overall (and yes, we should still do all we can to stop them), and the bigger problem with the ticket rush is that there are a lot of true festivarians who all want tickets! That can be a problem, and it's less of a problem than if they had trouble selling enough tickets to make the fest viable.
Thanks Planet Bluegrass! We love you!

 Listening to: Yonder...

[BuckeyeDog]

Scalping is just reflective of human nature. It's just a selfish opportunity for personal gain, and there will be people who will take advantage of it. You buy 4 tickets for $800, sell 2 for $400 apiece, and now your 2 are free. I don't think we need to get into a Keynes vs. Hayek debate here on the issues of the free market, but as someone has already pointed out the obvious in an earlier post, there's a damn big market here for tickets. Puts PB in a very enviable and awkward position. It looks like they are doing all they can to prevent scalpers getting their hands on big blocks of tickets, so the 100+ tickets that show up on StubHub really are a very small percentage of the actual number sold. Lowering the limit from 4 to 2 would upset most festivarians, since most attendees come in groups. The best revenge for scalpers is economic, just don't buy from them. There are ways to identify them, but I don't know if it's legal, and it would require the help of the buyers and PB. Every bar code can be tracked back to a credit card that made the purchase, but then what do you do? But is the holder of the credit card the scalper? Maybe TBF is a victim of its own success?
Since I have a history background, please remember that today is Pearl Harbour Day, just as important a day for us old timers as 9/11 is for today's generation. Take a minute to reflect.

 Listening to: Jubilation Day Steve Martin and SCR

[skyrunner]

As much as it pains me to say this, about this subject...This is what makes America so great.  See, they don't believe in the same things we do. They don't hold themselves to the standards we do. They don't believe in honesty like we do. They don't believe in having the same pride in ourselves as we do. They believe it's ok to scalp your brother. Whether it's 1 ticket or more, and you sell for more than face, your a scalper! Unfortunately not everyone is fit to live like we do. Or even have the ability to think like we do. This is America, and a free nation...... But we sure as he%% don't haft to like it, or take it sitting down. Yep, this is why America is so great!  SCALPERS SUCK!!! 

 Listening to: The Infamous Stringdusters

[completejohn]

I just found out that my alltime favorite beer is being sold in town.  So I went to that one outlet and it turns out that the store is selling 6 packs for twice as much as I can get it at the brewery.  Damn scalpers!

[DenverBongcos]

It's just supply and demand. If people stopped buying the tickets after selling out for $400 a piece, there wouldn't be a scalping business to speak of.

I personally don't think there's anything wrong with selling something you own for a profit if someone is willing to pay you for it. I've been in plenty of festival/concert situations where I would never have been able to attend the festival had I not bought extra and sold some off.  I'd feel bad for selling them at more than cost if these people didn't have the same exact chance I did to get the tickets at cost.  So...I buy like 4 tickets to a highly sought after show, sell a pair and I get to attend the show for relatively free? I don't see anything wrong with that if people are willing to pay for them.

 Listening to: Medeski, Martin and Wood

[BillyBeru]

It's just supply and demand. If people stopped buying the tickets after selling out for $400 a piece, there wouldn't be a scalping business to speak of.

I personally don't think there's anything wrong with selling something you own for a profit if someone is willing to pay you for it. I've been in plenty of festival/concert situations where I would never have been able to attend the festival had I not bought extra and sold some off.  I'd feel bad for selling them at more than cost if these people didn't have the same exact chance I did to get the tickets at cost.  So...I buy like 4 tickets to a highly sought after show, sell a pair and I get to attend the show for relatively free? I don't see anything wrong with that if people are willing to pay for them.

Fine - then you are ok with and, in effect, promulgating scalping. 

It's not the festivarian way, despite the free market forces that will always be present.

[DenverBongcos]

I don't hate or like scalpers.

I've had my times where I've had to pay double or even TRIPLE for a ticket myself, so I feel the pain. On the flip side of that, without certain scalpers (FYI, I am totally against scalpers buying up ALL tickets and hiking up prices, and I think a lot of ticket vendors have gone to great lengths to prevent a lot of that) a lot of people who otherwise might not have made it to the show, are now making it to the show.

So yeah, someone just made some cash, but someone is also going to an amazing show where in all honestly? You can't really put a price on the memories that could and will most likely be made.  People are buying the tickets at double the list price because they WANT to be there.  If people didn't want so badly to be at certain events, the supply and demand effect would not have any footing. I just don't see what the big issue is, as this has been the case for festivals/Further/SCI/Phish for at least the past 15 years I've been doing them. Sometimes you pay more, sometimes you pay cost. I once paid $250 for a Further show because I had some friends going and we all knew it would be a killer show. The original cost of that ticket? $45. I was unable to get a ticket at that price before it sold out, so at the end, I said 'screw it. I'll pay the scalper. I did, and had one of the best nights of my life despite the cost.

In a perfect world, there would be a ticket for every soul who wanted to attend any event they wanted. That simply isn't the case, and the current situation is the best option until someone comes up with a different purchase method that makes everyone as happy as possible.

[BillyBeru]

I don't hate or like scalpers.

I've had my times where I've had to pay double or even TRIPLE for a ticket myself, so I feel the pain. On the flip side of that, without certain scalpers (FYI, I am totally against scalpers buying up ALL tickets and hiking up prices, and I think a lot of ticket vendors have gone to great lengths to prevent a lot of that) a lot of people who otherwise might not have made it to the show, are now making it to the show.

So yeah, someone just made some cash, but someone is also going to an amazing show where in all honestly? You can't really put a price on the memories that could and will most likely be made.  People are buying the tickets at double the list price because they WANT to be there.  If people didn't want so badly to be at certain events, the supply and demand effect would not have any footing. I just don't see what the big issue is, as this has been the case for festivals/Further/SCI/Phish for at least the past 15 years I've been doing them. Sometimes you pay more, sometimes you pay cost. I once paid $250 for a Further show because I had some friends going and we all knew it would be a killer show. The original cost of that ticket? $45. I was unable to get a ticket at that price before it sold out, so at the end, I said 'screw it. I'll pay the scalper. I did, and had one of the best nights of my life despite the cost.

In a perfect world, there would be a ticket for every soul who wanted to attend any event they wanted. That simply isn't the case, and the current situation is the best option until someone comes up with a different purchase method that makes everyone as happy as possible.

I defer to the following:

http://www.festivarian.com/index.php/topic,9856.0.html

Scalping is not tolerated on this forum. In fact, Planet Bluegrass policy, at least for 2014 Town Park tickets, says that if a person can/will be banned if caught selling for more than face.

You could be a newbie, you could have been lurking. Regardless, what I'm telling you is that your ideas on the necessity of scalping don't fly here.

 

[DenverBongcos]

Good thing I only bought a pair of tickets then HUH? I have no plans nor intentions to scalp TBG tickets.

I'm merely defending people who 'scalp' from time to time to support their festival/show habits.

[BillyBeru]

I'm merely defending people who 'scalp' from time to time to support their festival/show habits.

Someone get me the "keep digging"/shovel emoticon.