Ticket reselling

imarshimarsh Posts: 275
Forum Member
As a music fan this really winds me up. Here I am sat in front of my pc at the appropriate time to buy tickets, Fall Out Boy this morning, only to be told that they sold out whilst I was typing in my payment details. Now, other than SeeTickets having a rubbish booking system, what really gets me is seeing these tickets on e-bay a four hours later.

Here's a warning to all. These particular tickets are collect only with ID on the evening of the gig. So despite various claims from sellers that ebay buyers will get in, I really don't see this happening.

And my real moan, even hatred, is reserved for those scum who deprive genuine fans the opportunity to see their favourite bands at a reasonable because of their own greed. It amazes me as to how so many limited tickets end up being offered for re-sale so quickly after going on sale. As I said these aren't being bought initially by genuine fans.

Of course this situation is made worse by the greedy corporate touts such as GetMeIn and Viagogo.

Its time music fans were given the same level of protection against touts as football fans are.
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Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 117
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    Hear hear!

    Touts are scum feeding off genuine music fans.
  • mimicolemimicole Posts: 50,913
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    I know exactly how you feel. It took me 3 weeks to get 2 tickets for a Kasabian gig (a one off smaller gig before they headlined Reading & Leeds last year). I managed to get them in the end, thankfully.

    My blood boiled when I saw how much the tickets were being sold for on eBay.
    Fast Fuse wrote: »
    Hear hear!

    Touts are scum feeding off genuine music fans.

    Yes. :(
  • SlojoSlojo Posts: 4,230
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    There's an artical about it here

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2264045/Rihanna-Rolling-Stones-Justin-Bieber-Are-fans-ripped-called-secondary-ticket-websites.html#axzz2JgGfA3mR

    I did read somewhere last year that some big name aritsts have stakes in the reseller sites so they get an extra cut of their own ticket sales
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,258
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    I think its disgusting.

    Wasn't there a documentary on this in the last year or so where somebody went undercover and went to work at Viagogo?
  • gold2040gold2040 Posts: 3,049
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    __3kerry wrote: »
    I think its disgusting.

    Wasn't there a documentary on this in the last year or so where somebody went undercover and went to work at Viagogo?
    There was

    Viagogo tied to gain an injunction to prevent it but lost

    It's on YouTube

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWlnL8drSdw
  • roland ratroland rat Posts: 13,829
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    When Labour were in power,that governement were looking into some sort of regulations to deal with ticket touting online, and so on

    I wrote to the department conserned, asking why dont they just make it agains the law to sell tickets 10% above the ticket price

    I even pointed out, that I think some empoyees at ticketmast keep tickets aside for family members who then sell them on ebay, and one seller I had notice had tickets for mani street preacher at king tuts glasgow, which hold just under 500..this concert was sold out in seconds, yet this seller had 4 tickets, straight on to ebay for bidding

    so if you couldnt go, you coulkd at least sell the ticket, but not make a return on the ticket, the most you would get back on the ticket would be £25 ticket returns £2.50

    The reply I got from the governement, we thank you for your query, but at this time, the ticket agencys, are self relaugated, and will do there best to tackle ticket touting
  • AngiBearAngiBear Posts: 2,894
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    The only way I think you could maybe solve ticket touting would be to only have tickets picked up on the day and a few hours before the gig, the person whose card the tickets ordered it on has to be present and bring along photographic ID that has the same name as on the card then the person/people going into the gig then have to go in there and then showing their ticket/s to security at the doors. No touts could get the chance to sell or pass on the tickets but you would have to get loads of people to work that night and give out the tickets and check them after people have been to the box office or if people are buying tickets online then they have to put a photograph or themselves and people who they are buying the tickets on and this is printed on the tickets and checked against that person.

    Anyway, I think touts probably know every way on how to overcome genuine people who want to attend gigs and take advantage.
  • Gill PGill P Posts: 21,569
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    Regarding having ID and only picking up tickets on the day, what would happen if, by any chance, you couldn't go? Or you are buying them as a present for someone else?
  • imarshimarsh Posts: 275
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    Gill P wrote: »
    Regarding having ID and only picking up tickets on the day, what would happen if, by any chance, you couldn't go? Or you are buying them as a present for someone else?
    A simple fan to fan systems such as Manchester United use for season tickets holders who cannot attend a match. Season tickets holder gets face value, club gets the 10% fee and new person gets to go to a match without being ripped of. Everyone wins!

    As for buying tickets for presents you would supply the names of the person(s) who they were intended for at the time of booking.
  • imarshimarsh Posts: 275
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    roland rat wrote: »
    The reply I got from the governement, we thank you for your query, but at this time, the ticket agencys, are self relaugated, and will do there best to tackle ticket touting

    As the ticket agencies also own Viagogo, GetMeIn etc, they are part of the problem. The channel 4 doc showed "back door" dealing was rife and considering the profit margins involved self regulation isn't going to work.

    In fact it's the emergence of organisations such as Viagogo and GetMeIn that are making this problem worse. Now traditional touts don't ask to risk begin stopped/questioned by the police outside a venue, they can simply stay at home at count the profit, all thanks to these corporate touts.
  • spkxspkx Posts: 14,870
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    What makes tickets so special compared to any other product?

    Why can't people resale them as opposed to any other product they own?

    Shady practices such as the promoters holding tickets back for Viagogo aside, I don't see the problem.

    Note that the price can go down as well as up, tickets to Leona Lewis's concert were going for well below face price a year or so back.

    I'd be more interested in laws on stupid transaction fees, which as that Daily Mail article shows, can easily contribute £100-£200 to the price
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,219
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    spkx wrote: »
    What makes tickets so special compared to any other product?

    Why can't people resale them as opposed to any other product they own?

    Because each gig is a one-off. Usually, there will be other dates, but that combination of date, artist and venue is unique. Most people cannot afford to track around the country for gigs, so they have to go to the nearest one to them. If some arse-faced tout has bought up all of the tickets for that particular date, they can't go, unless they have megabucks for inflated resale prices.

    Touts and resellers add no value to the ticket sale process and are damaging the confidence of the gig-going public.
  • Glawster2002Glawster2002 Posts: 15,189
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    imarsh wrote: »
    As the ticket agencies also own Viagogo, GetMeIn etc, they are part of the problem. The channel 4 doc showed "back door" dealing was rife and considering the profit margins involved self regulation isn't going to work.

    In fact it's the emergence of organisations such as Viagogo and GetMeIn that are making this problem worse. Now traditional touts don't ask to risk begin stopped/questioned by the police outside a venue, they can simply stay at home at count the profit, all thanks to these corporate touts.

    And that is the problem in a nutshell.

    How can "self-regulation" by the industry be impartial when the ticket agencies have a vested interest in the resale market?

    After all the press was self-regulating and that worked, didn't it?

    The only regulation that works is both independent and with the power to act.
  • nw0307nw0307 Posts: 10,888
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    It made my blood boil a couple of years ago when I was trying to get V festival tickets the minute they went on sale. I have two computers running on two sites. Couldn't get through and after 10 minutes all tickets were sold out. Within half an hour, dozens of these tickets were on sale on ebay for £450 each!

    Glastonbury have got it right by having to log your interest first, then when the tickets are available they have your photo on them and cannot be transferred.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,258
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    I am dreading getting Beyoncé tickets, because the date for apparent sale is the 20/2/2013 on Viagogo. Yet, they go on general sale on the 23/2/2013. So I'm hoping for the pre-sale.
  • walterwhitewalterwhite Posts: 56,558
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    AngiBear wrote: »
    The only way I think you could maybe solve ticket touting would be to only have tickets picked up on the day and a few hours before the gig, the person whose card the tickets ordered it on has to be present and bring along photographic ID that has the same name as on the card then the person/people going into the gig then have to go in there and then showing their ticket/s to security at the doors. No touts could get the chance to sell or pass on the tickets but you would have to get loads of people to work that night and give out the tickets and check them after people have been to the box office or if people are buying tickets online then they have to put a photograph or themselves and people who they are buying the tickets on and this is printed on the tickets and checked against that person.

    Anyway, I think touts probably know every way on how to overcome genuine people who want to attend gigs and take advantage.

    Wouldn't work.
  • walterwhitewalterwhite Posts: 56,558
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    imarsh wrote: »
    A simple fan to fan systems such as Manchester United use for season tickets holders who cannot attend a match. Season tickets holder gets face value, club gets the 10% fee and new person gets to go to a match without being ripped of. Everyone wins!

    As for buying tickets for presents you would supply the names of the person(s) who they were intended for at the time of booking.

    Could work. Although along with this they should stop the ridiculous practice of putting tickets on sale for concerts 18 months in the future.
  • Smithy1204Smithy1204 Posts: 4,352
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    I remember when Take That had their reunion in 2005 - tickets sold out ridiculously quickly and were selling for thousands of pounds on eBay within a very very short space of time.

    It is annoying. Buying tickets is not a fun experience!
  • sheepiestarsheepiestar Posts: 365
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    I love going to gigs but hate the process of buying tickets. I saw the worst example ever of inflated prices on Friday after looking for Emeli Sande Aberdeen tickets for a colleague. I tried Viagogo and found someone selling 6 seated tickets for £3409.09. I thought this was outrageous until I clicked buy (out of nosiness for the final total) and discovered this was the price for EACH ticket! In short they wanted £20,500 for 6 tickets with a face value of what say £35 each. The booking fees for it would be over £3000 :eek:

    I appreciate that some people for whatever reason might need to sell tickets they had every intention of using but in general I just hate the way it works just now :confused:
  • Glawster2002Glawster2002 Posts: 15,189
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    I love going to gigs but hate the process of buying tickets. I saw the worst example ever of inflated prices on Friday after looking for Emeli Sande Aberdeen tickets for a colleague. I tried Viagogo and found someone selling 6 seated tickets for £3409.09. I thought this was outrageous until I clicked buy (out of nosiness for the final total) and discovered this was the price for EACH ticket! In short they wanted £20,500 for 6 tickets with a face value of what say £35 each. The booking fees for it would be over £3000 :eek:

    I appreciate that some people for whatever reason might need to sell tickets they had every intention of using but in general I just hate the way it works just now :confused:

    I think a fan who had every intention of going would be happy covering their costs knowing other fans can now go. A bit different to buying tickets with no intention of going just to rip real fans off.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 140
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    spkx wrote: »
    What makes tickets so special compared to any other product?

    Because usually demand will outstrip the supply leaving genuine fans to miss out.
    It can't be right that someone who has no intention of going to a gig can be allowed to buy up to 8 tickets.

    But as i always think the ticket companies don't care as long as they get rid of their allocation, they're not bothered who gets them.
  • walterwhitewalterwhite Posts: 56,558
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    I love going to gigs but hate the process of buying tickets. I saw the worst example ever of inflated prices on Friday after looking for Emeli Sande Aberdeen tickets for a colleague. I tried Viagogo and found someone selling 6 seated tickets for £3409.09. I thought this was outrageous until I clicked buy (out of nosiness for the final total) and discovered this was the price for EACH ticket! In short they wanted £20,500 for 6 tickets with a face value of what say £35 each. The booking fees for it would be over £3000 :eek:

    I appreciate that some people for whatever reason might need to sell tickets they had every intention of using but in general I just hate the way it works just now :confused:

    That's obviously just some nutjob though. Who knows if they even had the tickets.
  • Gill PGill P Posts: 21,569
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    imarsh wrote: »
    A simple fan to fan systems such as Manchester United use for season tickets holders who cannot attend a match. Season tickets holder gets face value, club gets the 10% fee and new person gets to go to a match without being ripped of. Everyone wins!

    As for buying tickets for presents you would supply the names of the person(s) who they were intended for at the time of booking.

    These are both excellent ideas. Thank you for posting!

    I am glad I don't go to tours so much nowadays. I prefer musicals and have just booked to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the NIA in October! No hassle at all to get a couple of tickets! It is booked up but we decided to get VIP tickets which weren't much more than the original price.
  • Master OzzyMaster Ozzy Posts: 18,923
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    __3kerry wrote: »
    I am dreading getting Beyoncé tickets, because the date for apparent sale is the 20/2/2013 on Viagogo. Yet, they go on general sale on the 23/2/2013. So I'm hoping for the pre-sale.

    How can Viagogo start selling them on the 20/02 though when the pre sale is on the 21/02 and general sale on 23/02? I'm confused :confused:
  • imarshimarsh Posts: 275
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    How can Viagogo start selling them on the 20/02 though when the pre sale is on the 21/02 and general sale on 23/02? I'm confused :confused:

    Because, Viagogo, owned by the original ticket sellers know they will get an allocation, "via the back door". This was shown in the C4 documentary last year. The one that Viagogo tried to get an injunction to prevent it being broadcast.

    Basically the current system is broken and corrupt and only serves the ticket sellers. However as a large part of the gig going public are under the voting age there are no votes in doing anything to rectify the situation, so our beloved politicians don't give a damn!
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