Ticket scalpers on Ebay

[blackjack]

It's not as if "Home Depot" puts the plywood on an auction. On e-bay many people start off bids for $1.00 and the market carries the price sky high for what is essentially a luxury item.

Don't have a degree in economics or finance, but if the market is "willing", not forced, to pay the higher price...

I'm still gonna offer my two for face value (see previous posts).

[thekidsalami]

Wow...I just don't get the hatred going on here.

Reality is supply and demand....reality is that Buffett sells out his concerts in 15-90 minutes. Reality is that if you can't get a ticket through TM or CC or whatever, you need to get one from another source. Since Buffett tickets are in high demand, that means the price will be higher then face.

It is nice to see all these PH's with MBA's and JDs and economic degrees slamming landshark....curious if this translates well in your day job ("well, boss, we could sell this for a profit...but wouldn't we be screwing the consumer?").

Scalping sucks, but this is America...land of Capitalism...and it is hard to fault someone for choosing not to sell an asset they hold for something other than a profit.

It's certainly not about hatred.....at least not for me.
I liken ticket scalping to price gouging.....
Right before the hurricane season plywood is at a premium....it would be unethical for Home Depot to go in and double the price just because they know people will pay it........

I'm the only one that has to live with my ethics and my decisions regarding how I conduct myself.....same said for Landshark or anyone else....if I don't like the price someone is asking for a ticket...I don't pay it, pretty simple.

I totally agree, and apologize if my posts have come across at hatred. They actually reflect pity.

Hatred and pity are tough words to use because somebody wants to make a few bucks. Who are we to judge anybody for wanting to make some extra cash? I'm pretty sure Donald Trump and Bill Gates are not on this board. I'd be willing to bet that most of us are honest, hardworking people making a decent salary to support our families. It's not always easy to come up with a couple hundred bucks for Buffett. If earning a few dollars on the side helps you out, what do I care? And, if you can't afford scalper prices then make a decision not to go.

On the flip side, if you have extras and want to sell them at face value, good for you. Let's not go overboard though and crucify people for putting tix on ebay. There are far worse things that go on in this world.

[land_shark3]

It's not as if "Home Depot" puts the plywood on an auction. On e-bay many people start off bids for $1.00 and the market carries the price sky high for what is essentially a luxury item.

Totally unrelated, but take a look on eBay for power generators next time a hurricane hits FL. Its funny because you see them listed, but the people that would need them don't have power to get on-line and bid.

[land_shark3]

Hatred and pity are tough words to use because somebody wants to make a few bucks. Who are we to judge anybody for wanting to make some extra cash? I'm pretty sure Donald Trump and Bill Gates are not on this board. I'd be willing to bet that most of us are honest, hardworking people making a decent salary to support our families. It's not always easy to come up with a couple hundred bucks for Buffett. If earning a few dollars on the side helps you out, what do I care? And, if you can't afford scalper prices then make a decision not to go.

On the flip side, if you have extras and want to sell them at face value, good for you. Let's not go overboard though and crucify people for putting tix on ebay. There are far worse things that go on in this world.

Excellent points Kid Salami! Kudos to you for pointing out both sides of the argument.

[LIPH]

Finally, I disagree with your contention that my analogy is errant....the price of concert tickets (a) set by the laws of supply and demand and (b) set by the marketplace....just like any other business. He may be reselling as a "hobby," but he is still doing so in a "business" capacity (much like amateur day-traders).

The price of concert tickets is set by the promoter, not the laws of supply and demand and the marketplace. Maybe the value that some people are foolish enough to place on them is set by supply and demand and the marketplace, but not the price. Semantics? Maybe, but in my mind there's a difference between price and value.

I disagree with your day trader analogy too because if they make a profit on their trades, even if stock trading isn't their primary job, that profit is reported to the IRS and they have to pay taxes on it. I seriously doubt if any scalpers report their profits to the IRS and include it on their tax returns.

We could go back and forth on this forever and never agree on it. I went to my first concert when I was 17, I'll be 53 next month, and I've never bought a ticket from a scalper. And I never will. We should probably just agree to disagree.

[ColdWaterConch]

I think that it is clear that the price set for the tickets is far less than the value of the tickets....which is interesting, actually.

LIPH, I agree that we should just agree to disagree.

[pbans]

I think that it is clear that the price set for the tickets is far less than the value of the tickets....which is interesting, actually.

LIPH, I agree that we should just agree to disagree.

Exactly.....I don't see this as some huge moral dilemma that seperates good people from bad people....it's not about how you got your tickets or what you did with your extras....it's about whether or not you can name those five albums outside of SYKBH

[cowboyjunkie]

Business is business; if I have a chance to make money I'm going to take it. I don't go out and buy hundreds (or even tens) of tickets. I usually get about four and plan on selling two. If I get a good enough offer, the other two go as well.

Everyone out there has the same opportunity to purchase the tickets, so I'm not taking anything away from someone else. Every one on this board obviously has a computer and I'm sure most people have a phone. If they can work either of those, then they have the same shot at tickets as I do.

So, breaking the law as a scalper is "just business"? Not only does this go against the whole Parrot Head spirit, it says a lot about you as a person.

[cowboyjunkie]

OK, here's my story. A few years back, I got comp seats for a Saturday show, months in advance. Then I got an invite to a cousin's wedding and ended up buying tickets for the Thursday show instead. The night of the event (Thursday) a scalper tried to sell me tickets and I asked him if he was buying for Saturday. After much haggling, I got him to pay what would have been face value for my "freebies". Boy was he p*** when he saw they were free tix.

Was that wrong?

Yes. While not illegal if there was a face value printed on the ticket, it's still pretty lame. My friend's have always made two comp tickets available for a taper to record the show for the band's archivist (who coordinates a taper to attend every show). At the Fillmore show in San Fran last year, the taper decided to sell the second ticket. The venue caught him and kicked him out of the show as soon as he walked in. It also led the band to change their policy from 2 to 1 comp tickets. He ruined a generous position by a great band.

[cowboyjunkie]

Wow...I just don't get the hatred going on here.

Scalping sucks, but this is America...land of Capitalism...and it is hard to fault someone for choosing not to sell an asset they hold for something other than a profit.

It's not hatred. It's just embarrassing to be called an American when there are so many idiots screwing their neighbor to make a little extra money so they can buy another Kenny Chesney cd. You certainly don't expect to see that attitude from alleged Jimmy Buffett fans who are usually laid back and generous people.

[comemonday]

.....so many idiots screwing their neighbor to make a little extra money so they can buy another Kenny Chesney cd. You certainly don't expect to see that attitude from alleged Jimmy Buffett fans who are usually laid back and generous people.

That doesn't sound very Jimmy-Buffetty

[blackjack]

I don't care who y'are, that's funny, right there.

And pretty much sums up my feelings to many of these hostile, holier- than-thou Parrotheads. I am a better than SYKBH fan, but can't name every song on evey album (CD if you will), but I'm still laid back. (And, I'm a Republican.)

OK, now commence your beatings.

[PHBeerman]

Wow...I just don't get the hatred going on here.

Scalping sucks, but this is America...land of Capitalism...and it is hard to fault someone for choosing not to sell an asset they hold for something other than a profit.

It's not hatred. It's just embarrassing to be called an American when there are so many idiots screwing their neighbor to make a little extra money so they can buy another Kenny Chesney cd. You certainly don't expect to see that attitude from alleged Jimmy Buffett fans who are usually laid back and generous people.

So what you are saying is that making money is bad??

[blackjack]

.[/quote]

So what you are saying is that making money is bad??[/quote]

Uh-oh...I smell a trap.

[PHBeerman]

.

So what you are saying is that making money is bad??[/quote]

Uh-oh...I smell a trap. [/quote]

[loadmaster24]

This year as a group I think we did well getting tickets compared to the past. We bought as many as possible even off of ebay so we could at least exchange before they resold 5 times over. This problem will never go away but we are at least holding our own. You can also contact Margaritaville and tell them you have seats for sale for cost. We have to look out for eachother, thanks for listening.


Regards,,
loadmaster

[land_shark3]

So, breaking the law as a scalper is "just business"?

I live in Georgia. There is no "scalping" law. The venue has set forth policies about selling the tickets on their property. If you have any questions about the legality of it, check out eBay's breakdown of what's legal where.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/event-tickets.html

It's not hatred. It's just embarrassing to be called an American when there are so many idiots screwing their neighbor to make a little extra money

Its called capitalism. If you don't like it, China has opened their borders.

[blackjack]

[/quote]So what you are saying is that making money is bad??[/quote]

I think I've figured it out...

Making money is bad unless you are:

selling a $5 T-shirt for $18.95
selling a $2 cheesburger for $8.95 (but it is a great burger)
selling a $7 hat for $20

Is that right?

[PHBeerman]

So what you are saying is that making money is bad??[/quote]

I think I've figured it out...

Making money is bad unless you are:

selling a $5 T-shirt for $18.95
selling a $2 cheesburger for $8.95 (but it is a great burger)
selling a $7 hat for $20

Is that right? [/quote]

I am more worried about the $.70 cent beer for 7 bucks.

[Tiki Bar]

Business is business; if I have a chance to make money I'm going to take it.

While I see where you are coming from, as far as Buffett tickets go, I could never ask for more than face value. I am so grateful as the recipient of so many acts of generousity regarding everything Buffett, and especially tickets, that I could never profit off of another parrot head. I don't think you, or others, are bad people for doing it, I just can't justify it for myself. It's something about me that really p*** my husband off too, I might add.

As much as Jahfin's "sharing the love" made me think gag me, I guess that's really where I'm coming from too. It's fun and thrilling when you are on the receiving end of 2nd market tickets for face value, but it's multiplied when you get to make peoples eyes and smiles light up! Even if you don't get to physically see them, you feel it in their thanks.