A quick message to all Ticket Scalpers.

[TheJunkyardGod]

You are one of the many breeds of swine that deserve nothing but painful deaths.

I hope Karma comes back to you.


Sorry for the rant, but it's well deserved.

[Clarkmeister]

Thank god for you, Mr. Ticket Scalper. Thanks to you, I am able to get prime seats at the last minute to any event I wish to see.

[razor]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank god for you, Mr. Ticket Scalper. Thanks to you, I am able to get prime seats at the last minute to any event I wish to see.

[/ QUOTE ]

[HDPM]

Scalping is an honorable trade that should be legal. (everywhere)

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Scalping is an honorable trade that should be legal. (everywhere)

[/ QUOTE ]

[jakethebake]

If you have problems with free enterprise, capitalism, the laws of supply and demand I suggest you find someplace else to live you dirty socialist bastard.

[wacki]

this should be a poll

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have problems with free enterprise, capitalism, the laws of supply and demand I suggest you find someplace else to live you dirty socialist bastard.

[/ QUOTE ]

Aghhh.... be carfeul. If scalping was legal and there were no restrictions, buying tickets would really really suck! That being said, I have bought many a scalped ticket.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Aghhh.... be carfeul. If scalping was legal and there were no restrictions, buying tickets would really really suck! That being said, I have bought many a scalped ticket.

[/ QUOTE ]

I realize this, but it still doesn't make it wrong.

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

http://www.youthink.com/quiz_images/quiz549outcome3.jpg
COMMUNIST!! /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
I realize this, but it still doesn't make it wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]
Scalpers provide competition, not take it away.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

And they have a right to do whatever they want with their diamonds. But this is turning political. Wrong forum. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Reef]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have problems with free enterprise, capitalism, the laws of supply and demand I suggest you find someplace else to live you dirty socialist

[/ QUOTE ]

[wonderwes]

[ QUOTE ]
Scalping is an honorable trade that should be legal. (everywhere)

[/ QUOTE ]

Ebay pretty much covers that. I am trying to find seats to the NCAA Austin Regional games. Probably going to get the best price right before gametime.

[drdre2001mm]

[ QUOTE ]
You are one of the many breeds of swine that deserve nothing but painful deaths.

I hope Karma comes back to you.


Sorry for the rant, but it's well deserved.

[/ QUOTE ]

You bought counterfeits. Way to go moron.

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank god for you, Mr. Ticket Scalper. Thanks to you, I am able to get prime seats at the last minute to any event I wish to see.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hell yes. SOMEONE understands economics!

[Benholio]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I realize this, but it still doesn't make it wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

If diamonds were 10x cheaper, they would just be replaced with some other expensive rock. It isn't like most people buy them for their utility...

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]
Scalpers provide competition, not take it away.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I realize this, but it still doesn't make it wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

If diamonds were 10x cheaper, they would just be replaced with some other expensive rock. It isn't like most people buy them for their utility...

[/ QUOTE ]

Diamonds are artificially driven up in price by Debeers. 60 minutes and numerous other shows have all done specials on this.

[MMMMMM]

Where when why is scalping illegal? This is a serious post; I don't go to sporting events.

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
Where when why is scalping illegal?

[/ QUOTE ]

Within the boundaries of a defined radius around the venue, scalping is illegal in certain jurisdictions.

[MMMMMM]

OK, thanks.

Now, why?

[Stork]

Because it's bullshit.

Wouldn't you be pissed if you wanted to go to a show but it was sold out because half the tickets were bought by scalpers who are now going to sell them to you at twice the price?

[Lazymeatball]

wacki, no one is negating your point, we believe you when you say the price of diamonds are artificially inflated by the practice of DeBeers. The point it is that diamonds are a status symboly because they are so expensive. If they were 10x cheaper they would lose their appeal, so who really cares how much they cost. When someone buys a diamond, they go out looking to spend X amount of dollars, not to find X amount of carats of diamond.

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, thanks.

Now, why?

[/ QUOTE ]

For a number of reasons, I'd imagine. First, scalpers often buy tickets in bulk, which decreases the immediately available supply to the "normal" consumer. In addition, scalpers generally sell tickets at a premium. Of course, scalping benefits the typical consumer in other ways, but that obviously is not understood by your typical politician/"consumer advocate" who has a weak understanding of basic economics.

[Slacker13]

I think nearly every ticket I have purchased in the last 5 years has been from a ticket agent or scalper.

The scammers are ticketmaster.

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
Because it's bullshit.

Wouldn't you be pissed if you wanted to go to a show but it was sold out because half the tickets were bought by scalpers who are now going to sell them to you at twice the price?

[/ QUOTE ]

You fail to understand certain basic facts.

First, scalpers often overestimate the demand for certain tickets. They are then forced to sell their overstock at a price *below* the initial market value. This happens all the time.

Second, scalpers increase the profitability of putting on a concert, which increases the supply of concerts.

Those points aside, the simple fact is that scalpers are engaging in completely voluntary monetary transactions of perfectly legal commodities, and that it is economically inefficient to restrict such transactions in any way whatsoever.

Anyway, read this: Bastiat (http://bastiat.org/en/twisatwins.html)

[wacki]

understood

[razor]

[ QUOTE ]
scalpers who are now going to sell them to you at twice the price?

[/ QUOTE ]

I assume most people who use scalpers regularly do what I do, which is to negotiate a price. I can recall only one situation where I paid more than double face value. More often than not I pay nowhere near twice the price.

[Stork]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Because it's bullshit.

Wouldn't you be pissed if you wanted to go to a show but it was sold out because half the tickets were bought by scalpers who are now going to sell them to you at twice the price?

[/ QUOTE ]

You fail to understand certain basic facts.

First, scalpers often overestimate the demand for certain tickets. They are then forced to sell their overstock at a price *below* the initial market value. This happens all the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sometimes I see that at sporting events, but at concerts they are always overpriced. I went to see Phish in concert last summer, it was their third to last show I think. I bout the tickets in advance online for $50 each, and there were people selling them for $300-$500 right outside the concert.

[ QUOTE ]
Second, scalpers increase the profitability of putting on a concert, which increases the supply of concerts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not if there are enough people who actually want to see the show.

[ QUOTE ]
Those points aside, the simple fact is that scalpers are engaging in completely voluntary monetary transactions of perfectly legal commodities, and that it is economically inefficient to restrict such transactions in any way whatsoever.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah it's legal, but its crap. Monopolies were legal too at one point, but they were also crap. It's making the consumer pay more for the exact same product they could've gotten for less if the scalpers hadn't of bought them first. It's just a douchey thing to do.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, read this: Bastiat (http://bastiat.org/en/twisatwins.html)

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm tired now, maybe tomorrow...

[TheJunkyardGod]

[ QUOTE ]


You bought counterfeits. Way to go moron.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not quite. I was trying to buy Nine Inch Nails tickets. Only to be shutout within seconds.

Only to find the tickets on ebay charging 6 times as much. Thats what my rant is about. I've bought tickets off at the door scalpers, and i've negotiated with them as well.

What gets me mad is these people who are doing this JUST to take advantage of people who want to see a concert/sports event/whatever.

It's bad enough Ticketmaster rips you off..

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Because it's bullshit.

Wouldn't you be pissed if you wanted to go to a show but it was sold out because half the tickets were bought by scalpers who are now going to sell them to you at twice the price?

[/ QUOTE ]

You fail to understand certain basic facts.

First, scalpers often overestimate the demand for certain tickets. They are then forced to sell their overstock at a price *below* the initial market value. This happens all the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sometimes I see that at sporting events, but at concerts they are always overpriced. I went to see Phish in concert last summer, it was their third to last show I think. I bout the tickets in advance online for $50 each, and there were people selling them for $300-$500 right outside the concert.

[ QUOTE ]
Second, scalpers increase the profitability of putting on a concert, which increases the supply of concerts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not if there are enough people who actually want to see the show.

[ QUOTE ]
Those points aside, the simple fact is that scalpers are engaging in completely voluntary monetary transactions of perfectly legal commodities, and that it is economically inefficient to restrict such transactions in any way whatsoever.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah it's legal, but its crap. Monopolies were legal too at one point, but they were also crap. It's making the consumer pay more for the exact same product they could've gotten for less if the scalpers hadn't of bought them first. It's just a douchey thing to do.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, read this: Bastiat (http://bastiat.org/en/twisatwins.html)

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm tired now, maybe tomorrow...

[/ QUOTE ]

It might be "douchey," but restricting it is even more "douchey."

Anyway, I'm not such a fan of scalpers either, but I absolutely defend their right to do what they do, as well as the economic efficiencies that their profession provides.

[Stork]

I'm still on the fence about whether I personally feel it should be legal or not. I definetely don't view it as ethical.

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


You bought counterfeits. Way to go moron.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not quite. I was trying to buy Nine Inch Nails tickets. Only to be shutout within seconds.

Only to find the tickets on ebay charging 6 times as much. Thats what my rant is about. I've bought tickets off at the door scalpers, and i've negotiated with them as well.

What gets me mad is these people who are doing this JUST to take advantage of people who want to see a concert/sports event/whatever.

It's bad enough Ticketmaster rips you off..

[/ QUOTE ]

I really want to see NIN on this tour (never seen them before). Unfortunately, they aren't doing a show anywhere close to me. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[razor]

[ QUOTE ]
I bout the tickets in advance online for $50 each, and there were people selling them for $300-$500 right outside the concert.

[/ QUOTE ]

asking price? or selling price?

I've NEVER paid a scalpers asking price for concert tickets.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm still on the fence about whether I personally feel it should be legal or not. I definetely don't view it as ethical.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's no different than the sale of any othr good. Just because it's one you happen to want but can't afford, doesn't make it unethical.

[plaster8]

As mentioned in other posts, scalpers/brokers do assume a fair amount of risk.

When I went to the 1997 Rose Bowl, it was the first time Washington State had been there in 67 years. Also, Michigan was playing for a share of the national championship.

The ticket brokers, when they were selling their Rose Bowl packages earlier in the year, had no idea what the demand would be. They had promised customers tickets at a certain price as part of the packages they sold. When I arrived in Pasadena and picked up my tickets a few days before the game, the brokers were swarming all over, buying tickets from fans because they couldn't get enough through their normal channels for their customers.

Here's the kicker -- I was offered more than $1,000 for my ticket (face value was $75 back then, if I remember correctly) -- so the broker could turn around and give it to a customer who had paid, say, $200 for it. The brokers had to either take a big loss on the tickets, or screw over their customers -- and potentially ruin their business.

This may have been a "perfect storm" kind of situation, but I sure wouldn't have wanted to be in a broker's shoes that year.

(BTW, my friends took away my ticket, because I was making about $8 an hour at that point and $1,000+ would have gone a LONG way. I would have sold my ticket in a heartbeat. But I'm glad they saved me from doing it, because that game was a blast.)

[thatpfunk]

Scalpers>>>> Clear Channel


Clear Channel = Satan

I despise that company for so many reasons, namely, ruining the music industry.

[peachy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I realize this, but it still doesn't make it wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you realize that Diamonds would be 10x cheaper if DeBeers wasn't hoarding all of the diamond mines? A $15,000 rock should cost you less than $1,500. Lack of competition is never a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

this always made me sooooo sad...i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE...ok...im OBSESSED with diamonds and he stashes 294234902390420394290 of them to increase value /images/graemlins/frown.gif but i buy them (hehe or get them as gifts!!!) nonetheless

and the price isnt the APPEAL for me...being a GIRL...its the fact that they go with anything i have. I have rubys emeralds and tanzanite stuff too, as well as other kinds, but they dont always match everything, diamonds complement everything

[MMMMMM]

Sounds like it might be; maybe this should be looked into this further/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Any words of wisdom from the veterans on this matter?

What would be the best way to get started?

[thatpfunk]

girls are funny.

[Ray Zee]

if scalpers are making money then it means that the concert promotors are underpricing their ticketsand costing themselves money. and lots of it.
if it is a municipal event where tickets are purposly cheap then they should limit the sales amount so all have a chance at getting some.
but when you buy something if you want to resell it, it should not be illegal. so thats the rub.
if you want a cheap ticket you just have to get htere early and wait in line like the scalpers do. or pay someone to do it for you. bit i do see a reason to saylimit purchases to four tickets or so per buyer so the scalpers dont get to control who is your ultimate customer. which could happen if the common poeple are priced out they lose interest and may not come back for other events at your stadium.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Scalpers>>>> Clear Channel
Clear Channel = Satan
I despise that company for so many reasons, namely, ruining the music industry.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of people don't like clear channel for a lot of reasons. this one is wrong, however. clear channel has very little actual control over ticket prices. in most cases the performers set the ticket price. recently clear channel has actually instituted rules to try to keep ticket prices down for events it promotes.

[maryfield48]

Good post, Ray.