The Problem of Ticket Scalpers

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 12:25pm

I don't know whether this has always been a problem, but I've noticed it more and more within the last five years, in which there seem to be entire scalper "outfits" in which groups buy large quantities of tickets for resale on sites like StubHub often for more than twice the printed price. In the past, this has really only been a problem with popular concerts and sporting events, but it's turned into its own industry and more and more I'm seeing it happen with high demand shows and limited engagement like those at 54 Below.

The worst non-sports or -concert example I've come across have been popular shows at the Kennedy Center in D.C., whose phone and online ticketing can't handle high amounts of traffic. For example, The Book of Mormon tour engagement. Customers were essentially shut out of the system because scalpers swamped the lines the minute tickets went on sale. Tickets sold out within the first day, but within hours, StubHub already had dozens of tickets available for each performance for over $300 each (there are still many available now and prices have only gone up). There is also a comparable situation for the Broadway production, but since that's open-ended and not a limited engagement it's not as much of an issue.

Is there any way to prevent this? I know some places have gone completely paperless or use personalized tickets where you need photo I.D., but I don't know how feasible that is for theatre performances. Most shows aren't sold out every night and don't need to worry so much about this sort of thing, but for those few shows that are huge draws, it just seems to be getting worse and worse.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 1:02pm

I took a kid I babysit to a Miley Cyrus concert once and they had a system where they swipe the credit card used to purchase tickets to give out the printed tickets when you entered the arena for the show. The tickets had to be used by the person picking them up. It slowed the line from the usual speed by about 10 minutes but was so worth it. Not being able to get tickets early, having to use the credit card purchased and having to go straight from picking them up into the theatre cut down on scalping substantially, I heard.

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 1:19pm

Those jackasses are outside TKTS as well. I inquired once about cMatilda tickets and they tried to sell me a balcony ticket with a face value of $37 for $150 saying it was a group ticket cancellation. I told him group tickets are always cheaper than face so that group got ripped off. I walked away and he tried to sell me the ticket for $50

[morosco]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 1:58pm

Has it been confirmed that scalpers are the reason that the Kennedy Center's ticketing system crashed?

Updated On: 7/13/13 at 01:58 PM

[TheLadyoftheWood]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 2:12pm

^^^^Holiday Whobe Whateee?

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 5:43pm

I doubt we'll get any confirmation from Kennedy Center. On both occasions (the advance ticket date for Kennedy Center Members and then the sale date for the general public a week or two later) the site crashed because of the volume of traffic, most of which would have been normal people trying to get tickets. But within hours of the box office opening, there were already dozens of tickets on Stubhub available for each performance. I forget how many tickets exactly were available immediately after it was announced the run was basically sold out, but it was a shocking amount -- over 100 per performance. You can still go to Stubhub (link below) and see how many are available for later in the run. It's ridiculous. Some performances have over 200-300 seats available! And of course, they're selling them for twice or thrice the sale price.

I was thankfully able to get tickets after spending hours on the phone line on the members' advance sale date, but many other honest, non-scalping people who should have been able to get tickets at the regular sale price were basically crowded out by these asshats.

The credit card system might be a good idea, although some people might not have a credit card. But then again, anyone who can afford the prices on Broadway nowadays probably has a credit card.

Stubhub Book of Mormon Updated On: 7/13/13 at 05:43 PM

[Steve C.]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 6:28pm

I think what's happened at KC with BOM is terrible. You would think that by now, they would know how to stop and change policies, number of tix sold, etc. The other "problem" is that there is so much money in DC/MD/VA that people will cave and buy the scalpers...

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 6:36pm

I work at a box office that gets Broadway tours. Scalpers create so many problems. With big shows like Wicked, they will not only sell balcony tickets for more than five times their value, but they will also print out multiple copies of the same tickets and sell the same tickets to multiple people. This creates double (sometimes even triple) seating quandaries. Since the show is usually sold out, and the tickets were not purchased through Ticketmaster or our box office, there is nothing we can do.
Oftentimes people will come to will call to pick up tickets with their confirmation from a broker's site, and the seats will not be there. I honestly can't stand ticket scalpers.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 6:50pm

Enough of them must have fostered a working relationship with police officers and TKTS staff to allow them to sell pretty much unimpeded in Times Square, where whenever I walk through they are pretty much the scum of the square. Well, ok, maybe the Weed Guy or the CD guys are more repulsive, but the scalpers are right up (down?) there.

I really do think the world would be a better place if there was a crackdown on the whole scalping universe. It's getting out of hand, serves nobody and punishes so many normal and passionate people who are priced out of already-greedy-but-not-as-greedy-relatively tickets by the secondhand market.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 6:57pm

The police have no reason to NOT allow them to sell in Times Square unless they're creating some sort of disturbance. They may be unseemly, but they're not breaking any laws.

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 6:58pm

It also causes issues for honest people who need to sell tickets for legit reasons. In January my friend and I came to NYC to see Barry Manilow. Due to circumstances we had four tickets and only needed two of them. We were trying to sell the two extras for face value of the tickets or even a little less (didn't even add in the TeleCharge fees) and we were treated by the theater staff like scalpers and dismissed by patrons and passers-by. All we wanted to do was not let two tickets go to waste and get some of our money back so as not to be out the money. We were absolutely NOT trying to make any kind of profit.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 7:45pm

Probably the only way to solve the problem would be for legislation be passed that makes it absolutely illegal to charge unduly for over-the-face value, prosecute violators with horrendous fines and/or jail time and forbidding ALL attempts at scalping to occur in the Times Square area. That will never happen, as there is too much graft in the area at all ends. And even it did, those slimes would find some way around it. Bastards.

[morosco]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 8:24pm

Paperless ticketing would be a solution (but one that has a lot of critics). You go online and purchase tickets and you don't actually print anything out. When you get to the theatre you present your credit card that you ordered with, the ticket taker scans your credit card and then prints out your seat locations on a pass as you go directly in. Many people hate this including lawyers who feel that it's your ticket and you should be able to print it out in advanceand sell if you so choose because it's your property.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 8:58pm

Actually, it's not true that "scalpers serve no one." Scalpers who buy up all the tickets are giving full price purchased tickets to the producers of the show, and growing the advance. Once the tickets are paid for, it doesn't become the producer's problem anymore, it becomes the box office and house manager's problem. They are the ones that have to deal with the patrons who have been scammed.

[gchris11]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 11:12pm

"I'm seeing it happen with high demand shows and limited engagement like those at 54 Below. "



You cannot sell your tickets from 54 Below on Stubhub. I was curious to see what I could get for my Aaron Tveit tickets at 54 Below and was told because of the way 54 Below tickets, Stubhub could not handle the request. Just saying. Unless the scalpers have found a loop hole.


Edited to fix the Quote marks stupid itouch! LOL Updated On: 7/13/13 at 11:12 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/13/13 at 11:16pm

Paperless ticketing would be a solution (but one that has a lot of critics). You go online and purchase tickets and you don't actually print anything out. When you get to the theatre you present your credit card that you ordered with, the ticket taker scans your credit card and then prints out your seat locations on a pass as you go directly in.

This would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do at most theatres. This would be be a virtual nightmare.

[Hest882]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 12:51am

I do think this is a huge problem. Unfortunately, the paperless ticket solution would also keep people from being able to buy tickets as gifts or even pass them to friends if they can't make the show.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 3:18am

Usually paperless isn't done for the entire house, but for the best seats in the house (the ones most scalpers are after). When I went to the recent Boston Strong benefit concert, only people in a certain proximity to the stage had to go paperless. Most of the house had tickets.

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 12:48pm

Scalpers are basically extinct since there are no laws defining them. The "secondary" ticket sellers are the new norm because we let them exist.

While it would be great for laws on ticket selling, who would enforce them? Which isn't to say there shouldn't be laws.

We live in a world where the major theater owners support Broadway.com and they overcharge customers SOOOO much.

We live in a world where tickets appear on Stubhub for twice the face value before tickets are even on sale to the general public or before a show is sold out. And people buy them!

There is one easy way to solve the problem - don't buy tickets from greedy scum! If no one buys their tickets they will stop buying tickets.

This of course means we might miss a show we want to see if they have the only tickets. I've done this and feel better missing a show then giving my cash to an undeserving pig.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 1:32pm

"There is one easy way to solve the problem - don't buy tickets from greedy scum! If no one buys their tickets they will stop buying tickets.

This of course means we might miss a show we want to see if they have the only tickets. I've done this and feel better missing a show then giving my cash to an undeserving pig."

If only more people followed your example, it might actually get better.