Ticketmaster Resale: A Rant (Hamilton)- Page 2

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 1/27/16 at 10:15pm

This is nothing new. Back when A Chorus Line was HOT my uncle said there would be guys out front selling $20 tickets for $80-$100 and people paid it, my uncle included. Same for Funny Girl. This is just the new technology version of that. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/27/16 at 10:28pm

joanf said: "Hey Islander Fan.... I'm sorry if this is a dim bulb question, but I'm curious. Why couldn't you resell your ticketmaster resale ticket? I've never bought these tix, but why would the "resale ticket" stamp prevent someone purchasing it from you outside the venue? You could be selling at a loss....

 

"

I don't see how that matters, either.

[Patty3]

Posted: 1/27/16 at 11:55pm

I completely understand the concept of supply and demand that drives prices up. I got a very good lesson from Ticketmaster several years ago. I was watching TM to see if any decent seats would pop up for a concert I wanted to attend. One day I saw several tickets within the first ten rows show up. I told a bunch of friends who were also looking for tickets and several people bought them. Within two weeks we all got emails from TM saying they "inadvertently" sold those tickets and needed to take them back. They would be happy to replace them with "comparable" seats which were in the back of the pavilion. We turned down their offer and got refunds. I checked TicketsNow (I knew they were affiliated with TM) and our tickets were being sold there for 4 times the amount of face value. I watched for a week as the tickets went unsold and then a few days before the concert some of those tickets ended up back on TM for face value. This time I was able to upgrade my seat from 5th row to 2nd. But until I picked up the ticket at Will Call I was afraid that TM would snatch it away again. I am pretty certain that most of the Reseller tickets on TM are not tickets that are being sold by someone who can't make the show. I am pretty sure that TM is moving these blocks of tickets there to be sold at a higher price like they did with those concert tickets several years ago. The "Reseller" name is a joke since many of those tickets are not being "resold". And the connecting fans with fans is also a joke - they don't give a crap about the fans from what I've experienced.

Updated On: 1/27/16 at 11:55 PM

[Midevenings]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 12:25am

If I'm not mistaken, it technically is a loophole. The NYS law says that you need a license to sell a large amount of tickets. There is also a cap to how much they can charge.

 

But since Ticketmaster uses the loophole that these are single ticket buyers selling tickets and not brokers, then they don't need to follow the law.  

[brdway411]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 12:55am

I make money line sitting. So what. Supply and demand, Baby.

 

Before people go hitting me up, I have a small,  by reference only, concierge service with a full client list and a very long waiting list. So I am not available. 

 

If you are looking for a line sitter try SAMEOLDLINEDUDE.COM they will line sit and they are way less expensive than me. 

Updated On: 1/28/16 at 12:55 AM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 1:07am

How much does someone get paid to sit in a line for a living?

[brdway411]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 1:23am

I don't just line sit now. I drop off keys for Air BNB rentals, I pick up cronuts, I walk dogs, cat sit, pick up dry cleaning, let in cleaning people/ repairmen, whatever the client needswants. It's enough that it's worth my time. And Uncle Sam gets his cut now that I  booked solid. It all started part time. About to give up my full time job to do this full time. People will pay a small fortune for someone to score them tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. I charge for my time and not the tickets. Let's just say that it more than paid for our 2 week European vacation cruise last November and there is still money in the bank. And that was just line sitting 2 days a week. I just started offering the other services. People are busy. I am older reliable and responsible. I help them conserve their time.  

Updated On: 1/28/16 at 01:23 AM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 2:02am

Can I please be you, I love sitting

[JM226]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 8:39am

gypsy101 said: "Can I please be you, I love sitting

 

"

it is actually way more depressing then you think. not enough to comfortably live on with a family... ends up being very boring and unfulfilling... etc. 

[Hellob]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 9:29am

brdway411 said: "I make money line sitting. So what. Supply and demand, Baby.

 

 

 

Before people go hitting me up, I have a small,  by reference only, concierge service with a full client list and a very long waiting list. So I am not available. 

 

 

 

If you are looking for a line sitter try SAMEOLDLINEDUDE.COM they will line sit and they are way less expensive than me. 

 

"

I had a not great experience with them. Since they are the only licensed place, I won't say I'd never use them again but I would be a lot more careful. 

[mamaleh]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 9:47am

I know people who have used TaskRabbit for line sitting, and it worked out well.  (I've never used TR myself.)

[indytallguy]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 3:34pm

I'm not sure if Ticketmaster is doing this to deter scalpers or not, but you can't put your ticket up for resale until it has been released to you. TM right now has a delay on Hamilton tickets from both of the last two blocks that went on sale, saying we won't receive them until around 90 days before the performance/

[dmollen111]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 3:37pm

Hellob said: "Since they are the only licensed place, I won't say I'd never use them again but I would be a lot more careful."

Mind expanding on that? I was thinking of using them this Saturday.

[macnyc]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 3:39pm

indytallguy said: "I'm not sure if Ticketmaster is doing this to deter scalpers or not, but you can't put your ticket up for resale until it has been released to you. TM right now has a delay on Hamilton tickets from both of the last two blocks that went on sale, saying we won't receive them until around 90 days before the performance/"

 

Wow, that is something new. Interesting. I don't know how effective it will be, though. I imagine most of the high-priced Hamilton tickets are sold in the two or three days before the performance.

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 3:41pm

JM226 said: "it is actually way more depressing then you think. not enough to comfortably live on with a family... ends up being very boring and unfulfilling... etc. "

 

I'd much rather have 2-week vacations in Europe, to be honest.

[Patash]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 4:03pm

The one part of the complaint I agree with is that Ticketmaster apparently never releases MANY of the original tickets which are supposedly for sale at the original listed prices.  They seem to be holding them back to sell later at inflated prices.  No, I'm not talking about the true resale tickets which people have purchased and then choose to resell, but rather the great numbers which many claim never made it for sale to the general public.   So why pretend that the tickets to the show cost one amount or money, when they are held back specifically to sell at very inflated prices.   Sure, I get that's capitalism, but why not be more honest -- just say "tickets will be available for $500 and we'll call them resale tickets" instead of pretending "too bad you didn't buy those tickets at $157" when in fact they were never available for that to begin with.  How can they be called "resale tickets" if they were never originally sold?

 

 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 4:04pm

I haven't read all of this yet, but came across it on Gothamist and thought of this thread:

http://gothamist.com/2016/01/28/ticketmaster_live_nation_bots.php

[Broadway Guru]

Posted: 1/28/16 at 10:53pm

Let me first say I am  not one of those people who use bots and buy up huge blocks of tickets. I'm just a single guy who was aggressive when the blocks of Hamilton tickets went on sale. As a result I have four tickets on the aisle second row of the orchestra for one night and two tickets third row aisle seats in the front mezzanine for another night.

Those tickets are mine. I paid for them. With my credit card. They belong to me. What I do with them is now up to me.

If I choose to use them to go see the show (which I won't. I hated it when I saw it.) that's great because they belong to me. If I give them to friends or family members to use (which I won't. I wouldn't subject anyone I care about to it) that's my business because they are tickets that I paid for. If I choose to set them on fire with my cigarette lighter that is also my business because they are my tickets.

If I choose to resell them (which I do) that is also my business. They are my tickets. What I ask for them is up to me. They are my tickets.

If you pay me what I ask for them they will be your tickets. Until that time they will remain my tickets to do with as I please. If they go unoccupied because no one wants to pay me my asking price that's also my business. I'm not asking you to pay my credit card bill so don't worry about whether I make my money back or not.

And please don't tell me I should have let people who really want to see the show get them. I didn't do anything magical or high tech. I signed on when they went on sale and bought them. Six tickets all together over two different performances. Not 600.

You could've done the same thing and then they would have been your tickets to do with as you like. But you didn't. I did and they are now my tickets.

[Patash]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 8:09am

Broadway Guru, with all due respect I don't think anyone is really complaining about what you've done.  Come back and report when you've started a business and you bought up 1800 tickets to resell.  Or when you go to work for Ticketmaster and you are the one responsible for pulling 60% or so of all the tickets before they go on sale to the public (people like you wanting to buy tickets when they go on sale) for the purpose of raising the advertised prices not for resale, but for first sale. 

[JM226]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 8:12am

Patash said: "...Or when you go to work for Ticketmaster and you are the one responsible for pulling 60% or so of all the tickets before they go on sale to the public (people like you wanting to buy tickets when they go on sale) for the purpose of raising the advertised prices not for resale, but for first sale. "

 

is there any evidence to back up this serious accusation? 

Updated On: 1/29/16 at 08:12 AM

[dmollen111]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 10:11am

Patash said: "Broadway Guru, with all due respect I don't think anyone is really complaining about what you've done.  Come back and report when you've started a business and you bought up 1800 tickets to resell.  Or when you go to work for Ticketmaster and you are the one responsible for pulling 60% or so of all the tickets before they go on sale to the public (people like you wanting to buy tickets when they go on sale) for the purpose of raising the advertised prices not for resale, but for first sale. "

to be honest, BG is a small example of the problem. individuals like BG wouldn't be a huge issue if it weren't for the scalper businesses, but they're both the problem. the problem being an artificial increase in the price to pay a middleman who is rent-seeking and adds literally no value to the ticket. the artificial increase in the price comes from an artificial decrease in supply. the scalper companies are worse because they typically employ bots and other legal but annoying ways to further artificially decrease the supply. 

 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 12:39pm

I'd also like to this the confusion created for the box office by the Ticketmaster resale. When I was waiting to check for a cancellation ticket, I saw many people (some elderly) who showed up looking for their tickets "technically purchased through Ticketmaster" but by resale and being turned away and told "we can't help you. You need to print those yourself." This has to be frustrating for the box office and for people who just don't get it. They think they are buying from the theatre since its the Hamilton ticketmaster site. Not everyone, especially the elderly will be hip to all this and deserve some customer service and respect.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 12:42pm

Has anyone sold a ticket through Ticketmaster resale? The fees are super high so I'm sure the producers are getting a cut. I looked into selling a ticket I couldn't use (ended up selling it to a friend) and just for me to get my money back, Ticketmaster tacked on $60 extra in fees. I'm sure fees increase with the amount you ask for the ticket. 

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 1:00pm

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/28/464708137/cant-buy-a-ticket-to-that-concert-you-want-to-see-blame-bots

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 1/29/16 at 1:05pm

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "Has anyone sold a ticket through Ticketmaster resale? "

 

I have sold a few (and by a few I mean less than 5). The fees amounted up to about $100 additional for the purchaser. My cut was about $300 per ticket, but it was listed for over 400 including the fees, so that's what the purchaser paid.