Charity event attracts scalpers
CTV is in a slight fuss about how tickets for Monday’s charity concert have attracted scalpers. But it’s not as if the initial ticket price hasn’t been paid into the fund – no one stole any tickets.
I’ve never seen the problem with scalping. It’s the free market in a pure form, people profiting from limited supply and high demand.
Ephraim 06:34 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
Except of course, when the public doesn’t get a chance to purchase the tickets and instead scalpers purchase large amounts of ticket to resell. Often purchased before the public has a chance to buy any, since they bribe people at the ticket booth to sell them directly.
Take a look this year at Louis CK who sold his tickets directly. See http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/06/louis-ck-wins-again-direct-ticketing-defeats-scalpers.html
Adam Hooper 07:26 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
The free market isn’t always best. For instance, Habs tickets are artificially cheap, and scalping negates that. When there are too many scalpers, less-wealthy people lose their chance to watch a game.
Marc 07:33 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
There’s much less scalping of Habs tickets now than in the past with the new way they’re sold. By internet only, maximum of four tickets, for one game, one transaction per name, per address, per credit card. But no, I have no issues with scalping. If I had show tickets and suddenly I couldn’t go, and nor could any family or friends, am I supposed to just toss them out?
David Tighe 09:20 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
Marc,
The solution would be to sell them back to the issuer. if they refuse I agree that the black market is the only solution. Otherwise I dislike intensely the scalping system. It embodies the faults of unregulated capitalism in microcosm.
steph 09:59 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
with a 100% markup from the issuers for handling fees don’t expect a full refund. That aside I doubt the recipient of this charity event cares about the scalping issue, and neither do I. When was the last time Celine played a small venue like that!?
dwgs 13:12 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
Wait, what? Habs tickets are cheap until the scalpers get them? When did you last attend a game? The nosebleeds are $50 with anything in the lower bowl closer to 250. And if you want to go to see one of the better teams play (or a ‘rival’ like the leafs) then you pay what they charmingly call ‘optimum’ pricing. The $50 ticket becomes 70 and the 250 ticket goes up around $425!
And from what I understand a lot of the scalpers get their stock from season ticket holders so the tightened restrictions don’t hurt them as much as you might think.
On topic, although it sounds to be in poor taste, at least those tickets are sold and that money is going to the right place.
Faiz Imam 13:46 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
@dwgs: Sure, but scalpers can often sell them for even more than that. The market price is high enough that even the high face value is actually “cheaper”.
For a product like the habs with 20,000 seats and 41 games, scalping is not that bad. But for small events with high interest it can kill the event. Many concerts and comedy tours are sabotaged when tickets are bought en masse by scaplers who sell them for many times face value.
I forget the details, but there was a recent event in San Fransisco where $50 tickets at a small 400-ish seat facility were all bought by scalpers and all put up for sale for $300-$500. People were PISSED.
That’s why the Louie CK solution is so brilliant. It poses almost no problem to normal fans, nor prohibits selling of tickets at face value, but really makes like harder for scalpers.
Kate 14:09 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
If it’s such an issue (I’ve seen it moaned over for years in the media) why don’t they just institute a rule than nobody can buy more than 2 or at most 4 tickets?
jeather 14:22 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
Well, the people who own the venue don’t care — they sell the tickets to the scalpers or to anyone else, whatever. If they sell to scalpers, they’re guaranteed to sell the tickets. Few artists both have the power to enforce these things and also care enough (this is probably where changes will take place). And despite people bitching about it, they don’t mind scalpers enough to choose not to buy when it’s the choice between a scalper and not going. It’s like complaining about the weather.
Ephraim 17:00 on 2012/09/29 Permalink
Kate, there are plenty of rules, but bribes speak louder than rules.
(Ice is a term used for tickets give to the artists or the theatre, producers, etc. generally gratis and meant for family members or journalists that they then scalp themselves and the cash pocketed.)