What a bunch of crap right? How do they do this? I have tried to buy tickets direct from Ticketmaster or the arena or whatever and it seems you always have to type in that stupid blurry ass group of letters that never seem to actually be a word. Yet somehow by the time you get it figured out (because I always have to recycle it or get another word because I can't even see what it says) they are sold out or close to it. Then tickets go from $75 to $275 or worse on stub hub. It is horseshit. There has to be a way to put a stop to this right?
You're assuming they want to put a stop to it. I think the issue is that the ticket houses buy in bulk on every event so it's worth it to the stadiums or whoever sells the tickets because it's guaranteed immediate sales. As I write this I realize that I'm totally speculating as to why it happens but that has to be what's going on I would think.
Interesting angle. I was reading that a lot of acts (tom petty, Springsteen, Pearl Jam) specifically price tickets well under market value so the fans can go. This is actually having the opposite reaction because its such easy money for the scalpers. Article said if the tickets are priced at what the market will bear from the start then it will help keep them away.
Scalpers are taking advantage of inefficient markets. Once they control the commodity they set the price, and those willign to pay it do so. In most cases they make huge money in the weeks before an event, then as the most eager buyers consume tickets the sales fall off. In the end the sellers end up having to dump tickets. The key when buying a ticket from a broker is patience. I got into LSU Alabama in 2011 for 35 bucks because I waited til just before kick off.
Technology is going to be the death of attendance for big time sporting events and concerts. Its already cheaper to buy a good High Def TV than it is to take a family of 4 to an NFL game. The last NFL game I attended in person was a couple of years ago. I was in Boston and somebody gave me tickets to a Patriots game. Great seats but the face value was $195! For a freakin' regular season game! And concerts! I love live music but I haven't been to a big name concert in a few years. I do love the atmosphere of live events but enough is enough. For the LSU-Alabama game in 2012 I went out to LSU where some friends were tailgating. I had thought about trying to buy a ticket before the game but my friends had set up a big TV with a portable satellite dish. It was great. I got the game atmosphere and watched the game with a better view than I would have gotten in Tiger Stadium. And I ate great food instead of paying the ripoff prices for food at the stadium. And I drank cold beer during the game. Even if LSU sold beer it would be priced at $8 or $9 for a can of 12 ounce brew like it was in Foxboro. Just wait until those virtual reality headsets mentioned in another thread are perfected! I love NASCAR but for live spectators at the race you really can't see very much. Those VR headsets will probably put you inside the car of your favorite driver
