Why scalpers can get tickets
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Why scalpers can get tickets
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Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#2Nothing new here. I remember when the Cubs stopped selling tickets via a line wrapped around Wrigley to a wristband "to cut down on scalpers". I lucked out and ended up 57th in line. You could only buy 4 tickets per game so in theory only 240 tickets would have been sold by the time I got to buy. I was only looking for bleacher seats (cheap and fun at the time) and there were about 5000 seats available. By the time I got to buy every weekend bleacher seat was sold out with the exception of April, May and September. Who bought the other 4700 seats? The answer of course was the scalpers. Back then (90's) bleacher seats were $12 and the ball park was down the block so it was a nice option on the weekend to go see the game, have a few beers (4 for $18), it wasn't much more expensive than going to the movies. Now it's $35 for the same seat and beers are $18 each, Wrigley is still down the block but at those prices I'll just catch the matinee for $12 and a $12 popcorn.
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#3Based on nothing, I think tickets for high-demand events should be allocated: 1/3 first-come first-serve for in-person sales (you pay with your time), 1/3 random assignment (you have to get lucky), 1/3 auction to highest bidder (pay with your money).
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#4Why do the organizations putting on events like these leave so much money on the table? Why don't they just charge the market-clearing price themselves, leaving no room for scalpers to make any profit?
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#5Based on nothing, I think tickets for high-demand events should be allocated: 1/3 first-come first-serve for in-person sales (you pay with your time), 1/3 random assignment (you have to get lucky), 1/3 auction to highest bidder (pay with your money).
The article addresses the problem with random assignment: each scalper can enter the lottery hundreds of times, but each regular person can enter only once.
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#6Why do the organizations putting on events like these leave so much money on the table? Why don't they just charge the market-clearing price themselves, leaving no room for scalpers to make any profit?
Artists generally want to have a diverse crowd in terms of disposable income, they don't want to have a crowd of just the people who can/will pay the most.
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#7> Ticketmaster now requires text message phone number verification, but they can bypass this by buying “Mobile Virtual Network Operator” phone numbers in bulk from eBay
I’m surprised SMS verification is this ineffective at testing for “human-ness”.
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#8Scalping is such an ugly term for "the market efficiently allocating resources." This is just completely normal price discovery. /s
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#9Based on nothing, I think tickets for high-demand events should be allocated: 1/3 first-come first-serve for in-person sales (you pay with your time), 1/3 random assignment (you have to get lucky), 1/3 auction to highest bidder (pay with your money).
> 1/3 first-come first-serve for in-person sales (you pay with your time)
You can pay people to wait in line for you
> 1/3 random assignment (you have to get lucky)
Scalpers have the means to can create hundreds of accounts
Re: Why scalpers can get tickets
#10Why do the organizations putting on events like these leave so much money on the table? Why don't they just charge the market-clearing price themselves, leaving no room for scalpers to make any profit?
Artists generally want to have a diverse crowd in terms of disposable income, they don't want to have a crowd of just the people who can/will pay the most.
I don’t think the artist has much say in the matter at that scale