Selling fan club tickets on public sites above face value

[MoodyCat]

I just wondered what other people's take on selling fan club tickets on ebay, craigslist, stubhub, etc for more than face value is?

Personally I think it's wrong, but have no idea what can be done about it.

What brought this on is that I was on Toronto Craigslist and found a listing for 4 front row tickets @ Massey Hall for $700 with a link to an ebay auction. The seller states they are fan club VIP tickets, and the "Buy It Now" price was $1,000 (auction has ended). The seller stated they would meet the buyer at the venue the day of the concert and provide them w/ hard tickets.

[ProudMommy77]

Tacky and Sketchy. This doesn't sound like it's going to end up in a good way, really. I thought the person whose name the tickets were in needed to be part of the M&G. Didn't I read that in my agreement that I clicked on somewhere?

The only thing that I find odd is that I don't think the front row was even being offered, do you? I think you and I got our tickets at exactly 10 am and we're beside each other in the middle of the second row. Perhaps this person won a contest for front row tickets? (I guess what I am saying is that I'm skeptical of the "fan club" accuracy in this sale.)

[Suebee42]

Tacky and Sketchy.

That sums it up pretty damned well.

[Jodie]

That sums it up pretty damned well.

Agreed completely, and I also believe I recall reading something about the tickets being non-transferable as well when I bought my VIP tickets. I could be wrong, but I thought sure there was verbiage in there to that effect.

[WayToSkateKate]

Although I haven't seen any ads for VIP tickets specifically, I have seen plenty of ads for general BNL tickets. And it makes me sick that some people get tickets for the sole purpose of making a profit. I thought it was illegal in the US to accept more than face-value for tickets like this. Isn't that what scalping is? Of course, I could be completely wrong. Sometimes I think I live under a rock. :rolleyes:

[TheHYPO]

Tacky and Sketchy. This doesn't sound like it's going to end up in a good way, really. I thought the person whose name the tickets were in needed to be part of the M&G. Didn't I read that in my agreement that I clicked on somewhere?

The only thing that I find odd is that I don't think the front row was even being offered, do you? I think you and I got our tickets at exactly 10 am and we're beside each other in the middle of the second row. Perhaps this person won a contest for front row tickets? (I guess what I am saying is that I'm skeptical of the "fan club" accuracy in this sale.)

I got fan club front row seats; but also, if they are VIP, they might have been VIP holds if you only bought non-vip seats.

You goto the window, you give them ID, they give you wristbands and tickets (and I think the laminates which is just because it's part of what you paid for, but the wristband is the what gets you in). You can give the tickets to whoever you want, and you can give the wristband to whoever you want. There's no names on either. I have no idea about wording in the agreement, I'm just saying it's physically possible to do so and there doesn't seem to be any mechanism in place to hold you to that.

Also, there's no difference as far as I've seen between a VIP ticket and a regular ticket, on the actual ticket. If it doesn't say so, don't assume the seller is including the meet and greet. The hope is that (no disrespect intended) BNL is not one of those group where anyone would be willing to shell out 700 bucks (let alone 1000) for 300 dollars in tickets.

On a related note, I just found teh craigslist post/auction, and 'bidding has ended on this item' with 0 bids. Could mean he got an offer off-ebay. But I note that it doesn't actually say VIP anywhere. Just fan club.

[MoodyCat]

and I also believe I recall reading something about the tickets being non-transferable as well when I bought my VIP tickets. I could be wrong, but I thought sure there was verbiage in there to that effect.

Now that you mention it I think you're correct, but upon looking up the info for the presales & ticket order confirmations I don't see it anywhere. I do know that for the last 2 M&G's I did they requested the last name of the person who bought the tickets so they could cross them off as being there.

The ebay auction states
*These are fan club tickets*

I just assumed fan club VIP b/c of the price & that tickets have to be picked up the day of the show, but I could be wrong. Anyways, here's a link to the auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160474561016&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

And yes, the seller is a ticket scalper.

[MoodyCat]

I got fan club front row seats;

So you're going to let Tommy stand in front of you right? :p (J/K!!!)

[ProudMommy77]

We're going to have to have name tags with our forum names on them so we can find each other! :D

[Jodie]

Now that you mention it I think you're correct, but upon looking up the info for the presales & ticket order confirmations I don't see it anywhere. I do know that for the last 2 M&G's I did they requested the last name of the person who bought the tickets so they could cross them off as being there.

Yeah, that might have been what I was thinking of, then. I sent them my name as the purchaser of the 2 tickets and gave them the name of the friend who's going with me also, just in case.

[goof]

I've done 3 barenaked vips. One in London, we were just given the laminates told to meet by the merch table and then herded up to the meet and greet. The second in Columbus, again laminates only, wait by the merch table, but they did check my name off a list before being herded into the M&G area. The third at Saratoga, no laminates, they were mailed at a later date. Wristbands given with tickets at Will Call, and name crossed off a list before going into the M&G. No id was checked when asked for the name before the M&G, it was only checked when picking up the tickets. So if you know the name it was bought under, you wouldn't have a problem.

[Belyha]

Don't even get me starcted on this! :mad: It seems to me, that there are only a VERY limited amount of fan club seats, whether you do the VIP package or not, and they are not as good as they used to be, and then I am sure the venue always saves a certain amount of prime seating for local big-wigs, maybe a few for like, radio station contests- but the vast majority of the good seats are sold to @#$#$%$#% ticket brokers, who then turn around and sell them at extortionist rates- and then there are the skeevy on the street scalpers too. I am sure that this practice is worse for all bands and venues since the advent of downloading has decreased album sales for everyone, and they have to make a profit for the suits. I do not begrudge the artists- it comes from the ugly business side of things...but it makes it harder for all of us (and I have whined enough about my particular difficulties)- but for someone who is part of this "community" of BNL people-who I hold to a higher standard-to pull a stunt like this, I call douchebaggery upon them...it is one thing to make plans and have them fall through-then you go on this fanboard and help out a fellowfan and sell for face value, or if you paid for the package, and that person can get what was in the package for the same price, I don't have a problem with that-

I most vehemently call douchebaggery upon that kind of person..DOUCHEBAGGERY! May the Massengill rain down upon their head in a fiery torrent!

[Jen7667]

This is nothing new unfourtunely. I belonged to two different FC and that always happens... If they find out the person who is selling it they get banned from the FC. I don't belong to BNL's FC and I don't plan on it honestly ( nothing against BNL) I just think FC are a waste of money.

[barenakedfi]

After my experience on Saturday, I can well believe that it would be difficult or impossible to buy front row seats. I had won free tickets and meet & greet, and was told to collect my tickets at the box office (having been assured in advance they would be good seats). When I arrived, the cashier just tore off 2 tickets from a long string, which were front row circle seats. Obviously the subsequent tickets were for the subsequent seats on that row.

When we took our seats, most of the rest of the seats in the central part of the front row circle were empty, with the exception of a sole reviewer who left before the end. It was clear that these seats were reserved for gifts/prizes etc.... great for me, a genuine fan who'd won good seats... but a waste when most seem to have been corporate freebies no-one was ever going to claim.

As for selling above market value, surely no genuine fan would take advantage of another by charging through the nose for scarce tickets. Offering someone else the chance to have the tickets at face value would be the only consolation at having to miss a gig!

[ohiobnlchick]

That sums it up pretty damned well.

I agree, seems like the original ladies room , if you sold your tickets at a problem, you lost your membership, am I remembering that right? That's really low to make a profit on them!:eek:

[ohiobnlchick]

wow must be getting late, I meant to say "at a profit".....that is a problem, sorry

[TheHYPO]

I agree, seems like the original ladies room , if you sold your tickets at a problem, you lost your membership, am I remembering that right? That's really low to make a profit on them!:eek:

I never heard of this happening to anyone, and I think we routinely saw good tickets on ebay back then as well. It's a fact of life. I don't think there's any real difference between buying scalping front row tickets bought on ticketmaster and front row tickets bought through fan club. Both are just artificial profit-making ways to drive up the ticket price. There is nothing exclusive about the fan club. Anyone can join for 40 bucks (or whatever the price is). The period in which It was most troubling to me was in the period where certain members had priority based on long-standing and people would scalp those tickets before newer members could get to the presale. In that way, people did get robbed of the opportunity to buy them.

In this case, anyone could have joined the LR and tried to get these tickets before the scalper just as if it was ticketmaster. They both suck equally to me, which is why scalping should be more seriously deterred. There should not be such an instant secondary market effect. It is also a shame that in some cases, people will be willing to pay 200 dollars a ticket to these people, but the band will not see any of that "bonus" ticket cost.

That said, it's something I'm not going to be able to do anything about, so I learned to live with it a long time ago.

[Suebee42]

With original Ladies Room (2001, when I joined), you had to pick up your tickets at Will Call just before the show, with no knowledge of where your seat was. You had to present your ID and the credit card that was used (or a copy of the CC and a letter from the cardholder, if your parents bought you tickets). It was MUCH harder to scalp those.

When they switched to MusicToday, it became pretty damned easy to scalp fan club tickets... the membership itself was free. You just couldn't do it in mass quantities.

I have to say, I really miss the old Ladies Room.

[linz]

With original Ladies Room (2001, when I joined), you had to pick up your tickets at Will Call just before the show, with no knowledge of where your seat was. You had to present your ID and the credit card that was used (or a copy of the CC and a letter from the cardholder, if your parents bought you tickets). It was MUCH harder to scalp those.

When they switched to MusicToday, it became pretty damned easy to scalp fan club tickets... the membership itself was free. You just couldn't do it in mass quantities.

I have to say, I really miss the old Ladies Room.

I miss that so much. especially with the whole like seniority thing that played in but that they also took in to consideration how many shows you went to, etc, so that others that only had an opportunity to go to one show still got great seats for that show. Plus it was kinda fun not knowing where you were until you got there! Kinda like a game.

I wonder if some of the VIP stuff is not VIP BNL packages but VIP venue stuff? I've seen lots of those but that's not VIP BNL. Just entry to some rooms/floors/restaurant type things or something with free drinks/included parking.

As for the person who said front row was empty, I've seen that at quite a few shows. Front rows full of venue ppl or corporate people that care less about the bands sitting and being bored while real fans that can't afford to shell out a ton for the VIP BNL packages have to sit 10-15 or more rows and have people yell at them for standing/singing along/dancing. It's so ridiculous. I miss the old LR.

[ohiobnlchick]

With original Ladies Room (2001, when I joined), you had to pick up your tickets at Will Call just before the show, with no knowledge of where your seat was. You had to present your ID and the credit card that was used (or a copy of the CC and a letter from the cardholder, if your parents bought you tickets). It was MUCH harder to scalp those.

When they switched to MusicToday, it became pretty damned easy to scalp fan club tickets... the membership itself was free. You just couldn't do it in mass quantities.

I have to say, I really miss the old Ladies Room.

Yeah, I remember that now, I bought tickets from someone and met them at venue, they got the tickets at will call, and, and I had extra ticket and did the same for someone in cleveland, we always did it for whatever we paid for the ticket,....bnl fans are great....hope these scalpers don't get any buyers:mad:

[WayToSkateKate]

So....is scalping illegal? I always thought it was, but maybe that's because everytime we went to a Cubs game when I was a kid my dad used to point out the scalpers to us kids and tell us what shmucks they were. LOL So, you know.....is it or isn't it? Sure, I could Google it and find out. But where's the fun in that for you guys?

[Suebee42]

I think it varies by state, actually.

Edit: Yup.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2006/rpt/2006-R-0761.htm

Only eleven states consider it illegal.

[Jen7667]

It is illegal where I live but do people follow it nah.....:rolleyes:

[Katy]

I'm not sure how other cities and venues work with the presale, but in Boston our only option for presale was will call window. I just bought one of the vip tickets for another show and will call was the only option available, also.

Do you even have to be in the fanclub to purchase the VIP packages? I bought one of the packages when tickets went on sale to the general public and it didn't ask for my fanclub info.

[Suebee42]

Do you even have to be in the fanclub to purchase the VIP packages? I bought one of the packages when tickets went on sale to the general public and it didn't ask for my fanclub info.

As far as I know, VIP is available to the public, you just get first crack at them in the fan club, via the presale. If they sell out to the fan club at one show, then they wouldn't be available to the public at all at that show.

People who know more than me (since I have never bought VIP), is that right?

[Shardith]

As far as I know, VIP is available to the public, you just get first crack at them in the fan club, via the presale. If they sell out to the fan club at one show, then they wouldn't be available to the public at all at that show.

People who know more than me (since I have never bought VIP), is that right?

I believe you are correct.

[barenakedfi]

I won my meet/tickets/t-shirt for Manchester, UK and had front row circle seats reserved... but basically, it was the VIP package. However, no-one on the front row seemed to be on the VIP package.

The other gigs I went to in Scotland were general admission. In Edinburgh this was to the whole venue (standing or benches in the circle), in Glasgow General admission, but with identified areas (we were on the balcony). A VIP package in a General Admission venue wouldn't be worth it, as you're meeting the band during the support act. By the time you joined the crowd for the show, you'd be at the back. In terms of meeting the guys, you can do this at the stage door after the show, and it actually feels more genuine and relaxed this way. VIP's are seen before they go on stage, so they are psyching up for the show and have limited time. After the show, they seem quite happy spending some time with the fans.

I don't know about the North American shows, but all UK gigs I've been to are standing only at the stage and involves early queueing and a dash to the stage as soon as the doors open, so if you want prime position, you would never buy VIP.

[Jodie]

Well, on the VIP package I have for the show in November, it specifically stated that we would be given priority entry, which I'd have thought meant ahead of everybody else, regardless of what time they got in line. Curious now to hear what other people's experiences have been.

[Kazwindy]

Don't even get me starcted on this! :mad: It seems to me, that there are only a VERY limited amount of fan club seats, whether you do the VIP package or not, and they are not as good as they used to be, and then I am sure the venue always saves a certain amount of prime seating for local big-wigs, maybe a few for like, radio station contests- but the vast majority of the good seats are sold to @#$#$%$#% ticket brokers, who then turn around and sell them at extortionist rates- and then there are the skeevy on the street scalpers too. I am sure that this practice is worse for all bands and venues since the advent of downloading has decreased album sales for everyone, and they have to make a profit for the suits. I do not begrudge the artists- it comes from the ugly business side of things...but it makes it harder for all of us (and I have whined enough about my particular difficulties)- but for someone who is part of this "community" of BNL people-who I hold to a higher standard-to pull a stunt like this, I call douchebaggery upon them...it is one thing to make plans and have them fall through-then you go on this fanboard and help out a fellowfan and sell for face value, or if you paid for the package, and that person can get what was in the package for the same price, I don't have a problem with that-

I most vehemently call douchebaggery upon that kind of person..DOUCHEBAGGERY! May the Massengill rain down upon their head in a fiery torrent!

I had a couple of peeps in the UK trying to sell me tickets they had won.... Prefer it if they didnt bother telling me they won them lol - v annoying. I guess some of us are just more giving than others :confused: