Ticket Resale Sites

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Let me pipe in and also ruffle a few feathers. If you sell above face value, your scum "nuff said". It's as if somebody says everybody else is driving drunk so why can't I. Just because one guy is willing to pay$350 for a ticket in the bleeders, does that justify the price? I think not and anybody listing above face value knows morally it is not right and I fully hope this election will put wheels in motion to outlaw scalping tickets over face value.

Rant over.

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Justify for me please. You did something which is morally wrong that people do, because?? Likely because you can. What other reason do people have to scalp above face value but greed?

It's already been stated, but tell me how legally selling tickets above a number set by the Flames is in the same conversation as drunk driving. How is it morally wrong to accept a fair market bid for my tickets? How about this: An 1891 Canadian quarter has a face value of 25 cents. You can sell one of these for between $11 and $1,500, depending on the condition. Why is that? The face value is only 25 cents. Should the people who happen to hold one of these quarters only be allowed to sell it for a maximum 25 cents? If you list your house at $300,000 and you get multiple bids pushing the price to $325,000, do you have to take the lower number? No. We live in a free market society where people are able to bid any amount they wish.

In no way is selling tickets above face value morally wrong.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Let me guess, you want to make your $3-350 profit per seat take home, but don't like dealing with the creeps on kijiji, so you'd like the mods to constantly do all the filtering for you of unreputables so that you could make that profit quicker and with less headache.

If you want quick, simple, and trustworthy transaction sell the tickets for face value here. If you want to make your obscene $350 per seat go deal with the scum bags on kijiji

You couldn't be more wrong. As Rhettzky pointed out, did you read absolutely anything in my post?

I have sold tickets on CP, eBay, StubHub, Ticketmaster and Kijiji. I have had quick, simple and trustworthy transactions on all of them. I have no problem listing on Kijiji during the regular season. It's pretty easy to ignore an email if I don't like it. I have absolutely no problem selling elsewhere if I want to make a profit. What I proposed was a system that would keep more of the tickets within CP members, would eliminate huge fees charged by other companies, and would likely decrease the overall price of tickets. I proposed how sellers could pay CP.

I am completely open to seeing all reasonable sides of this debate. All I ask is you take a few minutes to actually read and comprehend what was written. There are some good suggestions in here (only allowing it for playoffs, etc.). Your post adds nothing, and is completely wrong.

[Zarley]

I was actually looking at selling some tickets on Stubhub last week as we had a couple extras (for the Habs game on Friday, not for the Flames) and I was surprised at the commission they take. In order to break even I would've had to list at nearly 25% over face value. These sites really have the effect of inflating tickets prices due to the high fee structure so I can see the benefit of having being allowed to sell for above face value here - it would allow both the buyer and seller to save money.

[Zarley]

Also, has anyone used vividseats.com? What is their fee structure like?

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Zarley

I was actually looking at selling some tickets on Stubhub last week as we had a couple extras (for the Habs game on Friday, not for the Flames) and I was surprised at the commission they take. In order to break even I would've had to list at nearly 25% over face value. These sites really have the effect of inflating tickets prices due to the high fee structure so I can see the benefit of having being allowed to sell for above face value here - it would allow both the buyer and seller to save money.

Exact same experience here.

Maybe a good compromise is that for playoffs, the CP ticket exchange is allowed to list prices at 25% (or whatever the commission % is from stub hub) over face. This way we still get the simple and easy transactions that CP provides, it's a fair price with a cap, and resale sites don't profit from us.

[Neeper]

FYI. TikTiks fee structure:

Sellers = 0%
Buyers = 10%

Sellers don't have to "mark up" their price to cover their fees like other sites. Therefore, the selling price is less.

Buyers get the convenience and security knowing they are buying legit tickets right from their phone with 2 taps of a finger (plus entering your credit card number). We are much less than the competitors. And we're as local as local can get! Even CP local!

Sorry for those who have asked. We don't have Android yet. We wanted to make sure we were making something people wanted. So far it has exceeded expectations so we've already started coding for Android, which will be ready by pre-season.

[calf]

The way I see it, the Ticket Exchange is there to facilitate transactions between CP community members.

Limiting the tickets to face values is a way to ensure only active members really use the exchange.

Once you allow people to sell above face, while not a big issue for people that are active members, you probably attract the "professionals" who are only here to sell tickets. They make a profit by taking advantage of the community Bingo et al have built, and didn't have to put in any time or effort or contributions to the community.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by calf

The way I see it, the Ticket Exchange is there to facilitate transactions between CP community members.

Limiting the tickets to face values is a way to ensure only active members really use the exchange.

Once you allow people to sell above face, while not a big issue for people that are active members, you probably attract the "professionals" who are only here to sell tickets. They make a profit by taking advantage of the community Bingo et al have built, and didn't have to put in any time or effort or contributions to the community.

I agree if you allow over face value you will attract some ticket brokers. I did suggest having higher restrictions on who can create threads in that forum.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by calf

The way I see it, the Ticket Exchange is there to facilitate transactions between CP community members.

Limiting the tickets to face values is a way to ensure only active members really use the exchange.

Once you allow people to sell above face, while not a big issue for people that are active members, you probably attract the "professionals" who are only here to sell tickets. They make a profit by taking advantage of the community Bingo et al have built, and didn't have to put in any time or effort or contributions to the community.

You could add a restriction that only truly active members can create threads.

EDIT: what he said ^

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Let me pipe in and also ruffle a few feathers. If you sell above face value, your scum "nuff said". It's as if somebody says everybody else is driving drunk so why can't I. Just because one guy is willing to pay$350 for a ticket in the bleeders, does that justify the price? I think not and anybody listing above face value knows morally it is not right and I fully hope this election will put wheels in motion to outlaw scalping tickets over face value.

Rant over.

No, it's as if someone bought a Johnny Gaudreau rookie card for the retail price and then resold it at a much higher price now.

[Flamenspiel]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Let me pipe in and also ruffle a few feathers. If you sell above face value, your scum "nuff said". It's as if somebody says everybody else is driving drunk so why can't I. Just because one guy is willing to pay$350 for a ticket in the bleeders, does that justify the price? I think not and anybody listing above face value knows morally it is not right and I fully hope this election will put wheels in motion to outlaw scalping tickets over face value.

Rant over.

This is an absurd analogy, drunk drivers kill people, enough said.

This view sounds very European, as they have a completely different outlook on the secondary market. Due to scheduling conflicts I had to buy and sell a number of tickets at the 2012 Olympic games games in London, they did have a reselling site but it was not always practical.

A black market developed on Craigslist and i half expected MI5 to show up when completing these transactions. Tickets were traded using clandestine meetings and processes that would not look out of place on a spy show.

[Southside]

Cripes! I sold some tickets for more than face value and I'm morally bankrupt? I've eaten a few tickets over the years too because the sanctimonious face value or cost only crowd were nowhere to be found.

Drunk driving? Give me a break.

[Reneeee]

Albeit I am being extreme but just because something is a hot commodity in high demand, I cant see the justification for the increased prices. If the entire world was this way we would be worse off.

The world cup was a great example of class act ticket reselling. I picked up 4 extra games and not a single person asked for more than face value but they certainly could have.

I look at it this was. Just because you have the privilege of tickets doesn't mean you should be able to abuse that power and make a massive profit of 200% or more

[Southside]

Reneeee, there is a simple solution to your most unfortunate circumstances. Get yourself season tickets, or a share in season tickets, or a game pack. That way you will not be at the mercy of the market.

[RM14]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

The world cup was a great example of class act ticket reselling. I picked up 4 extra games and not a single person asked for more than face value but they certainly could have.

If they could have they would have.

[nfotiu]

I used to be solidly anti-scalper. By allowing scalping you are basically allowing a middle man to profit while offering very little or any value for the money he is earning. I'd have rather seen that extra money go to the Flames or whatever.

Sports has become such a shady business with teams blackmailing local governments for money for their stadiums, rich tv deals based on forced carriage fees, and the fact that they promote and are sponsored by scalping sites like stubhub. I can't see any moral ground to stand on anymore on why people shouldn't try to get a piece of the pie. There is no low that a sports team won't stoop to!

Plus, if you are selling playoff tickets for face value, there is a good chance that you'll end up selling them to someone else who will flip them for a profit.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Albeit I am being extreme but just because something is a hot commodity in high demand, I cant see the justification for the increased prices. If the entire world was this way we would be worse off.

I'm guessing you haven't taken a basic economics class. The exact reason for increased prices is because something is a hot commodity in high demand. Once you enter the Saddledome you will find that prices for beer, pop, hot dogs, etc. are substantially higher than you'd find at a retail store in the suburbs. Why? Because they have a captive audience that is willing to pay for a non essential good. The entire world may not be this way, but how did well does communism work out?

Originally Posted by Reneeee

I look at it this was. Just because you have the privilege of tickets doesn't mean you should be able to abuse that power and make a massive profit of 200% or more

The reason I have season tickets is not power or privilege. I have them because nine years ago I signed up for the waiting list and I chose to spend my disposable income to watch hockey. Holding that ticket does in fact give me the right to charge whatever I want for that ticket. Hockey tickets are luxury items (services) and they are not a bottle of water or a hotel room during a flood. The tens of thousands of dollars I have paid give me the right to go to the game, give/donate the tickets, or sell them for whatever I want. The flip side is the market has the choice to buy my tickets at the price I ask, make a counter offer, or decline to buy them. When games are not in high demand the market doesn't want to go to them. This is when I may sell a game for $80 per pair, even though I paid more for it, and face value is even more than that. Sometimes it's too late, or there isn't demand, and my seats go unused and I have to eat that cost. You shouldn't feel sorry for me when this happens. That's a risk I take when I sign up for season tickets. If you cannot mark up prices for high demand games, are you not allowed to drop prices for low demand games? Is a person morally wrong for offering $50 for a ticket that has a face value of $100?

No one is being forced to go to a hockey game. You choose to go to one. If you can't afford it, maybe it's because you made other choices in life. You could be a person who wants to travel three months of the year, you are a student, you bought a new house, you wanted a car, etc. Some people decline to go on trips, have finished school, etc. and have decided they want to go to the hockey game. Just because someone spent all their money on a trip does not give them the right to also be able to buy hockey tickets.

You say that a person does not have the right to a 200% profit. Why? The only way this is eliminated is if the Flames sell all of the tickets to the end consumers. Since the demand will be there, the Flames will raise the prices and take in all the profits. That's good right? Unfortunately this will price out a huge amount of fans, but the only way to stop a secondary market is to raise the prices of the primary market. It will also kill a team's fan base, as people won't become fans knowing the prices are too high. The average fan is not one that is paying $500 per ticket.

I've said it many times, but just because you want to go to a playoff game, doesn't give you the right to. If multiple people want to go to the same game, the price will increase. That is extremely simple to understand, basic economics. If you want to go to all the games at face value, then buy season tickets. It's that easy. If you can't afford, or don't want to buy an entire season, the price goes up. It should, because why should a person who buys one game pay the same amount as someone buying 50 games? You get discounts for buying in bulk.

You still have not said how this is morally wrong. Simply stating it is morally wrong without any back up doesn't make your point. It was mentioned in another thread, but it bears repeating here. If you say the sky is blue and someone asks why, you can't just say 'because it's blue'. That's not a reason. There is a actual reason on why it's blue, so just explain it. You also didn't answer a number of other questions posed to you.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

just because something is a hot commodity in high demand, I cant see the justification for the increased prices.

The first part of your sentence contradicts the second part. Not sure where to begin on this.

PS. There is a real and meaningful difference between a luxury entertainment product and basic human right or survival product. If the difference between these two things isn't immediately apparent to you, then it's going to be pretty tough to explain basic economic theory.

[rain_e]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Albeit I am being extreme but just because something is a hot commodity in high demand, I cant see the justification for the increased prices. If the entire world was this way we would be worse off.

You can't be serious. Economics, supply and demand..... I'm not even going to bother using examples or explaining this as it has been said multiple times already in this thread.

I wonder why everything costs more in Alberta... hmmmm

[flamesrule_kipper34]

I'm not sure why people on CP get up in arms about selling above face value.

Let me preface this by saying, I will always respect the rules that the mods and owners of this forum have in terms of only being able to sell for face.

In terms of valid discussion:

There is SO much hypocrisy here on the CP community (from my experience) on being the first to jump at opportunities to buy tickets for BELOW face or even in some cases (where this has happened to me personally) BELOW COST for low demand games.

But when it comes to higher demand games, or better yet this year playoffs it's absolutely "scummy" for us season ticket holders at best to recoup cost we probably have been losing for years?

On top of the fact that some of us shell out tens of thousands of dollars on Flames' tickets a year? I can't speak for everyone but I spend close to if not over 10% of my gross income on the Flames a year...so I'm not looking to get greedy and triple my return suddenly on playoff tickets.

Anyway, squiggs96 made some great suggestions on how maybe one could control this to avoid people taking advantage of the system or preventing resellers from popping up.

I felt compelled to post when I saw a morality discussion pop up here comparing people wanting to sell for above face value to drunk drivers...did that actually happen?!

/ semi-rant