buying tickets on ebay

r.mac_2 · 16 May 2005 at 9:22AM

I was wondered if anyone could offer me advice.

I have only used ebay once before, about 4 years ago. I bought a game, and the transaction went well.

Anyway, there are some concert tickets I wish to bid for. There is 2-3 days left before the end of the auction. So far no-one has bid for them.

Are there certain things I should be aware of before bidding? I am terrified that I might loose my money, should I win the auction, or that I won't get what I think I am paying for. What questions should I be asking myself/the seller?

Thanks
r.mac

RACHIE77 · 16 May 2005 at 12:01PM

When a concert ticket is issued it is often issued as 'non transferable' so firstly I would check to see if this is the case for this particularl concert (often the case) - secondly I believe the seller should advise you what the retail price was for the tickets as they are not allowed to make profit or something, and thirdly i'd just be careful that you aren't encouraging touting....

There are specialised websites where you can buy and sell concert tickets (can someone help me out here?) so you might want to steer towards that if you are unsure, saying that i'd prossibly be tempted to give it a go depending on how much money you'd lose if the deal fell through....

Check out ebays policies on this and if the auction seems to fit this criteria then mite be worth a go but pay by paypal if you can so that you are able to claim stuff back if it all goes pear shaped??

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/contracts.html

Some items, such as event tickets, have terms printed on the item that may limit your ability to sell that item

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/item_allowed.html

jstyles · 16 May 2005 at 2:39PM

I sold some concert tickets last year to an Ebay newbie. I had all sorts of problems initially as he didn't have Paypal, had little PC accessibility and a bunch of other things!

However, we resorted to the old-fashioned method of talking to each other! This built up a level of trust between us and eventually I got the tickets out to him via 'Special D' without me having had cleared payment from him. Course he paid me by EggPay in this instance - I talked him through how do it over the phone!

Wouldn't recommend this method in every instance, obviously. But we'd weighed each other up (and it IS a mutual thing - how could he be sure I even had the tickets/wan't a scammer?), built our trust through communicating effectively and completed the transaction!

It was a good feeling to have achieved the completion of a transaction this way.

Got great feedback, too!

So, if there's no time to lose, strike up a conversation withe buyer and take it from there!

soolin · 16 May 2005 at 3:09PM

As most concert tickets are not allowed to be resold ebay pull a number of auctions even after that auction is complete.

You do need to be aware that if you win an auction for a ticket and ebay pull that auction after you pay and suspend the seller you may have difficulty in contacting your seller.

Also, make sure you pay by paypal, nothing else gives you any protection at all and as tickets are time limited you need a way to reclaim your money if the ticket doesn't arrive in time or doesn't arrive at all.

I used to bid quite a bit for various tickets, I would think at least half of the auctions i bid on were pulled by ebay before they closed or just afterwards.

Soo

r.mac_2 · 16 May 2005 at 4:20PM

thanks for your suggestions.

If I win any auction I will pay by PayPal - that seems to be a hard and fast rule to protect yourself, if I have learnt anything from these posts!

I have had a look at the ebay terms and conditions on the site and still not really sure whether the tickets should be sold or not.

Anyway, I ahve also contacted the seller and asked a few questions. I'll decide my next step depending on the sellers response.

Thanks for all your tips and advice.

r.mac

Clareo · 16 May 2005 at 6:08PM

RACHIE77 wrote:

There are specialised websites where you can buy and sell concert tickets (can someone help me out here?) so you might want to steer towards that

Scarlet Mist is a free ticket-exchange service for Music Festivals and Concerts.

http://www.scarletmist.com

italiastar · 16 May 2005 at 7:00PM

As most concert tickets are not allowed to be resold ebay pull a number of auctions even after that auction is complete.

Are you sure - you only have to look at people's feedback to see that there are some serious touts on eBay. You have to decide whether you are willing to encourage this type of touting - In my view if you can afford them (sometimnes there can be bargains) then why not buy them.

HairyHatMan · 16 May 2005 at 7:30PM

A lot of concert tickets on ebay are pre-sale listings i.e. the seller doesn't actually have the tickets in there hands, but has already paid for them. There are special rules relating to such sales:

ebay pre-sale policies

noteably....

eBay may also make exceptions and extend the 30 day deadline for other items such as event tickets, travel tickets and other similar items where the seller has paid for and owns the item but due to industry practice will not be sent the item until a later date

cheets99 · 16 May 2005 at 9:14PM

i wouldnt worry, check the feedback, look for someone with the 100s in selling tickets, i bought some last year for beastie boys, cost me £50 but worth it and now the seller emails me every month with tickets, going to buy some coldplay tickets for bolton in june off ebay as tickets these days sell out on the day of release for big bands.

r.mac_2 · 17 May 2005 at 10:57AM

I can afford teh face value of the tickets, however this concert sold out quickly, which is why I can't buy tickets the normal route.

I don't want to encourage ticket touting, but sometimes there are genuine reasons why people can no longer make the date etc.

The seller has great feedback, both as a buyer and seller. They have sold tickets before, but not so many that I would call him a tout. There is a good mixture of other things as well.

Think I'll go for it, see what happens.

master_blaster_2 · 17 May 2005 at 4:39PM

i dont see the problem with selling tickets @ a profit ... often for big concerts someone has stayed up all night to get them... its like everything supply and demand affect the price of things (u2 tickets in dublin have been selling fo £200 !!)
people on here buy up 'bargins with a view to ebaying them @ a profit ... ticket sellers (dont like the word tout) are just the same

buying tickets on ebay

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