Real-life MMD: Should I sell gig tickets for a profit?

Former_MSE_Debs · 2 May 2013 at 12:19PM

Money Moral Dilemma: Should I sell gig tickets for a profit?

I recently bought three Rolling Stones tickets at £106 each. I then managed to bag some Glastonbury tickets, where the Stones are headlining, so want to sell the original tickets. I disagree with touting and would normally sell at face value, but I know tickets are going for £180. Also, the Glastonbury tickets were just over £200, so it'd be nice to make a few quid extra. Does the fact that I didn't buy the tickets with the intention of selling them justify my making a profit?

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rev_henry · 7 May 2013 at 8:30PM

If you just sold them at face value, they'd only be bought by a tout to sell on for profit anyway. Better your pocket than theirs.

dawyldthing · 7 May 2013 at 8:30PM

I thiink if its the going rate then its the going rate. Thing is you aren't to know if the person you will sell to will be selling it for profit anyway so it might as well be you that makes the profit

tommy060289 · 7 May 2013 at 10:10PM

basically what you saying is you disagree with ticket touting, but this time it might be worth your while so suddenly your morals matter less than your money:)

In all seriousness though, at the end of the day this isn't really touting as it sounds like you bought them with genuine intent to use them rather than bought just to rip someone else off, so I wouldn't really call it touting. Your other option is to offer them to some friends who might want them and then they get the tickets at the proper price and you've not suffered any loss. If you don't know anyone else who could go, just stick them up for auction and see what they fetch:)

weebit · 7 May 2013 at 11:31PM

I've just sold some Green Day tickets for a small profit. We accidentally bought too many, 2 people on 2 computers both buying them for each other as soon as they went on sale, not realising the other person was doing the same! We ended up with 8 tickets for 4 people! We sold a couple to a friend for how much we paid for them, then put the other 2 on ebay. originally i listed them at below face value, but the bidding took it over and above face value. Tickets are worth what people are prepared to pay for them.

scotsbob · 7 May 2013 at 11:50PM

Why be a scalper?

Use Scarletmist it's an ethical website where people sell unwanted tickets at face value

http://www.scarletmist.com/

marleyboy · 7 May 2013 at 11:56PM

There's an easy solution so as to not be touting. Offer the tickets at face value on Ebay, any bidding wars that result in a sale at above the face value, can be counted as profit on a fair ticket deal.

Sharon87 · 8 May 2013 at 12:50AM

marleyboy wrote: »

There's an easy solution so as to not be touting. Offer the tickets at face value on Ebay, any bidding wars that result in a sale at above the face value, can be counted as profit on a fair ticket deal.

The problem is though, ebay have removed their events category now and they've set up their own ticket reselling website - Stubhub. Where the fees are extortionate!

I'd say list em on all these websites for just above the price you paid, making sure you include the site's fees and however much it'll cost you to post them. Maybe make a few quid profit on them, but remember you want them to sell as well. If you undercut the other people selling their tickets then they're more likely to sell. I see loads of empty seats at 'sold out' gigs because they are still in the hands of the touts that list it for £500 a ticket.

R_P_W · 8 May 2013 at 7:43AM

Why do you have to justify making a profit at all? Sell them to someone that wants them and let them decide what they are worth. If that means you sell them at three times face value - good for you.

Don't see why tickets are any different to any other commodity or product.

anguilla · 8 May 2013 at 8:36AM

I've always sold on eBay with starting price £1 or thereabouts and let the market dictate when I've been unable to go - sometimes things go south like I had front block/front row seats to a popular gig that went well under face value (with a very appreciative buyer who was ecstatic to get the seats and told me that they shook hands with the artist!) and others where I had less than spectacular seats that sold at over twice face value.

The fact is if I can't go to the gig then selling them is more important than the money I paid & if you give some happiness to those who missed out on the presale then good - not in favour of selling to touts who would resell but you don't know your buyer so difficult to stop it

baddave1982 · 8 May 2013 at 9:00AM

i've bought and sold a handful of tickets over the years when I've not been able to get one or have subsequently been unable to go. my general feeling is that as long as you bought the tickets intending to go rather than purely to make cash then it's ok. as the others said though, rather than set a high price just let people bid and decide how much they want to/can pay for them.

Real-life MMD: Should I sell gig tickets for a profit?

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