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

buster1955

The thing that annoys me Intensely about the reselling of tickets is that gig tickets can be sold for any price, but you can get nicked for selling football tickets!:mad:

Badgersgirl

I don't see a problem with this as you bought the tickets in good faith. We recently had to sell some gig tickets that had been bought months ago which we were really looking forward to, especially as it was sold out, but my hubby was told he had a tumour on his leg and was still recovering from the op and we couldn't go. I sold the tickets on Ebay for a small profit and both parties went away happy.

Good luck!

Brian_Steele

The main problem with touting is not the fact that tickets are sold above the face value, but that touts buy up the tickets so that the availability to the "real" fans at the correct price can become severely limited.

In other words, if you genuinely have surplus tickets accidentally, then there is nothing morally wrong with selling them at the price the market will support (unless they are "non-transferable", as sporting tickets often are).

If the market can support prices substantially above face value, that is either proof that lots of people want to see the show or that the touts have bought a disproportionately large number, neither of which is your fault.

blainestewart

don't see the issue. as someone said above, they are no different to anything else so sell them for what someone is willing to pay. as for making a profit and giving it to charity...yeah right

Fuzzy_Duck

Is it possible to sell them to a fan? (Obviously they still might sell them for a profit, but it's less likely).

Whilst not gig tickets, I accidentally bought two of a much sought after item (cost £15 each). As they were rare people were selling them for £100s of pounds. I sold it to someone on a fan forum for the same price I paid, and although I could have done with some extra money at the time I felt much better selling to someone who would appreciate the item.

boldasbrass

Brian_Steele wrote: »

The main problem with touting is not the fact that tickets are sold above the face value, but that touts buy up the tickets so that the availability to the "real" fans at the correct price can become severely limited.

I agree, this is the real issue with touts. If you queue for tickets from the early hours, or even overnight, you'll see gangs of kids with a Fagin-type leader. When the box office opens they're each given money to buy the maximum number of tickets allowed, and then 'Fagin' pockets the lot, maybe giving them a tenner each for their trouble. I have witnessed this with police and venue staff watching, but they say they cannot do anything as it's not illegal to buy tickets!

Genuinely non-transferable tickets with the option of returns for full reimbursement minus a handling fee is the only answer. Good luck with finding a genuine fan to buy your tickets.

chog24

StirlingDave wrote: »

If you are strongly disagree with touting why would you consider selling for profit and making the problem worst? Touting is a problem, in my opinion, as it means tickets are artificially made expensive and prohibit people from going whilst ensuring the performers still get their cash up front.

I read this as being more of a 'how can I rationalise selling tickets for profits without being the same as a tout' type question. You can't. You're either happy to sell tickets for almost double their value, or you're not.

I had this issue once with a Glastonbury ticket, being able to purchase mine but none of my friends booking on time. I sold it on Ebay, with a low reserve, mentioning in the advert that any profit (after listing fees and postage) would be donated to half to a charity of my choosing and half to one of their choosing in their name. If there isn't a system for ensuring it doesn't end up in the hands of a tout, at least make sure the profits are going somewhere good.

My advice would always be to sell to a friend at face value - even if only for the selfish reason that it encourages them to do likewise and I might benefit in future. Of course, this means finding a friend wanting the tickets.

Finally someone talking sense!

Seriously, what's with all of you "Yeah, touting's wrong, but if someone's gonna make money from it, why not me?" people?!

SaraW

mazdabongo wrote: »

We had some Kasabian tickets to a one off gig that we couldn't make so instead of flogging them on for profit, we went on their fan website, looked on the forum and found a genuine fan who couldnt make it. Someone that had got loads of posts by their name and were posting in a thread about all of the fans that didn't get a ticket. A few Pm's later and this lass had a pair of tickets. Maybe if you are that worried about touts you could sell them on to some genuine fan in a similar way.

This is a fantastic idea! You should definitely do this. Think how happy you'll make someone :A

pickovet

The fact that you are asking for advice shows that you are not comfortable with selling for a huge profit. Why not advertise them locally and sell at enough to cover the extra you had to pay. That way someone in your community gets the benefit, you don't lose out. It is a bit sad, but a relevant comment on our society, that we should feel guilty if we do NOT make a profit on things. Why not just be nice to people?

Lincolnshirepoacher

I was a Gamesmaker at the Olympics and we had a guy whose friend couldn't come so had a spare ticket. After consulting my supervisor we let him sell the ticket at face value to a ticketless spectator. We watched the transaction and everyone was happy. Later we met another guy who had been told by the police that they would arrest him if he attempted to sell his spare ticket.