Guest Post: eBay and Tickets.
Jane aka DBL aka The eAuction Anorak has written this guest post for TameBay in response to a link regarding tickets that I posted last week:
Concert tickets, eBay and the media hype is one thing that makes my blood boil on a regular basis. Every time a big band/artist or ticket vendor release tickets, they appear on eBay. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles and if there are people who want to pay that sort of stupid money then the demand will be supplied.
The way I see it (and I’ve blogged on the subject previously) is if you own a ‘spare ticket’ or two, then good on you, sell it on eBay. Why not? You paid for it, it’s yours. In this economic climate ‘every little helps’ as they say and eBay is ‘only a selling venue’ for anyone who wants to make spare cash, isn’t it? The touts who buy hundreds and ‘deprive the real fans’ of tickets and even join fan clubs for the purpose of obtaining better and earlier tickets are just cashing in, as we all would and do, when we get the chance of bagging a lucrative ‘bound to sell well on eBay’ deal. It’s up to the vendors to prevent this via restrictions on purchase numbers but the touts will find a way around that too, I suppose.
Banning the sale of tickets on eBay is NOT the answer: the big ticket vendors should be selling on eBay too rather than auctions on their own sites and clauses on the back of some tickets to prevent resale. How many times do I hear companies and manufacturers say they’ve been ‘stung’ by eBay sellers selling more and making more than they can? If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen or at least fix the darn air con!
Being a very regular concert attendee, I could have sold any of my AC/DC tickets at LG Arena or especially Wembley Stadium for 4 times the face value on eBay immediately as they sold out in minutes, but as a ‘real’ fan I’m keeping them close to my rockin’ heart. I sit at my PC, laptop and phone on the day of release and get my tickets before they sell out.
As for the artists’/fans’ fury… the media grind and artist ego boosting machine kicks in: any publicity is good publicity. (Try telling that to Frank Bough – Ed.) One fan on the TV last week had camped out all night to get her ticket. I wouldn’t camp out all night for Mr Jackson but she was a true fan and did what she had to do to get her seat.
So, as for ‘Michael Jackson tickets, bloody touts, damn you eBay! Blah blah blah’ yes Dan you’re right. It’s old and boring, get a life, stop moaning and get a ticket! Anorak zipped with tickets safe inside, rant over what/who would you camp out for and what’s your view on tickets on eBay?
FenLex says
6:59 pm on 17/03/2009
Once upon a time it would have been Runrig but there have been various changes of personnel over the 36 years they have been playing, so it would have to be a reunion of the line up with Donnie Munro and Pete Wishart MP to tempt me to a concert now.
Tickets are a very grey area all round but concert promoters are in too much of a glass house to throw stones. There was an interesting article in the (Canadian) National Post recently about Ticketmaster’s practices but I’m not sure I could link back to it.
FenLex says
7:21 pm on 17/03/2009
Found it: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/03/10/national-post-editorial-board-taking-a-run-at-ticketmaster.aspx
Some interesting points made in the article.
Super Max says
9:17 pm on 17/03/2009
This subject annoys me too, all ebay does is set a realistic market price, if the event is selling out then obviously the tickets are too cheap.
I can’t understand why the promoters don’t run their own auction.
chris o'D says
9:54 pm on 17/03/2009
Tried to get tickets for the ‘one off’ day at wimbledon tennis last week – tickets sold in 4 mins.
If I can later get them on ebay so what?
The problem is as usual with the ticket distribution.
I am still unsure how 14,000 tickets can be sold in 4 mins
eBetsy says
10:13 pm on 17/03/2009
Excellent blog post by my fellow eBay anorak! She speaks truth to power!
Dave says
10:49 pm on 17/03/2009
yep, it’s simple – the tickets are underpriced to begin with. Set a fair initial value and there’d be no big percentage for the scalpers, plus the promoters and performers would get more.
DBL says
11:36 pm on 17/03/2009
So why aren’t the promoters selling on eBay, why is eBay slamed for being a selling platform? eBay don’t sell the tickets but people turn to eBay when they can’t get one, if they’re happy paying that much what’s the problem?
Wimbledon, 4 minutes, that may be the case, Wimbledon doesn’t have the same seating capacity in Centre Court as Wembley Stadium but it wouldn’t be Wimbledon then would it? It would be Wembley tennis
not the same ring 
eBetsy, my long distance friend, I’m working on June, trust me
In awe
Sue Bailey says
11:36 pm on 17/03/2009
Thanks for that, DBL!
Dan Wilson says
12:10 am on 18/03/2009
I must say I have bought bloody loads of gig tickets over the years on eBay. Have never been the victim of fraud and don’t much begrudge paying over the odds if I’m keen. I paid twice face value last year for ‘vampire weekend’.
That said, I have sometimes paid below face value on eBay. When venues/promoters, won’t refund… it’s a great way to get (at least) something for the tickets.
I saw Paul McCartney courtesy of last-minute tickets at just about half-price face value a few years back. It was a great gig.
FenLex says
7:09 am on 18/03/2009
#9 – The point about getting something back for non-refundable tickets is a good one.
Jimbo says
7:41 am on 18/03/2009
When new items are released for general sale (into the retail market) and are bought for the sole purpose of resale it is often considered to be profiteering, which has traditionally been seen in a negative light. It is my opinion that eBay should try and promote itself in a positive way.
Selling the odd ticket is not the same as making a living off the secondary market.
Lino says
9:25 am on 18/03/2009
Am I right in thinking that eBay banned the sale of tickets for the last World Cup on the site?
And will they be allowing tickets for the 2012 Olympics to be sold at huge profits?
How do they distinguish what is ok, and what isn’t?
board_surfer says
9:30 am on 18/03/2009
All football match tickets are banned from Ebay UK, those footie fans being a violent lot it is not good to mix them together {allegedly}
2012 tickets? Ebay will probably let them be sold but I can see the old 20% to charity rule being used. Unless Bob Geldof has anything to do with the olympics.
DBL says
9:34 am on 18/03/2009
#11 But isn’t that what being in business is all about? We all make a living on the secondary market, that’s just sales. But I see your point.
On the point of refunds, I bought a couple of Meatloaf tickets on eBay and the gig got cancelled last minute and was far outside the Paypal chargeback time limit. The seller would have got a refund via his payment method ie his credit/debit card. As my luck would have it, I bought from a seller with good feedback and he refunded me without question.
Mr DBL bought from ‘another ticket site’ paid twice face value and we didn’t get any tickets as they went out of business thanks to some Cliff Richard fans complaining to Watchdog (nothing else to say on that one).
So I’ve got to say I’d rather buy from eBay as you can see a sellers track record before they get onto Watchdog!
Eddie says
9:38 am on 18/03/2009
Its not often I get to pimp one of my websites on TameBay so here goes :
The selling of event tickets on eBay now for an advanced date, very often months ahead is a potential area for fraud. It is within ebay rules to do this, as event tickets are excluded from the eBay presale policy, but vey often the payment (made by Paypal) will fall outside of the allowed 45 day time frame for claims, the tickets may be treated as ‘intangible’, and if funded by Credit Card, then they may not allow a ChargeBack.
The solution (for buyers) is to use a UK based escrow service that is not only ‘recognised’ by GetSafeOnline but is also widely used by ScarletMist users – ScarletMist is a popular ticket exchange website, tickets are ‘sold’ only at face value, and since the option of buyers being able to use an escrow service, fraudulent ticket sales are almost zero, the odd ones that have lost money did not use an escrow service!
Maybe eBay should seriously ‘think about’ making available a useable UK based escrow service for its members, even if only for advanced sales of event tickets ?
Yes Dan – the saga still continues, eBay.co.uk does NOT provide a useable escrow service for its members!
Jimbo says
10:07 am on 18/03/2009
#14 The stock that I sell is usually is bought from wholesalers/manufacturers not from retail outlets. Some people think buying a retail product to resell as ceasing an opportunity but I personally see it as being a pikey practice. eBay’s ticket sales is just an attempt to legitimize ticket touting, As with so many things nowadays the internet is the great enabler.
Peter says
1:13 pm on 18/03/2009
I feel that ebay and paypal do not do enough to protect buyers.
The 45 day paypal protection is not good enough.
There cover should run till the event has taken place so that buyers can get refunded if an event is cancelled.
ebay have neglected the ticket category for some years now. they have now been overtaken by new companies like Seatwave + Getmein.
Is there even a category manager for the ticket section? It’s news to me if there is!
ebay id Ticket-Wiz
Jimbo says
1:48 pm on 18/03/2009
ceasing = seizing