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I love nostalgia. 

Recently, a friend of mine named Dave shared a story about how he and some friends basically controlled the entire ticket market in their town by camping out in front of the local record store.   They were able to get about 20 friends to line up in front of all the Ticketmaster outlets in town, before most of the outlets even knew the Grateful Dead were coming for a show!

Those were the good old days.  When no one bought tickets over the phone or Internet.  And real fans and entrepreneurs could buy tickets if they were willing to sleep on the sidewalk for a few days.

Nowadays, very few tickets are sold through Ticketmaster Outlets. 

Some buyers have abandoned the outlets because it’s simply inconvenient.  Why drive to an outlet, when you can buy them over the telephone or Internet? 

Others realize that unless you are first in line, your chances are slim of buying tickets.  After all, 1000’s are logging in while the lady at the front of your line is writing a check, or counting pennies, or simply can’t decide what section is best.

There is also a long standing belief that the people working at the Ticketmaster Outlets may be taking bribes from Brokers or friends to influence who gets the bets seats.

For those of you who still purchase at Ticketmaster Outlets - here are a few tips:

1.  You can now use credit cards for purchasing tickets at Ticketmaster Outlets.  For years, cash was the only accepted form of payment.

2.  No more camping out!  Now big events are handled by giving everyone a numbered bracelet, or placard.  They randomly pick one number, and that becomes the first person in line.  For example, eveyone lines up in the order they arrive.   Each person is given a number in sequential order, 1-100.  The Ticketmaster representative pulls a random number.  Let’s say they draw #50.  Then 50 becomes first in line, and so on.

3.  Because there is no camping out  - the best strategy is to have as many people as you know come with you - and space yourself out in line.  One of you should be #1, someone should be #25, #50, and #75.  This means, no matter what number they pick - you will be within 25 of the front of the line.  If the same people lined up #1-#4, and #5 was picked, you could be 95 spaces from the front!  There is no reason to get to the Ticketmaster outlet more than 1 hour before the tickets go on sale.

4.  If you don’t have anyone to bring with you - recruit people there!  Find a few other people like you, agree to split up, and buy tickets together.  You will all increase your chances for better tickets.

5.  Even if you decide to buy tickets in person - try calling Ticketmaster while in line at the retail outlet.  It can’t hurt to multi-task!  Use these tips and techniques to make sure you get through on the phone.

6.  Most cities only have a few Ticketmaster Outlets.  Choose the one that the least people may know about.  For example, there is one where we live that is located in a downtown store where all the surrounding businesses are closed on the weekend.  We also have one in the city’s Visitor’s Center.  You may also be able to find one in a neighboring town, or just over the state line if you live near a border.  Use this tool to find Ticketmaster Retail locations near you.

Thanks for the nostalgic reminder Dave.  Feel free to visit Dave at The Macro Trader and Blog Raters.

This is a very common question.  Buyers and Sellers want to know if it is illegal to sell tickets over face value.

This simple question is really 3 questions:

1.  Is it illegal to sell tickets over face value?

2.  Is it illegal to buy tickets over face value?

3.   What is the likelihood I will be prosecuted?

Answers:  Maybe, Maybe, and Maybe.

The laws on buying and selling tickets vary by state, but most states allow sellers to set their own pricing, and buyers to decide how much they want the tickets.

In fact, several states including Florida, New York, and Connecticut have recently repealed their laws against “scalping.”  Some repealed the laws because it is hypocritical to say citizens can buy a house, car, baseball card, artwork or a mutual fund and sell it for a profit - but tickets cannot be sold for a profit.

Other states repealed the laws because they were ineffective against sales made over state lines.  Even when states laws do apply, it is very expensive and time consuming to try and investigate an Internet sale of tickets over face value.  It’s much more cost effective to arrest a dozen or so sellers at a game than it would be to locate a dozen sellers online.

But the single biggest reason states are making “scalping” legal is that it actually lowers the average cost of the tickets on the secondary market.

What?

I know - this is counter-intuitive, but consider the following:

1.  When it is illegal, only a few individuals will risk buying the tickets for the purpose of resale.  Because only a few have tickets for sale, and plenty of people still want them, prices go soaring.  (Small supply, large demand.)  Think of illegal drugs.  They would be much cheaper if legalized.  Or alcohol.  During prohibition in the United States, when alcohol was illegal, prices soared making criminals very wealthy.

2.  Making it legal means more people will buy tickets for the purpose of resale.  More tickets in the hands of resellers means higher supply and greater competition.  Increased competition always leads to lower prices because no one wants to have tickets left after the show starts.

3.  More sellers in the market inevitably means mistakes will be made.  New sellers might actually buy too many tickets for an event.  As the event nears, they are forced to lower their price below face value.  In this scenario, the fans pays less than if they bought it direct.  A great example is the NFL.  At least 30% of the games each season can be bought at face value or lower. 

Because I am not an attorney, I cannot give you legal advice.  I can direct you to a great link that will tell you the laws as they relate to you as a Buyer or Seller.

eBay is the largest marketplace for reselling tickets, and therefore has a great tool to help Buyers and Sellers (and eBay) stay legal.

You just need to answer if you are the buyer or seller, where the event is located, and if you reside in the same state as the event.  Click a button and you know your legal fate!

Check it out here:  http://pages.ebay.com/buyselltickets/rules.html

When we first decided we wanted to learn more about buying and selling Tickets - we didn’t really know where to start.

That was 10 years ago.  Years before eBay and StubHub were as huge as they are today.

We contacted a few Ticket Brokers and learned that they hire people to “pull tickets.”   Since many shows have residency requirements, or rules on how many tickets one person can purchase, Brokers use other people to buy tickets for them.

It’s quite simple.  The Brokers usually email their “pullers” the day before the tickets go on sale.  The email contains everything the “puller” would need to buy tickets for the Broker the next day. 

Here is an example:

Hannah Montana, Verizon Center - Washington, DC, On sale 10am tomorrow, Show Date 1/7/08.  Buy any floors Floors, and first 10 rows of lower level.  Even pairs only, no singles.  Ship 2nd day.  $10 per ticket Floors.  $7 per ticket lowers.  Will take all you can buy.

The “puller” simply logs in and buys everything he can that meets the Brokers requirements.

Once the tickets arrive at the “pullers” address, they are reshipped to the Broker.

The Broker pays the “puller” for the tickets costs, convenience charges, fees, shipping, etc and also tacks on the commission stated above.

Usually the ‘puller” is paid in full within 7 days of the original ticket purchase.

Let’s say the ticket puller had 2 credit cards, and the event  had an 8 ticket limit.  And he got lucky and was able to pull all floor seats.  He could make $160 (2 cards x 8 tickets per card x $10 per ticket.)   Let’s say he had one credit card, and only bought 4 tickets, and the tickets were lower level.  Still $28 (1 card x 4 tickets x $7 per ticket.) 

Buying the tickets takes about 5-10 minutes.  Reshipping them is another 5-10 minutes.  $28-$160 for 20 minutes of work.

The best part is you have NO risk.  The Broker has told you that he wants specific tickets, and he has told you what he will pay for them.  You don’t have to worry about anything the broker has to worry about (laws, demand for tickets, marketing, etc.)  It takes all the guesswork and risk out of the equation.

The other big advantage to starting out this way is that you will learn a ton about what shows to buy, what seats to focus on, and some trick and tips for how to get the seats.  Once you get your free education, and build up your startup capital - you can start buying and selling for yourself.

If you are interested, call or email a few Brokers.  Simply ask them if they ever hire people to “pull” tickets.  Explain that you are interested in working with them.  It’s that simple.

Good Luck!