So, I just received an email from the Boston Red Sox - it informed me that unfortunately, I hadn't been selected to receive an opportunity to purchase tickets to Opening Day, Patriots Day, or any of the Yankees games for the upcoming 2007 season.The biggest reason why I'm not able to attempt to go to a game this year? StubHub. StubHub is an online ticket broker. They're one of Inc. Magazine's Top 10 growing businesses. And they're scalpers. Why doesn't the federal government intervene? I mean, at least uphold existing laws that say that you can't profit more than 10% on tickets you have purchased for yourself!
It's gotten so bad that StubHub is selling Monster Seat tickets for $2300 - that's a 2000% increase - that's not a misprint - and they're not even on sale yet: http://www.stubhub.com/boston-red-sox-tickets/?ticket_id=81677572
StubHub must be stopped. The government needs to intervene and figure out a way to fairly distribute tickets to fans. Screw the steroids scandal at this point - this is worse.
UPDATE: Read the comments section for a rather large "clarification"
13 comments:
Patterson, you are ingnorant to the facts my man. Rarely do I respond to blogs (thus not having an account), but when I see someone out there saying things that they have no education on, I feel I must educate.
StubHub is a marketplace. They dont even own any tickets! StubHub is not selling at that price, some fan or ticket broker is.
I bought tickets on StubHub last year for under face value for some events. Does it still suck then when you get a great deal? StubHub is not a ticket broker. When I cant go to some of the Penn State games that I am a season ticket holder for, I can get some of my money back by selling on StubHub.
This place allows tickets to be sold for fair market value. You want the government to intervene? Move to communist Russia.
There is a reason Ebay bought StubHub. It is the best and truest marketplace for tickets out there.
Okay, even if my facts are off - an Inc. 500 company shouldn't be offering a safe haven for scalpers. There should be guidelines in place that force sellers to sell their tickets at no more than 10% of face value. You want to scalp your tickets? Go trying selling them for $2300 apiece standing outside Fenway.
In short:
StubHub :: Scalpers
Afghanistan :: Terrorists
Huh? The biggest reason you can't get monster tickets is StubHub??? Why not blame global warming? Get real, the biggest reason you can't get monster tickets is for every seat that exists, fifty or more people want it. The lucky winner goes away happy and forty-nine Sox fans, like you are pissed. Now, the real question - if you are one of the 49 who still really wants to get in and the lucky one does not want to give up their priceless ticket, how do you convince them to? - offer them a bunch of money! Prices are high because that is what fans are willing to pay. No one is holding a gun to the buyer's head. If you are not willing or able to pay up so be it. Lots of people clearly are. Get back in the lottery line and hope for better luck next year.
Ummm - NO. The reason why I can't get tickets is because scalpers are using hundreds of faux email accounts in order to better their chances. And they're only interested in creating false demand in order to drive ticket prices higher. Are you really this oblivious?
If you want to sell your tickets, sell them at the LEGAL RATE. That way, a family of four can actually attend a game for under $9,200.
I guess your whole point here is to be controversial. We get it. You are unhappy everyone can't go to Fenway for $10 a ticket. Some street scalper probably sold you a bad ticket once. Thus your statements based on bad facts or no facts. Thus smacking down each comment rather than letting your readers engage in a multi-way debate. IS THIS BILL O'REILLY'S BLOG? For a more intelligent example of how this topic is being debated by no less passionate people see http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2007/01/29/sports_fans_victims_thanks_to_stubhub_le
that's not true...the Red Sox did a very good job of weeding out the scalpers this time around...I know people who entered several hundred times under different identities and got ZERO tickets. I also know people who entered thrice and got tickets...and don't kid yourself...the same fans that bitch from time to time are turning around and selling for big profits when they do get tickets. Fact of the matter is the more sellers there are, the cheaper seats are...without stubhub and ebay, there would be a few large brokers fixing prices and then it would be VERY expensive. It's ok though, a lot of people share the same misconceptions as you do.
Ha ha ha! Wow, just wondering - how much experience does it take to get a job as StubHub's fluffer?
Also - re: controversial? "Move to communist Russia" - you're 2 seconds away from calling me a pinko because I want the Feds to support the laws in place. StubHub should be fined, at the very least.
Lastly - re: fact-checking? Get over it - this isn't Meet the Press. I honestly don't have time to do thorough investigations on the matter. I wrote a 3-minute rant on StubHub. I was wrong about some of the facts, and recanted. End of story.
I apologize for being gruff with you, dude. Whoever you are. I just can't stand to see this happen year in, year out. Even though I was completely wrong about the facts (I was more or less repeating what I heard on Channel 7 News, no lie) - the fact remains that Craigslist, EBay, and StubHub have made it easier for scalpers to get away with illegal activity. If the government is going to crack down on online gambling, they should also crack down on online scalping.
I've got no problem with you selling your tickets on StubHub, but I do have a problem with scalpers using fake email IDs to get Sox tickets, then flipping them on StubHub for a 2000% markup.
It's ridiculous. It's wrong. It should stop.
haha - I think anonymous is the guy on the corner selling tix. I actually agree with both of you and none of you at the same time.
Scalpers do suck and companies out there who "legitimately" sell tix are full of shite. They claim they have operating costs which they ad to the price of tix *cough* BS *cough* they are scammers.
On the other hand I bought a bunch of tix last year, and re-sold them on Ebay and made over 600!!! Hells yeah baby!! Supply and demand!
Fenway sucks - I took that 600 - went to a bar and had a much much better time.
See, this whole problem would have been solved if 'we' would have built a NL staduim on the water and let the Expos come - I would be all about the NL for half-price tix and cheaper beer.
Oh my God, you are so spot-on about that call, Bomber. I was hoping to see some NL ball in Boston.
I could care less about StubHub or whoever. The fact is most tickets resold come from Sox season ticketholders who simply do not attend 81 home games. Nonetheless this rant about the bogeymen "scalpers" has been entertaining. Makes me afraid to look under my bed.
Yeah, so...now I have a real dilemma. I ended up winning a chance to buy tickets to Opening Day/Patriot's Day/any Yankees game this year...me and my big mouth.
Ha ha. Now do me a favor. Go to StubHub or eBay and see what buyers are willing to pay, i.e. see what the market value of your tickets is. Then, when you are selling them for your self-imposed 10% limit over face value (plus convenience fees, right?) and they get snapped up immediately, you will know how much you are leaving on the table. I guess "scalping" is in the eye of the ticketholder :) I respect you, dude, for pointing out the irony of how your view of the world changes when you have two in your hand! With the internet, everyone can be a reseller whether they originally intended to or not.
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