warrrreagl

Okay, the basics are clear. Buy a bunch of tickets and re-sell them at a higher price for a profit. That much I've got.

However, I've been to sporting events in several states, and I've got some further basic questions about similar practices I keep seeing:

1) Why do they all hold up signs that say "I Need Tickets" to everybody? No one has a sign that says "I'll buy your tickets," or "Sell me your damn tickets" or anything else. It's always exactly the same wording: "I Need Tickets."

Is there an ordinance regulating the wording of their scalping request? Did they have a national convention and come to a nationwide consensus as to what should be printed on the little signs?

2) Why are the little signs saying "I Need Tickets" always hand-written on torn-off cardboard box flaps. Are they prevented from using paper or poster-board?

3) Is there one main scalper guy who controls all the other little guys out there, or are they all independent business men? Obviously, I'm not talking about the casual fan who needs to unload his wife's extra ticket; I'm talking about the serious scalpers.

4) Why do they keep buying tickets from patrons outside the gate after the event has started? Even if they're only giving $5 for the tickets, what in the hell can they possibly do with a giant stack of unused tickets? Does the "Main Man" pay them back for any unsold tickets?

For the record, I live in Alabama where scalping is perfectly legal. However, these are practices I see no matter where I go.

And I've just always been massively curious about how they all seem to operate in identical fashion no matter where you go.

__________________
Living is easy with eyes closed.

gov135

Some folks refer to organizations such as Ticketmaster as "legitimate" scalping.

I dunno about any exact wording, though intuition would tell you it's because if the person is harassed by law enforcement, he or she can just say "I just need tickets for the game." Which would not be illegal. Also, the guys with the signs don't actually carry the tickets on them. It must be a legal thing.

One of the more creative methods I've seen is buying "artwork." The person selling the tickets sells a ticket attached to a piece of paper with "artwork" on it.

There was a long line at Kinko's? I don't know about this either.

All independent business men. For example, you have season tickets to all Alabama games provided by the university (you are a student). You know who to sell them to, just like you know who your bookie is. I've dealt with alot of two man teams (see below).

According to some, Ticketmaster is the organized mob of the scalping world.

Scalpers are stuck with what they can't unload. However, they continue to buy tickets well after the game has started for two reasons:
1. They can get them really cheaply then.
2. After the game has started is the best time to buy, so alot of people are looking to buy tickets at a discount. Finally, don't forget, it seems more and more people don't actually show up until after the third inning or into the first half.

Yes, the laws are different from state to state. I know whenever the Superbowl comes to New Orleans, for instance, scalpers cringe. They are hunted down with undercovers there. In Ohio, I think you are left alone as long as you are discreet. I've bought tickets from scalpers to Ohio State football games, Akron Aeros (minor league) baseball, and everything in between.

Usually in Ohio, herre is how the game works: You go up to one of the "I need tickets" guys and tell him you are interested in tickets. He tells you who to go see - usually his buddy not more than twenty yards away. His buddy will have no sign. Haggle first for the tickets you can get. I've found most scalpers have great seats available (from season ticket holders not attending) but they will try to unload the crappier ones earlier. After you've settled on the tickets, haggle on price. Before you walk away, make sure the seats are together and the ticket dates are right. Don't be in a hurry, and use common sense.

Of course, there is a new method for scalping, it's called Ebay. In alot of states, it's illegal to sell above face value, but you'll notice alot of people pledge to give the proceeds to charity. This is, of course, probably bullshit. But you can more easily get ripped of on-line - so make sure you are dealing with a reputable dealer.

warrrreagl

What a great response, gov. Although I had to lay down awhile after I read that part about me having season tickets to Alabama games.

The very idea!

__________________
Living is easy with eyes closed.

Liquor Dealer

What is most agravating about scalpers is that it makes tickets unaffordable to the average buyer. For example - tickets to the Kansas Speedway are $ 145 a set (one Busch & one Nascar ticket) the race is sold out forever - for all practical purposes. There are never any tickets available - they are supposedly adding 30,000 seats a year but those are apparently already sold. My rant - either the people who own Kansas Speedway are content to settle for much less than what the tickets would bring, just so they are "sold out", or they approve of the massive scalping that goes on by making the tickets available in large numbers to scalpers. There needs to be a limit as to the number of tickets one can buy, or something so that everyone has an opporunity to buy them. If state laws against scalping were enforced this would stop. Ticket outlets like Ticketmaster and those who sell tickets on E-Bay for more than face value are violating state law in most states and enforcement of these laws would end the practice.

__________________
Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, sometimes it's more like a jar of Jalapenos --- what you say or do today might burn your ass tomorrow!!!

The_Dude

i see lots of people (i mean LOTS) tryin to sell tickets before the UT home games. there are security people everywhere inside the stadium, but i dont think they care.

these people just hold up their tickets, but dont really advertise.

i heard that the dallas police (or maybe somebody else) was really cracking up on scalpers (who were mostly from oklahoma/attends OU) in the red river shootout.

__________________
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal

MontanaXVI

I have always wondered about scalping myself, supposedly it is illegal (or not) depending on where you live to do this, yet I can look in the newspaper at "ticket brokers" not ticketmaster and buy premium seats to these events for a outrageous fee, prime example my gf got me 2 tickets to a 49ers panthers game a few years ago and paid waaaay over face value, but it is legal because she went through one of these brokers such as hottickets etc,

__________________
Spank you very much

Liquor Dealer

I don't think they were from the OU side because everyone I know was looking for tickets at almost any price before they drove to Dallas and took their chances with the scalpers. Tickets are damned scarce for that game.

__________________
Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, sometimes it's more like a jar of Jalapenos --- what you say or do today might burn your ass tomorrow!!!

The_Dude

i was just makin fun of OU cuz we definately cant make fun of their performance on the field.

__________________
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal

crfpilot

I was laughing my ass off reading your post because it is so true. When I worked at the Pond I saw these guys with the torn off box flap "I need tickets" every night.

jerseyboy

The thing with ticket brokers is that they are usually located in an area where scalping is not illegal. My fathers company has rangers and knicks season tickets. They usually sold them to a ticket broker whose office was located in New Jersey because scalping is illegal in NY.

Midlandmadman

Last time i went to a baseball game..... my brother in law was suprized that there were no scalpers.... I explained to him that

1. Its illegal.

and more importantly,


2. We were going to see the Detroit Tigers so noone in their right mind would buy a scalped ticket when you can walk up and buy oh 30,000 or more before they ever became sold out.

__________________
Its good to be back.

warrrreagl

As an afterthought to revive this scalping thread, one of my students had an encounter with counterfeit tickets this past weekend for the Auburn-Georgia game. He and his wife bought two seats in the upper deck on the 40-yard line for $300 right outside the stadium (face value $80/pair). When they arrived at their row, their seat numbers did not exist and the guy at the end told them they were the fourth couple looking for those non-existent seats. When comparing the tickets, they noticed they were perfect reproductions except for the eagle hologram (which was missing).

My wife and I are planning to drive to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game and find tickets outside the dome, but now I'm worried about counterfeits. I don't go to the Georgia Dome often enough to recognize a counterfeit when I see one, so I need a strategy.

What are some good suggestions for being sure we're not buying counterfeits?

__________________
Living is easy with eyes closed.

boom29

Not that I can be of much help, but ask them to show you all their tickets. If they seem to have a nice range of tickets then chances are they're legit. If they say that's all they have, then I'd be a little worried. Also, go online the day before/of the game and check the seating chart. Have a general idea of what the seat numbers are like, how far they go, etc. Along with that I would also check e-bay or some other service that has pictures of the tickets so you have a good idea of what the ticket will look like. If its an expensive ticket, chances are that it will have a hologram.

Again, I'm not really an expert at this, but this are some things that I look for when I know I'm going to get scalped tickets.

quicksteal

I was talking to people on Monday who said they encountered people selling paper tickets to Auburn's student section ($50 apiece)--obviously fake to those who know that student tickets are on university ID cards. This was the first time I've heard anything like this at Auburn, and it had better be the last. Those greedy pigs should be in JAIL.

As for the tickets you're talking about, I find it interesting that the workers at the gate let your friends into the game. boom29 gave good advice...if you're watching out for counterfeits, then there's less of a chance that you'll get taken.

Have fun in Atlanta, and War Eagle!