Buying Tix? Service Fees!!!

[smartin737]

Someone mentioned in a thread about ticket price trends that TicketCity charges over $150 in "service fees" per ticket bought. I checked, and sure enough--they charge the buyer 22% in fees!
For a pair of Crazy-enough $800 tickets, that tacks on over $350 more, putting your bill at just over $1950.
Guess I'll be shoppin' at eBay or somewhere else.
I'll check StubHub out to see what their deal is, too.

 

[smartin737]

OK...quick-posting under my own thread (is that like talking to yourself?).
StubHub charges 10% plus $12 for shipping. Big difference on a $1600 purchase, but still silly high IMO.
Total bill for $1600 purchase: $1772
Maybe tomorrow I'll check into eBay's fees.

 

[todobravo]

You will pay no fees on Ebay. That's they way to go IMO. Just make sure the seller has excellent feedback and you'll be aight.

 

[4Horns]

Razor Gator is 10% also.

 

[Ignatius]

It pisses me off that scalpers do that. If you're asking for $900 for a seat, say it's $900 upfront. Do they not think you're going to notice the 'extra' $200 when you pay?

 

[Santafe]

Yes, the "service fees" can be or are outrageous, but bear in mind that any legitimate ticket seller offers a buyer's guarantee, which, as in the case with StubHub (for example), means that your purchase is protected against fraud, cancellation, and counterfeiting:

(1) You will get your tickets in time for the event;
(2) Your tickets will be authentic and valid for entry;
(3) You will receive tickets comparable to or better than the tickets you ordered, or your money back; and
(4) You will be refunded if the event is cancelled and is not rescheduled.

Now, if you buy from a total stranger (e.g., let's call him Joe Sixpack), what are the chances you WON'T get taken? Let me tell you, they're definately more than zero.

 

[Texas Jack]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[Santafe]

Let’s get this straight first.

RULE NO. 1: There is nobody on earth that will EVER agree to refund you airfare, meals, and hotel expenses if you accidentally/intentionally buy a counterfeit ticket.

RULE NO. 2: If you buy from a ticket broker, always buy from a ticket broker/company who is a member of the NATB and BBB. (Even this won’t guarantee 100% certainty of satisfaction, but you’ll certainly weed-out all of the fly-by-nights.)

RULE NO. 3: Buy from a company that has a long established track record of selling tickets to your particular venue. (For example, Barry’s Tickets have been selling Rose Bowl tickets for over 25 years. They have five Los Angeles offices and are good-standing members of the National Association of Ticket Brokers and the Better Business Bureau. More importantly, Barry’s Ticket Service is also part of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau!)

Yes, there are pitfalls even with StubHub. Although StubHub offers buyers its “FanProtect Guarantee” in the event that tickets are invalid, or are not honored by the venue, to invoke this Guarantee, the buyer must first obtain independent confirmation from the venue that the tickets are invalid. Upon receipt of this confirmation, StubHub will refund the full purchase price to the buyer, including all service fees and handling charges. But here is the bad part: This guarantee is limited to two claims, or a lifetime maximum of $1,000.

But you’ll get no guarantee whatsoever when you purchase from a stranger.

The caveat emptor rule always applies.

 

[Pericles]

StubHub charges total fees that equal over 25% of the ticket price (26.5%, to be exact, if the seller ups his price by 15% to cover his own fees). And most sellers add their 15% fee to the price they want for their tickets. Buyers then pay a 10% fee on top of that 115% cost.

So, in terms of pure statistics, you'd have to be ripped off more than once in every four transactions to do worse than the high fees that brokers like StubHub and RazorGator charge.

I've NEVER been ripped off and I've bought tickets on Craigslist and on eBay for a number of years. I've never been ripped off because I've asked the sellers a LOT of questions before bidding on eBay, or before meeting them for the exchange after a sale on Craigslist -- to be as certain as I could that they were legitimate owners of valid tickets.

There's always a risk of getting ripped off -- even through brokers. And if the tickets you buy through a broker are counterfeit, you likely won't know until you get to the Rose Bowl entrance gate. At that point, that broker "guarantee" won't get you into the stadium. You MIGHT get your money back weeks later.

Just make sure you can verify the home address and telephone number of a Craigslist seller. Look them up on:

www.whitepages.com

Ask to see their driver license and copy their name and number down. Take another person with you to the exchange.

Try to find somebody who is a season ticket holder who has a legitimate ticket and examine it to see the identifying markings like the "Citi BCS Pasadena 2010" hologram on the front. If you already have tickets and are trying to buy additional ones, take one of yours with you to the exchange and compare it to the one being sold.

And just trust your instincts. If the eBay seller won't answer thoroughly all the questions you submit re the tickets, just bid on some other ones.

Same for the Craigslist seller. See if you can meet the Craisgslist seller at their home. If somebody is hesitant about that meeting place, back off and find another seller.

All of the people I've ever bought tickets from on Craiglist were nice people who were quite open about why they were selling, and they were quite understanding that I wanted to verify their legitimacy before shelling out big bucks.

There are a LOT of ways to narrow the possibility of being ripped off. You just have to put a bit of work into protecting yourself.

And if you do, you won't be paying those outrageous fees StubHub and other ticket brokers charge.

 

[overmaars]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[mexahorn]

You can try Bigredtickets.com ...from what I saw there, they don't charge ridiculous fees...really just shipping.

 

[4Horns]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[BevoGary]

Just got one on eBay for $579 with Seller having 100% Feedback. Offered to meet me locally. No shipping, no fees!