Why don't eBay ban ticket touts?
 

I'm just about to leave for work this morning and my brother rings me "I've just heard Pearl Jam are playing a small club date in London and tickets go on sale in half an hour. I can't get to a computer, you MUST find a way to get some!" I jump for joy, as it's been six years since PJ came to England.

But despite having two different ticket sellers open on my computer (every few seconds *refresh*) and a phone to my ear, tickets sell out straight away and I'm left late for work with nothing to show for it.

BUT what really pisses me off is that literally minutes after the show sold out about 40 listings popped up on eBay, some of them selling six or more tickets despite the limit being two. There's about a 100 tickets for sale on there at the moment, all at ridculous prices.

How the hell do they get these and why do eBay allow it?

Fair enough to lose out to other fans, but to a bunch of greedy, evil scalpers?

I wish ticket companies and promoters would do something to stop it (like having your name on the ticket perhaps?) but most of all I wish eBay would stop the auctions. But I suppose, since they are getting some of the money, I doubt they care.

What do you all think?

I personally think scalpers have a backdoor to buy blocks of tickets that consumers don't have access to. They would have to to get the tickets so quickly. I don't know, that's just my suspicion.

I think you're right, I'd just love to know how the hell they do it or who they know.
AND they have them up so quickly after they go on sale too.
It just pisses me off to see a £30 ticket being sold at a starting price of £300 or more.

I've never had an experience like that but I can imagine how mad I would be. It's absolutely not fair. As you say, with other fans, whatever, but not otherwise.
Remember what happened with Live 8?

Hope you get your tix in the end mate. :xoxo:

Thanks Sahara, you are a sweetie :)
Part of me is tempted just to buy one on eBay but I also resent having to do that and give the money to an evil scalper or greedy opportunist.
Oh well. If Stevie announced European dates, I'm sure that would help me get over the disappointment! Stevie are you listening?

I have a feeling they pay more for them than the face value which is why they get the backdoor deal. Again, its just a hunch and I have no proof.

We need to get someone in Ticketmaster, or whatever company, undercover and figure this out! :lol:

While I definitely agree...
 

eBay will never ban ticket profiteers since eBay makes a percentage off their take (Not including listing fees, etc.) so as long as the $$$$ talks the BS will walk (Try looking at the live bootleg recordings on eBay, The same thing is also allowed in their regard as are the ticket profiteers.)

Interesting, and that would explain it.
I wonder if any of them use some kind of software that allows them to buy up a lot of tickets quickly at once. That could be another explanation.

And Brian, you're right about eBay, so maybe it's up to the bands themselves to try and stop this kind of thing. What's frustrating about this PJ gig is that often they sell tickets to small shows like this through their fan club and any tickets sold on eBay that were bought through that are usually cancelled.

My experience has been that the promoter has been involved in getting tickets to ticket agencies along with people involved with the venue. Ebay is just an additional outlet for the ticket agency to sell their tickets.

When I was in college (many years ago) I actually worked at a head shop in San Diego (anyone remember The Trip?) that over time evolved into a ticket agency. The owner had connections with the venues and big promoters to get tickets in advance of when they went on sale. This was before you could buy tickets online and had to stand in line for tickets or sit on the phone hoping to get through. I always wondered why the best seats were already gone when I was first in line to buy them. The owner would even use our home addresses to have the tickets sent to. He would also hire the homeless to stand in line at the venue to get the tickets when they went on sale. Most of us hated the scalping concept (we didn't mind selling bongs just not inflated ticket prices) and quit once ticket sales became the main focus of the stores.

Pisses me off, too. And I'm sure they have a back door. Sorry Sharon. :(
I wonder if there is anyone ticketmaster or ebay could be answerable to on this?

:shocked: Wow. V. interesting. Thanks for that! I guess the touts don't need to stand in line these days since most sales are done over the internet.

I don't think complaining would do much good unfortunately Amber. EBay don't care, since they make a profit on the sales (and remember they practically had to be shamed into taking off the Live 8 free charity tickets that people were ruthlessly selling on there) and I doubt Ticketmaster care either, as long as the tickets are sold.

My friend emailed one seller on eBay who was offering up 10 tickets (the limit to buy on Ticketmaster was two per person) and asked how he had got his hands on so many tickets. The seller mailed him back and said he had a contact at Ticketmaster. :(
I suspected it, but it sucks some people are so money-grabbing.
There's no way I'm gonna get tickets now it seems.
Pairs of tickets for the gig are going for £600+ on there at the moment.

Here's the real bull****!:mad: WHen venues stopped letting people camp out for tickets a few years back it was supposedly to prevent scalpers from paying bums to wait in line so they could get the best seats. That worked out real good huh?