3 ms·

I always thought "scalpers" just added a service charge, like ticket master.

by fleitz 17y ago

telemachos 17y ago
(Long shaggy dog story - you've been warned.) June 5th, 1999: The New York Knicks are playing the Indiana Pacers in the NBA playoffs. At the time, I'm living in New Jersey, and I'm heading into Penn Station to go home. A scalper walks up to me (and everyone else, I suppose) and offers me a ticket to the game. The ticket's stamped price is $100 (maybe $125). The scalper wants $450. I think about it, think about it, think about it. I pass. Hours later, with just over 6 seconds left in the game, Larry Johnson wins it for the Knicks with an amazing, once in a decade 4-point play. I'm at home, jumping up and down, screaming. (Links below for the play.) So, yeah, that's a service charge, but not quite like Ticket Master. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/playoffs/eastern/news/1999/06/05/pacers_knicks_game3/ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/playoff... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3pGGjdBzns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3pGGjdBzns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA7JVEHbuG4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA7JVEHbuG4 (Less drama, more basketball version of the video)
- Vivtek 17y ago
  Damn but that was a good game. That was the one and only time I've ever listened to a sports event of any nature on the radio, and I managed to get to a TV just in time for that play of Johnson's - fantastic even though I was in Indiana and rooting for the Pacers! Thanks for reminding me of that. Wow!
- matwood 17y ago
  If it wasn't for the scalper though you probably wouldn't have even had the option to go it you had wanted to.
blhack 17y ago
Scalpers are the people you'd see standing outside of a sporting event selling tickets at a markup. It works out because if you don't care about the beginning, you can often times score them for very cheap. There was a beer tasting event I went to a few months ago where tickets were ~$60. I showed up really really late (I was the designated driver anyhow) and got mine for something like $15 (which was cheaper than what the promoter was offering the "designated driver" tickets [which don't allow you to drink the beer] for).
ubernostrum 17y ago
Traditionally, yes. Scalpers constituted a small fraction of the market and were largely doing temporal arbitrage: there will be a certain number of people willing to pay a higher price on Day N than on Day N-X (where Day N-X is when tickets originally went on sale). Modern scalping constitutes a far larger fraction of the market, and consists entirely of artificially limiting supply. You don't think those pop teen idol concerts would really naturally sell out in 30 seconds, do you? That happens because somebody's running an automated system that hammers the online purchase form.

I always thought "scalpers" just added a service charge, like ticket master.

by fleitz 17y ago

I always thought "scalpers" just added a service charge, like ticket master.

(Long shaggy dog story - you've been warned.) June 5th, 1999: The New York Knicks are playing the Indiana Pacers in the NBA playoffs. At the time, I'm living in New Jersey, and I'm heading into Penn Station to go home. A scalper walks up to me (and everyone else, I suppose) and offers me a ticket to the game. The ticket's stamped price is $100 (maybe $125). The scalper wants $450. I think about it, think about it, think about it. I pass. Hours later, with just over 6 seconds left in the game, Larry Johnson wins it for the Knicks with an amazing, once in a decade 4-point play. I'm at home, jumping up and down, screaming. (Links below for the play.) So, yeah, that's a service charge, but not quite like Ticket Master. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/playoffs/eastern/news/1999/06/05/pacers_knicks_game3/ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/playoff... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3pGGjdBzns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3pGGjdBzns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA7JVEHbuG4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA7JVEHbuG4 (Less drama, more basketball version of the video)

Vivtek 17y ago
Damn but that was a good game. That was the one and only time I've ever listened to a sports event of any nature on the radio, and I managed to get to a TV just in time for that play of Johnson's - fantastic even though I was in Indiana and rooting for the Pacers! Thanks for reminding me of that. Wow!
matwood 17y ago
If it wasn't for the scalper though you probably wouldn't have even had the option to go it you had wanted to.

blhack 17y ago

Scalpers are the people you'd see standing outside of a sporting event selling tickets at a markup. It works out because if you don't care about the beginning, you can often times score them for very cheap. There was a beer tasting event I went to a few months ago where tickets were ~$60. I showed up really really late (I was the designated driver anyhow) and got mine for something like $15 (which was cheaper than what the promoter was offering the "designated driver" tickets [which don't allow you to drink the beer] for).

ubernostrum 17y ago

Traditionally, yes. Scalpers constituted a small fraction of the market and were largely doing temporal arbitrage: there will be a certain number of people willing to pay a higher price on Day N than on Day N-X (where Day N-X is when tickets originally went on sale). Modern scalping constitutes a far larger fraction of the market, and consists entirely of artificially limiting supply. You don't think those pop teen idol concerts would really naturally sell out in 30 seconds, do you? That happens because somebody's running an automated system that hammers the online purchase form.