6 ms·

I've got into ticket scalping lately. It's not legal in many states but it is completely legal in my state as long as you do it online and conduct business usin

by rms 18y ago

I've got into ticket scalping lately. It's not legal in many states but it is completely legal in my state as long as you do it online and conduct business using your real name. Check your local laws. It is really, really easy. All you do is check http://ticketstumbler.com/blog/ http://ticketstumbler.com/blog/ for upcoming sales and refresh ticketmaster at 10AM when they're on sale. I don't use a script, though a simple one to get you direct to the CAPTCHA would save 2 seconds which definitely makes a difference in quality of seats. Some intuition about what will be instant sellouts is needed. This is the best one going on soon: a legendary performer known for rarely touring and he is playing tiny venues. http://www.ticketmaster.com/Leonard-Cohen-tickets/artist/733217?tm_link=tm_homeA_k1 http://www.ticketmaster.com/Leonard-Cohen-tickets/artist/733... Don't buy seats at the back of large amphitheaters unless it is for Phish. It's easiest to sell on Stubhub but using Craiglist can add 8-10% to your margins. It's annoying to have to email/call back and forth with the people though.

fallentimes 18y ago
Ha, we actually created that to add transparency and because most of the presale blogs out there are spammy. But since you brought up the topic: -Dividing metropolitan area by venue capacity is a good indication of how in demand a given set of tickets will be (all else equal). -Google insights is also an excellent indicator of what's popular: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=concert%20tickets&cmpt=q http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=concert%20tickets&#...
- rms 18y ago
  Yeah, definitely when it doubt big cities are better. But it's also harder to get good tickets for big cities -- I've never been able to get good seats for a show at the amphitheater in the Boston metro area. My biggest success recently has been for Bruce Springsteen tickets in Austin. It was a college stadium that had their own ticketing system instead of Ticketmaster and took a lot longer to sell out than his other shows. I think a lot of the brokers miss non-Ticketmaster shows. Similarly, I've had success with Seinfeld shows, which are usually at non-Ticketmaster theaters.
zain 18y ago
Wow, that's genius! Let me make sure I have you straight (I've never heard of this before)... You check the TicketStumbler blog for hot pre-sale tickets. You buy them for face value when they go on sale (10AM?) hoping they'll get sold out. Then, you flip them on StubHub/Craigslist after they're sold out? What if the show doesn't get sold out? Also, did I understand you correctly in that TicketMaster gives the best tickets to the first people who buy them, and you might get bad seats buying at 10AM? How can you tell if the seats are good enough? Thanks for the info :)
- rms 18y ago
  Yeah, you got it. It's not just presales, there isn't a big difference between buying in a presale and a regular sale. Presale just gives you two shots at it. The tickets are first come first served so whoever completes the CAPTCHA fastest gets the best tickets. However, some will always be released when people don't actually complete the transaction. So you can keep trying again and again for 15 minutes or so. Whatever you do, do not try to buy different tickets at the same time on the same computer. You cannot buy tickets for two cities at once, you will lose all your tickets. You need a VPN or your cell phone internet if you want to start playing that game. The best way to decide on a show is to look at the listings on Stubhub for a show by that artist that is already on sale. Assume that to sell a ticket you need to beat the lowest price on Stubhub. This isn't always possible and that's where your intuition comes into play. If you're in doubt about whether or not to purchase, feel free to email me and ask. For now, Leonard Cohen is a really good one to start with. The presale passwords are easy to find on google. Phish will also be announcing more shows soon and they are just about the hottest ticket this summer. In a small theater, any seat is good enough. In a pavillion, only the front sections or the front of the rear sections are ok. The back of the rear sections in pavilions are a trap. Lawn tickets usually don't have very good margins. In an arena, anything that isn't behind the stage is usually ok. This is because in a pavilion the rear seats are usually the same price as the front seats, but in an arena the upper seats are significantly cheaper. I haven't had a show yet where I have lost money, but I make my picks carefully. 200% profit isn't very common though. 50% profit is probably a realistic average. I may end up getting rid of Billy Joel/Elton John tickets soon at just a little over cost.
GrandMasterBirt 18y ago
The higher the risk the higher the payout. As long as it is not gambling. Hell try the stock market, oversell and wait for the stocks to drop then buy. To make quick cash you must be willing to risk. Risk means that you have a chance to not win, in fact lose. So weigh your options wisely.
timcederman 18y ago
No guilt for skimming some extra money off a fan who wants to go to the show? Or do you rationalize it as "someone else would do it anyway"? I'm saying this as someone who goes to ~20 shows a year, and so it's obviously a sore point.
- rms 18y ago
  That's not my rationalization though it's certainly true. I'm part of a system that allows artists and venues to have nice clean financials by guaranteeing sell-outs. It is certainly not good for fans. As someone who goes to a lot of shows, I would be happy to see the system change.

by rms 18y ago

fallentimes 18y ago

Ha, we actually created that to add transparency and because most of the presale blogs out there are spammy. But since you brought up the topic: -Dividing metropolitan area by venue capacity is a good indication of how in demand a given set of tickets will be (all else equal). -Google insights is also an excellent indicator of what's popular: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=concert%20tickets&cmpt=q http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=concert%20tickets&#...

rms 18y ago
Yeah, definitely when it doubt big cities are better. But it's also harder to get good tickets for big cities -- I've never been able to get good seats for a show at the amphitheater in the Boston metro area. My biggest success recently has been for Bruce Springsteen tickets in Austin. It was a college stadium that had their own ticketing system instead of Ticketmaster and took a lot longer to sell out than his other shows. I think a lot of the brokers miss non-Ticketmaster shows. Similarly, I've had success with Seinfeld shows, which are usually at non-Ticketmaster theaters.

zain 18y ago

Wow, that's genius! Let me make sure I have you straight (I've never heard of this before)... You check the TicketStumbler blog for hot pre-sale tickets. You buy them for face value when they go on sale (10AM?) hoping they'll get sold out. Then, you flip them on StubHub/Craigslist after they're sold out? What if the show doesn't get sold out? Also, did I understand you correctly in that TicketMaster gives the best tickets to the first people who buy them, and you might get bad seats buying at 10AM? How can you tell if the seats are good enough? Thanks for the info :)

rms 18y ago
Yeah, you got it. It's not just presales, there isn't a big difference between buying in a presale and a regular sale. Presale just gives you two shots at it. The tickets are first come first served so whoever completes the CAPTCHA fastest gets the best tickets. However, some will always be released when people don't actually complete the transaction. So you can keep trying again and again for 15 minutes or so. Whatever you do, do not try to buy different tickets at the same time on the same computer. You cannot buy tickets for two cities at once, you will lose all your tickets. You need a VPN or your cell phone internet if you want to start playing that game. The best way to decide on a show is to look at the listings on Stubhub for a show by that artist that is already on sale. Assume that to sell a ticket you need to beat the lowest price on Stubhub. This isn't always possible and that's where your intuition comes into play. If you're in doubt about whether or not to purchase, feel free to email me and ask. For now, Leonard Cohen is a really good one to start with. The presale passwords are easy to find on google. Phish will also be announcing more shows soon and they are just about the hottest ticket this summer. In a small theater, any seat is good enough. In a pavillion, only the front sections or the front of the rear sections are ok. The back of the rear sections in pavilions are a trap. Lawn tickets usually don't have very good margins. In an arena, anything that isn't behind the stage is usually ok. This is because in a pavilion the rear seats are usually the same price as the front seats, but in an arena the upper seats are significantly cheaper. I haven't had a show yet where I have lost money, but I make my picks carefully. 200% profit isn't very common though. 50% profit is probably a realistic average. I may end up getting rid of Billy Joel/Elton John tickets soon at just a little over cost.

GrandMasterBirt 18y ago

The higher the risk the higher the payout. As long as it is not gambling. Hell try the stock market, oversell and wait for the stocks to drop then buy. To make quick cash you must be willing to risk. Risk means that you have a chance to not win, in fact lose. So weigh your options wisely.

timcederman 18y ago

No guilt for skimming some extra money off a fan who wants to go to the show? Or do you rationalize it as "someone else would do it anyway"? I'm saying this as someone who goes to ~20 shows a year, and so it's obviously a sore point.

rms 18y ago
That's not my rationalization though it's certainly true. I'm part of a system that allows artists and venues to have nice clean financials by guaranteeing sell-outs. It is certainly not good for fans. As someone who goes to a lot of shows, I would be happy to see the system change.