Need advice on tix/Ebay

[MandyMarie]

We (mom and I) weren't successful at getting Charlotte tix when they went on sale. We also had an unsuccessful attempt to buy from an Interferencer. We had decided on buying tix through Ebay. Mom found a set she liked and was going to bid, but then she saw this crap about how NC residents are not allowed to bid over face value + fees and $3. Of course everything on Ebay is over face value. So how the hell are we supposed to get tix?

If we bid, will the bid be cancelled by Ebay. Can we get into any trouble? I am really getting desperate here to attend my first U2 concert. So can someone give me a little insight about this crap? It would be much appreciated!

 

[tawanda]

Tickets almost always sell over face value. Rarely do these auctions get cancelled at any point. It isn't right, but it's the way it is. I myself, have had to resort to ebay a few times and have had little trouble. I would do it if you have to, but make sure you read the description and shipping info and payment info carefully. Actually, I'm considering a pair right now...

 

[MandyMarie]

PIA for sure..

Another thing I have noticed. Why is it one auction states the max bid cannot exceed $358 and one says you cannot exceed $219, both auctions for a pair of $95 tickets? All these auctions vary in what the max bid limit is, so I am even more confused.

Ebay's NC tix policy is as I stated above: face value + fess and $3 only.

 

[tawanda]

Sorry, what's PIA?

I've learned to ignore the "cannot exceed". I think, but could be wrong, they put that in there for the benefit of the ebay rules, but it is rarely followed. As I said before, tickets almost always sell over, way over face value...regardless of the rules.

 

[MandyMarie]

Oops, means "pain in the ass".

Well, I feel a little better now, I wonder if the seller will adhere to the rules? Not so new to Ebay but I am new to buying tix there. I hate to have to pay so much over face value, but it's about the only way I'll get to see the guys, I guess! Oh well, it's worth it. Thanks!

 

[tawanda]

Good luck and hope it all works out. Just make sure you look at their feedback as far as them following through with rules, etc. Yeah, I hate paying much over face. I bought two GA's for May 9th, Chicago for $345. Makes me angry, but when I consider they are the best seats in the house and the blast I had...I think they were worth every penny!

 

[BEVERLY56]

I was prepared to bid on Friday on a ticket for Pittsburgh, when I got set to enter my bid I got a message that said I had to give all my credit card information which Ebay then would keep on file, whether I got the item or not. And in small print they will charge your card $1 to process. Bullcrap, I didn't bid on it. (Whoever got that ticket, congrats, GA for $160!)

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

Is there a family member or friend in another state who could bid for you? ebay is still cheaper than going to a broker site, so if you can do it, I'd definitely try there first.

 

[BEVERLY56]

Im following another ebay for a GA ticket, right now its at $100! Not a bad deal!

 

[**Liesa**]

I highly doubt that you would run into any trouble by bidding on those tickets. Go for it!

I hope you get them! And if you do, then we'll be at the same show.

 

[Utoo]

Im following another ebay for a GA ticket, right now its at $100! Not a bad deal!

Lucky! I can't find GA for DC for anything less than $250! Luckily (and selfishly), I got my own tickets for $49.50 months ago through TM---these are for friends. Poor friends

 

[Doppelgang]

scalpers suck scalper supporters should know better

 

[Imarocker]

TICKET ALERT READ THIS!!!!!

a story from the Boston Globe about last months ticket scammers

FBI Will Follow U2 Cyberscalpers: Feds Track Source of Bogus Tix to Hub Show

Boston Herald, June 11, 2005



The FBI is hot on the trail of the cyberscalpers who made grown fans cry at last month's U2 concert at the FleetCenter.

FBI Special Agent Gail Marcinkiewicz, spokeswoman for the Boston office, confirmed the bureau is looking into the scam but said any comment on the case would be premature.

A few days after the Herald reported hundreds of U2 fans had shown up with counterfeit tickets purchased online, the FBI showed up at the FleetCenter, said FleetCenter spokesman Jim Delaney.

Ticketmaster's ticketFast technology allows online buyers to print out tickets on their home printer. The tickets come with a unique barcode that is scanned at the gate. The majority of the bogus paper tickets held by more than 300 U2 fans had been purchased online through other channels.

"Once we knew we were dealing with online fraud, the FBI's Cyber Crime unit launched a full-fledged investigation," Delaney said. State Attorney General Tom Reilly's office weighed in too, Delaney said, indicating it would work with the FBI.

While counterfeit tickets are hardly a new phenomenon, it is rare that a FleetCenter event turns away that many people, including some who had paid as much as $2,000 for a pair of tickets, Delaney said.

"People obviously were looking to get tickets any which way they could," he said.

Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, the live entertainment trade magazine, said cyberscalpers follow the money, latching on to blockbuster tours such as U2, and track them from city to city.

"There isn't a lot of profit in a $20 ticket, but when you're duplicating paper that can sell for hundreds of dollars, it's a pretty good racket until you land in jail," he said. "The Boston incident just underscores the danger of buying tickets from unauthorized sources."

Ticketmaster spokeswoman Bonnie Poindexter agreed.

"We can warn people until we're blue in the face," she said, "but they only listen when it hits their pocketbook."


© Boston Herald, 2005.