pats1

"People are willing to pay?"

Nobody in their right mind would pay $500 for a 300-level seat to a regular season game. The only reason they do is because those are the only seats left (thanks to the scalpers).

It pisses off the consumer when buying the tickets legally costs face value - $49-$125, but buying them from illegal dealers costs $250-$1500. Insane. When one is able to purchase tickets directly the week of the game for face value through Ticketmaster or the TicketExchange, but there's another outlet on the Internet that is selling hundreds of tickets that could be face-value, that pisses the consumer off.

It should piss the Patriots off as well. These scalpers are making money off the Patriots, but there's nothing the team can do about it. The scalpers, by charging absurd amounts for the tickets just because they can, are driving up the market price. But to keep up with that inflation, the Pats would need to obviously make face value the market price of $300 or so. And that would easily piss off the fans, whose incomes aren't keeping up with the amount the tickets are being re-sold for. Through that, the Patriots are losing money and have a right to be pissed off. They're being forced to charge below market price to keep good relations with fans.

PatsFan-NH

I worked with a guy whose dad has season tickets. He used to go to all the home games and tell us about it on Monday.

They got super bowl tickets for all of the recent ones. His dad didn't use them and he got them. He said something about a lottery for STH (no details), and I always thought it odd that his father would keep winning every time. Perhaps some STH are more favored than others.

Murphys95

Here's a little perspective on the issue. In January of 1986, Super Bowl tickets were offered to every Patriots season ticket holder who wanted them (no lottery, if you wanted them, you showed up at the box office to buy them). Ironically enough, there were not enough takers so the Pats opened up the sale to the public.

....Supply and demand.

PatsSteve1

[It pisses off the consumer when buying the tickets legally costs face value - $49-$125, but buying them from illegal dealers costs $250-$1500. Insane. When one is able to purchase tickets directly the week of the game for face value through Ticketmaster or the TicketExchange, but there's another outlet on the Internet that is selling hundreds of tickets that could be face-value, that pisses the consumer off.

* Then they shouldn't buy them. How do consumers have a right to buy tickets to a sold out event at face value? If it's sold out they are shut out except thru someone selling thier tickets.

It should piss the Patriots off as well. These scalpers are making money off the Patriots, but there's nothing the team can do about it. The scalpers, by charging absurd amounts for the tickets just because they can, are driving up the market price.

* The team got the money they wanted for the tickets so why should they be mad? It's not scalpers who drive up the price, it's the people who pay that price. If no one bought those scalped tickets, they wouldn't sell for such high prices.

Frankly, I'm surpised Kraft doesn't go after the guys scalping parking spaces at Gillette. You go to a Rev's game and they cost $15. Then some scalper buys them all up for a Patriots game and the same parking spot costs $35 -

TomBrady'sGoat

wow, i never thought i'd see sports fans arguing in favor of ticket scalping.

capitalism isn't always the best way, and it isn't this perfect system people want to make it to be. The government kills monopolies and restricts trade; it's not like laws restricting capitalism are out of nowhere. besides, sports aren't your run-of-the-mill commodities.

now let's have more people explaining why the Patriots should jack up the ticket prices themselves, the only capitalistic way for them to stop scalping. that's sure to work for everyone involved!

now if only the red sox could care

QuiGon

Well, that's for the free market to decide. What right does the government have dictating what people can or can't pay...? Who are you to tell me that I am not "in my right mind" if I am willing to pay such an amount...?
Well, I agree. It is insane that it is illegal to scalp tickets. It should be a free and open marketplace with market forces determining equilibrium prices. But here's a newsflash that people like you need to realize: For every big ticket game like the Bears or Colts, there are plenty of duds like the Lions or Buccaneers.
You don't seem to know much about how economics works.
You don't seem to know much about how economics works.

QuiGon

I think your friend's dad is telling some pretty tall tales, because the mathematics behind that are infinite improbability. Unless he's a club seat holder - they have guaranteed Super Bowl tickets.

QuiGon

Well, it's the smart sports fans who know that legalized and open scalping benefits the consumers more than it does the scalpers. The only sports fans that oppose legalized scalping are the fools who think that if scalping is illegal, they will somehow suddenyl have plenty of access to cheap tickets.
Which is why I make it a point of mentioning that we are talking about a luxury item here. We are not talking about health care, food, shelter, heating oil, medicine, etc.
Well, here's the dirty little secret... the Patriots do scalp tickets. They do it through their authorized, official "travel agency". Just check out how much that agency was charging for Super Bowl tickets a few years ago...

spacecrime

That's what the Cherokee said to Daniel Boone as he was about to scalp him: This benefits you more that it does me

Seriously, there's a reason they call it scalping.

Scalping is legal: I give a guy $1600 for two tickets he paid $99 each for.

Scalping is illegal: The original ticket holder can sell for face value only: I pay $198.

So how does being scalped benefit me more?

This open market setting the price is a bunch of hooey. They people pushing it are the same ones who have been complaining about high Gillette ticket prices. The fact that there is a waiting list of over 50,000 people says that the price of tickets is below market value. If Kraft let the market determine the price, he would keep raising the price until there was no waiting list anymore. If he didn't sell out one year, he'd lower prices. People get on a waiting list to buy, he's raise prices.

Who wants that?

HEY BRO! WHAT UP?

Get rid of this thread! Let's talk football, not about lawsuits. Sorry Bra!