The Surreal Story of StubHub Screwing Over a Kobe Fan
January 7, 2016 12:18 PM Subscribe
Remember back in late November when Kobe Bryant announced he was planning to retire at the end of the current NBA season? Perhaps not surprisingly, this caused a major spike in ticket prices to Lakers games on the secondary ticket market.
Luckily for Kobe fan Jesse Sandler, he anticipated ahead of time that this might be Kobe's final season, and on November 11th (18 days before the official announcement) purchased (4) tickets for him and some friends to attend the final Lakers home game of the season at a cost of $195 per ticket as opposed to the nearly $1500 per ticket that comparable seats were going for following the announcement. Or so he thought. As it turned out, Sandler was to later learn that "NO TICKETS YOU EVER BUY ON STUBHUB – EVER –ARE ACTUALLY YOUR TICKETS."
Through their twitter account, Stubhub acknowledged, "We shot an air ball on this one."
Is he literally the only person to buy a ticket via Stubhub prior to the announcement? I find it difficult to believe they cancelled one person's tickets and no others.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:31 PM on January 7, 2016
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:31 PM on January 7, 2016
You know, there's a thing called contract law. This guy should read some of it, and take a free consultation with a lawyer. No one on the internet can help him get his 6k back, but a California attorney maybe can.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:32 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:32 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
I do not get how all sales are final for the buyer but the seller has an incentive, not just an out, to reneg if the prices increase by more than 20%.
Someone should take a picture of the folks who end up sitting in those seats. Find out who reneged. THey deserve the same embarrassment as FlubHub.
posted by AugustWest at 12:33 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
Someone should take a picture of the folks who end up sitting in those seats. Find out who reneged. THey deserve the same embarrassment as FlubHub.
posted by AugustWest at 12:33 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
I find it difficult to believe they cancelled one person's tickets and no others.
Isn't it really that "the seller" (presumably some third party here) canceled the transaction because they could make more money from reselling the tickets. Yes, certainly Stubhub is the ultimate villain here because they allowed the sale to be canceled almost three weeks later, but I suspect that it is one person and no others because the original holder of the tickets got greedy.
posted by anastasiav at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Isn't it really that "the seller" (presumably some third party here) canceled the transaction because they could make more money from reselling the tickets. Yes, certainly Stubhub is the ultimate villain here because they allowed the sale to be canceled almost three weeks later, but I suspect that it is one person and no others because the original holder of the tickets got greedy.
posted by anastasiav at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Stubhub is more or less Ebay for tickets, with slightly more layers between seller and buyer, no? So presumably what happened was that the seller bailed, seeing a profit opportunity. The weird thing here is not that the transaction got voided, if the seller didn't provide the tickets then Stubhub couldn't provide them, it's that Stubhub bizarrely took the side of the fraudulent seller instead of going 'we had to void this due to fraud by the seller, we have kicked them off the service and here's a refund + whatever for your trouble.'
posted by tavella at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by tavella at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [11 favorites]
"We shot an air ball on this one" - um, an air ball is what happens when you try to do what you're supposed to do but mess up dramatically (shoot a basketball for points but miss the hoop entirely). Unless StubHub is admitting that their business model is to screw over ticket buyers whenever it is convenient and the "air ball" was getting caught without plausible deniability, they did not shoot an air ball.
posted by mightygodking at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [14 favorites]
posted by mightygodking at 12:36 PM on January 7, 2016 [14 favorites]
I hate Ticketmaster as much as the next guy but I wonder if this would be possible through their "Ticket Exchange" Stubhub competitor. I'm guessing it would not.
posted by ghharr at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2016
posted by ghharr at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2016
Stubhub is more or less Ebay for tickets
StubHub is owned by eBay, in fact.
posted by Etrigan at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
StubHub is owned by eBay, in fact.
posted by Etrigan at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
You know, there's a thing called contract law. This guy should read some of it, and take a free consultation with a lawyer. No one on the internet can help him get his 6k back, but a California attorney maybe can.
I highly doubt that StubHub's terms of service are written in a way that doesn't completely shield them (and their sellers) from liability for this sort of thing. I'm not a California attorney, but I'd be willing to bet that someone who was, and took the time to read the full terms of his contract wouldn't tell him that he was screwed.
As for "no one on the internet..." He (hopefully with his buddies) is going to get to go to the game because someone on the Internet generated enough bad press for StubHub to have to respond. Something something squeaky wheels.
posted by sparklemotion at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
I highly doubt that StubHub's terms of service are written in a way that doesn't completely shield them (and their sellers) from liability for this sort of thing. I'm not a California attorney, but I'd be willing to bet that someone who was, and took the time to read the full terms of his contract wouldn't tell him that he was screwed.
As for "no one on the internet..." He (hopefully with his buddies) is going to get to go to the game because someone on the Internet generated enough bad press for StubHub to have to respond. Something something squeaky wheels.
posted by sparklemotion at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
This is why I just buy tickets from the shady guy standing outside the venue right before the event starts.
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:41 PM on January 7, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:41 PM on January 7, 2016 [9 favorites]
it's that Stubhub bizarrely took the side of the fraudulent seller instead of going 'we had to void this due to fraud by the seller, we have kicked them off the service and here's a refund + whatever for your trouble.
We don't know what sanctions were placed on the seller, but they did give the guy a full refund + $250 credit.
I'm not really seeing much reason to get my hate on for Stubhub here, and I'm a pretty cheap date when it comes to hating on middleman-type internet companies.
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:42 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
We don't know what sanctions were placed on the seller, but they did give the guy a full refund + $250 credit.
I'm not really seeing much reason to get my hate on for Stubhub here, and I'm a pretty cheap date when it comes to hating on middleman-type internet companies.
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:42 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
I hate Ticketmaster as much as the next guy but I wonder if this would be possible through their "Ticket Exchange" Stubhub competitor. I'm guessing it would not.
Our janky local NBA franchise has an official marketplace tied into the ticketing system. Sold your tickets? Those confirmation numbers you had are just bytes now, no backsies.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:44 PM on January 7, 2016
Our janky local NBA franchise has an official marketplace tied into the ticketing system. Sold your tickets? Those confirmation numbers you had are just bytes now, no backsies.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:44 PM on January 7, 2016
This is why I just buy tickets from the shady guy standing outside the venue right before the event starts.
The only difference between that guy and ScalperHelper is that you can meet that guy face-to-face.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:44 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
The only difference between that guy and ScalperHelper is that you can meet that guy face-to-face.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:44 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
1) He got all his money back.
2) (and this is far from ideal but interesting) If he printed his etickets they'll work as long as he shows up to the game before whoever else gets resold the tickets at an inflated price. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by furtive at 1:01 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
2) (and this is far from ideal but interesting) If he printed his etickets they'll work as long as he shows up to the game before whoever else gets resold the tickets at an inflated price. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by furtive at 1:01 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
CAPSLOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL
posted by thewalrus at 1:07 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by thewalrus at 1:07 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
We don't know what sanctions were placed on the seller, but they did give the guy a full refund + $250 credit.
Actually, I think by the end he was up to something like $1100 in StubHub credit, which is pretty impressive in its own way.
posted by Copronymus at 1:12 PM on January 7, 2016
Actually, I think by the end he was up to something like $1100 in StubHub credit, which is pretty impressive in its own way.
posted by Copronymus at 1:12 PM on January 7, 2016
He got a credit with stubhub, not his money back. Stub Hub still had his money, they just promised that he could buy tickets from them again at a ~$1200 discount. Getting an extra $250 to spend there is nice, but he doesn't actually have an extra $1200 in his bank account.
He may have had his money refunded now, but at the time, he didn't get any money back from them.
That's what I find slimy about this. Seller cancels, get you money back? Shitty, should be stamped out, etc. Don't get you money back but get a credit towards future tickets? They still get to keep your money, they're taking a haircut on another ticket sale. It's probably in the terms and conditions. But now I know never to use them.
posted by Hactar at 1:14 PM on January 7, 2016 [9 favorites]
He may have had his money refunded now, but at the time, he didn't get any money back from them.
That's what I find slimy about this. Seller cancels, get you money back? Shitty, should be stamped out, etc. Don't get you money back but get a credit towards future tickets? They still get to keep your money, they're taking a haircut on another ticket sale. It's probably in the terms and conditions. But now I know never to use them.
posted by Hactar at 1:14 PM on January 7, 2016 [9 favorites]
In their first email they promised him a full refund in 2-5 business days.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:17 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:17 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
This happened once to me as well, though without the CAPSLOCK, and it was done the same day. Had bought tickets for a baseball game via StubHub and then about an hour or so before the game started, StubHub contacted me to tell me that the tickets were no longer available and here are some new tickets which 'we think you'll really like!' which were in a completely different area in a completely different price tier. It was a real shock since I had got the tickets to sit near a friend which was no longer possible. Really ruined the night, especially since the seller did it so very close to game time. Apparently they can do it all the way up to the start of an event.
I will say I had another similar problem where I had bought tickets which were being sold illegally, but StubHub was nice and got me truly comparable tickets since I had already bought them and was at the stadium. But I've become really wary of StubHub now and a lot of people I've told about it have been really shocked that this sort of thing happens.
posted by tittergrrl at 1:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
I will say I had another similar problem where I had bought tickets which were being sold illegally, but StubHub was nice and got me truly comparable tickets since I had already bought them and was at the stadium. But I've become really wary of StubHub now and a lot of people I've told about it have been really shocked that this sort of thing happens.
posted by tittergrrl at 1:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd be upset too. I wouldn't want to miss Kobe sitting on the bench for the last time with an injury.
posted by Brocktoon at 1:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by Brocktoon at 1:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [12 favorites]
Even if they gave him the refund immediately, the shitty part is that he thought he had tickets, and then suddenly he didn't. Even worse, by the time he found out that he didn't have tickets, there was no way to get new tickets for anywhere near what he had originally paid.
It's bad customer service on par with that one time that Amazon George Orwelled copies of 1984 off of people's Kindles. Yeah, they got a refund, but it exposed a fundamental flaw in Amazon's policies, just like this is exposing a flaw in StubHub's policies.
posted by sparklemotion at 1:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [13 favorites]
It's bad customer service on par with that one time that Amazon George Orwelled copies of 1984 off of people's Kindles. Yeah, they got a refund, but it exposed a fundamental flaw in Amazon's policies, just like this is exposing a flaw in StubHub's policies.
posted by sparklemotion at 1:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [13 favorites]
I don't understand how StubHub is allowed to operate. It's scalping, plain and simple, which is usually a crime, isn't it?
posted by tobascodagama at 1:27 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by tobascodagama at 1:27 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
an hour or so before the game started, StubHub contacted me to tell me that the tickets were no longer available
How did that work? Were they e-tickets or physical tickets?
posted by smackfu at 1:27 PM on January 7, 2016
How did that work? Were they e-tickets or physical tickets?
posted by smackfu at 1:27 PM on January 7, 2016
It's scalping, plain and simple, which is usually a crime, isn't it?
50 sets of laws on that. Some states only prohibit it at the venue, other states allow it if the venue approves (and StubHub is big enough to make those deals), other states don't care. Plus even the states that have laws don't necessarily care to enforce them.
posted by smackfu at 1:31 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
50 sets of laws on that. Some states only prohibit it at the venue, other states allow it if the venue approves (and StubHub is big enough to make those deals), other states don't care. Plus even the states that have laws don't necessarily care to enforce them.
posted by smackfu at 1:31 PM on January 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
2) (and this is far from ideal but interesting) If he printed his etickets they'll work as long as he shows up to the game before whoever else gets resold the tickets at an inflated price. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's not clear that he got actual etickets before they cancelled the sale, I only see that he got a confirmation number from Stubhub, which would not have gotten him into the game, and makes this a pretty bog-standard case of a third-party seller failing to deliver their goods, which is always going to be a potential problem with any marketplace that's set up to facilitate third-party sales.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:32 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's not clear that he got actual etickets before they cancelled the sale, I only see that he got a confirmation number from Stubhub, which would not have gotten him into the game, and makes this a pretty bog-standard case of a third-party seller failing to deliver their goods, which is always going to be a potential problem with any marketplace that's set up to facilitate third-party sales.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:32 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
If I understand correctly, ticket prices jump in value when a team's star athlete announces that they're going to retire because they can't play the game as well as they used to?
" But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”
Seems like prices oughta go down ...
posted by etherist at 1:33 PM on January 7, 2016
" But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”
Seems like prices oughta go down ...
posted by etherist at 1:33 PM on January 7, 2016
Yeah, I've been burned by a StubHub seller backing out, except StubHub didn't bother to tell me before the event (an LA Kings game at Staples Center), so I was the goofball holding up the line while the barcode reader kept rejecting my printed out ticket(s). "I swear they're good. Try again?"
"Sir. I'm sorry."
I called the number in the email and they said I had a choice between a refund (no shit?), and a refund plus replacement tix to that night's event just to make it better, but I'd have to make may way up Figueroa Street to their little StubHub will call booth setup, and naturally, the replacement tickets were not as good as the ones I'd "purchased." I sorta lost my temper in an ugly way that I regret and said some unkind things which the rep understood as me declining the offer.
That was several years ago and I'd figured they'd sorted that stuff out by now. I guess not!
posted by notyou at 1:37 PM on January 7, 2016 [9 favorites]
"Sir. I'm sorry."
I called the number in the email and they said I had a choice between a refund (no shit?), and a refund plus replacement tix to that night's event just to make it better, but I'd have to make may way up Figueroa Street to their little StubHub will call booth setup, and naturally, the replacement tickets were not as good as the ones I'd "purchased." I sorta lost my temper in an ugly way that I regret and said some unkind things which the rep understood as me declining the offer.
That was several years ago and I'd figured they'd sorted that stuff out by now. I guess not!
posted by notyou at 1:37 PM on January 7, 2016 [9 favorites]
I heard this guy interviewed on the radio here in LA this morning, and he said that just 15 minutes after the story hit the website, StubHub called him and offered him tickets to the game. But get this! He turned them down, because at least two other companies (a Very Large Beer Conglomerate and a competing ticket reseller website I'd never heard of) offered him four tickets. He'd accepted the offer from the ticket reseller website and apparently the CEO of the company was flying to Los Angeles today to "hand-deliver" the tickets, which is public relations hokum considering that every ticket to a Lakers game is an e-ticket, whether they're printed by the Lakers or your computer's printer. The radio hosts were talking all about how cool it was of all these companies to step up and offer blah blah blah blah and I'm shouting at my radio "You idiots they just want the PUBLICITY." [opens another cool and crisp Budweiser]
posted by incessant at 1:39 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by incessant at 1:39 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
Seems like prices oughta go down ...
See also products not selling well enough for their manufacturer to justify continuing to sell them...
It's a seemingly unlimited supply suddenly becoming limited. People panic and worry about missing out. It's also why I've been to more museums in other cities than in my own hometown, even though Boston has wonderful museums. They're just always there, I could always go...so I never do.
posted by explosion at 1:41 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
See also products not selling well enough for their manufacturer to justify continuing to sell them...
It's a seemingly unlimited supply suddenly becoming limited. People panic and worry about missing out. It's also why I've been to more museums in other cities than in my own hometown, even though Boston has wonderful museums. They're just always there, I could always go...so I never do.
posted by explosion at 1:41 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
The rent-takers take the rent and the little guy gets screwed. Sounds like the market is working perfectly.
posted by ckape at 1:51 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ckape at 1:51 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
He's a Kobe fan, you'd think he'd be used to disappointment by now.
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:51 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:51 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
Smackfu: How did that work? Were they e-tickets or physical tickets?
They were E-tickets.
posted by tittergrrl at 2:05 PM on January 7, 2016
They were E-tickets.
posted by tittergrrl at 2:05 PM on January 7, 2016
Is it explained anywhere why StubHub's marketplace is set up to favor sellers in this way? I don't blame StubHub for being a marketplace; that's their business model. They are just a middleman taking a cut to provide a platform for people selling tickets to each other. But why aren't their terms of service or whatever structured such that sales are final for both buyers and sellers?
posted by Wretch729 at 2:07 PM on January 7, 2016
posted by Wretch729 at 2:07 PM on January 7, 2016
But why aren't their terms of service or whatever structured such that sales are final for both buyers and sellers?
There are many more potential buyers than sellers. Screw over the sellers and you are in trouble. Screw over the buyers and you'll find another one pretty quickly.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 2:13 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
There are many more potential buyers than sellers. Screw over the sellers and you are in trouble. Screw over the buyers and you'll find another one pretty quickly.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 2:13 PM on January 7, 2016 [8 favorites]
I learned in this story about scalping at last year's Super Bowl—where prices on the street climbed to $10K a ticket—that no ticket you've purchased on the secondary market is yours until it's in your hands.
posted by stargell at 2:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
The card gets the buyer into the hotel room with Lipman—not every client gets such personal treatment—and three tickets for $5,000 apiece, which Lipman says he originally procured from a Patriots player. The man reserved the tickets days earlier, before the prices jumped to their current $8,500.Indeed, the National Association of Ticket Brokers includes this language in its Code of Ethics:
It would have been within Lipman’s rights, according to the online fine print, to refund the buyer his cash and decline to provide the ticket, instead selling it to another person at its new rate. This is called a busted order. Sweepstakes and contest winners often take the deal happily. Most people don’t realize that their tickets aren’t guaranteed, and several hundred arrived in Phoenix to find their tickets weren’t theirs anymore. Refunding 200% of the cost is the industry standard, and some companies have no qualms about busting orders when the market booms. Lipman would rather take his lumps and keep his good reputation.
“It’s pure greed, and you’re seeing a lot of it this Super Bowl,” Lipman says.
9. At the time an order is taken, the customer must be informed if the order is not guaranteed;
10. If a ticket is guaranteed, and the ticket is not delivered, the Member shall provide a refund equal to 200% of the contracted price for each guaranteed ticket not delivered, unless non-delivery is due to causes beyond the reasonable control of the Member including a shipping error, natural disaster, Act of God, labor controversy, civil disturbance, or armed conflict. If a problem occurs and delivery of an exact ticket location becomes impossible, no penalty shall apply if the Member offers the buyer a comparable ticket at the same or lower price as the contracted ticket. In the rare instance that a ticket purchased by a Member for a client is later found to have been stolen, counterfeited or reported lost by the original purchaser, and the Member purchased these tickets in good faith, then the Member shall be responsible only to refund the full contracted priceScalped tickets from independent brokers are slightly different from the StubHub model, which is more serving as a middleman (it doesn't set the resale price, for instance) between seller and buyer. Still, it seems "busted orders" are SOP when prices rise dramatically after a sale.
posted by stargell at 2:24 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Ironically, while every bit of this thread about douche tendencies of Stubhub in this case is deserved, though I agree it starts with a douche seller, I had a weird unexpected positive experience with Stubhub earlier in the year.
I grabbed a couple of tickets very last minute for one of the very last Replacements (short-lived) reunion tour gigs in London.
I bought them on the day with an hour and a half before the gig, having seen a pick up counter in town. Rushing to get there, I realised that they closed an hour before the gig started. though that wasn't obvious based on the website. I was huffing and puffing to myself through rush hour London public transport, about these assholes not making clear the conditions of "last minute pickup" services, and preparing my arguments about why I deserved a refund when I missed the gig which I was sure I was going to.
I turned up at the location near the Strand, expecting a locked door, but by god there was an actual human being there waiting for me.. Instead of just playing clock-in employee, he recognised that there was an outstanding pickup for an event that night. And he took it upon himself to stay in the office on a weeknight rush hour in London until I turned up 40 minutes after he should have been closed. Let me in, and I saw a band formative to my youth one more time.
I love when a human being exercises the human potential to make things better or at least not allow them to go bad if it can be helped.
posted by C.A.S. at 2:26 PM on January 7, 2016 [29 favorites]
I grabbed a couple of tickets very last minute for one of the very last Replacements (short-lived) reunion tour gigs in London.
I bought them on the day with an hour and a half before the gig, having seen a pick up counter in town. Rushing to get there, I realised that they closed an hour before the gig started. though that wasn't obvious based on the website. I was huffing and puffing to myself through rush hour London public transport, about these assholes not making clear the conditions of "last minute pickup" services, and preparing my arguments about why I deserved a refund when I missed the gig which I was sure I was going to.
I turned up at the location near the Strand, expecting a locked door, but by god there was an actual human being there waiting for me.. Instead of just playing clock-in employee, he recognised that there was an outstanding pickup for an event that night. And he took it upon himself to stay in the office on a weeknight rush hour in London until I turned up 40 minutes after he should have been closed. Let me in, and I saw a band formative to my youth one more time.
I love when a human being exercises the human potential to make things better or at least not allow them to go bad if it can be helped.
posted by C.A.S. at 2:26 PM on January 7, 2016 [29 favorites]
One other thing to consider is that often the team or the arena or in the case of a music act, the act often sell tickets themselves on StubHub. It is both an effort to thwart scalpers as well as a way for teams to dump tickets below face value without angering or alerting their season ticket holders. I have purchased tickets to Yankee games for seats that I confirmed were available from the team on StubHub at lower than face minutes after checking availability.
While I do not think it is the Lakers doing the reneg, ticket availability on StubHub comes from all sorts of sources, not just season ticket holders, brokers or scalpers.
posted by AugustWest at 2:59 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
While I do not think it is the Lakers doing the reneg, ticket availability on StubHub comes from all sorts of sources, not just season ticket holders, brokers or scalpers.
posted by AugustWest at 2:59 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Does StubHub themselves participate in the marketplace at issue here? It feels more like a season ticket holder to me.
posted by rhizome at 3:06 PM on January 7, 2016
posted by rhizome at 3:06 PM on January 7, 2016
rhizome: "Does StubHub themselves participate in the marketplace at issue here? It feels more like a season ticket holder to me."
My guess is that it is a ticket broker with season tickets that does a decent amount of business for all sorts of events in LA on StubHub so they don't want to fight this or ban him.
posted by AugustWest at 7:13 PM on January 7, 2016
My guess is that it is a ticket broker with season tickets that does a decent amount of business for all sorts of events in LA on StubHub so they don't want to fight this or ban him.
posted by AugustWest at 7:13 PM on January 7, 2016
Ticket brokering, er facilitating scalping, is big business now! Pick any major event and google for tickets; you'll see lots of brokers, er, scalper facilitators. It has gotten ahead of ticket releases now too. E.g., go on line, logged in, fast connection, and the same minute tickets are released, 95% of the "good" seats are gone...sold to brokers pre-release for scalping. They eliminate the % take as scalper facilitator deals this way and take all of the resale profit.
You have to trust that the seller in any of those "I'll send the tickets later" transactions won't pay the fine and just back out. If they do, you ain't goin'.
I've seen people buy from a scalper at the venue, then when the ticket is scanned, it's counterfeit!
Gist: Buyer beware.
posted by CrowGoat at 8:00 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
You have to trust that the seller in any of those "I'll send the tickets later" transactions won't pay the fine and just back out. If they do, you ain't goin'.
I've seen people buy from a scalper at the venue, then when the ticket is scanned, it's counterfeit!
Gist: Buyer beware.
posted by CrowGoat at 8:00 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, so Stubhub has done this to me previously, they can fuck a brick.
posted by iamabot at 10:13 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by iamabot at 10:13 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
My guess is that it is a ticket broker with season tickets that does a decent amount of business for all sorts of events in LA on StubHub so they don't want to fight this or ban him.
Based on rank assumption and the bad feelings I have left over from working for one of the StubHub founders, I don't think it's as sophisticated as that. The seller's web dashboard probably just has a "cancel order" button on each entry, it just so happens they did it at one of the most visible times. The "so sorry!" email was probably automated like, "Sorry $person, your tickets are not available anymore, but you can put $purchase_price towards available tickets at $current_price."
posted by rhizome at 3:41 AM on January 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Based on rank assumption and the bad feelings I have left over from working for one of the StubHub founders, I don't think it's as sophisticated as that. The seller's web dashboard probably just has a "cancel order" button on each entry, it just so happens they did it at one of the most visible times. The "so sorry!" email was probably automated like, "Sorry $person, your tickets are not available anymore, but you can put $purchase_price towards available tickets at $current_price."
posted by rhizome at 3:41 AM on January 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
If I understand correctly, ticket prices jump in value when a team's star athlete announces that they're going to retire because they can't play the game as well as they used to?
" But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”
Seems like prices oughta go down ...
People want to see one of the best basketball players ever in person one last time before they can't anymore. What's so hard to understand about that?
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 4:35 AM on January 8, 2016
" But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”
Seems like prices oughta go down ...
People want to see one of the best basketball players ever in person one last time before they can't anymore. What's so hard to understand about that?
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 4:35 AM on January 8, 2016
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On rereading -- it seems that at least his emails to Stubhub were only occasionally ALL CAPS, so now I'm just annoyed at the way that the blog chose to present them.
posted by sparklemotion at 12:29 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]