←back to thread

CAPTCHAs are over (in ticketing)

(behind.pretix.eu)
204 points pabs3 | 7 comments | 25 May 25 00:37 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
Show context
frabcus ◴[25 May 25 01:51 UTC] No.44084957[source]▶
The option that strikes me as missing, is making users pay a cost before they are randomly entered in a lottery for the ticket.

So, for example, everyone pays $0.01 on their credit card, or does a holding charge on their credit card, or registers their identity. All in a 5 minute (or 1 day!) window. And then after the window, tickets are randomly distributed amongst every card which so registered.

You could check multiple things - phone and card and Government ID if necessary (lowering the privacy).

This also feels fairer and less stressful - instead of a lottery based on your internet access, or ability to run lots of browsers at once.

This feels harder for scalpers to do to me, as they need more fake identities, but I'd be curious about the actual ratios when trying it. What goes wrong?

Another one I predict is that you can't buy digitally. For examples, the Lewes fireworks display you have to buy tickets in person in a bookshop in Lewes. Doesn't help if you make a digital ticketing system though!

replies(4): >>44085201 #>>44085215 #>>44092809 #>>44094426 #
londons_explore ◴[25 May 25 03:03 UTC] No.44085215[source]▶
I suspect the key thing is that the industry really wants scalpers, but must appear to act against them.
replies(4): >>44085293 #>>44085545 #>>44091940 #>>44092815 #
clipsy ◴[25 May 25 03:27 UTC] No.44085293[source]▶
> I suspect the key thing is that the industry really wants scalpers

Why?

replies(3): >>44085405 #>>44088107 #>>44091129 #
1. mystified5016 ◴[25 May 25 21:06 UTC] No.44091129[source]▶
It's more profitable and predictable for scalpers to immediately buy all tickets. The ticket seller doesn't care if the tickets are sold to fans that will attend, just that they're sold quickly and reliably and non-refundably. It's even better if tickets are sold to scalpers because some of those tickets might never be resold, which means the venue gets the ticket sale but pays none of the cost a real guest would incur.

What matters is selling the ticket, getting a guest in the door is just expense.

replies(1): >>44091328 #
2. sokoloff ◴[25 May 25 21:29 UTC] No.44091328[source]▶
Surely selling concessions, parking, and merch is a significant source of income for someone associated with the concert, game, or other event.
replies(2): >>44091427 #>>44091850 #
3. WesolyKubeczek ◴[25 May 25 21:39 UTC] No.44091427[source]▶
Not the ticketing company's problem.
replies(1): >>44091604 #
4. const_cast ◴[25 May 25 22:01 UTC] No.44091604{3}[source]▶
We should make it their problem, by artists not selling tickets on those websites but instead using their own resources. Essentially vertical integration, so then you have to care about the end-product and user experience. And, cherry on top, you might be able to charge more aggressive prices if you're not paying the profit of the middle-man.
replies(1): >>44091864 #
5. edoceo ◴[25 May 25 22:34 UTC] No.44091850[source]▶
The way rents/expenses are, an $8 pint at your local has better margin than a $18 pint at the venue.
replies(1): >>44097136 #
6. edoceo ◴[25 May 25 22:36 UTC] No.44091864{4}[source]▶
Can't do that, contracts between venues and ticket vendor preclude non-blessed ticket sales. TicketMaster and LiveNation have boxed this out
7. sokoloff ◴[26 May 25 13:12 UTC] No.44097136{3}[source]▶
That seems to be confusing gross and net margin. When considering a question like “who cares if a ticket buyer ends up showing up?” that’s a marginal consumption question and the gross margin applies.