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Internal emails reveal Ticketmaster helped scalpers jack up prices, FTC says

(arstechnica.com)
327 points dthread3 | 2 comments | 19 Sep 25 18:47 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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pavel_lishin ◴[19 Sep 25 19:19 UTC] No.45305346[source]▶
We bought $700 tickets to see a show we really wanted to see, but ended up being unable to make it.

We tried selling it on Ticketmaster, where you can in theory set your own price, or accept their "best offer". Our best offer was somewhere in the neighborhood of $150, and given that it was the night of the show, we accepted it.

We paid $54 per ticket in "processing fees" when purchasing, and paid $50 in more "processing fees" when selling. I'm sure the eventual buyers of our tickets probably had to pony up something like that as well.

If I had a magic button that made everyone above a certain level working there destitute and homeless, I'd probably break my finger pushing it.

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prmoustache ◴[19 Sep 25 20:27 UTC] No.45306140[source]▶
What kind of show sell $700 tickets? Does that include an escort?
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1. Loughla ◴[19 Sep 25 20:51 UTC] No.45306419[source]▶
I was stunned by the prices of shows these days. The closest venue used to be $200 for up close, EXPENSIVE seats. Now they're $350 for open lawn. This is only 5 years apart, and the only difference is they use Ticketmaster instead of selling themselves.
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2. pants2 ◴[20 Sep 25 16:59 UTC] No.45315064[source]▶
That's why I haven't been to a Ticketmaster-run show in years. Went to one crappy show that I paid $400 for and felt completely ripped off, haven't been back.

There are plenty of local concerts and events that are like $15 cover and significantly more fun.