[ot] ebay-ing tickets

[Will]

Well, it looks like the auction is just about over.  Oh well.  We tried.

[nyc94]

According to the ticket office, the winning bidder is the seller.  It seems that whoever emailed the ticket office prompted them to find the seller.  I guess there is no way to cancel an auction so the seller had to outbid everyone under another name.  At least they will have to pay the commission to Ebay.

[Will]

Bill '94 wrote:

According to the ticket office, the winning bidder is the seller.  It seems that whoever emailed the ticket office prompted them to find the seller.  I guess there is no way to cancel an auction so the seller had to outbid everyone under another name.  At least they will have to pay the commission to Ebay.

You mean...the system actually works?!  Whoa...weird...but cool.

[Kyle Rose]

So, I think this is dumb: if scalpers are able to get insane markups, it seems to me the ticket office should be charging more in the first place, because obviously the market can bear it.  I'd rather Cornell athletics get the money than some random scalper whose only contribution to this earth is to do the sports equivalent of day-trading.

Additionally, in this case, Cornell could also demand a current student picture ID at entry, so the rink doesn't fill up with Joe Q. Random alums who can more easily afford to blow their relatively large incomes on season tickets that they use only a few times a year, leaving the rink half-empty the rest of the time.

Cheers,
Kyle

[atb9]

You can't expect students to make every single game provided in the season ticket package.  You need to be able to transfer individual tickets.

[Keith K \'93]

Can't expect students to make every game?  I never missed a game when I had season tickets.  Where are your priorities, man?

[jy3]

she emailed me back. here is the email. i am not releasing her name nor her email BUT I am glad that the winning bidder was the seller because she gave me her cornell ID thru her email -> i would have called the ticket office. I am glad that I did not have to do so. thanks for the help guys. I have no problem if she wants to get rid of the ticket. I do have a problem with any markup of tickets but if it is within the law then I can't do too much. this was beyond the law so...

email from her including my email to her:
she wrote:

no worries...  


--- johnyowpaiii@hotmail.com wrote:
> hi
> i believe that you have mislisted the value of these
> tickets. each ticket is worth ~12$ as the season
> ticket price was ~$110. What you are doing is
> illegal. I suggest you close this auction before
> your actions get reported to Cornell, ebay, and the
> police. Good luck.
> --------------------

[Keith K \'93]

The fact that some people are willing to pay large amounts of money for tickets doesn't imply that the majority of people would.  If they jacked the ticket prices up to $25 per game I'd bet you'd have a lot fewer people in Lynah on game nights.  Since you can't price discriminate sufficiently they are forced to choose a price at which the rink sells out, which is lower than the maximum that scalpers can get.

Considering how many times I've had trouble dumping an extra ticket at the door in the past, anyone who pays large amounts for scalped season tickets is pretty dumb.

BTW - if you think Cornell should just charge what the market will bear (as indicated by scalpers) then we should be praising the Harvard decision to put the Cornell game in a ticket package.  After all, if cornell alums are willing to pay large amounts to see the Lynah East game then why shouldn't Harvard charge what the market will bear?

[Jeff Hopkins \'82]

Back in the day, a certain percentage of the seats were reserved for students.  There were actually 4 days of ticket sales:

Day 1   -    Seniors only
Day 2   -    Juniors and Sophs
Day 3   -    All students
Day 4   -    Alumni and townies

A certain fraction of the seats were reserved for each day, though I don't know if it was equal numbers for each group.

Also bear in mind, this was when section C was still a student section (and the one most in demand, as a matter of fact).

JH

[cquinn]

While the alums may be able to afford the season ticket prices, there is a waiting list for getting CHA or townie season tickets.  Also, the majority of out-of-towners, me included, sell the tickets (at face value) whenever we can't make it to a game.  If our seats in section C are empty, it's because the students we sold the tickets to squeeze in over in B or D so that they can stand.



Post Edited (10-28-03 17:33)

[jkahn]

On the other hand, as long as "Licensed Ticket Brokers" are allowed to charge whatever they want, I do think that ebay can serve a useful function in ticket sales.  For instance, I purchased 2001 World Series tickets for game 6 on ebay, and even though the seller was illegally selling, I paid less than I would have if I purchased from a licensed broker.  By cutting out the broker as a middle man, the buyer and seller both get a better deal.
Of course, Cornell hockey tickets are sacred, should never be sold above face value and should only be purchased by those who intend to use them.

[RedAR]

I want to to add that selling tickets for slightly above face value to cover any associated cost seems to be fine by me.  For instance, if you sell a ticket on ebay, the seller has to pay a percentage fee.  Mailing the tickets out costs as well.

I guess I was a chump, but last year, I had bought a bunch of tickets to the Cornell @ Harvard game, and then distributed them to Cornell fans.  Because of all the fee, etc., I actually ended up fronting about $35 to go watch Cornell notch a W against the evil H.

Bottom line, for Cornell hockey tickets, I believe in marking up so that the seller doesn't lose money on the transaction.  I don't agree with marking up the tickets simply to make a profit.

[jy3]

redar

i agree with having the prices a little higher due to shipping, fees, etc.

[Kyle Rose \'98]

[q]The fact that some people are willing to pay large amounts of money for tickets doesn't imply that the majority of people would. If they jacked the ticket prices up to $25 per game I'd bet you'd have a lot fewer people in Lynah on game nights. Since you can't price discriminate sufficiently they are forced to choose a price at which the rink sells out, which is lower than the maximum that scalpers can get.[/q]

You're right.  But that doesn't negate my point: instead of letting scalpers handle the late crowd, let the ticket office save some student section tickets and sell them later at an inflated price.  More $$$ for Cornell hockey, and less for the leeches.

[q]BTW - if you think Cornell should just charge what the market will bear (as indicated by scalpers) then we should be praising the Harvard decision to put the Cornell game in a ticket package.[/q]

Despite not liking the situation, I do in fact give them props for it.  It's a smart business decision on their part.  Hey, they got my $44.  Now, it's up to us to make it so painful for their recruiting that they never ever even consider enticing Cornell fans to non-Cornell games... :-)

Cheers,
Kyle

[DeltaOne81]

Ya know, Kyle, there's more to this issue than money, ya know. It's very capitalist and laisse faire of you and all, but there are occasionally higher issues than profit.

There are ways to get the hands out of scalpers and into fans hands without making the prices higher. It's called a system that works the way it's supposed to.

-Fred