Your Ticket Experience Last Year ? STEP ?

[nocturnal_steve]

I am a 10+ year straight Burner.

I waited too long and didn't get my ticket before the sell out last year . Through lots of due diligence I finally did procure one. But not until I went through a convoluted mill that was so anti-intuitive to non-com-modification, radical inclusion and what BM is about for me. Discouraged and may not go this year even though a friend won the lottery ( I entered & lost myself) and I have access to one ticket.

Last Year... there were a good number of extra tickets around after the sell out but all with a catch:

- Via Scalpers...I refused to pay scalpers price . I did offer to donate $100 above face to the sellers charity or good cause of choice, no takers

- Via others...

- I offered a ride and space in my RV at full, reduced or no cost and was willing to pay face value besides. I was "interviewed" and turned down by two potential riders, my RV was not luxurious enough, my armpits were too hairy, or whatever (sigh).

- Someone needed a driver for a large rig and had an extra ticket at face for a driver. I have a commercial license and fit the bill and promised a ticket. A day later pulled out from under me it went to someone else better qualified !? A driver with hairier or less hairy armpits perhaps ?

- Checked Craigslist every day, E-playa etc. I was not quick enough, no response

etc. etc. etc.

-Eventually I got a ticket via a theme camp, friends of friends that knew of my (ongoing) work on a Mutant Vehicle. At the same time I kept seeing tickets coming up and re-distributed in odd and creative ways. Some good some not so good. Also seems like a small surge of small tickets came available just days before the event.

What I am getting at is; hate to be a downer but do not believe STEP will do much good. Hoarders will still hoard until the last days and scalpers scalp. That said I IMPLORE anyone with extra tickets and no intention to scalp, PLEASE PLEASE simply release them to STEP early on no strings attached so others may plan, benefit. Trying to KEEP THE FAITH baby and good luck to all !

[vargaso]

I was in the same boat, waited too long last year, then scrambled and checked Craigslist and here daily, jumped on face-value ads, never got there soon enough, finally got a ticket via someone in our camp deciding not to go. I'm afraid same will happen this year. Online resources will be tough, most tickets will change hands personally. Although you're right, a few days before the event, tickets online increased, I think same will happen this year.

[hotmess]

Last year I couldn't decide to go till last minute. You know that thing we call "a job" got in the way. But then the roof collapsed at the studio I was working at and BAM i could go. The kicker was that tickets by then had officially sold out. I scoured the net and ended up finding a ticket from a fellow Burner here in Brooklyn who couldn't go last minute due to work obligations.

This year I played by the rules and got burnt. I am hoping that STEP works. I will be also be asking around and seeing if anyone has last minute changes to their plans. I am lucky as all my gear is safe, sound and ready to go in SF so all i would need to do is fly out west. That being said, not having a ticket this early on in the game this year is tough. I have been working on ideas for our camp since I got back in September. I will be watching the local NYC craigslist and reporting any scalping to the BM organization. Every set of tickets that is removed from vultures is put back into the STEP program, which is a step in the right direction. (no pun intended)

[wraith]

Last year I got my ticket on the first day of the open sale. Passed it on below face in late June because a knee injury meant I couldn't make it to the playa. The unemployment that came after meant I couldn't get in on this year's presale or lottery until tax returns came back.

Getting a week off in the bakery business is a thing one must schedule six months in advance, and driving out from flyover country ain't cheap, so this may be the second year in a row I stay home.

[CapnJoe]

Last year I got a second tier ticket the first day after waiting online for about 9 hours. This year I am getting a ticket because of volunteering for DMV last year, whew, glad I did that!!!! Applied for ticket in the lottery for my wife, guess what? Didn't get one! Last years system, even with it's flawed InTicket crappy mess, was still better in my opinion.

[AntiM]

Last year I got bumped from the queue and went back later that evening and got two at tier two (or three?). Had a gift ticket given to me last minute, which I used for myself, and traded my own paid for ticket to someone for a pendant. Was offered a ticket below face value for a camp mate who had been shut out by someone who knew I was looking for her, someone who couldn't attend last minute. Was offered two more below face value, which I'd intended for an eplayan and plus one, but he'd found his, so they went to his friends who were seeking.
Essentially all from long term eplaya contacts.
This year? Not so much, I'd think. My social capital stretched quite thin last year. I'm not expecting it to sustain that sort of random luck in this environment. Not feeling the gift ticket vibe coming to me with so many people in agony this year.