How long until tickets are available BELOW face value?

[JayBobBoy]

Just wondering...

I didn't get a ticket, got a bit discouraged, and now....

I'll go for the right price. Say $200? 150? How low can it go?

Craigslist is awash with face value tickets. I find it funny that everyone is now willing to follow the burner code and sell at face value. Instead of having to be a longtime burner to buy a ticket, now you have to (pretend to) be one to get yours sold?

Ha Fucking Ha!

[Dis)'(rack]

Already happening on auction sites; I'm seeing tickets going below $320, and most of these tickets will be at the $320 tier or higher. Now with shipping time becoming an increasingly anxious factor, folks are probably going to be happy to just break even.

I love it that some of these people had over $800 locked up since March thinking they were going to score big and now are sweating it out just trying to get their money back.

[junglesmacks]

Since last Tuesday at 3:47pm PST.

[danibel]

It's already happening. I have seen tickets for as low as $200 on CL. I haven't been following auctions, but it looks like eplaya is awash in offered tickets. It's hard to tell who, if anyone, held extras hoping to profit. Most listings seem to use the wording "plans fell though," or "my loss, your gain."

[Dr. Pyro]

I have heard of plenty of stories of people picking up tickets at the Donnor Lake Rest Area, Nixon, and Gerlach on the weekend before TTITD as well as early in the week below face. Let's be realistic, if you're holding an extra ticket (somebody had to bow out at the last minute, and yes, it does happen) you would take $200 rather than zero. And most people (I have been one of them) are anxious to get rid of it to the first person wanting it. So you can try that. Clearly the downside is what if you don't get the ticket after all that trouble? Then it would suck to be you.

[vargaso]

There was a guy who posted on Craigslist last year the day after it sold out who titled his ad, "I will buy your Burning Man ticket for $100 on August 27th" or whatever date the event started. I thought that was hilarious and most likely he was able to do just that. If I was smart, I would have waited until the day before I was leaving for BM to buy my ticket this year, instead of buying a campmate's presale ticket for $420. Oh well. But seriously, wait until Monday August 27th and then take your pick and name your price.

I should say, it's kind of dick move to offer to buy a ticket below face value, but whatever.

[clocksnmirrors]

i never ever thought i'd be in the position of holding an extra ticket but here i am!


in a way it's exciting to think the everyone who wanted to go will be going.

on the other hand......holy crap.


either way i get to burn so it's all good

[maladroit]

Many people who wanted to go will not be going.

You can say "oh, tickets will be available right before, just plan as if it's going to happen" but the fact is most people can't stomach the major investment of time and money to prepare if they don't have a ticket in hand. Less than two weeks is not enough for people to scrape everything together, get time off work, arrange transportation, get someone to check the mail and feed the dogs, and so on.

And that's just if they want to go, without bringing any art.

[pink]

Once you've burned, you have a lot of that stuff already. You might not buy a lot more stuff if you don't have a ticket, but hell, the 'Damn, next year I gotta remember to get _________' can probably be bought in Reno on your way in. You book vacation as though you are going. If you can't get a ticket, you go somewhere else, perhaps another camping trip in Northern CA or closer to home.

Now not everyone is me, living in Sac with a camper van I literally just inventory & re-pack each year. Most of my burning stuff like goggles, and everything to do with the van lives in the van. so I just make sure it's still in there, pack my clothes, food, the 'more stuff' I've decided to bring, get the stuff in Reno that I get in Reno each year like water & other heavy crap, & go. I could leave in 2 days if necessary, and that's with careful packing.

To get ready for the year I may not have a ticket until right before the burn, I'd do the van inventory and make out my pack list. Book vacation if I actually had a job. Get my costumes ready. Buy food that I can eat if I don't burn.

You're either a dedicated burner or you're not. The first time is the hardest; after that, you know more of what to expect, unless of course, last year was your first year and you think the weather is always going to be 85 degrees with warm nights and no dust, rain, or wind.

[Eric]

Just wondering...

I didn't get a ticket, got a bit discouraged, and now....

I'll go for the right price. Say $200? 150? How low can it go?

A ticket was posted on the Offered board on Saturday for $195. It sold.

It's basically raining tickets right now. Shocking, who could have predicted that...

[junglesmacks]

Many people who wanted to go will not be going.

You can say "oh, tickets will be available right before, just plan as if it's going to happen" but the fact is most people can't stomach the major investment of time and money to prepare if they don't have a ticket in hand. Less than two weeks is not enough for people to scrape everything together, get time off work, arrange transportation, get someone to check the mail and feed the dogs, and so on.

And that's just if they want to go, without bringing any art.

You're new here. I can tell.

Until you get some dusty notches on your belt, I'd recommend refraining from speaking for the community as a whole.

[theCryptofishist]

You can say "oh, tickets will be available right before, just plan as if it's going to happen" but the fact is most people can't stomach the major investment of time and money to prepare if they don't have a ticket in hand.

There are plenty of "I just bought the ticket on the way in on a whim" stories from burners who've been going a while. There is a certain sort of "fishing story" thing about the people who talk about how hard the desert is. Not that it isn't, but you get to be a little more macho if you spin it a little harder. And some people are just more comfortable with open-ended "maybes" than others.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next year and the year after as far as ticket philosophy...

[David M]

Just saw a seller on Ebay with two tickets for sale. The auction is going to end in a few hours and the current bid is around $250 for the pair.

A certain band I listen to (which will remain nameless) sells a percentage of it's tickets via a lottery before the general Ticketmaster sale. Some shows sell out and tickets get scarce, and other times shows are undersold and people end up with extra lottery tickets that they cant give away. Many times these tickets end up on the ground outside the venue and people just pick them up and walk in for free. Anyone think people may get stuck with tickets for the burn they cant sell? Is this the year the folks with "looking for a miracle" signs might actually get their miracle?

[stew]

It's happening!
Can't help myself but...Schadenfreude.

[thenonsequitur]

A little while ago, a co-worker with two tickets decided she and her boyfriend weren't going, so I bought their tickets in an instant, knowing several people that I remember wanted a ticket. I didn't know the ticket situation had turned though, and all of these people I knew had alreadey found tickets through other sources, so I ended up with two extra tickets. As someone with legitimate extra ticket who just needs to sell them, I find this thread really offensive in assuming that everyone selling a ticket is a panicky scalper. That's just inaccurate. I never intended to try to profit off these tickets, would never even consider it.

I managed to sell one of my extra tickets already at face value (the price I paid), and I'm hoping to sell the other as well, also at face value. But if everyone's saying "screw those scalpers, buy at below face value", you're screwing over good people who have legitimate extra tickets just so you can feel your Schadenfreude. Just saying, think about it. Not everyone is a scalper.

[Nipple]

Does the flip side of the "ALWAYS SELL AT FACE VALUE" burner ethic include "ALWAYS BUY AT FACE VALUE"?

Or is it: "I'm not gonna pay more, but I'm going to try to pay less!"

[stew]

As someone with legitimate extra ticket who just needs to sell them, I find this thread really offensive in assuming that everyone selling a ticket is a panicky scalper. That's just inaccurate. I never intended to try to profit off these tickets, would never even consider it.

I don't think anybody seriously made that assumption. I know many who bought their Burning Man tickets early, just in case they would go, and all of the extra tickets around were sold to friends at face value. Most tickets on eplaya sell at face value. However, there were quite a number of tickets that sold above face value, and to those who were keeping their unused tickets hoping to make extra money I now say ha-ha.

To you, and everyone else who is now hoping to break even in a situation what was just bad luck (didn't get time off/friends flaked out/other things preventing you from going), I feel with you. A friend of mine bit the bullet and will end up being a weekender because he couldn't get time off or sell his ticket.

[pink]

A little while ago, a co-worker with two tickets decided she and her boyfriend weren't going, so I bought their tickets in an instant, knowing several people that I remember wanted a ticket. I didn't know the ticket situation had turned though, and all of these people I knew had alreadey found tickets through other sources, so I ended up with two extra tickets. As someone with legitimate extra ticket who just needs to sell them, I find this thread really offensive in assuming that everyone selling a ticket is a panicky scalper. That's just inaccurate. I never intended to try to profit off these tickets, would never even consider it.

I managed to sell one of my extra tickets already at face value (the price I paid), and I'm hoping to sell the other as well, also at face value. But if everyone's saying "screw those scalpers, buy at below face value", you're screwing over good people who have legitimate extra tickets just so you can feel your Schadenfreude. Just saying, think about it. Not everyone is a scalper.

You're coming in very late to a conversation (this thread is only a tiny portion of it) that has been going on for about 10 months. Don't get your panties in a wad.

[Eric]

Does the flip side of the "ALWAYS SELL AT FACE VALUE" burner ethic include "ALWAYS BUY AT FACE VALUE"?

Or is it: "I'm not gonna pay more, but I'm going willing to try to pay less!"

More the second, especially this close to the Burn. Historically (ie: pre-sell-out) this is when people started to dump their tickets below face (because people could still pick them up for face anywhere retail or at the Gate). I don't remember it happening as much last year due to the late sell-out, but this year I think you're seeing more long-term Burners waiting for below-face prices since there are just so many tickets hitting the market. Just think about it- two weeks ago people were begging to buy, now they're begging to sell.

[thenonsequitur]

You're coming in very late to a conversation (this thread is only a tiny portion of it) that has been going on for about 10 months. Don't get your panties in a wad.

Yeah, reading more for the past couple hours, I see what you mean. I guess I'm just a bit frustrated at my own mistake of buying tickets for friends without confirming they needed them first, and worried I'll be losing some money. But losing money isn't the end of the world. And the bright side is that at least a lot of people who want tickets are now getting them!

[FIGJAM]

[David M]

You're coming in very late to a conversation (this thread is only a tiny portion of it) that has been going on for about 10 months. Don't get your panties in a wad.

Yeah, reading more for the past couple hours, I see what you mean. I guess I'm just a bit frustrated at my own mistake of buying tickets for friends without confirming they needed them first, and worried I'll be losing some money. But losing money isn't the end of the world. And the bright side is that at least a lot of people who want tickets are now getting them!

Your heart was in the right place. You'll find someone who wants those tickets.

[pink]

Yes, and if worst comes to worst, you have a nice piece of artwork, albeit with staple holes

[Dis)'(rack]

It's happening!
Can't help myself but...Schadenfreude.

I love this post. Ditto...ditto...ditto.

[skyneedle yukoner]

[/quote]I managed to sell one of my extra tickets already at face value (the price I paid), and I'm hoping to sell the other as well, also at face value. But if everyone's saying "screw those scalpers, buy at below face value", you're screwing over good people who have legitimate extra tickets just so you can feel your Schadenfreude. Just saying, think about it. Not everyone is a scalper.[/quote]


Agreed! My son and I have been several times, bought 2 tickets. Ended up with some unexpected house repairs and had to make a decision to burn or fix my house...house won. Can't find a buyer for my tickets and yes, if I'm encouraged to sell at face value, I should also be encourged to buy at face value ( which I have in the past)

[uncle sticky]

We're below $300 on the open market. Burn baby, Burn! And I'm not talking about the Man.

[wfish]

Then there's the experience of us overseas folks. Coming from Australia, with a now-9-month-old baby, we rented a campervan in January, bought our goggles, outfits etc, then missed out on tickets in the ballot. Managed to register for STEP, but in July with a $1000 payment on the van coming up and no BM tickets, that was quite a leap of faith that tickets would eventually come up. So we passed on our van reservation to someone else.

A couple of weeks ago BM tickets did come up for us in STEP but three weeks is just waaay too late for us to organise this trip from Australia with a baby!

I wonder how many more of us there are? Probably quite a few.

[wraith]

Then there's the experience of us overseas folks. Coming from Australia, with a now-9-month-old baby, we rented a campervan in January, bought our goggles, outfits etc, then missed out on tickets in the ballot. Managed to register for STEP, but in July with a $1000 payment on the van coming up and no BM tickets, that was quite a leap of faith that tickets would eventually come up. So we passed on our van reservation to someone else.

A couple of weeks ago BM tickets did come up for us in STEP but three weeks is just waaay too late for us to organise this trip from Australia with a baby!

I wonder how many more of us there are? Probably quite a few.

A lot of the folks I know, even in the farther bits of the States, are the same way. Myself included. A couple thousand miles driving, or a flight/rental, isn't cheap. By the time things shook down and people started dumping scalped/horded tickets, it was a bit late to try and throw all that together last minute.

Ah well, at least there's a local Burn coming up in a month or two.

[seamunk]

I feel that it's NOT OK to scalp tix (sell for above face value), but it's certainly OK to sell/buy tix at bargain prices (below face value) .

I bought two extras to help out friends, and ended up selling them for less than i paid, once the big rush of tix began flowing...

As a longterm Deadhead, i know that this kind of thing happens, and that's the risk of buying extra tix,

I encourage low-income folks and bargain seekers to continue to buy tix for as low as possible.

I lost some $, but i helped out some burners, who had lost some, who got ripped off by a scammer.

SEE YOU THERE!

Love, me

[FIGJAM]

2 tickets on CL for $220 apiece.