7.06.2006

Outrage!

Yeah, so Sleater-Kinney tickets went on sale today. Surprisingly cheap too. After all that service charge crap, I was set back a mere $21.75. Considering this is their final tour before their "indefinite hiatus," they could have charged a whole lot more. At the listed price of $15, the show managed to sell out in about 20 minutes.

I've had my problems with how the 9:30 Club handles ticket sales in the past, but this was a whole lot easier. Announcing when the tickets go on sale makes a whole lot more sense than surprising everyone by putting tickets up late on Sunday night. Kudos to the 9:30 Club!

So, I got my tickets. My roommate got her tickets. My friends got their tickets. Everything went swell for me. But if you didn't get your tickets, oh man. I feel bad for you.

Here's Asshole Scalper #1. He (or she) is charging $175 for a pair of tickets. What a twat-face. The nerve of someone to take a farewell concert and turn into an opportunity to make that much money is unthinkable to me.

Asshole Scalper #2 takes it to a whole new level. He (or she) is charging $300 for a pair of tickets. Remember, a pair of tickets only cost me $43.50. Anyone who charges that much for a ticket is a fucking schmuck. This kind of scalping is a total violation of rock law*.

My friend and I each bought two tickets. We were afraid the show would sell out in 30 seconds or something wacky like that, so we decided to maximize our chances. We both succeeded in buying tickets, so we have two extra. Unfortunately, we both have integrity and refuse to fuck some poor unsuspecting Sleater-Kinney fan up the ass with such horrifying price gouging. Instead, we plan on finding a friend to take the tickets at face value. If that fails, I'll probably sell 'em on Craigslist for $50. Total potential profit: $3.25.

Now, what to do with these assholes on Craigslist? Well, I'm going to guess that price gouging/scalping is illegal in Washington**. So, I have no choice but to flag the everloving shit out of those outrageous posts. I urge all my readers to flag away. If these scalpers bought those tickets strictly to make money, they don't deserve a fucking cent. At the very least, we can make it as hard for them as possible.

*Oh, and take a gander at the Philly Craigslist page. Notice a difference between the DC prices and the Philly prices?
**I could be wrong. I'm going to flag them anyways.
Posted by Rusty at 1:35 PM

30 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 06, 2006

    For a wannabe lawyer you know shit about the law. Most price gouging laws only apply to basic necessities like food, gas and electricity and only during the time of a natural disaster. For things like concert tickets people are free to charge whatever others are willing to pay (and if the show sold out that fast I guarantee someone will be willing to spend $300 for tickets). It’s called capitalism. But I do give you respect for selling your extras at face value. As far as scalping, if it is illegal in DC (like most other laws)it’s rarely enforced.

    ReplyDelete
  2. RustyJuly 06, 2006

    price gouging

    n : pricing above the market when no alternative retailer is available

    ReplyDelete
  3. Original Birthday HolderJuly 06, 2006

    Market Value is determined by supply and demand, not ticket master.
    That being said, those craiglisters are jerks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 06, 2006

    umm ok...so that’s how its defined in the dictionary. What’s your point? What matters here is how gouging is defined by the law. You, incorrectly, said that what those scalpers were doing violated anti-price gouging laws. In fact, the laws only apply in certain circumstances which I mentioned in my last post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. RustyJuly 06, 2006

    I said scalping is illegal and I said price gouging is illegal. Aren't they?

    And the demand price is much lower than $150 a ticket. Since there is a very limited number of tickets, prices are being gouged.

    I don't care about legal specifics of price gouging since I did zero research. The definition is all I needed. And the scalpers are clearly breaking the law. Semantics shemantics.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJuly 06, 2006

    Wow. Already gone.

    ReplyDelete
  7. RustyJuly 06, 2006

    BTW, "Tweaks" is my roommate and better than me at econ, so I will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume I am wrong.

    Still, $150 a ticket!? Unacceptable.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    I’ve gotta say Rusty; your counter argument was pretty pathetic. From start to finish all you managed to do was expose yourself as the pseudo intellectual douche bag hack that you are. Here’s my favorite line “I don't care about legal specifics of price gouging since I did zero research. The definition is all I needed. And the scalpers are clearly breaking the law.” LMAO!!! So you admitted that you we’re completely talking out of your ass on this subject.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    So rusty, you censor the redskins name and mascot but you have no problem throwing around the word "scalper" which is just as racist. Therefore by your own definitions I would have to say that you’re a racist.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    Buy low, sell high. It's the American way. NO I dont support scalpers, but if I ask say 1,000.00 for a ticket and the buyer thinks its fair, what should you care?! Geez, I love the whinny little youth complaints on this blog. And now I see you want to be a lawyer?! What a perfect whinny-ass field for you to be in.

    ReplyDelete
  11. RustyJuly 07, 2006

    Um, you clearly support scalpers.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    For the thousandth time already....


    Whinny is the sound a horse make.

    Whiny is what Rusty sounds like. Well that and uninformed, stupid and ignorant.

    Got it?

    Good lord...

    ReplyDelete
  13. RustyJuly 07, 2006

    Oh my lord. Here we go.

    1. I am aware that "scalper" comes from a negative stereotype of American Indians. However, that's the word in the dictionary so it's the word I have to use. R**skin is a racist epithet which is completely different.

    2. I was never making a legal argument. I noted that scalping is illegal, and, guess what, it is. My argument was that buying tickets and immediately selling them for insane profits is unethical. It's taking advantage of people.

    You had a problem with the term "price gouging" which is usually used with necessities, not concert tickets. Fair enough, although, by the definition in the dictionary, I wasn't wrong.

    3. And I love capitalism. But capitalism only works if people are decent about it. The days of the invisible hand are long gone. These scalpers are indecent human beings who don't deserve money or respect.

    4. Of course, big thanks to the people who had the integrity to get on my case anonymously. If you're going to call me a "douchebag hack" please have the courage to stand behind your words instead of lobbing anonymous grenades that can't be traced back to you, coward.

    ReplyDelete
  14. RustyJuly 07, 2006

    I can't believe I am overreacting to this ridiculousness.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    It was probably that guy's Craigslist Post!

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    You're a douchebag hack.

    And a whiny bitch.

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    What does this have to do with Washington D.C.? Scalpers are everywhere! Asshole scalpers are everywhere!

    Please read your misson statement (if James F. happened to leave one) and then get back on topic. Enough of the Rusty complains about generic non-Washington D.C. specific stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    If someone will pay $300 for a ticket, then the ticket is worth $300. Nobody holds a gun to the buyers head. The buyer exchanges $300 for the ticket, because that ticket gives them value they think exceeds $300.

    If the show is selling out in minutes, the tickets don't cost enough. At $15, demand clearly outstrips supply. The reason scalpers step in is that they recognize the mismatch. The market always steps in and finds the "right" price.

    This is going to sound cra-a-azy, but think about it for a minute before blowing a gasket - if ticket sellers want to hurt scalpers, the best way is to charge a price closer to one that will bring supply and demand into alignment.

    Scalpers piss everyone off. They don't care about the commodity they are selling. They push out legitimate fans. If the "right" price is way higher than the actual price, though, they will always be there.

    The market is how we decide what something is worth. No matter what you do to thwart it, it is always there.

    If someone is willing to pay $300 for a ticket, it is worth $300. Price isn't based on cost. It's based on utility to the buyer.

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    Told you so. Hypocrite.

    ReplyDelete
  20. RustyJuly 07, 2006

    How does that make me a hypocrite? I always take that down.

    I wrote about my family and friends on that blog. I'm not comfortable sharing that information with a larger audience.

    Please go away. If you continue to post that site I'll take the comments down which is shitty and no one wants that. I like the feedback and I'm sure you like the negative attention.

    ReplyDelete
  21. RustyJuly 07, 2006

    Scarce Resources,

    You are 100% correct. But it's still a shitty thing to do.

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    STFU! God, DC is full of such DORKS! You are arguing about the legal definition of price gouging! Who fucking cares, nerds?

    Have you ever even listened to Sleater-Kinney or are you all still on your DMB and Pearl Jam trip?

    BACK TO WHAT'S IMPORTANT: Rusty, pleeeeassseeee, I want to buy those tickets!

    ReplyDelete
  23. RustyJuly 07, 2006

    Haha. I'm asking my friends first. If you're the fan who e-mailed me, I'll get back to you shortly.

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    Sleater-Kinney SUCKS!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. AnonymousJuly 07, 2006

    I am visiting your blog for the first time.

    My impression: Damn, you fucking whine a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousJuly 08, 2006

    i wish these pro-scalping people would back off. i've been to too many sold out shows only to see rows of empty seats because scalpers were asking ridiculous prices that no one would want to pay.

    scalpers buy up tons of tickets and then try to sell them for stupidly high prices, which are not market prices by any definition. asking for some random high price does not allow for "market forces."

    just go to a venue the night of a sold out show, then you'll see market forces at work. the scalpers asking $300 for tickets on craig will be outside half the time selling below face value just to get some money back. or they won't even bother and tickets will remain unsold... thus a market failure.

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousJuly 10, 2006

    You know what I hate? Blindly ideological advocates for the almighty "FREE MARKET." As if it even exists.

    ReplyDelete
  28. AnonymousJuly 12, 2006

    If someone is WTP $300, then why do you care? Your complaining is just as annoying and pointless as when people claim gas stations are price-gouging. It's simple supply and demand. The scalpers aren't mean or stupid, they're doing what any sane person trying to make some money would do. For you to sell your tickets for so cheap on Craigslist is pretty dumb. Sell it for what it is worth, man. You're just going to end up selling it to some dude who will turn around and sell them for 6 times the price. Selling it at the market price is the only sure way to ensure that the tickets are purchased by someone who really really wants to go to the show. Sell them for less, and some dude will just pretend to really like the band so that he can laugh at you when he makes 1/4-rent because of your irrational behavior.

    ReplyDelete
  29. RustyJuly 12, 2006

    The invisible hand is dead and gouging prices is ethically wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  30. AnonymousJuly 15, 2006

    it's not price gouging, rusty. your future career as a successful lawyer depends upon you understanding the difference between things such as basic market forces (supply and demand) and flagrant exploitation (price gouging). this is most certainly a case of the former.

    ReplyDelete

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