Mets "Ticket Marketplace"

[Gwreck]

Got an email from the Mets about this last night.

Apparently they are starting a new ticket service in which full-season ticket holders can resell their "club" seats to the public through the website.

Tickets can be sold for up to a 30% markup, with an additional 10% fee to the buyer. "Membership" is free for 2005, which seems to me to indicate they're going to charge an additional fee to use in next year.

From what I can tell:
Good:
--> Opens up club seats to non-season ticket holders
--> Don't have to deal with the seller -- the Mets issue you the tickets and you can pick them up at Will-call.

Bad:
--> Sanctioned ticket scalping
--> Membership fees to browse the marketplace? In addition to the 10% service charge?

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

I think that's the same scam, um, I mean deal that the Jets are pushing this year.

[Guest KC]

Jeff Wilpon: How come when I put on the YES network there's always fans
in the most expensive seats in their house and ours are often empty?

Board Room Lacky: I dunno.

Jeff Wilpon: All those seats are sold, right??

Board Room Lacky: Well yeah. The DuPont's, IBM, I think Mr. Doubleda....

Jeff Wilpon: I'm sure Nelson's family retained a seat or two you moron. Don't
you mention that mans name again if you want a job.

Board Room Lacky: Yes si...

Jeff Wilpon: Someone come up with a plan to put people in those seats for
next year if it kills you. We can't have great empty seats being shown on
the METS network next year. I don't care what you do, but do it NOW!!!

[Frayed Knot]

Sounds like legalized scalping to me.
Not as bad as the scam the Cubs are pulling where they "sell" blocks of tickets (ones that [u:10c1a32aab]never were[/u:10c1a32aab] available to the public) to a ticket broker who they themselves happen to own -- iow, they sell them to themselves. They then re-sell them at an inflated rate to people who can't get them any other way.

This Met system helps the ticket holders - they get an easy way to get cash for unused tickets. And it helps the team - they get a cut of the action. And if there are enough folks who want to pay above market for seats ... well then I guess they can justify that it helps them as well.

[Elster88]

I'll probably buy some, if they're cheaper than ebay (probably not), and stubhub (probably are), and are from a game that I want to go to.

[Valadius]

Major League Baseball owns the first row behind home plate. Pepsi owns some of the second row. That's all I can remember at this point.

[Guest Beenso]

its free for season ticket holders and ticket package holders. its a good thing for season ticket holders to get rid of tickets that would otherwise be wasted. as far as the 30% mark-up, oh well, at least u know your'e getting good seats .

[Gwreck]

Beenso wrote: its free for season ticket holders and ticket package holders. its a good thing for season ticket holders to get rid of tickets that would otherwise be wasted. as far as the 30% mark-up, oh well, at least u know your'e getting good seats .

Actually, that's called ticket scalping and it's disgusting and immoral.

In fairness, if the season ticket holders sell their tickets through this system, they get 90% of the selling price applied to their 2006 ticket order...so a small markup to have them not lose money is appropriate. More than that shouldn't be allowed.

[Guest Beenso]

It may be disgusting and immoral (i actually think thats overreacting a bit), but what can you do...mostly all tickets not directly sold through the team or venue are scalped, to different extremes. so ypu can go on ebay and buy the tickets and be charged just as much if not more or you can go to some other ticket outlet and do the same. at least you know these tickets are guaranteed and most likely good seats considering they are season tickets. plus, it isnt necessary for them to be shipped. i wouldnt go as far as saying it is immoral.

[seawolf17]

The Mets know that scalping exists, and they know that StubHub advertises on their broadcasts... who's to blame them from trying to get their piece of the pie? ("Legal" or not.)

[Elster88]

Gwreck wrote: ="Beenso"]its free for season ticket holders and ticket package holders. its a good thing for season ticket holders to get rid of tickets that would otherwise be wasted. as far as the 30% mark-up, oh well, at least u know your'e getting good seats . Actually, that's called ticket scalping and it's disgusting and immoral. In fairness, if the season ticket holders sell their tickets through this system, they get 90% of the selling price applied to their 2006 ticket order...so a small markup to have them not lose money is appropriate. More than that shouldn't be allowed.

According to the backs of the tickets, it's legal to scalp tickets up to 20% over the face value. To me it's worth it to pay 30% extra to sit in those seats once in a while. Though I'd much rather pay 20% extra on eBay and let the ticket holder keep all the profit than pay 30% on mets.com and let the Mets get it back.

Because they'll just spend their extra on washed up vets.