Ever tried getting tickets online for a big game or performance, just to find out they all sold out within minutes, even seconds? Maybe the only tickets available are more expensive options?
It took only minutes for blocks and blocks of Billy Joel tickets to disappear after their release. They popped up on third party sites, like Stubhub and Craigslist shortly after.
"It's very frustrating," ticket broker Scott Merk told News 5.
But with 23 years of ticket brokering experience, Merk said between press lake, brokers, third party sites, promoters, and giveaways, quick buy-ups aren't abnormal.
A new law signed by President Obama, known as "The Better Online Ticket Sales Act," targets the fixed ticketing game and third party buyouts by targeting Internet bots that snatch up popular tickets just for marked-up resale.
Merk told News 5 until venues, promoters, artists, and teams change things up, things may not change.
"A lot of artists are making floors GA. Bruce Springsteen, U2, why do they do that? They don't want their client paying front row and seeing them on websites for two thousand dollars. They want their fans to have a fair shot," he said.
If you're willing to play the odds, national broker, Bryant Junco, told News 5 often times event tickets prices will drop about one month before. Junco said sometimes blocks of tickets will be held back.
Scott Merk said he has seen premium seats open up the day of an event.
Pesky fees can be avoided by buying tickets in person.
"We saved $29.75 a seat. There's a service fee no one tells you about if you buy them online or over the phone."
