Juldie

I can purchase tickets for Billy Elliot for this weekend on Reedstickets.com.

My son who lives in NY just went to the box office and was told there are no tickets, yet we can buy them on this website now for nothing more than the charge to ship them quickly.

How does this work? The interesting thing is their base price for the tickets are lower, add on service fee and it is very close to the box office price.

Ever purchase tickets through Reedstickets.com? Is it legitimate? If we can fine tickets on any of a number of ticket sites, without paying high prices, will it be alright? I am nervous. Thanks.

nytraveler

There is only one official ticket seller for each show - either ticketmaster or telecharge. If the box office doesn't have tickets they won't either.

If you are getting tickets from any other source they are a scalper - and I doubt very much you are getting tickets at the face price - or they couldn't be making any money.

Have you matched up seat by seat by price? They may be offering the same price but much worse seats.

NeoPatrick

This really is very confusing. Have they told you the seats? My only guess might be that they are a scalper selling you very cheap tickets for the same price as better ones.

Juldie

nytraveler, I am not surprised with what you say but I am even more confused.

I just spoke with Ticket Liquidators and they told me they are brokers, they fully guarantee the tickets. The tickets happen to not be above face value. They say sometimes they are over and sometimes they are the same or even under. They explained the theaters give brokers tickets always which is why the theatre may be sold out when there are still seats available.

Has anyone ever had a bad experience using a broker?

Juldie

http://www.ticketliquidator.com/
http://stubdepot.com/

These are just a couple of them. If you click on a show it will tell you if it center or side mezz for example but not the specific seat.

Centralparkgirl

juldie - it doesn't make sense that a hit show like Billy Elliot would sell to a broker. If they did, the broker would need to charge a lot more to make a profit. I would be very wary of buying counterfeit tickets. Could you check with the BBB in NY?

kswl

I checked that site and they have some tickets that are better than telecharge's for the 1/14 matinee we're seeing. Those are orchestra seats in rows T and Q. Then they have the same nosebleeds that telecharge had left, that broadway box had, etc., and that is rear mezz, last row.

We got two seats in the front row of the front mezz but in the far right section, and they are the two seats to the farthest right. They were $126 each from telecharge and the rear mezz seats were around $69 if memory serves.

HowardR

I find the OP's comment "...their base price for the tickets are lower, add on service fee and it is very close to the box office price" very odd and confusing, considering the fact that the show continues to be a near sellout. Thus, it's highly unlikely that there would be discount tickets available so easily, especially from a broker!
kswl's experience in getting tickets for $126 each is the reality of the situation ($120 a ticket plus a $6 handling fee for each). That's the "normal" experience for getting Billy Elliot tickets.

nytraveler

Theaters do not "give" tickets to resellers (scalpers). The scalpers buy them - just like everyone else - at the same prices. If busines is really bad they might sell something at a lower price the day of just to get rid of it.

But Billy Eliot is selling out - so that's not the case.

I think you will find that the tickets are NOT being sold at face value - why would they not make a profit?

Reedstickets

Hi Juldie,

I just discovered this comment and apologize for the late reply (obviously the show time has passed. Our tickets are 100% real and guaranteed to get you in the show. You can read our "Policy" page here http://reedstickets.com/policies.aspx which, though long winded, covers all your questions in depth.

There is the price of the tickets, the service fee and the shipping for a total cost. Tickets can actually run less then face value after fees, though not common certainly not rare.

I hope this helps answer some questions for everyone. Also, one little tip whether buying from my site or not, if the tickets are emailed or picked up at the venue once you receive your confirmation email respond and ask for a refund on shipping. Most all brokers will refund shipping costs for emailed or picked-up tickets.

If anyone has any other questions please let me know.

Thanks,
Reed

NeoPatrick

A lot of time has passed since this was originally posted, but it continues to be even more bizarre. I just looked at Reed Tickets and found nearly every ticket listed at full face value or more. In fact nearly all the tickets they show for Billy Elliott are nearly double what should be the face value.

Perhaps some fluke happened, or someone bought some group tickets for Billy Elliott before and then resold them through Reed when they couldn't use them all, but that would appear to be a rarity.

By the way, I also noted that tickets for shows that are selling at discount at the box office with any of a half dozen codes like Broadway Box, etc., are selling for full value or higher.

I'm still trying to figure out the advantage of buying through them rather than the OFFICIAL ticket seller, unless like using any other "scalper" because you really want to see a show that is sold out. But why they would sell those tickets so cheaply remains a mystery.

NeoPatrick

Oh, one other thing, unless I'm missing something on your website, you never get to find out what actual seats you're buying -- only the general "zone" they are in. With Telecharge or Ticketmaster you can at least find out which exact seat and know if you feel it is worth buying before finding out is the very last corner seat of the orchestra!

nytraveler

Scalpers have to make a profit. I don;t believe anyone is suggesting the tickets are fake or you won;t get in the theater. We're just suggesting that the price you are paying is more than you would at the bak office. (I have use them -not Reed but stubhub - numerous times when we needed tickets at short notice. They were always legitimate - but always much more thanyou would have payed buying from the official seller months in advance. The cheaper tickets are usually the ones no one wants (end of rows etc).

I would never buy from any service that did not supply actual seat numbers - so you know what you're getting. And the post from the seller is obviously nonsense.

Reedstickets

"And the post from the seller is obviously nonsense"

How is what I said nonsense?

Tickets run on supply and demand, if a broker purchases tickets thinking they will be worth so much in the future and they turn out no one is buying them they must sell them for a loss or less then even face face value. Brokers take losses many times on tickets, they must reduce their risk and for consumers many times they can get below face value on seats. Yes, brokers charge more then face value but still many times must reduce risk and take losses on their inventory to recap money and avoid total loss.

Telecharge or Ticketmaster is a primary seller, my service as with any other brokers is a secondary market. Of course the prices are most times over face value with service fees included. Sometimes people sell tickets to brokers for less then face value and brokers are able to keep prices lower, much like a pawn shop would not pay retail when purchasing goods from someone selling.

"i'm still trying to figure out the advantage of buying through them rather than the OFFICIAL ticket seller"

For many it comes down to wanting to go to a show and no seats available or it could be that seats are available but they want better seats and are willing to pay extra for them. For those most part if tickets are available people will use the official ticket reseller unless no seats are available or they want better seats then are available.

In the end my service provides the best prices and product for the secondary market for those who need/prefer to use a broker.

NeoPatrick

Some severe double talk here.

You said, "Tickets run on supply and demand, if a broker purchases tickets thinking they will be worth so much in the future and they turn out no one is buying them they must sell them for a loss or less then even face face value."

Very true!

But we were talking about a show and a particular weekend when there were NO tickets available period. How come you were selling tickets for THAT at below face value, when clearly you could have been selling them for much more? I agree that if people want to see a show badly they are willing to pay much more and generally we are used to scalpers like your company charging much more. The part about your post that didn't make sense was why you were selling great Billy Elliott seats over a year ago when they were impossible to get, for face value or less? That's the part that just doesn't make sense here.

Reedstickets

There is no double talk at all, the tickets listed were the price you would have got them at regardless... really, end of story whether you believe that or not.

You seem to be talking about demand on the primary market, there may have been sold out from the box office but that does not mean at all that there is no competition on the secondary market. The tickets could have been bought by a broker last last minute at half price and thrown on our exchange for a quick profit.

" NO tickets available period"

I doubt that, Billy Elliot tickets may not have been available from the primary seller, but are always available on the secondary market. I HIGHLY doubt at that time and date I was the only one who had tickets to that show. A matter of fact if I was to guess, tons of brokers had tickets to that show and they were not selling them. I believe in this post other sites were even mentioned to have similar tickets and prices...

Saying I clearly could have made more is misleading, it is saying that at anytime a show is sold out I have the ability to charge anything I want and make tons of money. Broadway shows on the secondary market, especially around that time and even more so now are huge risk and do not make much money at all anymore.

I am very unsure of exactly what you are angry with and attacking me for. If the tickets were listed on the site at the price you could have bought them at that price, then add the service fees and shipping and you would have had the tickets and been at the show and guaranteed to get through the gates.

NeoPatrick

You missed my point, but I'll try to make it simpler.

Any broker who sold great seats at face value for a weekend performance of Billy Elliott in February of 2009 just wasn't thinking clearly, as most people were willing to pay at least double for them then! And many, many were. I'm really curious why NOW your agency sells seats for double when they are not nearly so hard to come by as they were a year and a half ago.
But never mind.

I'm not angry, but it would have been nice if we had heard back from the OP as to what the seats were and if they were really the incredible bargain they "seem" to have been, if indeed they were ever purchased.

NeoPatrick

Oh, but let me backtrack a bit because yes, I am a little bit angry. The fact is that if it weren't for all you brokers buying tickets by the thousands for speculation, we all would be able to buy regular seats for good shows at face value. But your gobbling up the market particularly immediately when runs are extended of very popular shows are the very reason that an occasional traveler to New York ends up HAVING to pay double price if he wants to see a hit show and is restricted by dates. It's a catch 22. If it weren't for the brokers, we could all buy tickets cheaper for hit shows, but because of the brokers some have to go running to them because they hold the trump card by "owning" all the seats for hit shows.

nytraveler

I understand the business brokers do - what I don;t understand is not providing specific seat numbers in advance. the broker I use is completely transparent - you know what seats you will get- you PICK what seats you will get for the price. Otherwise people can find themselves buying poor seats for top dollar. (Perhaps that's the reason you couldn;t sell seats when other brokers could -at a large profit).

In any case, you're not supposed to be advertising your business here.

Reedstickets

If the tickets were posted at that price, she would have gotten them at that price plus the service fee, and they are guaranteed to be real. The OP says she contacted other brokers that had the same tickets less than face value as well.

I keep my prices at the lowest possible and competition is very tough. If you were to compare my prices to the leading secondary market prices you would find my seats are the same or better and at a much fairer price. I just did a search for "Wicked" tickets for the October 9, 2010 8pm show. For CENT ORCH Row: DD you would pay a total of $597.92 for two tickets to the best seats available. The competition (which you guys mention as the official and primary seller) is asking a total of 685.67 for seats one row back in Section: Center Orch Row: EE. And they do not provide seat numbers as well.

If you wish to have anger towards the industry as a whole, I can understand that and of course that is your right. You seem to be faulting me, however for providing the best value to my customers within the industry. The industry is built up of huge companies, the official and primary seller you have mentioned in this post is also in the secondary market, meaning that they have the tickets in their hands first and can move them onto the secondary markets. This is simply something I cannot do. In other words, I am not the one who is buying masses of tickets from the primary market so that people like yourself cannot get them at original costs.

At the same time, I still defend 100% anyone's right to buy something and sell it for whatever price they wish. If someone has proven legitimate tickets and wants to sell them on my site for 1 million dollars, including yourself, they can, whether or not they actually sell them or not is another story.

I am not trying to argue with you or your opinions, I am just trying to state that regardless of the situation, if the tickets were listed at that price they could have been bought at that price, would have been received and would have been real with a 100% guarantee. While you do not like the industry as a whole if you were to compare, I think you would find my prices are among the fairest in the industry, my policies and guarantee to the highest standard in the industry and my transparency to be equal to the biggest names in the industry.

My seats show section, row and/or aisle and many times will show exact seat numbers. It is always posted as well is any factor that would influence the quality of the seat such as partial view/obstructed. My site contains a full seating chart showing the exact area your seats will be in. You will not pay the top dollar for great seats and not get what you paid for. If you purchase Center orchestra Row: DD aisle seats you know where you are sitting and that is exactly what you will receive. As well for the example listed above there are 11 different sets of tickets available, which show exact seat numbers while the leading competition has zero seat numbers listed for all of their tickets.

Lastly, I am not trying to advertise my business, I am defending my business from a speculative post which was not created by myself.