Jane Bell is an eBay Specialist Consultant and all round eBay guru as well as being an avid rock chick. Today she looks (not for the first time) at ticket sales on eBay.
Yet another bad press article for eBay about fake tickets sold by touts on both eBay and Gumtree. Live Nation refused entry to the Wireless Festival last weekend to those who had fake tickets urging those who purchase tickets to events to buy from official ticket outlets.
My problem with this? Firstly, again, eBay are called into question regarding its sellers but the ‘it’s just a venue’ argument aside, buying concert tickets on eBay has always been fraught with risk. It may be down to education of eBay buyers to only use Top Rated Sellers or to use StubHub for tickets but still that risk is there.
Secondly, and my biggest gripe on this subject, why oh why, have Live Nation not got a presence on eBay? They should be selling tickets through eBay as well as their own sites. Multi-channel selling is about getting your product or service on as many different platforms as possible otherwise you restrict your customer base.
I was asked once why people would go to eBay and then buy from a High Street shop on the eBay site rather than going directly to the store’s website. This is because they go shopping on eBay first and then find what they are looking for from a brand they trust. If that brand is not on the site they will buy from another and their chosen seller may not be what the trusted brand they were hoping for.
This can be a very expensive learning curve for buyers and also at the expense of eBay in the resulting bad press. Getting your money back after the fact is no consolation when you are turned away from the venue due to a fake ticket you’ve just spent your hard earned cash on. Although the purchase is made from an eBay seller and not directly from eBay, it’s eBay that gets tarred with the brush as a bad place to buy.
As an avid rock fan I go to many many concerts within the year, along with eBay this is another of my obsessions. If I know a band is about to release tickets I’m there, mouse in hand waiting for the clock to pip 9am and purchase. Not everyone can do this, I know, and when tickets sell out within minutes in some cases then people trying to buy later in the day are disappointed and then go to other internet sites to buy. I know for a fact that tickets are on sale on eBay even before they go up on the official ticket sites. If Live Nation were to sell tickets on eBay this would stop a lot of the obscene and extortionate prices and also take some of the money away from the touts and fake sellers and provide that trusted brand on eBay. With some decent social marketing the news of official ticket sellers on eBay would spread in no time, one of the bonuses of social media as a low cost viral info train.
I ask Live Nation to talk to eBay and get a presence on the site please! I also ask eBay to help put a stop to this madness and prevent more bad press for the site, talk to Live Nation and get this sorted for the sake of your buyers and music fans in the UK!
10 Responses
Live Nation has no need for Ebay.
The only tickets worth faking are sold out ones, ergo live nation sold them all so has no need for another channel.
Also I doubt ebay is the first port of call for most folk looking for a ticket more likely the last. ( of course there are exceptions to this, as we all know there is one born every minute.)
Feeling really bad for those who were turned away! Just imagine the time some of these folks spent traveling to the venue and not to mention, the cost of the fake ticket. Not cool.
Generally speaking, it’s neither eBay’s or Live Nation’s fault but fingers crossed, there shouldn’t be a place for ticket scammers.
Agree Live Nation or any other brand at that, should effectively use social media to educate buyers. It’s free and most people are on it.
Whilst I feel bad for those who got scammed, I have to say this is not reflective of the majority of tickets sold on eBay.
I bought 5 tickets for another Hyde Park concert – Hard Rock Calling, this weekend. All bought on eBay from 3 different sellers, all genuine tickets, and over £100 saved.
Check the feedback of the Seller and pay by Credit Card for a little added protection.
I don’t really LiveNation gaining anything from an eBay operation? They’d just be paying eBay and PayPal money that they just don’t need to pay.
I guess when you’re talking about selling tens of thousands of tickets for hundreds/thousands of events every year, the cut eBay/PP would take is a very significant amount of money, to sell something which would have sold anyway.
LiveNation won’t care two hoots about fake tickets. They know that the tickets they sell are legit, and I’d imagine thats where their train of thought on the matter would stop.
I’ve had to resort to eBay for tickets on occasions but in general people buying tickets on eBay are desperate to get them (hence paying the inflated price) and would take higher risks than they normally would. So its probably just as much a case of ‘Buyer Beware’ than anything?