There is an article out there about how Cavs fans complained enough to get bidding turned back on. I imagine the best complainers would be season-ticket holders calling their rep. And if that person is really a pro/amateur scalper who rarely goes to games themselves, the rep then has the opportunity to ask them why they sell their tickets all the time, and could offer to buy them back if they are so upset with lack of bidding cramping their scalping activities. Then the Rockets can repackage the tickets in mini-packs to ppl who really want to go to the games. -- that's how this could ultimately be for the Fans That's what I'd do, if I were the Rockets. Scalpers aren't providing a service for the fans as much as they proclaim to be. And they have no alternative ways to run e-ticket auctions,,not at stubhub, Ticketmaster, seatgeek, etc. At best, they are creating an inflated secondary market at the expense of real fans being able to buy more mini packs at face value, who will go to Every game in their pack. This is why Phish has many ways to screw the scalpers, and why there are Phish sites dedicated to screwing the scalpers by limiting sells to Face Value, only...no auction. It's better for their target fans to ****-block secondary markets.
Jesus hey partner, did you get a gig with Rockets ticket sales? You're really going to use the argument that removing bidding is for the fans? This team isn't worried about tickets being overpriced, it's worried about underpriced tickets.
Sigh, no. I'm not in this thread to argue. I said I'm here to tell Buyers that leaving flashseats doesn't help you, and it hurts the fans with tickets. Scalping is not for the fans, either. I didn't say that's my argument. That is Phish's argument. Just trying to figure out why both Cavs and Rockets had flashseats turn off bidding, while also saying take your complaints to the Rockets. but leaving flashseats is a misguided boycott that just hurts fans, since that's where the tickets are, and other sites provide no auctions and can't offer e-ticket transfers of Rockets flashseats. Call the Rockets ticket reps, complain, and come back and report. Boycotting is shooting yourself in the foot like DD's Not one Dime or Nickel campaign.
Cashortrade.org for the Rox, perhaps? I also propose 1 for 3, 2 for 5 Heady Toppers in the parking garage. Still waiting...
By the way, are you saying the Rockets took away bidding to prevent secondary markets selling under face, thus depressing the market? Elaborate, pls. My belief from 15yrs of STH is Rockets don't care about secondary markets reselling for under face, because They've already sold the ticket Les never dropped prices They have always, and still do, allow you to sell under face With Paul, their Sales and attendance is increasing, so underselling isn't depressing Sales Tilman definitely cares more about selling food, having the season-ticketholder show up, than secondary market pricing Make the argument that scalping helps fill the seats, but don't say the Rockets took bidding away because they are concerned with what price the scalper gets. If you mean Rockets are concerned about scalpers making more money and they want to capture that market, keep in mind Price is either locked in for 44-game packages, or controlled via Platinum, Gold, Silver game pricing in mini-packs or individual game sales Individual games are released in stages at TBD pricing, so scalpers can't grab those early Imo, This points to Rockets preferring to get the 44-game packs back from the scalpers if those ppl never go to games, in order to get them in the hands of the users, directly, vs indirectly.
So do people think that taking away bidding will have a big, negative impact? I’ve pretty much always been able to get a decent-good seat in the lower bowl for $60-$80. I’m not sure how much other contenders are charging, but that seems like a fair price. I guess you won’t be able to get some absolute steals anymore.
HP, I do think this change to the bidding process with flash seats hurts buyers. I also think it was done deliberately to put a floor under resale prices. In Flash seats, I have a minimum floor that I can list my tickets for (some percentage of face value, it can be under face value but the point is there is a limit). Without the bidding feature, I have a hard floor that's been created. For instance, take Monday's game against the Grizz. The cheapest ticket on flashseats right now is $14. No seller on that site can undercut that price if they want to. Now take the same game over at Vivid Seats. The cheapest ticket right now is $7. That's 50% less than the flash seats price. That is true market value for the cheapest seats available for Monday's game because there is no artificial constraints like a price floor. If I'm a buyer, I don't have any reason to ever use flash seats when I can get cheaper tickets via Vivid Seats and other marketplaces. I would at the very least suggest STH sign up for alternative marketplaces to reach a wider market of buyers (like me) who are pretty darn price driven when I buy single game tickets.
I was told that the Rockets will have a new ticket buying software that will offer purchasers a chance to buy seats from either the Rockets or off Flashseats in the same view. (There is similar purchasing at Memphis web page using Map view you can see prices from both the team and from Resale.) It would not be compatible to merge both ticket sources together unless the bidding on Flashseats was disabled. This is what my rep told me when I asked. He said buying tickets this way will launch soon, but he didn't know exactly when.
Thanks for sharing that, and asking the question!! As for compatibility, that's a bogus technological excuse...sorry Rockets staff, if you are reading this...that's Seatgeeks excuse too. Leave on bidding at Flashseat, and just support merging of the Buy Now feature for ppl who buy after market at your site. Or spend money to support both. No reason to turn off features of Flashseats just because you don't know how to support bidding. Just scrap the Sellers Buy Now listing and forward that to your site. voila, merged. Then Buyer can also go directly to Flashseats to make bids, if Seller is allowing bids. This is not a good excuse. Sounds fishy.
I've been a season ticket holder for a number of years and upgraded my seats last year because I was excited about the Rockets going really far in the playoffs. This hurts me, because I can't make all the games and some of the games are undesirable for the fans. Flasheats bidding did all the work for me and now I have to do the work and pay a lot more attention to the process. How is that better for the customer/ me? It's not and pisses me off. They keep doing more and more things to alienate me all to protect their product. I've had just about enough and it won't take much else for me to leave. Screw this!
This is a separate issue. Rockets do not allow their face value to be sold below a certain % at flashseats...bidding or not. This is not a limitation of Flashseats. Rockets are a client of Flashseats. That is a demand the Rockets place upon them. It has nothing to do with bidding being turned off. When it was on, we still had that % minimum. Again, this has nothing to do with the bidding features, as neither Vivid nor Stubhub support auctions. This is about a lower, allowable minimum. This difference between sites is brought up every year, here. These sties act as listing services for flashseats. Technically, there is no guarantee you will actual receive those tickets anymore than buying paper tickets at Craiglist or eBay. Theoretically, you can be scammed, which is impossible at Flashseats. Sellers can't upload Rockets tix to Vivid and Stubhub. You still must get the tickets at flashseats. This is what happens. Just like CashOrTrade.org Vivid and Stubhub will take any money you want to stipulate. Buyer and Seller are then in a Binding contract under Terms of Use of the sites. Vivid gets in the middle of the payment as a broker to ensure it happens. Buyer and Seller exchange flashseats info Buyer goes to Flashseats to get their seats from Seller in a no-money transfer between accounts. You know how it works at Flashseats.. you press the Buy Now button, pay and they instantly appear in your app for immediate use. Seller does nothing Or provide payment method then enter a Bid, and Seller presses the Accept Bid button, transaction cashes, and it immediately transfers between accounts for instant use.
I think this helps everyone I Understand how both work. Without bidding flashseats on certain games will not have competitive prices and other second hand marketplaces with be cheaper due to the lack of a minimum %.
It sucks for you. Call and complain like the Cavs fans did when their bidding was turned off, and they got it turned back on. I gotta say, though. I was a STH back before such things an online ticket sales. For several years, only way I could sell tix to games I couldn't go to was here at CFnet or Craiglist. We are spoiled with the ability to sell with no bidding like at stubhub and ticketmaster and vivid and seatgeek. Did you really buy STH based upon Rockets offering fans bidding at flashseats. Some ppl do, because they want to sell half the games to offset their STH purchase. To me, are really just describing ease of maximizing your profits, or minimizing loss. You can sell the tickets online with not much hassle at all. You know you can. I know you can. Just complain or give them up. Some other fan will be more than happy to upgrade into your seats. That's how the Market works, too.
I'm still not following why you are saying the bidding feature has no floor. The bidding feature at Flashseats has a minimum % bid for the Rockets. The bidding feature did not allow you to sell below that floor, anymore than how it works without bidding. It's all in the instructions at their site.
Sorry hp, I go to a small amount of games because I live so far away. I get the tickets so I can get good playoff seats. I lose money on these tickets every year, because they are to expensive and it's hard to sell the crappy games like Memphis, Utah etc... This will now have me work harder to unload the games I can't get to. Sorry if I can't make every one! I have complained. If the tickets I have are in such great demand, then why was it so easy for me to upgrade into them?!
Didn't we hear that renewals during 2016 was one of the biggest down years ever. Fans were pissed at Howard and Harden and we had no coach. As a STH living in Boulder who owns just for playoffs, from my seats, ppl who say the Buy Now feature and ability to transfer to friends for free isn't good enough, and they need more features that stubhub and Ticketmaster don't have, like Bidding, fundamentally bought tickets they can't afford, or they are just in it for the money. imo, Those ppl are feeling Market Forces, and the Market is telling them to give up their seats to the person better prepared to attend more games. I hope all the scalpers cave like you, too. Saying you need all the Bells and Whistles turned on, carries little sympathy with me , since I know you can recoup 50-60% of missed games even on worst years, with little hassle. For this year, you will make >100% back, easy, with the Buy Now feature alone. Of course, none of what I said explains why they won't just give us that feature, if they have it. Just saying if lack of it really hurts, give up your seats to someone who will use them. You will make another fan very Happy! Did I just make you feel bad like a corporate owner who wants the easiest possble means to not go to games.
You should probably get a job in government if you already don't have one. You sir are DOTI (defender of the indefensible).
Question for anyone who finds the Buy Now feature to be too much of a hassle? Will you sell me your tickets for Face Value, right now, and you keep Playoff Rights. Here's the offers Sell Now 41-Game Offer I will give you 100% Face Value for *all* of your 41-games remaining right now, thus allowing you to hold on to your Playoff option for free. Would you sell them to me? Sell Now 21/20 split Offer If No, how about we have a draft, and you pick half the games and I pick half the games (taking turns). Would you sell half your games to me using the fairness of a draft, and still keep 100% rights to Playoffs. You get the first pick and last pick. Sell Now 27-14 split Offer Some draft above, but you pick twice for every one game I pick (taking turns), I get the first pick and last pick. And you can't pick the same team twice on your turn Who wants the hassle-free security of selling tix for Face Value now, and retain playoffs. And if you won't sell me the tickets, tell me why? @Smacktle what you say?
I've never sold any games from my season tickets, and don't plan on doing so. That doesn't mean others shouldn't have the option. The idea that the rockets have no incentive to regulate second hand ticket markets is Completely wrong, and if your entire argument is based on that idea, then it too is fallicious. If buying second hand tickets is harder, it creates an incentive to buy the tickets outright from the rockets, and when you look at stadium budgets and costs, you realize that the revenue lost from food sales is nearly inconsequential compared to ticket revenue lost to their own season ticket holders. This is absolutely a move that benefits the rockets at the expense of the season ticket holder. Furthermore, why complain? They are either 1) aware of the consequences of their actions, and don't care, or 2) are too stupid to realize the potential damage. In both scenarios, my response is the same. I will spend my money elsewhere on organizations that don't **** on their own customers.
