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is it ethical? (reselling tickets for hot items)

Just Me

By Just Me
in 2007

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Is it ethical?  

501 members have voted

  1. 1. Is it ethical?

    • Yes Godd business you waited they didn't
      192
    • No it isn't fair to others who waited and were behind you
      265
    • Not sure I'm on the fence
      58

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conj

conj

Posted
Posted

As posted above, it is not only unethical but is illegal. If I saw someone doing it, I'd honestly punch them right in the mouth. It'd be worth it.

illegal? I have not stood in line for a ticketed item, but unless it says non-trnasferrable I am not sure how it would be illegal. Evan then it would potentially void the ticket... but assault might not be commensurate.

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Rockfordmom

Rockfordmom

Posted
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illegal? I have not stood in line for a ticketed item, but unless it says non-trnasferrable I am not sure how it would be illegal. Evan then it would potentially void the ticket... but assault might not be commensurate.

I would think that selling it may be illegal, just like ticket scalping for sports events or concerts is

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conj

conj

Posted
Posted

I searched "why is scalping tickets illegal" the 1st document (Ebay) had this to say:

Isn't scalping tickets illegal?

"Scalping" tickets - defined as reselling tickets for greater than face value - is indeed illegal in certain states. However, reselling tickets for up to face value is legal nationwide

No face value to the BF tickets...

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scrabbler

scrabbler

Posted
Posted

No face value to the BF tickets...

If the face value of the BF ticket is no value, it is then a value of zero dollars. To sell that ticket "could" then be considered scalping. If illegal in your state, then it may be best to not sell the ticket.

 

Things are only "worth" as much as people are willing to pay. Whenever anything is in high demand, its value "appears" more. However, you then have to find that person that will pay you for that ticket that is of no money value.

 

My own personal opinion is that if I stood in line, I would not take a ticket of an item I did not want. To "hope" that ticket may put some money in my pocket is an odd way to save some money at Christmas time. It would be better to stop some extra activity now until BF and save that money. Definitely a surer thing than hoping some other person will pay you for something that has no value.

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Dubyabee

Dubyabee

Posted
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As posted above, it is not only unethical but is illegal. If I saw someone doing it, I'd honestly punch them right in the mouth. It'd be worth it.

Would you punch someone in the mouth if you overheard them say they were planning on selling the items they purchased on ebay?

 

I sold tickets last year and I plan on doing it again this year. The money I made helped me buy the items I wanted. I sacrificed my evening and honestly my health in the cold climate I live in. Who are you to tell me my time isn't worth $$? Some of the people I sold tickets to specifically told me they planned on reselling. If you watch craigslist after BF you can see all the reselling that happens. Should I really feel bad about cutting $20 in to their profit margin? This is capitalism plain and simple. I have something that is of value to someone else and I sat in the cold to get it. God forbid I make a profit for the service I provide. :rolleyes:

 

I know this is a sore subject with some of the people on this forum, but honestly I don't think those are the people that couldn't afford to buy big ticket items without BF, but are just looking to save a few bucks and there's nothing wrong with that. Me on the other hand, I would have never been able to get an HDTV without the BF deals and making a little extra from the tickets I sold.

 

Should I chastise the wealthy for taking advantage of good prices rather than letting those who are not as well off provide their family with the things they desire? :confused: I don't think so, but it's the same concept. There really is no ethical dilemma here.

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Brad

Brad

Posted
Posted

Please keep this thread on-topic and do not post personal attacks. If the attacks continue, the thread will be deleted and such future talk will be disallowed.

 

As for selling tickets, not even considering the ethical/unethical debate, I can't see people wanting to pay you enough for the tickets to make it worth your time. If someone wants a BF item, they want it because it is a hot deal at the BF price. Chances are at the BF price + the cost to "buy" your ticket it becomes much less of a deal. So you run the risk of either not getting any buyers, or having to sell the tickets for so little that you wasted all your time to make a very small amount of money. In that case you might as well buy the item and try re-selling it on eBay yourself if you want to make money.

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mgmckny

mgmckny

Posted
Posted
Sorry, my kids know that I have strong feelings about some things and they would be disappointed if I supported someone elses greed and unethical behavior. We discuss the fact that "things" are just that and and that there are more important things in life. My oldest has already stood in line to have people cut in and the very items we stood in line for were not available for us because some people were raised without any decent value system.
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conj

conj

Posted
Posted

I agree cutting is unethical. I agree selling tickets is greedy.

 

I don't know if I believe greed is unethical. Greed can certainly lead to unethical behavior... but in and of itself I don't think it is unethical... unless your personal code of ethics includes generosity...

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gr8girls

gr8girls

Posted
Posted

Sorry, my kids know that I have strong feelings about some things and they would be disappointed if I supported someone elses greed and unethical behavior. We discuss the fact that "things" are just that and and that there are more important things in life. My oldest has already stood in line to have people cut in and the very items we stood in line for were not available for us because some people were raised without any decent value system.

OUCH...let me get that dagger out of my back did ya' notice the wink?

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Just Me

Just Me

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So is selling the ticket any diffrent that waiting in line for hours to buy that elmo and putt it on ebay? If someone is saving $500 on a HDTV but didn't get there soon enough paying $20 more to be able to get it doesn't sound that out there to me. I plan to get stuff myself so I won't be standing there just to sell tickets. I don't see how this is any worse than buying the items to sell for profit on ebay. How many could have bought an elmo at retail if people had not camped out just to put them on ebay. As for the person talking about how illegal it is then in the same post saying he would do the person physical harm thank you for the great laugh. I am glad you are concerned with the legality of selling tickets but not with assult lol.

 

I figured this would be an interesting discussion topic. I'm still on the fence on what I plan to do. If I sell tickets I won't charge the insane amounts I have seen others do. Probably only $10 or $20 bucks depending on the item

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conj

conj

Posted
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What if BB employees were to sell the tickets to whom ever would pay the most regardless of what a persons position in line was? Would those of you in favor of selling them still think this was okay?

Ahh... if they were on their own time, and had camped out to get them... I'd probably be ok with it. Did they receive favorable treatment?

 

As a representative of the store to sell tickets would amount to a surcharge.

 

When I was in college there was a company who delivered food from resteraunts. resteraunts that didn't deliver. they charged for this service.

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i.feature

i.feature

Posted
Posted

Please keep this thread on-topic and do not post personal attacks. If the attacks continue, the thread will be deleted and such future talk will be disallowed.

 

As for selling tickets, not even considering the ethical/unethical debate, I can't see people wanting to pay you enough for the tickets to make it worth your time. If someone wants a BF item, they want it because it is a hot deal at the BF price. Chances are at the BF price + the cost to "buy" your ticket it becomes much less of a deal. So you run the risk of either not getting any buyers, or having to sell the tickets for so little that you wasted all your time to make a very small amount of money. In that case you might as well buy the item and try re-selling it on eBay yourself if you want to make money.

Completely agree. But even selling on ebay probably won't get you a good enough return on you time. You're better off working 8 hours on friday at a fast food joint. Better return on your investment.

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Dubyabee

Dubyabee

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Posted

Completely agree. But even selling on ebay probably won't get you a good enough return on you time. You're better off working 8 hours on friday at a fast food joint. Better return on your investment.

To clarify my previous statement I did not, nor would I have sat out all night just to get tickets to sell. I was there to purchase several door buster items. I do however feel that my being there gave me the right to take any tickets that were offered to me and do what I see fit with them. The tickets have no face value and scalping IS legal in my state, so that is a non issue either way. I agree that asking someone to pay an unreasonable amount for a ticket would diminish the value of the ticket as the "deal" is now reduced. I did not ask more than $20 for any one ticket, but in the case of the cheap desktop two people got in a bidding war and I ended up getting $35 for it. Still pretty reasonable to me considering the ridiculously low price of the item and the fact that they did not have to wait nearly as long as I did. I think this whole discussion comes down to a question of what is "fair" and people’s opinions will most certainly differ on that.

 

The people who were in the front of the line at my BB last year said the got there at 3:30 PM. I expect someone else will come earlier this year. Those people sacrificed spending time with their families on a holiday and earned the right to have the option to take any tickets offered to them. The way I see it is if you want to make sure that the item you're looking for is available you have to be willing to sacrifice your evening and get there early. If you don't you should be grateful to even have the opportunity to purchase a ticket. If I end up in a situation this year where I'm not at the front of the line I hope someone will be willing to sell me their ticket at a reasonable price and I would gladly pay for the service.

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winy926

winy926

Posted
Posted
i am going to buy the items that i want. last year i bought a ticket for 30 bucks i got there at 10 pm and was 54 in line. this year i plan on getting there at 3 pm i live alone and dont like turkey anyway and were i live the people were selling tickets for about 30 and got 150 a piece thats a free mp3 player maybe a zune or somthing but im not going for that im going for a 32 inch lcd maybe a laptop and a mp3 any brand that has over 20 gb for less then 100
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lovebears65

lovebears65

Posted
Posted
I think its not really any different then selling the items you purchased and then put them on ebay or craigslist. You sat out there to make a profit. Why not just get the tickets and take them to them through the line and sell them and get your profit that night.. I for one would not sell tickets or put items up on ebay. I sit out in the cold for me and my family.. I am not out there to make a buck but to save some.. But everyone is different and I am not there to judge anyone. NOW line cutters is another story in my book:mad:
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Deviant5ouL

Deviant5ouL

Posted
Posted

I think its not really any different then selling the items you purchased and then put them on ebay or craigslist. You sat out there to make a profit. Why not just get the tickets and take them to them through the line and sell them and get your profit that night.. I for one would not sell tickets or put items up on ebay. I sit out in the cold for me and my family.. I am not out there to make a buck but to save some.. But everyone is different and I am not there to judge anyone. NOW line cutters is another story in my book:mad:

:gdthums:

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purdywis

purdywis

Posted
Posted
i saw people last year get the tickets, get the item then walk outside sell the ticket for $20 and leave. I had a friend go through the line with me so we could each get a ticket, I went and got my stuff, then went through again with his set of tickets and the bb peeps were all gay about it saying "o you alread got that one" i couldnt believe that they didnt want to listen to me that i had two sets of tickets. So then when i get to the counter half of the ticketed items were gone, like wtf. So they dont take the tickets when you buy the pc/laptop so it was a free market right outside the door. i was really pissed, i held off on my bb purchases for about 6 months in protest (silent protesting works right?)
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Guest ladakn99

Guest ladakn99

Posted
Posted

This is called Capitalism, my friend owns a gas station, he got his employee to stand in line for us with a couple of chairs. so people would know we were coming, while we were eating and watching the end of the Cowboys game... we got there at about 8pm

 

the people in front of us already knew we were coming because we had to drop off the employee, so when we got there if there were any problems, the people in front of us would back us up.

 

we made friends with the people in front of us and behind us,

 

manager came out at 4 am handing out tickets, i got mine and watched for where the tickets would end, waited five minutes for people to come up to us and offer us a price, then immediately started where the CC guy left off (yes, i went to Circuit City, not best buy, same story) and told him he had first dibs on it, i went down the line like that, not making it obvious to the cameras overhead, made $150 off the laptop $50 off the TV and desktop, so i was looking nice

 

now i realize i should have waited longer, because the more people come, and the longer they wait, they realize their willing to pay more and the highest bidder will win

 

I think it's fine if you do this, you got there early enough, and it doesn't say "NO CASH VALUE" on the ticket, so in other words, it has a value

 

that value is equal to how much the highest bidder is willing to pay in my books.

 

EDIT: i just didn't do this to make extra money, i spent well over $1200 at Circuit City for BF, that cost was cut down to about $1000 thanks to the tickets. so essentially. Waiting in line saved me about 18% off my stuff, when the Mail in Rebates went through, it saved me more like 30%

 

A Lot of us are there to get the same stuff, we just get the extra tickets, and help tue cause by you guys paying off for some of our stuff.

 

If your going to sell tickets this black friday, do like i did last yar and start at teh front of the line and work your way to the back.

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ponn01

ponn01

Posted
Posted

I am so sorry I decided to read this thread.

 

I hope those that sell or are planning to sell remember what the season is really about and have a change of heart.

 

Now I am so glad I stay home with my family on BF.

Quoted for the truth. After what happened last year and seeing the support for all this unethical behaviour on BF its really turned me off. I used to want to take the day off, more so then Thanksgiving. I used to have fun looking for the deals and planning my day but now its just turned into a who can get rich quick off it scheme in whatever way possible. Whats maddening is its not even alot of money we are talking about here, but enough to ruin the day of the people immediately behind you in line who waited there probably almost as long as you have.

 

I give up on BF this year. Im just going to order a TV I need from a shop I found, pretty good deal on it. This is just not worth the hassle of waiting in line the afternoon of Thanksgiving to beat out people who aren't even there for the deals just to make a few bucks.

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nirvana4all

nirvana4all

Posted
Posted

Capitalism (some equate it also to greed) vs Ethics (some equate it to mightier than thou).

 

It all comes down to how much can I make vs how bad would my grandmother think of me.

 

I have no answer, only commentary on what I have read so far.

 

One last note: I think people see it better as reselling the actual item vs reselling the ticket because if you cant resell the ticket, you lose nothing. To resell the item, you have to do the work of being in line, buying the item, listing the item, and you are stuck with it if it does not sell: all of which equates in most minds as having done some actual work besides being in the right place at the right time and assuming some financial risk, and therefore is more acceptable.

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hchipka

hchipka

Posted
Posted
To the people who think this is GREED, do you think the store owners are losing money? Believe me, they are not. Why should they be the only ones making money? I personally wouldn't sell, nor buy these tickets. Not for any of the reasons above, I just wouldn't. But if others want buy or sell that is up to them and is no more "amoral" "greedy" or "unethical" than what store owners are doing. It is business. If you dislike business why bother shopping, make your own gifts.
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Dubyabee

Dubyabee

Posted
Posted

This is just not worth the hassle of waiting in line the afternoon of Thanksgiving to beat out people who aren't even there for the deals just to make a few bucks.

Making a few bucks vs. saving a few bucks. In the end is there really any difference?

 

I don't believe there is a single post in this thread where anyone who advocated selling tickets said they would be going out JUST to sell tickets. We all used the extra money to supplement our own large purchases. I don't think many people would actually camp out over night to make less than $100, but to each their own.

 

That being said I'm shocked that the act of selling tickets is frowned upon so strongly by this crowd. Greed you say? Tell me what motivating force drives a person to stand outside of a store all night to purchase an item at a steep discount? Is that not greed?

 

I don't want to get on a soap box here, but we are all participating in the commercialization of a religious holiday, we're all out to buy items that we or our families WANT, not need and we are all driven by the desire to save and/or make a few extra dollars. That my friends is the definition of greed. I’m not insulting anyone for participating, but I just don't think there is a moral high ground to be taken here. People in glass houses…

 

 

 

I do however agree that line cutting is wrong in every way. I would love to see someone try and explain that it’s not.

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