Selling tickets for Black Friday items while in line

[ryansplace]

Have you ever line up for black friday over 30 hours in advance? That early, people dont arrive every few minutes. They arrive every few hours until thursday night, when they trickle in constantly. I will probably be first in line wednesday night, and the people 30 or so back, when the tickets start to run out, will probably have arrived hours later.

I agree. I have done this the last four years. Last year, I went Wednesday night just to stake it out and see if anyone was out there yet. To my surprise, there was one tent up. So what did I do, i jumped out and got right in line and spent the night. Woke up the next morning and no one was even behind me. Yes, I have the right to get ONE ticket for every item. If i want to sell them that is my prerogative....you don't have to buy.

[ryansplace]

I've never agreed with the "one per household" thing, hope they're not actually implementing that. If my wife and I are both in line the entire time, why should only one of us get a doorbuster?

 

Anyways, just saying it's not for resale doesn't mean you can't actually sell it, just means if they catch you, that the person you sold it to might not be able to use it. Besides, there's an easy way around that. Give a ticket away to each person that buys a $50 paperclip from you (check ebay, this idea is used a lot for "not for resale" items).

I really wouldn't worry about that. They have always said one per household. There is really no way for BB to enforce this rule.

[jellybean051901]

We always try to be in line early. Last year we let the couple behind us get in the door first so they could get the last TV. I wouldn't even think about selling a ticket to someone that has waited as long as I have for something. Christmas is about giving...Not about what you can make off other people...no matter if they are stupid enough to buy the ticket or not:D

[artie852]

Selling tickets is just WRONG. Come on people, there are other people behind you that want some good deals too. One time I got a ticket for an LCD monitor and decided not to buy it. So I gave it to a family who was looking at the LCD monitors (they did not have any tickets) They were so happy because they wanted that specific monitor. I felt good afterwards!!!

[ryansplace]

Selling tickets is just WRONG. Come on people, there are other people behind you that want some good deals too. One time I got a ticket for an LCD monitor and decided not to buy it. So I gave it to a family who was looking at the LCD monitors (they did not have any tickets) They were so happy because they wanted that specific monitor. I felt good afterwards!!!

Who says that the person behind you didn't want this LCD Monitor?? Is it fair you got one and did not get it; then give it to a family that might not have waited as long as the person behind you that subsequently loses out? I don't see much of a difference.

[Illinoismom]

Who says that the person behind you didn't want this LCD Monitor?? Is it fair you got one and did not get it; then give it to a family that might not have waited as long as the person behind you that subsequently loses out? I don't see much of a difference.

Big differance they decided agains it a GAVE it to some one else they didnt sell it to put money in their pocket

[rmb]

The way the system is now I have no problem with people selling tickets or ebayong the items. They waited in line, do what they want. I do think a better system would be to limit early bird hot ticket items to 1 ticketed item per person. That would help eliminate the ebay resellers and let people that want the item get it for a good price.

[Mursilis]

Selling tickets is just WRONG. Come on people, there are other people behind you that want some good deals too.

Then shouldn't they have gotten there earlier?

[ryansplace]

Big differance they decided agains it a GAVE it to some one else they didnt sell it to put money in their pocket

Its not a big difference at all. I would consider that to be "wrong" based on her analysis. I understand that it was a nice thing to do, but don't say that we are wrong for being in line way early and selling the tickets. Either way, the people in line the earliest (or the people behind me) are not being treated fairly....I don't sell the tickets but I will get an extra laptop and desktop to sell later on.

[sracer]

Its not a big difference at all. I would consider that to be "wrong" based on her analysis. I understand that it was a nice thing to do, but don't say that we are wrong for being in line way early and selling the tickets. Either way, the people in line the earliest (or the people behind me) are not being treated fairly....I don't sell the tickets but I will get an extra laptop and desktop to sell later on.

I disagree. Those people ARE being treated fairly given the rules established by Best Buy.

 

It is all pretty much a grey area. The differences are artificial. Giving tickets away to people in the back of the line is ultimately no different than selling tickets and no different than buying items to sell them for a profit.

 

What these all do is accelerate the length of time needed to camp out to get a door-buster. If "normally" a person would need to line up 30 minutes earlier each year to get the same spot in line, these type of actions create more incentive to line up even earlier than that each year.

 

I supposed that if the situation gets bad enough then Best Buy will make a change to limit the number of door-buster tickets total per person.

[chigg62]

Ok I gotta jump in here but its late and I am tired....but someone explain this to me....For those of you that think selling a ticket (btw, that i waited in line to receive and played by the rules to receive and basically have every right to sell it if I so choose...and I do)...are you the same people in other forums I see talking about going in the store (best buy, walmart etc) and hiding items???? Because I see a big difference here and hopefully others do to...Hiding items to me is outright wrong...however selling that ticket that is mine to do with as I will...hey no problem and I look to make a tidy profit off people who can't and or won't bother to wait in line..Those of you that feel I am selling *your* ticket...get in line before me then..I mean really, are u serious???..free market and black friday...here i come...Happy Holidays

[dustysky]

I have no problem at all with selling tickets.

 

I did however, have a HUGE problem with the family of 2 last year that was in front of me.

The last few hours of waiting and they let there very large family in line with them (5 more people).

I , being a little tired and ticked off said they need to move or I will get store employees.

Well, only one guy spoke English and PROMISED they were not there for tickets just to keep them company. Low and behold they all snatched up a ticket for the $229. laptop and I was the last person to get a ticket.

I know this is more about line jumping then ticket selling .....

[sracer]

Ok I gotta jump in here but its late and I am tired....but someone explain this to me....For those of you that think selling a ticket (btw, that i waited in line to receive and played by the rules to receive and basically have every right to sell it if I so choose...and I do)...are you the same people in other forums I see talking about going in the store (best buy, walmart etc) and hiding items???? Because I see a big difference here and hopefully others do to...Hiding items to me is outright wrong...

Again, an arbitrary distinction. Why is it "wrong" to hide an item? It's still in the store and there's no guarantee that it won't be put back in its place. And when you consider one reason why one would need to hide the item in the first-place (limited quantity items with no civilized process for distributing) it is probably a GOOD thing to do.

[khall1971]

Well, no one's started this annual thread yet, figured I'll go ahead and get it going.

 

Do you think it's ok for people to sell tickets for BF items? For example, say you're at Best Buy, get a ticket for the uber-cheap laptop, then sell it to someone in the back of the line for $50 (selling just the ticket, so they can go in and pay the BF price for that item).

 

If you think there's something wrong with doing that, how do you feel about people who are in line because someone's paying them to hold their spot? I.e. they're getting paid $50 to stand in line overnight, then someone else takes their place shortly before the doors open.

 

If you feel that's wrong too, then how about standing in line the entire time, buying the items you got tickets for, then throwing them up on ebay or craigslist?

 

I know a lot of people think it's wrong to sell the tickets but perfectly fine to turn around and sell the item on ebay, since they had to put up the money and are taking a risk. I don't think that's really valid, because most places not only have a 30-90 day return policy, but will extend that policy starting on BF (basically you'd have at least a month past Christmas to return stuff). So you could put up a free ad on craigslist, if there were no takers just take it back for a full refund. Not a big gamble there.

 

Ah, the free market system is alive and well!

[khall1971]

Selling tickets is just WRONG. Come on people, there are other people behind you that want some good deals too. One time I got a ticket for an LCD monitor and decided not to buy it. So I gave it to a family who was looking at the LCD monitors (they did not have any tickets) They were so happy because they wanted that specific monitor. I felt good afterwards!!!

I probably would have done the same thing you did. It never even occurred to me to sell my ticket until I saw this thread. However, the devil in me says: Who's to say this family didn't turn around after you left and sell that ticket to someone else?

[childofsolitude]

When I worked at Target a couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of working in the electronics department on Black Friday. As employees, we were not allowed to hold BF items for ourselves. And as employees, although we understood the reasoning, we thought it was unfair that we couldn't get in on the deals just because we were working. The unfortunate part is that most of the employees HAD to work on BF so there's no way we could've gotten in on the deals. Well, one of my coworkers really wanted a portable DVD player that was on sale. The store had been open for a few hours now so the DVD players were obviously all gone... so I thought. We kept our carts of go-backs (which are items that either customers don't want while they're checking out or items that we've found in the store that belong to a different department) in the backroom. When it was a bit slower, I went to the backroom to start putting away go-backs. In the bottom of the cart was one of the DVD players that were on sale. I put all of the go-backs away except for the DVD player. And when my coworker clocked out, I let her know that there was a DVD player in the backroom for her. She, of course, bought it.

 

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Black Friday is a day where all of us want in on the great deals. People are willing to wait in line overnight, people don't mind physically fighting over items, and people don't mind breaking the rules a bit (like hiding items beforehand or holding items for coworkers like I did). Especially with the economy this year as bad as it is, I don't think it's wrong or right to do certain things. Just remember that this time of year is supposed to be about happyness and giving, not greed and violence.

[sracer]

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Black Friday is a day where all of us want in on the great deals. People are willing to wait in line overnight, people don't mind physically fighting over items, and people don't mind breaking the rules a bit (like hiding items beforehand or holding items for coworkers like I did).

What rule is being broken? I'll camp out like crazy for something but won't hide stuff, but I'm curious as to where this notion of hiding items is wrong or breaking a rule.

[childofsolitude]

What rule is being broken? I'll camp out like crazy for something but won't hide stuff, but I'm curious as to where this notion of hiding items is wrong or breaking a rule.

Well, you're taking an item away from someone who may have waited in line longer than you. I guess it all depends on what you perceive to be wrong or right. I personally don't think it's right to hide things and I don't think it's necessarily right to sell tickets for items. Maybe it's because, like I said in my last post, the Christmas season is supposed to be about giving, not being greedy. *shrugs*

[ponn01]

Is there REALLY anything worth buying a ticket for this year? I mean, come on...

[sracer]

Well, you're taking an item away from someone who may have waited in line longer than you. I guess it all depends on what you perceive to be wrong or right. I personally don't think it's right to hide things and I don't think it's necessarily right to sell tickets for items. Maybe it's because, like I said in my last post, the Christmas season is supposed to be about giving, not being greedy. *shrugs*

That is a pretty odd view. By that definition, standing in line to buy an item for yourself is being greedy. (after all the Christmas season is supposed to be about giving, right? ) And what if one hides an object that they want to buy because they're going to give it as a gift? Does that suddenly NOT make it greedy?

 

This whole relative goodness or badness of obtaining merchandise at this time of year is just misplaced. It boils down to it conforming to laws and store policies period.

[floridasun5]

In my opinion, if people were more realistic about lining up for doorbusters and got tickets to resell them because someone decided to sleep in an hour or two later, I wouldnt mind so much. However, at least in my area, there are a bunch of college kids or younger people with nothing else better to do that start camping out days in advance and that to me is just not right if they are only there to resell tickets.

 

I mean, I know that they deserve it, however most people that are just trying to get deals for their family have normal lives with families, kids, etc. that they just cannot camp out for days! So, saying to someone that is trying to get that hot toy or computer for their kid to get there earlier is just not realistic when the line has already formed for 2 days!

 

So, in my opinion again, if stores would institute a rule that says people cannot line up until say, at least midnight on Thanksgiving evening, I wouldnt care if people resold tickets, but the camping out for days which is unrealistic for *most* people seems greedy to me and I dont agree with that.

Luckily, one of our malls here did institute this rule of nobody being allowed on mall property until a certain time when the iphone came out in July...I just wish more stores would follow this policy.

[cpthnsolo]

Count me in as one of the 'ok to sell' people. This is assuming the person actually waited in line the entire time of course.

 

Is there REALLY anything worth buying a ticket for this year? I mean, come on...

No kidding! Considering how far computer and TV pricing has fallen over the last few years doorbusters simply aren't what they used to be. On BF in 2000 I bought a number of hard drives and after keeping what I needed I easily doubled my money on the others via eBay. Those days are long gone IMO and this year will be the first year I haven't waited all night since 2000. Besides every year the online sales get better and since the crowds at the stores seems to be getting nastier why bother?

[barc]

What rule is being broken? I'll camp out like crazy for something but won't hide stuff, but I'm curious as to where this notion of hiding items is wrong or breaking a rule.

Not "wrong", more like sneaky or deceptive. Selling tickets is overt and at least the folks doing it paid the price of standing in line to get them. Hiding items is taking the lazy way out. Plus, that is really hosing the folks who stood in line longer than the hider. Really distasteful in my book. But that's just me

[remlover]

What do people who sell tickets charge for it?

 

There are two schools of thought for me: One, if you buy a ticket off of someone for X.XX amount of dollars. How much of a real "doorbuster" is it when you factor in tax and ticket charge. Two, for the person selling the ticket, how much do you make, and does it equal out waiting outside for countless hours?

[sracer]

What do people who sell tickets charge for it?

 

There are two schools of thought for me: One, if you buy a ticket off of someone for X.XX amount of dollars. How much of a real "doorbuster" is it when you factor in tax and ticket charge. Two, for the person selling the ticket, how much do you make, and does it equal out waiting outside for countless hours?

The first person in line at the local Best Buy over the past few years (college kid) would sell his tickets for $10-20 each. By the time the doors open, he ends up getting his item nearly for no cost out of pocket.

[dustysky]

The first person in line at the local Best Buy over the past few years (college kid) would sell his tickets for $10-20 each. By the time the doors open, he ends up getting his item nearly for no cost out of pocket.

Wow thats cheap, last year the laptop tickets at our BB were selling for $70-100

[pedestrian]

To me selling tickets is the same as letting someone get in front of you for cash. Both allow someone who got there (usually) significantly later than you to get the same deals as you for a little extra.

 

Whether or not it's right or wrong is something that each person has to decide for themselves but saying one is right and the other is wrong is just hypocrisy.

[nikkilugi]

To me selling tickets is the same as letting someone get in front of you for cash. Both allow someone who got there (usually) significantly later than you to get the same deals as you for a little extra.

 

Whether or not it's right or wrong is something that each person has to decide for themselves but saying one is right and the other is wrong is just hypocrisy.

No it is different. Your example is flawed - now if someone wanted to pay me for MY spot then that would be fine - but paying me to get in front of me would be wrong. In your example it would be conceivable for both people to get the doorbuster and in the selling ticket example only one person will get the doorbuster. Cutting line is wrong but I don't see a problem if someone wants to pay someone for standing in line for them. The deal is that the placeholder person would have to leave line once the person paying them shows up.

[dustysky]

We always try to be in line early. Last year we let the couple behind us get in the door first so they could get the last TV. I wouldn't even think about selling a ticket to someone that has waited as long as I have for something. Christmas is about giving...Not about what you can make off other people...no matter if they are stupid enough to buy the ticket or not:D

You are correct, and because I am willing to stand in that line and earn the money with my tickets I will then be able to to GIVE to those I love the gifts they want that I can now buy with the money I earned.

[dustysky]

So who made a few bucks on selling tickets this year??