Ticket help

TBHockeykid04

Hey everyone! I'm brand new to PAX and I live in the area and I plan on going this year... But I have a few questions that will let me know whether or not I will be going to the event.. Now since all the badges have sold out.. The only really available tickets are through Ebay or Craigslist.. but I have very mixed feelings about using these sites to buy the tickets for the event, with the case of scams and all that stuff.. So I had asked my good friend when he went, is there any way to buy tickets, and he stated that there are vendors that sell them near the entrances. Is this true? Because I plan on, if it is true, to buy from one of the vendors, because I would not like to get scammed.. If anyone knows the answer to this noobish question, please feel free to answer because I would love to experience PAX at least once.. and this will only be the way how I would.

ceres

Well, the "vendors" are scalpers.

I'm going to move this thread to the pax forum.

CodextehFish

PAX has had "ticket checking" stations outside of PAX for the last few years to check for counterfeits. If you do buy from a scalper (or sometimes you can get lucky with someone selling at face value because a friend can't attend) tell them you'll pay them after they've checked the ticket authenticity at the ticket check. They are either outside the door or inside the main entrance hallway on Pike next to a large sign that talks about counterfeit tickets.

There should be enforcers around that you can ask too. They'll give you directions to the ticket check.

In general though, people selling tickets outside are scalpers - especially the fellows with LARGE stacks of tickets that people have offloaded/they have acquired.

Fenrisfang

I second what CodextehFish has said. If you are going to buy from scalpers outside the doors anyways, make sure you have them checked. Anyone who isn't willing to move, doesn't have the real thing.

Enforcers are awesome and will help you with almost anything you need! Good luck!

Keroan

Any badges on Ebay I think are still against their Terms of Service agreement since the physical badges are not going to be shipped for quite some time still (about 2-3 weeks before the event). I would be very nervous about getting badges through craigslist just because you really have no idea what you could be getting unless you truly trust the person.

Scalpers can sell tickets but sometimes they can go for fairly absorbatant prices so don't be afraid to say no. You're going to get cheaper prices towards the end of the day when people are leaving and selling their badge. The best advice is to be wary and double check everything!

YoungFrey

Keroan wrote: »

Any badges on Ebay I think are still against their Terms of Service agreement since the physical badges are not going to be shipped for quite some time still (about 2-3 weeks before the event). I would be very nervous about getting badges through craigslist just because you really have no idea what you could be getting unless you truly trust the person.

Scalpers can sell tickets but sometimes they can go for fairly exorbitant prices so don't be afraid to say no. You're going to get cheaper prices towards the end of the day when people are leaving and selling their badge. The best advice is to be wary and double check everything!

PAX is 60 days out. So no seller will have a ticket to ship anybody for ~39 days. So it's more than a week from now until any eBay auction can be legit. And considering that PAX just canceled a bunch of tickets last week, auctions currently up might have gone from well-intentioned-but-against-the-rules to scam automatically.

Dreamwriter

I've also seen advertisements on Craigslist for 4-day passes, which of course don't exist. So the scammers/counterfeiters are out there already.

Shade

A lot of people end up having friends who can't go. Just check reddit when you're in seattle and you can usually find people who will be able to meet you in front of the convention center to validate and sell you a badge. I had 2 friends not be able to go the other year so I just sold their badges for cost (after quizzing them on nerd info to make sure they weren't scalpers).

TBHockeykid04

There are also tickets being sold on StubHub.. and I believe that they are a legit site, but a bit pricey, do you see me being a bit safer purchasing them on StubHub?

DemonsMaster

TBHockeykid04 wrote: »

There are also tickets being sold on StubHub.. and I believe that they are a legit site, but a bit pricey, do you see me being a bit safer purchasing them on StubHub?

Stubhub has policies in place to help you get your money back if you're sent fake passes, but no one has any physical passes to sell you for another couple weeks like others above have posted.

YoungFrey

DemonsMaster wrote: »

TBHockeykid04 wrote: »

There are also tickets being sold on StubHub.. and I believe that they are a legit site, but a bit pricey, do you see me being a bit safer purchasing them on StubHub?

Stubhub has policies in place to help you get your money back if you're sent fake passes, but no one has any physical passes to sell you for another couple weeks like others above have posted.

No one is going to have any badges in hand for ~5 weeks (based on previous years). Within a 1-2 weeks people will be a month from having them and so could legitimately put them on ebay.

ElmoFuntz

I have noticed that badges are getting shipped closer and closer to the actual event. Last year I got mine a week before PAX and i'm only 1 state away and used to get them a month before. I can only assume this is due to all the added PAXes and the condensed time period they have now between events. Point is getting them off eBay, CL, stubhub etc might be tricky (come to think of it this could be why they are shipping them later also). Your safest and must assured you get a real ticket option is at the event and having them verified by event staff. No way should anyone not get them verified. There have been some very good looking fakes and sadly all they can do it take away your fakes and tell you your out your money and no access. This is due to fire/capacity regulations.

angelicstubborness

I really feel bad but I might buy a saturday badge from a scalper because I hesitated and missed out on it. Thank you all for letting us know that there are counterfeit ticket checkers.

DashD

angelicstubborness wrote: »

I really feel bad but I might buy a saturday badge from a scalper because I hesitated and missed out on it. Thank you all for letting us know that there are counterfeit ticket checkers.

Don't feel bad about buying from a secondary source, it happens. Just make sure you're getting a legitimate badge. Keep an eye on Reddit for the badge sale/exchange thread and don't buy from eBay until badges have actually shipped.

Although, I would stay away from eBay and the scalpers outside if you can.

angelicstubborness

Oh I meant I was going to buy one from them crowding around the door.if there are badge verifiers.

DashD

angelicstubborness wrote: »

Oh I meant I was going to buy one from them crowding around the door.if there are badge verifiers.

If you get it verified, that's fine. But you'll probably pay through the nose. If you can find one on Reddit before hand, it could save you a lot of money. And depending on where the badge is, you might be able to meet up at PAX and get it verified before any money is exchanged.

CodextehFish

Unless you get super lucky and there's a person selling them for face value at the door, just remember they will be probably double or triple the price of what they cost online from the scalpers, especially on Friday or Saturday.

angelicstubborness

Thanks for the advice. I mean the only place I've seen them for sale is ebay, I won't touch craigslist.
But ebay takes the money in advance. I dont want to be out 100 for months with no real promise I'd get the badge.

TBHockeykid04

Another thing I guess I can ask.. Is if there is anyone here that knows of any legit seller on reddit that they could redirect me to.. so I can buy legit tickets from a well-know seller. That would be great! Thanks

Keroan

angelicstubborness wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I mean the only place I've seen them for sale is ebay, I won't touch craigslist.
But ebay takes the money in advance. I dont want to be out 100 for months with no real promise I'd get the badge.

Yeah as I said above, any tickets on sale on ebay currently are against their terms of service. So they aren't legit.

ClannMorgan

I think Reddit is a great place to look - I had tix for last years Prime, just about over a month out, but before receiving the tix, I found out I couldn't go. I listed them on Reddit with the express understanding that they would have to go through Ebay to do the sale. A buyer and I corresponded, I listed the tix on Ebay at an obscene amount so they could find my listing, we had a pre-determining best offer amount agreed to by myself and the buyer (FV+ Ebay listing fee which was like 7% + shipping with insurance and signature confirmation). Going through Ebay was the best option as he had buyer protection and I had seller protection. It also helps that I had been selling on there for 15+ years with great feedback.

I've also been on the other side needing that 'one extra tix' for East and bought though Ebay, no problem. Not all sellers on Ebay are scammers, their there and the listings are obvious...new seller with multiple listings for 3x+ the fv cost. You just have to do your homework and find a good seller...and then still listen to your gutt. best of luck!

Bladed Cicada

They have gotten better in the last few years with the badges themselves. They now have: a foil hologram, a sticker, a unique serial number and have PAX logos that show up in black light. They should be continuing all of these if not adding more. So make sure!

Timoon

Stubhub is another place, the cost is a bit more as stubhub takes a good chunk of commissions. But you have lots of protections. Sellers don't get paid until you have tickets in hand.

angelicstubborness

Ooh nice I'll check that out