Reading and Leeds Festival tickets tend to sell out fast these days and 2009 was no exception. All the usual avenues like Ticketmaster and Ticketline sell out in no time when it comes to big events like this, and one can't help but wonder if the majority of them are going to ticket touts or agents who simply intend to simply sell them on for inflated prices.
Unfortunately, the chances are that missing out on buying tickets at face value means that paying the inflated price is going to be the only option. However, that doesn't mean punters have to risk their money with a potentially dodgy ticket tout, and it doesn't necessarily mean they have to pay a hugely outrageous price either.
Buying Tickets To Sold Out Events - eBay
Okay, so first things first, don't panic!
Whenever tickets sell out for events like Reading and Leeds Festival there's always a flood of people rushing over to eBay and panic buying tickets thinking they're all going to vanish in the next 24 hours. The result of this surge of buyers is that people end up paying more than they need to. This doesn't mean that eBay isn't a good place to find tickets, but a good piece of advice is to wait a day or two after tickets have sold out as prices will usually drop.
If the event is a popular one like this, then it's unlikely that tickets are going to be available for face value again once the main vendors have sold out. However, being patient and observant may well result in finding a reasonably good deal.
Always remember when buying anything on eBay that there are scammers operating on the site, waiting to trick buyers out of their money. This may sound intimidating, but there are a few easy ways to avoid getting caught out.
Firstly, it's always a good idea to buy from a seller who's been a member for at least a few months and has 100% positive feedback. This way the buyer can be fairly confident that the seller is not going to suddenly decide to throw away the good reputation they've gained on the site.
Secondly, buyers should always pay using Paypal and make sure that they are eligible for 'buyer protection' by viewing a seller's information on the Paypal website. This gives much better insurance should anything go wrong.
Seatwave and Other Ticket Resellers
For those worried about the security aspect of eBay, there are plenty of companies out there that offer a great service specifically for the resale of tickets. Sites like this such as Seatwave are a good option as they offer increased security and tickets are guaranteed. The way this works is that when someone lists some tickets for sale on Seatwave, their credit card information is taken and in the unlikely event that they fail to supply the tickets as promised, Seatwave will effectively buy replacements with the sellers credit card.
Sites like this provide more peace of mind than buying on eBay and are a lot more straightforward for those who aren't experts on the pitfalls associated with online auctions. The downside is that prices will be higher.
It can be a real nuisance not getting tickets in time, but it's a good idea to remember that if someone's determined enough to go to an event, then they shouldn't let that familiar news of tickets selling out stop them before they've looked in a few of the right places.
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