Avaricious online Ticket Agencies. How do they get hold of so many?

[blueparrot]

Their cash hasn’t kept ticket prices down though. Season ticket prices have gone up every year and will continue to do so. Match day tickets are now at a ridiculously high level

Match day tickets have been expensive for years, I think tipping the £60 mark for the most expensive games has made people notice, but they are only around £7 more than they wer 5 or 6 years ago.
I buy about 3 a year at that price and about 4 or 5 cheaper games
The reason I buy matchday is because I live 200 miles away and can only make around 7 games a year. I assume most match day buyers are the same as me, and travel to games.
To be honest the cost of the ticket whether £30 , £50, or £60 is really not much difference to me , the real costs that impact are the petrol, hotel, food.and the increases I’m seeing there especially hotels.
Obviously I’d like to see cheaper matchday, but doubt it would change who buys them, they’d just be cheaper for everyone.

 

[bluemanc16]

I'm not sure that all of these agencies have tickets. My understanding is that they sell tickets that they don't have and then try to source them (though I could be wrong). Obviously that doesn't include official partner ticket agencies who no doubt actually do receive tickets from the club.

I know you are correct in saying that they don't have the tickets they are assessing market demand so they can buy spare tickets from their usual sources

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

We've had this debate so many times. It's getting tiresome. I even answered the OP yesterday.

Yes, the club has around ten official partners that it gives tickets to, who then sell them as part of travel packages. But I was assured by the club that these are hospitality, not general admission tickets. They did have a deal with Ryanair for some general admission tickets but not sure if that's still running.

These foreign based sites either don't have the tickets they're advertising or are getting them legitimately or via nefarious means. I've not yet seen anyone blame season ticket holders who might be selling them off, it's always the club.

Now here's the rub. We have 37,000 seasoncard holders and only about one third of those are on the CL scheme. That means that nearly two-thirds of our SC holders aren't, and in turn means there's a huge number of tickets available for general sale that are being snapped up by non-SC-holders.

Those of us on the CL scheme, who go to CL games, know only too well that you'll see loads of unfamiliar faces at those games, because the majority of people who will turn up for a Wednesday night PL game can't be arsed turning up when a CL opponent comes to the Etihad. That means it's easy to pay £35 for a membership and get tickets for those games.

Of course I understand it's not feasible for some to do any midweek game and I definitely agree that the club fucked up in the way it sold the semifinal tickets. Personally I'd use an amended version of the points system that prioritised more recent attendance and particularly at CL games, and I'd only give points to people who actually turn up on the night, something CM agreed with the club, but which they (as usual) bottled out of.

But the plain truth is that if as many as possible of those 20k+ who aren't on the CL scheme went on it, and turned up, then this wouldn't be a fucking problem. Because it's their tickets that the tourists and touts are taking advantage of.

 

[blueparrot]

We've had this debate so many times. It's getting tiresome. I even answered the OP yesterday.

Yes, the club has around ten official partners that it gives tickets to, who then sell them as part of travel packages. But I was assured by the club that these are hospitality, not general admission tickets. They did have a deal with Ryanair for some general admission tickets but not sure if that's still running.

These foreign based sites either don't have the tickets they're advertising or are getting them legitimately or via nefarious means. I've not yet seen anyone blame season ticket holders who might be selling them off, it's always the club.

Now here's the rub. We have 37,000 seasoncard holders and about one third of those are on the CL scheme. That means that nearly two-thirds of our SC holders aren't. That means there's a huge number of tickets available for general sale that are being snapped up by non-SC-holders.

Those of us on the CL scheme, who go to CL games, know only too well that you'll see loads of unfamiliar faces at those games, because the majority of people who will turn up for a Wednesday night PL game can't be arsed turning up when a CL opponent comes to the Etihad. That means it's easy to pay £35 for a membership and get tickets for those games.

Of course I understand it's not feasible for some to do any midweek game and I definitely agree that the club fucked up in the way it sold the semifinal tickets. Personally I'd use an amended version of the points system that prioritised more recent attendance and particularly at CL games, and I'd only give points to people who actually turn up on the night, something CM agreed with the club, but which they (as usual) bottled out of.

But the plain truth is that if as many as possible of those 20k+ who aren't on the CL scheme went on it, and turned up, then this wouldn't be a fucking problem. Because it's their tickets that the tourists and touts are taking advantage of.

Thats that then. I would just say ,as a match day buyer. Because it’s reallly difficult to buy league tickets sat together I have been to more C/L games this year each time in different seats. So yes we are those strangers you see at games in your neighbours seats. Not tourists though.

 

[DavidBrightwell]

They come from season card holders who have huge numbers of points and are guaranteed to get tickets for any game home or away. And I’m talking about people who have 10+ season tickets. Some they use for themselves and sell on to people for normal games. But they will sell the really big tickets through these websites for big money. It happens at every big club, it’s not just a City issue.

 

[didsburyblu]

I thought it was illegal to sell football tickets on at a higher than face value price?

Just throw in a Holland steak pie and call it hospitality then charge what you want

 

[Stephen230]

Yes, the club has around ten official partners that it gives tickets to, who then sell them as part of travel packages. But I was assured by the club that these are hospitality, not general admission tickets.

I’ve no major problem with tourists filling up the ground. They’ve been doing it for years, particularly in the Champions League, when the ground would have been half empty without them.

But I see no great moral difference between the club allowing someone like Viagogo to sell a seat on its own for £300 and Sportsworld selling a £100 hotel room plus a seat for £400.

 

[Chappie]

They come from season card holders who have huge numbers of points and are guaranteed to get tickets for any game home or away. And I’m talking about people who have 10+ season tickets. Some they use for themselves and sell on to people for normal games. But they will sell the really big tickets through these websites for big money. It happens at every big club, it’s not just a City issue.

You don't have a clue what you are talking about.
If its season ticket holders, how come there are rows and rows of seats in 303 and 304 all next to each other,full of tourists.
Even I couldn't get 100 season ticket holders sat next to each other to not all go at the same time.

 

[bennyboy]

You don't have a clue what you are talking about.
If its season ticket holders, how come there are rows and rows of seats in 303 and 304 all next to each other,full of tourists.
Even I couldn't get 100 season ticket holders sat next to each other to not all go at the same time.

Obsessed by tourists.
Do City not have to hold seats back for UEFA dignitaries.Which might go on sale in the coming week for the Madrid game.

 

[blueparrot]

I’ve no major problem with tourists filling up the ground. They’ve been doing it for years, particularly in the Champions League, when the ground would have been half empty without them.

But I see no great moral difference between the club allowing someone like Viagogo to sell a seat on its own for £300 and Sportsworld selling a £100 hotel room plus a seat for £400.

Thedifference would be Viagogo could be selling any seats, or as many as they could get. Those selling hospitality packages only get as many seats as the club want and the seats located where they want. Plus the club get the money not the fans profiteering and Viagogo.