The Difference Between A Ticket Broker & Scalper
When someone says "Ticket Broker" you probably think of this guy 
Some shady-ish guy outside the venue that hollered at you until you came over, argued when you questioned the price of the ticket and then made you pay with cash then left you praying you're not getting ripped off as he took off down the street.
Unfortunately that image has stuck for a long time, and legit companies like us (Take Me Out Tickets) get lumped in with ole one tooth Phil from above. So we decided it's time to do a series on what Ticket Brokers are or in this case are not.
Ticket Brokers v. Scalpers
Business Operating Location
Broker: Has an office with employees, definitely a web site and license to sell tickets.
Scalper: Outside of a venue with a popular event
Method Of Payment They Accept
Broker: Most likely they only take credit cards, some old schoolers might take a check.
Scalper: Cash
Office Attire
Broker: Usually business casual. Maybe sometimes totally casual.
Scalper: I need tickets sign
Buyer Purchase Protections
Broker: All of them. Including disputing the charge with your card company. Usually brokers have a help number and will be able to make sure you get into an event, even if something goes wrong.
Scalper: There is an outside chance you got his real name & know where he lives. Then you and your boys can show up at his house and get your cash back.
Marketplace
Broker: The secondary market, which is generally online. Even if you text message them they will run your transaction through their software which usually runs on a cloud based platform.
Scalper: Street corner
License
Broker: Has a state issued resale license.
Scalper: May or may not be wearing a t-shirt that claims they have a license to carry guns (arrow pointing to arms).
How They Set Prices
Broker: uses fair market value as established by the secondary market, which many times is set by the teams or the leagues ticket exchange.
Scalper: whatever they can take you for
The point here is that there are a lot of misconceptions about who ticket brokers are and what they do. Ticket brokers sell tickets to sports and entertainment events for market value, which may be above or below face value. The beauty of market value pricing for the consumer is, because pricing reflects supply and demand, tickets will almost always be available to purchase for just about any event, even if an event is sold out, or even if you decide to go at the last minute. On the other side of the coin, if an event is not so high in demand (think a typical Tuesday night NBA game for example) and there may still be plenty of tickets at the box office, instead of taking a complete loss, ticket brokers may sell tickets for less than what they paid and even below the box office price. Score! It's really a win for all. The customer gets a great deal, the broker gets some of their investment back, and the team/venue gets butts in the seats.
We hope this helps clear up some of the misconceptions about what we do. We are here to be your personal ticket concierge and not just a sketchy-ish dude standing on a street corner.
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