As the Austin City Limits Music Festival approaches, students are turning to the Internet to resell their tickets and passes for prices often greater than the original amount.
A popular place for students to sell or make a profit from their ACL tickets is the UT Buy/Sell/Trade/Free page, which is a Facebook page created for students to buy, sell and trade any items with other students. Original ACL ticket prices range from $100 one-day passes to $250 three-day passes.
According to the ACL website, fans are discouraged from buying tickets and wristbands from online websites in order to ensure costumers do not accidentally purchase already used or counterfeit items.
Although it is suggested that buyers use websites like aclfestival.com and frontgatetickets.com to purchase tickets, using second-hand sites is still allowed, according to ACL spokesperson Sandee Fenton.
“The resale of tickets is legal in the state of Texas,” Fenton said.
Despite what is suggested on the ACL website, students still go to the UT Buy/Sell/Trade/Free page because they feel it is a viable option when tickets run out, according to UT alumni Molly Spratt, who recently tried purchasing a ticket on the
Facebook page.
“I don’t really think students are any different than other people making a profit,” Spratt said. “If anything, I’d rather buy from a student than a random guy on Craigslist. I honestly think that the ticket should go to whomever the seller wishes to sell to. It’s a seller’s market, that’s for sure.”
For some students who didn’t buy their ACL tickets on time, buying from a second-hand site might not even be an option because of high prices, said biology freshman Emily Koksu.
“I think that people need to keep in mind that we are all students. … I don’t know how much we’re willing to pay for a concert,” Koksu said. “People who bought the tickets for [the set] price and are trying to sell them for more, I think they’re kind of ripping people off a little bit.”
Omar Beltran, undeclared freshman, said he got a lot of backlash on the UT Buy/Sell/Trade/Free Facebook page when he tried to sell two one-day passes for $500. Beltran said he received backlash from commenters after trying to sell the tickets for a friend who purchased them for $490. He sold the tickets for $500 within two weeks.
“I was just trying to help him sell the tickets and everyone got really offended real quick,” Beltran said. “I’m sorry that they have a low allowance because of going to college but that isn’t my fault or my coworker’s fault. If they can’t afford to have fun, they should hold back. … Some [students] waited in line long hours to buy the tickets and time is money.”
