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Can we resell tickets if a constituent does not show up?

Carrie LaFerle Gergely
$organization

Hi hive mind, 

We are in CA and are trying to find out if we can legally resell tickets when constituents do not show up or if they cancel them.

For context, we frequently have shows sell out and then have a handful of no-shows each night; we also have people who just flat out cancel tickets (and we do not offer refunds for cancelled tickets). There are certainly laws about scalping, but I can't find one about resale of this nature. We want to make sure we're doing this in compliance with CA laws, but are not clear about what the laws are. We're also wondering how folks deal with this within Tessitura--do we need to sell or give away standby spots instead of reselling tickets directly? How do we handle cancelled tickets that do not qualify for a refund? Can patrons request to donate the ticket cost to the theatre? 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Carrie

  • $organization
    Hi Carrie,
     
    I can’t advise one way or the other on the legality of what you propose.  But, another option could be overselling.  For example, if you consistently have a no-show rate of 10% (for example),  you could add a handful of seats to your seating map in an ‘oversell’ section- with the understanding that the customer purchasing these seats aren’t guaranteed a specific location, but they’ll either get in, or have their ‘oversell’ purchase refunded (and maybe free drinks or something thrown in for the inconvenience.).  And then you seat them just before showtime in seats where people haven’t shown up. Something to think about, maybe!
     
    Cheers,
    Kathleen