ePlaya

Presale tix were originally offered as a way for ppl to gift a ticket to someone for Christmas with the added cost more a convenience fee for acquiring a ticket so far ahead of the general sale.
Now they don't even go onsale till January...... Whats the point of them now ?

Karma wrote:Presale tix were originally offered as a way for ppl to gift a ticket to someone for Christmas with the added cost more a convenience fee for acquiring a ticket so far ahead of the general sale.
Now they don't even go onsale till January...... Whats the point of them now ?

Speaking as one who has purchased them in the past, my rationale was
1) I can afford it
2) I fly in and want to have a better chance of guaranteeing my plans.

Even now I consider it. Probably won't do it. But, having helped others obtain face value tickets, I don't know how I'd handle plane and other reservations and plans if I wasn't sure I'd have a ticket until later in the season. Remember, tickets still sold out within a few hours last year. One failed internet connection or work emergency, and I'm screwed. I feel more comfortable with a reasonable set of contacts now, that I could make it happen. But my first year? With no real established friends in the burner community? The surcharge was worth it for me. It also just so happened to be the year of the lottery, so the angst I saved was more than worth it.

What VC said plus the intent of the higher priced ticket tier wasn't so people could give them away for Christmas & I seriously doubt many were. It is my understanding that the higher tier was done to help offset the cost of the other tickets & keep prices as low as possible. In a way if you buy a pre-sale ticket you are gifting to everyone buying in the main sales. And now that demand has outpaced availability it's a little insurance for some that fear they won't get a ticket through the main sales. Considering what the scalpers want for tickets I think the Pre-sale is the way to go if you can afford it & don't mind paying almost double.

But that's a choice we all have to make based on our finances & how lucky you feel about getting a ticket in the main sale. Personally I'm not concerned at all. I will plan & build as if I am going & if it doesn't work out this year I will be bummed, but that's the way it goes. Not everyone that wants to go will. That is an unfortunate fact these days that many seem to have trouble accepting.

FlyingMonkey wrote:... offset the cost of the other tickets...

Specifically the low income tics.

theCryptofishist wrote:

FlyingMonkey wrote:... offset the cost of the other tickets...

Specifically the low income tics.

Ad $40 to the low price tic. and run a chance you can even get a car pass..

Thats ok.. there hundreds of burners coming from Timbuktoo, just stick a thumb out.

First timer here,

I'm grabbing a pre-sale ticket.

If you can afford it, it seems like it's the best way to take your mind off the 'threat' of not being able to attend. That leaves you only 4,998 things to panic over before the event.

unjonharley wrote:

theCryptofishist wrote:

FlyingMonkey wrote:... offset the cost of the other tickets...

Specifically the low income tics.

Ad $40 to the low price tic. and run a chance you can even get a car pass..

Thats ok.. there hundreds of burners coming from Timbuktoo, just stick a thumb out.

Funny you should say that. We picked up someone at our last grocery stop. She had the misfortune of traveling in an old RV that died.

I'm just shooting from the hip but I suspect that if vehicle passes become scarce & threaten the attendance of paid ticket holders, more will be made available. As I understand it the limit on vehicle passes was an internal decision and not imposed. But I could be wrong.

I've bought presale before, including last year simply for the reason that it took the stress off. Tickets go on sale during my busiest work time of the year, and it's not easy to blank out a whole day from appointments. That said, I'll likely be doing that this year simply because I'm fairly broke right now.

Next year I won't have to buy a new roof, and my rental won't need a new HVAC system (although I'll still be paying for the one I just installed ) so I might go for the presale again.

[quote="FlyingMonkey"

theCryptofishist wrote:

FlyingMonkey wrote:... offset the cost of the other tickets...

Specifically the low income tics.

Ad $40 to the low price tic. and run a chance you can even get a car pass..

Thats ok.. there hundreds of burners coming from Timbuktoo, just stick a thumb out.[/quote]

Funny you should say that. We picked up someone at our last grocery stop. She had the misfortune of traveling in an old RV that died.

I'm just shooting from the hip but I suspect that if vehicle passes become scarce & threaten the attendance of paid ticket holders, more will be made available. As I understand it the limit on vehicle passes was an internal decision and not imposed. But I could be wrong.[/quote]

Not to sure your about to give me a ride.. Standing aside the road with my walker, mobilty scooter, generator (for the scooter) shelter, tent, kitchen and supplies..

unjonharley wrote:[quote="FlyingMonkey"

theCryptofishist wrote:

FlyingMonkey wrote:... offset the cost of the other tickets...

Specifically the low income tics.

Ad $40 to the low price tic. and run a chance you can even get a car pass..

Thats ok.. there hundreds of burners coming from Timbuktoo, just stick a thumb out.

Funny you should say that. We picked up someone at our last grocery stop. She had the misfortune of traveling in an old RV that died.

I'm just shooting from the hip but I suspect that if vehicle passes become scarce & threaten the attendance of paid ticket holders, more will be made available. As I understand it the limit on vehicle passes was an internal decision and not imposed. But I could be wrong.[/quote]

Not to sure your about to give me a ride.. Standing aside the road with my walker, mobilty scooter, generator (for the scooter) shelter, tent, kitchen and supplies..[/quote]





Don't be so sure. We hauled a shit ton of stuff last time including a motorcycle in the back of the bus.
I would be more likely to stop for you than some dude with just a backpack & obviously ill prepared. I would even let you use my generator.
I figure I'm already taking 3-4 cars off the road anyway so I hope you get one of their vehicle passes You're Welcome

Will Trilo ban me for excessive emoticon use?

I always saw it as people with the means stepping up to pay a premium price to get their tickets and avoid the line. Initially that premium was just that they were buying a top tiered priced ticket, and then in 2012 it was a few bucks more than the top tier. In the wake of the 2012 kerfuffle, a lot of people talked about wanting gobble up presales - which led Burning Man to dramatically increase the premium price on the ticket (from $420 to $650). A lot of that was probably deterrant, but I think a lot of that went to help fund art (last year Burning Man ended up increasing the amount of art grants by over a hundred thousand dollars).

I still see it as being people with the means stepping up to pay a premium price to get their tickets early and avoid the rush of the main sales.

Due to the time lag, if they went on sale 4 hours earlier it would be totally worth the extra $260 per ticket. Well... maybe. Guess it gives me a good excuse to stay up reading.

The forums will be humming with excitement

This year could go differently, but last year the pre-sale tickets took quite a while to sell out.

All good answers. Makes a bit more sense to me now...... Thanks ^_^

If you register for pre sale tickets and decide at the last minute to not purchase the them, does that exclude you from the regular sale?

Offhand I'm not sure. You may want to check with the ticket support folks (see the link in my signature, there's an excellent FAQ and contact info there).

Are you f@#$ing serious. The pre-registration site goes down exactly at noon for the pre-sale tix. Visions of healthcare.gov.... and Katherine Sebelius...

kowtow wrote:Are you f@#$ing serious. The pre-registration site goes down exactly at noon for the pre-sale tix. Visions of healthcare.gov.... and Katherine Sebelius...

It's backup far faster than healthcare.gov

kowtow wrote:

kowtow wrote:Are you f@#$ing serious. The pre-registration site goes down exactly at noon for the pre-sale tix. Visions of healthcare.gov.... and Katherine Sebelius...

It's backup far faster than healthcare.gov

Nah, still down...

kowtow wrote:

kowtow wrote:

kowtow wrote:Are you f@#$ing serious. The pre-registration site goes down exactly at noon for the pre-sale tix. Visions of healthcare.gov.... and Katherine Sebelius...

It's backup far faster than healthcare.gov

Nah, still down...

Complete... and painless <almost>

Took 2 minutes & I was good to go. Lets hope things go as smooth on the 22nd.

Remember, pre-sale registration is open until the 20th. Registration isn't first-come, first-served; that's the sale itself.

Registered and now I'm one step closer!! Oh happy days!!

I was under the impression if we register in February, and are at our computer when the main sale begins, there shouldn't be a problem obtaining 2 out of the 30,000 tickets, right?

Regularly I would be one of the paranoid "need to get my ticket confirmed asap" type of people, but that last jackrabbit letter made me think there might be a better place for my money to go instead of Harvey's back pocket. It's going to be hard watching a batch of tickets come and go without jumping all over it, but I think I'll have faith for the first time ever.. instead of relying on my "do whatever it takes" attitude.

remi wrote:I was under the impression if we register in February, and are at our computer when the main sale begins, there shouldn't be a problem obtaining 2 out of the 30,000 tickets, right?

If you register in February, there shouldn't be a problem with the registration when you are buying your ticket. More people will want tickets than there are tickets to be had.

@remi - the main sale will have 38,000 tickets, not 30,000 tickets. Your mileage may vary when it comes to ticket availability. Demand will likely be greater than supply, as it has in the last few years. In 2013, 40K tickets in the main sale sold through in approximately 6 hours, and that's with some very frustrating server issues. If there are fewer (or ideally no) server issues, tickets will sell out more quickly, assuming similar demand. It is funny that you'd think that the premium price on a presale ticket goes into Larry Harvey's (or any other board member's) back pocket. Generally, the premium winds up going to help support the low income program, as well as art grants (last year Burning Man increased honorarium spending by more than $100K).

BoyScoutGirl wrote:Remember, pre-sale registration is open until the 20th. Registration isn't first-come, first-served; that's the sale itself.

Roger that BSG. I just wanted to see if the server was going to gag during the first few minutes.
Pleasantly surprised I must admit.

Shit, just pickup all four vehicle passes that each pre-sale ticket is entitled to and scalp 'em for $100 a pop down the road. Pre-season paid for, bitches.




No, seriously.. WHY THE HELL SHOULD ANY ONE TICKET BE ALLOWED TO PURCHASE 4 VEHICLE PASSES?

Selling vehicle passes above face value would likely be treated as selling tickets above face value - the entire order gets canceled and your future ability to participate in Burning Man ticket sales may be affected. And if the scalping were done via a directed group order, it could negatively affect the entire group's placement and future participation in directed group sales.

You should direct your questions regarding the policy to the ticket team through the ticket support site linked in my signature.