Counterfeit tickets

[Warbaby Fox]

If you're buying tickets second-hand, how can you spot a counterfeit? Same goes for vehicle passes.

[Jackass]

"Unfortunately we witnessed some counterfeit ticket sales in our community this year. For the first time, an abundance of fake tickets were for sale on eBay. These counterfeit tickets were poorly executed color laser copies and mimicked none of the security features found on the legitimate tickets."

This was last year.

The real deal is on heavy card stock, and has holograms, watermarks, raised areas and some shiny ink.

[Elderberry]

https://ticketsupport.burningman.com/cu ... d-or-real-

http://blog.burningman.com/2011/08/news ... ket-scams/

https://ticketsupport.burningman.com/

I doubt you'll get any better information than the above.

[Warbaby Fox]

Is there any truth to the gatekeepers voiding tickets that are sold from a reselling site? Like would they turn your car around?

[digital]

Is there any truth to the gatekeepers voiding tickets that are sold from a reselling site? Like would they turn your car around?

Scalped tickets can be voided. If you show up to gate with a voided ticket they will deny you entry to the event.

[Warbaby Fox]

It seems like Burning Man makes it really hard to buy tickets from anywhere else except their own box office, which sells out within the first 5 seconds.

[FIGJAM]

Face value or fuck off!!!

It's all about stopping the scalpers.

[Warbaby Fox]

I'm really banking on this OMG sale. The odds are of powerball proportions.

[mdmf007]

Is there any truth to the gatekeepers voiding tickets that are sold from a reselling site? Like would they turn your car around?

Certainly - you could buy a ticket that was voided so check the voided list before purchasing. This list grows as the event comes closer Here is the link, but nothing yet, tickets are just now shipping and the shitbags have not started selling multiple copies or promising them to multipple parties or listing on one of the reselling websites for 1500 bucks.....

http://tickets.burningman.org/voided-tickets/

[Eric]

It seems like Burning Man makes it really hard to buy tickets from anywhere else except their own box office, which sells out within the first 5 seconds.

Two things:
1) The BLM is in charge of our population, not the Burning Man org itself, and we hit our population cap under the current permit in 2012 (I think), and it hasn't changed since then. The demand, however, has gone through the roof. High demand for a limited item creates a quick sell-out. That is reality, it's not some plan by BMorg to make life hard. It's going to happen to any sell-out event.

2) When an event is a guaranteed sell-out it attracts vultures and criminals, all of whom are trying to separate suckers from their money. BMorg is trying to make the after-market as unattractive to those vultures as possible, and the fact that they will cancel tickets that sell for over face value is one of those tactics. It's an attempt to keep the market fair, and to make it unprofitable for scalpers.
Note: scalping is legal in Nevada, and the event operates under the laws of the state - however, one of the conditions of buying a ticket is that it can only be resold for face value. This gives the org a legal loophole to cancel tickets sold for higher prices.

Certainly - you could buy a ticket that was voided so check the voided list before purchasing. This list grows as the event comes closer Here is the link, but nothing yet, tickets are just now shipping and the shitbags have not started selling multiple copies or promising them to multipple parties or listing on one of the reselling websites for 1500 bucks.....

http://tickets.burningman.org/voided-tickets/

Another note: the list is not guaranteed to be complete, or up to date, so you need to use your brains when buying third-party tickets.
Real tickets are extremely high quality little pieces of art - thick card-stock, heavily detailed image with precise printing, needle-thin holographic areas that are also precise, printing on-top of holographic areas, everything sharp & clear. If it looks like a photocopy, it probably is. If you get a bad feeling about a transaction, or if it feels "odd", don't go through with the sale. People get scammed every single year, people get turned away from the Gate every single year. Don't end up as one of those people because you get desperate. That's what the scammers are hoping for.

[mdmf007]

Totally agree with what Eric said - A real ticket is actually a work of effing art. Seriously, the detail is incredible. I go to dozen of concerts, plays, and other events a year and not one of them has tickets as classy as BMAN. Like mentioned my link is not an exhaustive list, but would be the source of tickets voided by BMAN. Remember that once a legit ticket is scanned it is dead. If a legit ticket was copied and the same barcode is used again, it will alarm as already having been entered. I could only imagine the despair at that moment.

So do your due diligence.

[Warbaby Fox]

Are vehicle passes equally unique?

[trilobyte]

People have posted some great responses already.

Yes, Burning Man can and does void the sale of tickets that it believes were purchased with the intent to sell above face value (as per the terms and conditions). Think of tickets above face value as poisonous - one of the best ways for a seller to show they're legit or not is to let you see the order # so a potential buyer can check against void lists (the ticket team starts updating that once tickets ship). Of course, if they're willing to let you see it as a prospective buyer, they've likely shown them to others... ANY of which can report the tickets being sold above face (as could you) by sending the details to [email protected] or [email protected].

Buying tickets in the after-market will always carry some element of risk (only buying tickets from Burning Man directly or the Secure Ticket Exchange Program is secure). Beyond that, buying from friends or friends-of-friends is less risky, everything else carries an increased risk. Prospective buyers can protect themselves most by using their heads. Either check with a friend who's gotten theirs to get your eyes on real tickets/passes, or look at the numerous posts online to get an idea of what the tickets look like. Read this thread regarding scammers and scalpers.