How bad will it be if I don't buy presale?

[Archie Bunker]

I have to admit, I find it really annoying that the presale is nearly a full year before the event. WTF?

I have never been to Coachella (despite the fact that I've been a member of this board for 5 years), but would like to go next year.

However, I don't like the idea of Goldenvoice holding onto my money for 11 months.

So let's say I don't buy in this presale. I have two questions:

1) How long do I typically have during the regular sale before everything sells out?

2) If I do miss my chances and the event sells out, how much can I realistically expect to pay those snake-in-the-grass scalpers? Like, how much were they marked up in 2012?

Any information would help me make my decision whether or not to buy presale, and would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[isnate]

1) both 2012 weekends sold out within 30 minutes after the regular sale started.

2) if you wait until the week before the festival, you can find plenty of tickets being sold very close to the original price.

[CrimesceneCookie]

1) about an hour or less. assuming FrontGate doesn't crash. You'll be lucky if you score tickets this way. Buy the presale and live worry free.
2) Right after the sellout, tickets will be at least double in price. If you wait til the week of the fest to buy, you'll pay face value/under face.

[Mammoth85]

How bad? Really bad.

[amyzzz]

It took 3 hours for the tickets to sell out this year on the regular onsale day.

[xuclarockerx]

If you want to go anyway, why does it matter how early you buy your ticket? If it's for financial reasons, do layaway. Actually the earlier the presale, the better layaway is because there's more months to spread out the payments.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere credible that the general onsale sold out in 6 hours total. (Weekend 1 was probably gone right away.) Either way, 30 minutes, 6 hours, whatever...it will sell out relatively instantly. At least with the presale the Frontgate servers will be jammed for the first several hours but you can most likely return later like I did and buy wait-free. I actually bought my presale tickets in the final minutes. Definitely not doing that this year - it's possibly sellouts may occur in the presale this year, though hopefully the price increase & per-billing address limit will alleviate that.

It's possible you can score some under face-value wristbands in the 11th hour, but there's no guarantees. Especially if the market isn't as flooded with tickets next year.

[microcuts]

It will be this bad.


1-artistsconce.jpg

[PlayaDelWes]

Passes were sub $300 week of fest last year. I'd wait until them and buy off of 2ndary market.

[clleadz]

It took 3 hours for the tickets to sell out this year on the regular onsale day.

That's what they say, but if you weren't through the security page after around 10am and 15 seconds, some people never got through

[Archie Bunker]

If you want to go anyway, why does it matter how early you buy your ticket? If it's for financial reasons, do layaway. Actually the earlier the presale, the better layaway is because there's more months to spread out the payments.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere credible that the general onsale sold out in 6 hours total. (Weekend 1 was probably gone right away.) Either way, 30 minutes, 6 hours, whatever...it will sell out relatively instantly. At least with the presale the Frontgate servers will be jammed for the first several hours but you can most likely return later like I did and buy wait-free. I actually bought my presale tickets in the final minutes. Definitely not doing that this year - it's possibly sellouts may occur in the presale this year, though hopefully the price increase & per-billing address limit will alleviate that.

It's possible you can score some under face-value wristbands in the 11th hour, but there's no guarantees. Especially if the market isn't as flooded with tickets next year.

Actually that's a good question. No, I don't have a problem with the money itself being held (though I find that a bit annoying, too). It's more about the super-early commitment to going that I don't feel I can make at this time, due to family obligation reasons.

Very interesting that some UNDER face value wristbands were available at the last minute. I considered going in 2012 but saw something like $460 for the minimum price on StubHub (this was a few weeks before the event), so I just said "screw it, I'll go next year", since the StubHub fees would have pushed it well over $500.

Unfortunately, I cannot make an 11th-hour decision to go, so I really need something kinda in between -- not right now, but also not in the final days/hours leading up to the event.

Would I be able to buy some wristbands for around face sometime like a month beforehand, assuming everything shakes out the same as last year?

[Robin]

No, I don't have a problem with the money itself being held (though I find that a bit annoying, too). It's more about the super-early commitment to going that I don't feel I can make at this time, due to family obligation reasons.

Why not just buy the pass(es) presale, and if you cannot go, then resell to someone for face?

[locachica73]

I would just buy the presale tickets and if something happens and you can't go you can always find someone through the boards who will buy them off of you at face, not only will you be sure to get tickets but in the event you can't go you will be making someone else's coachella dreams come true.

[concertgoer]

Why not just buy the pass(es) presale, and if you cannot go, then resell to someone for face?

Yeah that makes the most sense to me.

[amyzzz]

That's what they say, but if you weren't through the security page after around 10am and 15 seconds, some people never got through

Bullshit. Becca was able to get on several times and bought my tickets for me that way.

[clleadz]

Bullshit. Becca was able to get on several times and bought my tickets for me that way.

Maybe it was more random then. I got on 7 seconds after 10am and got through, my friend (claims) she got on at 10am and 15 seconds and never made it. I later tried again at 10.30am and never got through

[concertgoer]

Maybe it was more random then. I got on 7 seconds after 10am and got through, my friend (claims) she got on at 10am and 15 seconds and never made it. I later tried again at 10.30am and never got through

All of the frontgate onsales appear to totally random. Some people get tickets right away, while others are stuck in the waiting room for hours.

[amyzzz]

Maybe it was more random then. I got on 7 seconds after 10am and got through, my friend (claims) she got on at 10am and 15 seconds and never made it. I later tried again at 10.30am and never got through

I rescind what I said. I'm confusing the presale with the regular onsale. You may be right.

[Mugwog]

For 2012 there was a lot of speculation about 2 weekends being too big and failing. Then they dropped the lineup and got everyone and their mom excited to go, weekend 2 sold out very fast for not having much of a presale response. Diehard Coachella goers are all about weekend 1.

Buy presale; if the lineup turns out to be Dave Matthews Band, Tiesto and Green Day with a shitty undercard - You can easily sell your ticket to: Bros, Ravers, People still living in the 90s/high schoolers.

[fatbastard]

Ken, you have the goddamm money. Get on the raii at the bank and pull the funds out.

[suprefan]

Ken will be DENIED!!!

[gaypalmsprings]

Don't wait...

[hippityhip]

Why not just buy the pass(es) presale, and if you cannot go, then resell to someone for face?

This is what I am doing. There is a strong possibility that I won't make it next year but just in case I'm buying presale and doing payment option. If I can't go then I'm posting it here for face value.

[Wonderbot]

You do realize you only pay $70 deposit, then $40 monthly for 7 months right?

[SepaGroove]

You do realize you only pay $70 deposit, then $40 monthly for 7 months right?

This is what I'm trying to tell people. If I look at the grand scheme of things with student loans and shit, I really can't afford Coachella. But I love it so much so I make it happen. If the lineup comes out next Feb. and I don't like it I can always sell my pass, and make all of my money back.

[lilee]

i'm a commitment phobe and will probably just wait till january like an idiot. it worked for me this past year--managed to snag weekend 1 tickets during the regular sale by some stroke of luck. at this point i just have no idea what i'll be doing or where i'll be by next april so it's more logical to wait & see if i luck out again. guess if you're really counting on going, presale's a better idea though.

[NickyHickyBear]

This is what I'm trying to tell people. If I look at the grand scheme of things with student loans and shit, I really can't afford Coachella. But I love it so much so I make it happen. If the lineup comes out next Feb. and I don't like it I can always sell my pass, and make all of my money back.

It would be a lot less painful to just do the presale tomorrow as opposed to waiting until the last minute. It's a peace of mind thing for me.

[Wonderbot]

Get a ticket on layway.... can't go? Sell at face value to a Boardie or be a jerk and scalp it on some site. Otherwise be faced with the possibility of scrambling for a ticket when you decide you really want to go and whine and complain on the boards about how you should have done layaway.

[SepaGroove]

Wonderbot knows what's up. A few of my friends just don't seem to understand this, and for the first time in six years aren't going to Coachella this year.

But I know once the lineup comes out they will all scramble to get tickets and probably won't end up getting them, while the rest of us will be reminding them that they could've taken care of it back in May 2012.

[amma_sol]

I got my ticket on layaway the past two years but I just don't see it happening this time. I was kind of disappointed with Coachella this year. Last year I was able to get through TWICE to buy tickets for my friends because they couldn't get through. (I was on at 9:59...) But if you know you are going I HIGHLY recommend doing layaway.

[BROKENDOLL]

Considering there's a week of pre-sale, what percentage of this board will be playing, "On your mark, get set, go," at exactly 10 am tomorrow?