Resellers can’t get rid of Travis Scott tickets

Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus tour may have initially sold out on Ticketmaster, but that doesn’t mean tickets aren’t available. And the tickets that are available cheap.

According to a report from 404 Media’s Jason Kebler, ticket resellers have sunk big money into the Houston rapper’s tour, based in part on tips from PFS Buyers Club, a site for credit card enthusiasts that offers commissions to buyers who help them find limited-edition items (such as high-demand passes to concerts, for example). PFS advised members to purchase tickets to Scott’s tour in any city and they would be refunded plus a $25 fee per ticket.

Tickets went on sale on August 31 and initially sold out, although Scott later added additional dates. During the regular sale, the cheapest seats were $65 plus fees.

But demand for concerts has plummeted, and tickets now cost as little as $10 in some places. For one of Scott’s two concerts at Austin’s Moody Center in November, fans can get upper bowl seats for just $49 on StubHub as of this writing. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, they sell for $16, which StubHub advertises as “the best deal!”

Resellers who buy into the tour will lose hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. One buyer told Koebler he bought 123 tickets in several cities for a total of more than $36,000. PFS has now reneged on its promise of a $25 fee and told members the site was expecting “huge losses.”

PFS has reportedly advised members that they can still expect to receive a refund for their tickets, but it may take some time.

Reselling tickets has long been a way for scalpers to make quick money, and it can be extremely profitable. One man recently told Insider he makes up to $32,000 a month reselling tickets to sporting events and concerts. But it’s also risky: if demand isn’t as high as expected, or resellers miscalculate, they could end up eating up the value of all those seats. And against all odds, Ticketmaster wins. The company, accused of monopolizing the ticketing industry, is still making a profit and selling out concerts even though resellers are buying them up. Fans essentially lose out no matter what and are either forced to fight scalpers during Ticketmaster’s regular sales or pay more and more to resell tickets.

This is Scott’s first tour since the Astroworld tragedy in 2021, which left 10 people dead and hundreds injured after a mob incident occurred during Scott’s headlining set at his festival in Houston. In June, a Harris County grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Scott and five others for the death. Scott and concert promoter Live Nation are still facing several lawsuits stemming from the tragedy.

Live Nation originally announced that Scott would perform in Houston as part of the Circus Maximus tour in now-deleted social media posts. Mayor Sylvester Turner appeared to confirm this at the time, as did the Houston Police Officers Union when he released a statement saying he had been notified Scott would speak in Houston in October and November. The union strongly condemned the performance, saying they “have complete disbelief that anyone would approve another concert by Travis Scott or the production company.”