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Comic-Con International => SDCC Registration and Badges => Topic started by: alyssa on May 09, 2019, 01:54:33 PM

Title: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: alyssa on May 09, 2019, 01:54:33 PM
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Comic-Con Badge Auction
Need a badge for Comic-Con 2019? Want to help raise funds for the Museum? Follow this link to the official Comic-Con eBay page.  Over the next few weeks, returned and cancelled badges are being auctioned to the highest bidder to support the Museum.  All proceeds will help bring the magic of Comic-Con to fans year-round!

https://www.ebay.com/usr/sdcomic-con

2 4-day passes are going for anywhere between 2300 & 4K
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Miclpea on May 09, 2019, 02:13:08 PM
Pricey!


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Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Zero on May 10, 2019, 02:40:20 AM
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https://www.ebay.com/usr/sdcomic-con

2 4-day passes are going for anywhere between 2300 & 4K

Yikes, that is too much... @___@;;; With that said, I'm sure someone will buy it, ha ha.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: jeffa on May 10, 2019, 03:29:14 AM
For some folks, the cost of badges is a fairly minor part of the expense of attending, with hotel, travel, merchandise exclusives, or access to a panel on a subject of their constant devotion. Some people have lots of spare cash, if you see what some memorabilia auctions bring. You might have four people who wanted badges, they got two, and they agreed to share the cost difference on the second market. My evil twin pictures somebody winning an auction and then asking for the senior or military discount. O:-)
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: marcia29 on May 10, 2019, 06:38:38 AM
With the bids going so high, I was curious to see what the starting bid was for the 2 badges:

Starting Price   $489.00

A fair starting price for sure.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Transmute Jun on May 10, 2019, 07:16:27 AM
I will agree that the current cost of badges is very low, compared to the overall cost of attending. Heck, a 5 day badge is cheaper than a night of hotel room.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rabbitwarren on May 10, 2019, 07:22:21 AM
It's still nothing compared to the cost of attending the Super Bowl.  Face Value tickets can cost $5000 and forget getting a decent priced hotel. 
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Angel_ on May 10, 2019, 10:09:42 AM
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I will agree that the current cost of badges is very low, compared to the overall cost of attending. Heck, a 5 day badge is cheaper than a night of hotel room.

Which is shockingly the opposite of what I'm experiencing at Disneyland where a one day ticket is the cost of a night and a half in a hotel room  >:( 
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 10, 2019, 11:06:14 AM
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Pricey!

Don't forget that the museum is a charity.  So that amount paid should be tax deductible.  Depending on your tax bracket, that can slash the net price in half.  I think that anyone willing to pay that much is probably in the higher tax brackets.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: stl_ben on May 10, 2019, 12:11:03 PM
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Don't forget that the museum is a charity.  So that amount paid should be tax deductible.  Depending on your tax bracket, that can slash the net price in half.  I think that anyone willing to pay that much is probably in the higher tax brackets.
The amount over the MSRP of the item would be deductible.  So like 3/4ths of it.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on May 10, 2019, 03:58:52 PM
It is tax deductible, but only if you itemize. (& currently, you have to get to 12k worth of deductions before you even begin to see a benefit.)
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 12, 2019, 11:30:07 AM
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The amount over the MSRP of the item would be deductible.  So like 3/4ths of it.

Why would that be?  The entire amount is going to the museum thus shouldn't the entire amount of the deductible be a donation.  It's like donating to any charity and getting a premium like a t-shirt or hat.  Since comic-con passes can't be sold in the open market, they inherently have no worth.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Miclpea on May 12, 2019, 12:10:47 PM
Tax law and logic are not mutually inclusive. Ask your accountant.


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Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 12, 2019, 01:00:21 PM
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Tax law and logic are not mutually inclusive. Ask your accountant.

That's why the last sentence in my last post is key.  You are allowed to deduct anything in excess of the fair market value.  Since comic-con passes cannot be sold in the open market, they have no fair market value.  While comic-con passes are sold in the aftermarket, well at least people try, that is a black market.  I don't think the IRS would consider black market prices to be fair value.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Miclpea on May 12, 2019, 01:17:29 PM
Again, I would ask a CPA or a tax attorney. There might be special rules that involve auctions by charitable organizations.


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Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on May 12, 2019, 02:47:31 PM
You’ve got one in house. (Actually, there are a few of us IIRC.) As an accountant, I would agree that the deductible amount is the difference between the amount paid and list price. This would be my official recommendation if any of my clients came to me with this issue.

The fair market value of Comic-Con badges is not 0, regardless of whether or not CCI allows resales. People are obviously willing to pay $1000 or more so it just doesn’t make sense to say the fair market value is 0.

Here is the IRS’s page about charity auctions. The most relevant part is where it equates the fair market value to the published price, using an example of published prices in a catalog: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/charity-auctions

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For example, a charity may publish a catalog, given to each person who attends an auction, providing a good faith estimate of items that will be available for bidding.  Assuming the donor has no reason to doubt the accuracy of the published estimate, if he or she pays more than the published value, the difference between the amount paid and the published value may constitute a charitable contribution deduction.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: stl_ben on May 12, 2019, 02:51:40 PM
Wow. Didn’t realize everyone would not believe me.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Miclpea on May 12, 2019, 03:23:01 PM
It’s not believing you but tax law is very complicated and if you follow tax court rulings, it is subject to interpretation.


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Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: SteveD on May 12, 2019, 03:38:52 PM
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Wow. Didn’t realize everyone would not believe me.
I believed you.  :)
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: TardisMom on May 12, 2019, 03:42:40 PM
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Wow. Didn’t realize everyone would not believe me.

I believed you, too.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chachime45 on May 23, 2019, 01:03:51 PM
Some of those auctions (62 have finished so far) are closing in the $1600-1700 range.

I'm just going to file a mental note in case I find myself needing passes off eBay in the future.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: dkd on May 23, 2019, 01:32:59 PM
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Wow. Didn’t realize everyone would not believe me.

I believed you.  I got an opening night to a Broadway show that included the afterparty once.  The charity provided me with a document that said what was tax deductible and what wasn't.  This auction is likely to do the same.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on May 23, 2019, 02:00:42 PM
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Some of those auctions (62 have finished so far) are closing in the $1600-1700 range.

I'm just going to file a mental note in case I find myself needing passes off eBay in the future.

Wow, that isn't bad at all considering that it's for a pair of badges, and a hotel stay for the entire time is about that. The first two pairs went for $6000, then they stabilized around $3000 for awhile and slowly went down to under $2000/pair.

And now we have an idea of how much they can go for on the aftermarket. My guess is that if resales were officially allowed using a method that discouraged scalping (i.e. Lyte exchange), then prices probably would not be astronomical. Maybe in the $500-ish range per badge.

Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 23, 2019, 02:41:12 PM
In many charity auctions, the charity will list the fair market value of the item for tax purposes.  Then people can claim the amount paid over that stated fair market value as a tax deduction.  These auctions do not have fair market value listed.  They do have a very important criteria for determining fair market value listed.  The key stipulation is "Badges are non-tranferable."

Here is the IRS guidance in determining fair market value.  It's not the price that was paid.  It's not the price it originally sold for.  It's what you can sell it for right now.

"Fair market value.

Fair market value (FMV) is the price that property would sell for on the open market. It is the price that would be agreed on between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts. If you put a restriction on the use of property you donate, the FMV must reflect that restriction."

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p561

That last sentence is important here and illustrated by example 2 in that publication.  In this case the restriction as noted earlier is "Badges are non-tranferable."  So how much are a comic-con passes worth in the open market that are clearly stated as being non-transferable and thus cannot be used legally for admission to comic-con?  Anyone who won one of these auctions and wanted to resell them would have to clearly state that.  I'm sure they would fetch a few dollars as souvenirs but not nearly what the original cost was.

As stated, there is no legitimate market for "non-tranferable" comic-con passes.  The IRS commonly accepts valuations of $0 for items for which there is no market.  For unsaleable items.  Yes, the IRS does rarely override those valuations using black market prices as their justification.  That's exceedingly rare.  The few times it has happened it has raised eyebrows that the government would use illegal activity as justification.

That's the way I understand it.  I would be happy to be wrong.  If I can indeed use list prices as FMV, I have plenty of specialized equipment in the garage that cost $30,000 or more when new that I would gladly donate to get a $30,000 write off.  But I think if I did that, the only thing it would get me is a notice from the IRS asking me what I was thinking.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: dkd on May 23, 2019, 02:57:48 PM
I think in this context, the badge sale we all participate in is an open market.  You may not think it is because it is a lottery, but it is "open" in that anyone is open to participate.  In this context, I bet the regular badge price is the market value.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: semigeekgirl on May 23, 2019, 03:19:14 PM
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I think in this context, the badge sale we all participate in is an open market.  You may not think it is because it is a lottery, but it is "open" in that anyone is open to participate.  In this context, I bet the regular badge price is the market value.

I agree (I work in accounting, but I'm not a CPA). The IRS would consider the "value" of the badge to be the price everyone else paid for a comparable experience. It doesn't matter that you can't transfer it. You usually can't transfer most "prize" winnings, but the fair market value is still the price someone else would pay to obtain the items included (airfare, hotel accomodations, etc).

The "specialized equipment" example above is bad because the equipment is several years old. It could still be donated for a write off. But the FMV is what people would pay for it now, not the original purchase price.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on May 23, 2019, 03:30:13 PM
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In many charity auctions, the charity will list the fair market value of the item for tax purposes.  Then people can claim the amount paid over that stated fair market value as a tax deduction.  These auctions do not have fair market value listed.  They do have a very important criteria for determining fair market value listed.  The key stipulation is "Badges are non-tranferable."

Here is the IRS guidance in determining fair market value.  It's not the price that was paid.  It's not the price it originally sold for.  It's what you can sell it for right now.

"Fair market value.

Fair market value (FMV) is the price that property would sell for on the open market. It is the price that would be agreed on between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts. If you put a restriction on the use of property you donate, the FMV must reflect that restriction."

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p561

That last sentence is important here and illustrated by example 2 in that publication.  In this case the restriction as noted earlier is "Badges are non-tranferable."  So how much are a comic-con passes worth in the open market that are clearly stated as being non-transferable and thus cannot be used legally for admission to comic-con?  Anyone who won one of these auctions and wanted to resell them would have to clearly state that.  I'm sure they would fetch a few dollars as souvenirs but not nearly what the original cost was.

As stated, there is no legitimate market for "non-tranferable" comic-con passes.  The IRS commonly accepts valuations of $0 for items for which there is no market.  For unsaleable items.  Yes, the IRS does rarely override those valuations using black market prices as their justification.  That's exceedingly rare.  The few times it has happened it has raised eyebrows that the government would use illegal activity as justification.

That's a roundabout interpretation that I don't see the IRS going for. "Not transferrable" is not the same thing as having a value of 0. SDCC sells the exact same product for ~$250 (with the exact same non-transferrable stipulation) and that is clearly documented multiple times on their site, regardless of whether the auction itself lists it. Dkd is right that the general sale absolutely qualifies as an open market.

In fact--using your exact quote "It is the price that would be agreed on between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts" would back up the value NOT being 0. I certainly would not agree to give my passes away for 0, and I do not know of anyone who would. The stipulation that badges are not transferrable, doesn't make it 0 as you CANNOT transfer it to someone for 0 either.

If you wanted to enter 0 to get a bigger tax deduction, it's very possible they wouldn't pay enough attention to it to challenge you. But I would not recommend that to any of my clients.

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That's the way I understand it.  I would be happy to be wrong.  If I can indeed use list prices as FMV, I have plenty of specialized equipment in the garage that cost $30,000 or more when new that I would gladly donate to get a $30,000 write off.  But I think if I did that, the only thing it would get me is a notice from the IRS asking me what I was thinking.

This is a completely different scenario. Tbh it's so different that I'm not sure whether you actually believe this is a legitimate comparison or are just playing the devil's advocate. You are referring to physical equipment that depreciates over time, not admission to an event on a specific set of days. The useful lives of the products couldn't be more different. If it was the year you got it, you probably could value it at $30,000. If it was years later and people actually still offered you $30,000 for 10 year old used specialized equipment, then yes, you could use that value. Otherwise, it's apples to oranges.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 23, 2019, 03:40:40 PM
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I agree (I work in accounting, but I'm not a CPA). The IRS would consider the "value" of the badge to be the price everyone else paid for a comparable experience. It doesn't matter that you can't transfer it. You usually can't transfer most "prize" winnings, but the fair market value is still the price someone else would pay to obtain the items included (airfare, hotel accomodations, etc).

Actually, it's even more complicated if you are talking about charity "experiences" and not tangible items.  The amount that contributes to put on the experience is not deductible. Any amount over that is.  There's also the concept of whether the cost for you to attend is so insignificant as not to matter.  Would the event still go on even if none of the money that you bid was used to fund the event?  That's why volunteers in many volunteers organizations can be volunteers and not employees.  Since the cost of the benefit they receive, say attendance at a event, is so insignificant as not to matter.

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The "specialized equipment" example above is bad because the equipment is several years old. It could still be donated for a write off. But the FMV is what people would pay for it now, not the original purchase price.

I wish I could get any write off.  There is no market for these things.  The valuation is $0.  I'm lucky that it is $0.  A few years ago before the latest recycling laws kicked in, I would have had to pay $25 to dispose of them.  Now I can dispose of them for free.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 23, 2019, 03:52:33 PM
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That's a roundabout interpretation that I don't see the IRS going for. "Not transferrable" is not the same thing as having a value of 0. SDCC sells the exact same product for ~$250 (with the exact same non-transferrable stipulation) and that is clearly documented multiple times on their site, regardless of whether the auction itself lists it. Dkd is right that the general sale absolutely qualifies as an open market.

There's a very distinct difference between SDCC selling comic-con passes and a third party selling it.  SDCC can transfer it.  A third party cannot.  It's one of the stipulations when a third party buys it that they can't transfer it.  No where does SDCC say it cannot transfer it's own passes.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: semigeekgirl on May 23, 2019, 04:01:36 PM
I think we're going to have to agree to disagree here. [member=6586]chocolateshake[/member] , several members here who work in tax/accounting have told you that, if the winner of these auctioned badges was our client, we would have them count only the amount over the list price of a 4-day+PN badge as tax-deductible.

However, if you were our client, you would be absolutely within your rights to claim the full amount to the IRS and see what happened. And then our firms would be within our rights not to defend you when you got audited. (That part is not hypothetical - we've done that to clients who went against our advice.  In the end, if you go hire an accountant you have the choice to listen to them or not. But if you choose not, don't expect them to help you later.)
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on May 23, 2019, 06:21:41 PM
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I think we're going to have to agree to disagree here. [member=6586]chocolateshake[/member] , several members here who work in tax/accounting have told you that, if the winner of these auctioned badges was our client, we would have them count only the amount over the list price of a 4-day+PN badge as tax-deductible.

That is something we can agree on. ;)  This is just an internet discussion.  The world will continue to turn.

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However, if you were our client, you would be absolutely within your rights to claim the full amount to the IRS and see what happened. And then our firms would be within our rights not to defend you when you got audited. (That part is not hypothetical - we've done that to clients who went against our advice.  In the end, if you go hire an accountant you have the choice to listen to them or not. But if you choose not, don't expect them to help you later.)

That goes regardless.  Any firm is not obligated to defend any of their clients.  I would be shocked if that isn't clearly stated in your terms and conditions.  No representative I know of would ever permanently attach themselves to their clients no matter what.  That's unwise.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rickythump on June 07, 2019, 10:44:58 AM
Wow, the price has really dipped. $500 per badge is not a bad deal!
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rallyv on June 07, 2019, 01:27:22 PM
Yeah, I've been watching these for a while. They've gone from being laughable ($6k for the first couple auctions) to being an exceptional deal.

There's been a steady drop in prices and it hovered around $2k for quite a bit. I would say if you're in the market, now's a good time to get some. One thing I did notice however is that there was a spike in prices (10%-15%) the last time CCI publicized their ebay account (via twitter/facebook). Something to keep in mind in case you see them mention them again.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on June 07, 2019, 08:18:14 PM
They also have a LOT of them up for sale. (79 pairs, as of right now.) Seems like they need extra cash, or something.

And now I'm more sure than ever that the days of SDCC instantly selling out are numbered.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: alyssa on June 07, 2019, 08:55:34 PM
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They also have a LOT of them up for sale. (79 pairs, as of right now.) Seems like they need extra cash, or something.

And now I'm more sure than ever that the days of SDCC instantly selling out are numbered.

i believe the museum breaks ground for construction soon-- so yeah they need money ;0
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on June 07, 2019, 09:37:47 PM
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They also have a LOT of them up for sale. (79 pairs, as of right now.) Seems like they need extra cash, or something.

And now I'm more sure than ever that the days of SDCC instantly selling out are numbered.

Let's not get carried away.  79 pairs is 158 tickets.  How many tickets did they sell?  100,000 or so?  178 tickets is 0.16%.  Let's round that off to 0.2% to include all the tickets they've already sold.  That's a very tiny float for a huge event like this.  I would have expected it to be more.  At least a few percent.  People often sign up for things and don't show.  Even if it's paid for.  Let's not forget about the comp tickets, exhibitor passes, contest tickets, etc, etc that bump up that 100,000 by quite a bit.  I think SDCC will continue to sell out instantly for the foreseeable future.

There have always been returned tickets.  Last year, the museum gave some away for free.

Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rickythump on June 07, 2019, 11:10:53 PM
It’s also pretty late in the game for most people who haven’t planned for the last nine months like we have.

I imagine if they would have hosted this sale a few months ago we would be seeing higher prices but with about a month or so to figure out lodging/transportation and everything else, it’s most likely too intense for most people to try and plan for - even if they want to go to the con.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on June 08, 2019, 12:02:12 AM
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Let's not get carried away.  79 pairs is 158 tickets.  How many tickets did they sell?  100,000 or so?  178 tickets is 0.16%.  Let's round that off to 0.2% to include all the tickets they've already sold.  That's a very tiny float for a huge event like this.  I would have expected it to be more.  At least a few percent.  People often sign up for things and don't show.  Even if it's paid for.  Let's not forget about the comp tickets, exhibitor passes, contest tickets, etc, etc that bump up that 100,000 by quite a bit.  I think SDCC will continue to sell out instantly for the foreseeable future.

There have always been returned tickets.  Last year, the museum gave some away for free.

I think you may have misinterpreted my post. My hypothesis was based on the selling price of the auctions, not the number of tickets in the auctions. I didn’t say what I did because they came up with 158 extra tickets. They’ve always had extra tickets. I said what I did because those tickets aren’t going for sky high prices.

To be clear, I think it will continue to sell out for quite a while, just not instantly. I’ll say 3-4 years before tickets last past the waiting room. (At least for the less popular days)

Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on June 08, 2019, 12:11:09 AM
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It’s also pretty late in the game for most people who haven’t planned for the last nine months like we have.

I imagine if they would have hosted this sale a few months ago we would be seeing higher prices but with about a month or so to figure out lodging/transportation and everything else, it’s most likely too intense for most people to try and plan for - even if they want to go to the con.

Possibly, but it also fits with the downward trend I’ve noticed these past few years in other areas (i.e. length of time volunteer registration was kept open, which de-escalated quickly.) A few years ago I would have expected the selling price to be much higher even if the same number of tickets was made available this close to the convention...but this year, $500/badge sounds about right.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on June 08, 2019, 12:21:39 AM
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I think you may have misinterpreted my post. My hypothesis was based on the selling price of the auctions, not the number of tickets in the auctions. I didn’t say what I did because they came up with 158 extra tickets. They’ve always had extra tickets. I said what I did because the said tickets aren’t going for sky high prices.

To be clear, I think it will continue to sell out for quite a while, just not instantly for much longer.

They are still selling for around $1000.  Which is more than double their face value.  That wouldn't be happening if there wasn't demand.  The difference is when this first started, they only put up a handful, and since this is the first time CCI has sold tickets like this, those handful could have been the only ones available.  Thus the big run up.  Get them while you can.  Now that it's gone on for a while, it seems like there is steady supply.  It wasn't just a one time thing.  Right now, there's no reason to bid them up out of desperation since if you miss the current auction, there's another one to bid on after it.  As these things go, this might be a lull.  When new supply stops being added and the number of available listings drop to a handful again, I wouldn't be surprised to see them going for sky high prices again.  Good old fashion supply and demand.

I think they will sell every single ticket they put up.  I don't think very many people even know about these sales.  Like many things that happen for the first time, many people don't hear about it.  And over the years, we've been trained to think of all these sales outside of the standard process as scams and not legitimate.  That conditioning will take a while to put down.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on June 08, 2019, 12:28:50 AM
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They are still selling for around $1000.  Which is more than double their face value.  That wouldn't be happening if there wasn't demand.  The difference is when this first started, they only put up a handful, and since this is the first time CCI has sold tickets like this, those handful could have been the only ones available.  Thus the big run up.  Get them while you can.  Now that it's gone on for a while, it seems like there is steady supply.  It wasn't just a one time thing.  Right now, there's no reason to bid them up out of desperation since if you miss the current auction, there's another one to bid on after it.  As these things go, this might be a lull.  When new supply stops being added and the number of available listings drop to a handful again, I wouldn't be surprised to see them going for sky high prices again.  Good old fashion supply and demand.

I think they will sell every single ticket they put up.  I don't think very many people even know about these sales.  Like many things that happen for the first time, many people don't hear about it.

The demand is there, no question. I agree they’ll sell every ticket they put up. It’s just a matter of how much they go for, and trying to translate the trends of the auction prices to the speed of the general sale...to me, a going price of 2x retail cost with a steady supply does not equal instant sellout. But of course it’s anyone’s guess, and mine is 3-4 years.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rallyv on June 08, 2019, 05:22:30 AM
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They are still selling for around $1000.  Which is more than double their face value.  That wouldn't be happening if there wasn't demand.  The difference is when this first started, they only put up a handful, and since this is the first time CCI has sold tickets like this, those handful could have been the only ones available.  Thus the big run up.  Get them while you can.  Now that it's gone on for a while, it seems like there is steady supply.  It wasn't just a one time thing.  Right now, there's no reason to bid them up out of desperation since if you miss the current auction, there's another one to bid on after it.  As these things go, this might be a lull.  When new supply stops being added and the number of available listings drop to a handful again, I wouldn't be surprised to see them going for sky high prices again.  Good old fashion supply and demand.

I think they will sell every single ticket they put up.  I don't think very many people even know about these sales.  Like many things that happen for the first time, many people don't hear about it.  And over the years, we've been trained to think of all these sales outside of the standard process as scams and not legitimate.  That conditioning will take a while to put down.

This is exactly how I see it.

As I've said before, I think this more has to do with them not constantly publicizing the auctions. The times when they do, there's a measurable increase in the sale prices around that period. I'd be willing to bet ticket prices would shoot up close to $2k if (when) they tweet/post about them again.

I doubt this is a situation of lack of interest, otherwise we would've seen lower prices through the whole sale.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Mel on June 08, 2019, 10:43:00 AM
I only know about these auctions because of this thread

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Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: kazziemuse on June 10, 2019, 12:31:36 PM
Hello SDCC Friends :)

Not sure if i'm doing this right or not, So sorry if i'm not.

I originally had a badge organised by a friend for this year SDCC. Unfortunately, This was a miscommunication and now the badge is unavailable. So as you guess, I am desperately looking for 1 badge for any days available.

I am flying in from the UK, So you can imagine the  :o

Thanks in advance
Kaz
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: alyssa on June 10, 2019, 12:54:51 PM
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Hello SDCC Friends :)

Not sure if i'm doing this right or not, So sorry if i'm not.

I originally had a badge organised by a friend for this year SDCC. Unfortunately, This was a miscommunication and now the badge is unavailable. So as you guess, I am desperately looking for 1 badge for any days available.

I am flying in from the UK, So you can imagine the  :o

Thanks in advance
Kaz

if you're looking to team up with someone for one of these auctions then this is the right place- if you're trying to ask for something else then this is the wrong place.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on June 11, 2019, 01:11:43 PM
Of the most recent 20 auctions, none have gone for more than $900/pair. The low is $760. Most of them are in the $800-860 range.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: marcia29 on June 11, 2019, 01:19:41 PM
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Of the most recent 20 auctions, none have gone for more than $900/pair. The low is $760. Most of them are in the $800-860 range.

...and that is a good thing!  I forgot they were in sets of 2.  Not a bad deal at all. :)
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Dubb on June 11, 2019, 01:20:27 PM
Does anyone have any idea how these badges work? A friend and his wife want to go, but I would have to bid for them. Would my name, as the ebay account holder, automatically be put on one of the badges? Or should I be able to choose whose names go on them?
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rallyv on June 11, 2019, 01:27:41 PM
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Does anyone have any idea how these badges work? A friend and his wife want to go, but I would have to bid for them. Would my name, as the ebay account holder, automatically be put on one of the badges? Or should I be able to choose whose names go on them?

From a listing
Quote
The winner of the auction can register the passes to any two people, but those people must have a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID. The winner is not required to be one of the recipients of the tickets won in this auction.

You should be fine winning with your own account and then using their memberids.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Dubb on June 11, 2019, 01:29:25 PM
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those people must have a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID

They don't even have that. Let me see if they can create them ASAP.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: ALF on June 11, 2019, 03:34:48 PM
Anyone think that the fact WB not showing up have an impact on this and no word on MCU or Starwars?
Whats left? Fox is gone. Sony?  Lionsgate?
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: stl_ben on June 11, 2019, 03:36:59 PM
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Anyone think that the fact WB not showing up have an impact on this and no word on MCU or Starwars?
Whats left? Fox is gone. Sony?  Lionsgate?
nope. I think the fact that most people can’t make plans with short notice go spend thousands on a trip to sdcc is making the price lower and lower.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on June 11, 2019, 06:13:59 PM
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Of the most recent 20 auctions, none have gone for more than $900/pair. The low is $760. Most of them are in the $800-860 range.

I didn't realize they were for a pair.  That is a good price.  Which makes the previous prices of $2K+ not so bad.  Since that's $1K+ per pass.  Which is about what questionable unauthorized passes sell for.  I don't know why they are auctioning them off this way.  They would probably do better auctioning them off as singles.  Since there are probably more people that would be willing to buy a single pass instead of having to find someone to pair up with.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on June 11, 2019, 06:16:17 PM
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They don't even have that. Let me see if they can create them ASAP.

There's no rush.  The listing says the winner has 2 days to assign the passes to give people time to sign up for a CCI account then.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: ozzz on June 19, 2019, 09:22:39 AM
Just checked this out and I saw five 489 ending today from 7 - 9pm



Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on June 19, 2019, 10:21:27 AM
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Just checked this out and I saw five 489 ending today from 7 - 9pm

As with anything ebay, it doesn't matter what the bid is now, what matters is the last 15 seconds.  They are closing between $800-$900 when there's low bidding.  Over $1000 when there is more.  I think a large part of the problem is that the listings are using the wrong keywords.  I think of them as passes and not badges.  In the description, they refer to them as passes.  Yet when I search for comic-con passes, these listings don't show up at all.  The NYCC ones do.  The ACE parking passes do.  They should have titled them passes and not badges.  Or better yet, they should have used both keywords in the title.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Stephen11 on June 25, 2019, 09:44:49 PM
Wonder why the latest batch of badges are going for $1200-$1300 instead of the previous $850? Maybe because its closer? Or they just released the new batch?
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on June 25, 2019, 10:24:08 PM
Probably because we are closer and more people know about it.  2 weeks ago, it was further away and plenty of time and supply left.  The closer we get the less time and thus the less supply.  I expect the prices to rocket as we get really close and the last handful of auctions are left.

As I said, I think what led to the low prices were poor marketing more than anything else.  There wasn't all that much marketing and the way it is listed on ebay made it harder than it should be to find.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: rickythump on June 25, 2019, 10:41:33 PM
They also posted a reminder on their social media channels again, and more companies are confirming their presence at the convention.

Once the full schedule is released prices could possibly jump back up even higher, especially if the supply dwindles down.

It looks like they are still actively listing badges though so we’ll see!



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Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Miterin on July 03, 2019, 05:38:37 PM
So if I were to get a set of these badges it says if you currently have badges  those would be refunded to you so you can use the 4 day ones. How would that work if I got mine using a buying group and someone else actually bought my tickets? I only have Thursday and Sunday right now.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: mark on July 03, 2019, 06:04:02 PM
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So if I were to get a set of these badges it says if you currently have badges  those would be refunded to you so you can use the 4 day ones. How would that work if I got mine using a buying group and someone else actually bought my tickets? I only have Thursday and Sunday right now.

I would try to confirm with cci but I think the person who bought the badges would get the refund and you would need to coordinate with them to get the money back to you.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: gmorkzor on July 04, 2019, 08:31:26 PM
I grew up in San Diego and have been going with my brother since 1990 and with my dad and uncle since around 2000. This is the first year that we weren't able to get my dad a badge. Though he is a little older nowadays and generally just parks in a couple rooms each day, he still has enjoyed going and it's been a special thing for us to do together as a family. We thought we were out of luck, but noticed recently that SDCC is still listing these on ebay and my brother and I decided to take the plunge and buy a pair and give one of them to our dad. This means we have one 4 day badge left that we have available for someone who didn't get through the lottery and isn't looking for a pair.

We paid $731 for a pair, so we are looking for someone who could pay $365 to cover half of that. In the auction listing, it states I just need to email them the member-ids.  It also notes that to get in on the exclusives portal, they need the info promptly to be emailed.

Please send me a message if you are interested and we could exchange contact information and get in touch to discuss the details. 

This seemed like the right thread for me to post this in, but if there is a different forum or thread, please let me know. 

Thanks,

Adam
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: radgravy on July 04, 2019, 10:48:28 PM
Hi gmorkzor,
I'm interested! Message sent.

- Ryan
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: gmorkzor on July 05, 2019, 05:39:14 PM
I was able to work everything out with Radgravy.  We sent the SDCC Ebay account a message with the member ids and within a few hours, they sent Radgravy and my dad their barcode emails.  My dad was surprised and quite happy this morning to hear we were able to get him a badge :)

Thank you to the folks here at Friends of Comic Con for providing the forums. It was great to be able to connect with and help out another long time attendee who also got unlucky with the lottery this year.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Miterin on July 05, 2019, 06:48:48 PM
Anyone else have Wednesday tokens from buying the Ebay badges? They said they were 4 day badges no PN so why do we have tokens? Weird
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: alyssa on July 05, 2019, 06:55:28 PM
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I was able to work everything out with Radgravy.  We sent the SDCC Ebay account a message with the member ids and within a few hours, they sent Radgravy and my dad their barcode emails.  My dad was surprised and quite happy this morning to hear we were able to get him a badge :)

Thank you to the folks here at Friends of Comic Con for providing the forums. It was great to be able to connect with and help out another long time attendee who also got unlucky with the lottery this year.


You are very very welcome & I am personally *very very* glad both you're dad and [member=9035]radgravy[/member] made the connection & got badges!!
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: susanml10881 on July 05, 2019, 07:11:25 PM
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Anyone else have Wednesday tokens from buying the Ebay badges? They said they were 4 day badges no PN so why do we have tokens? Weird

A few people on Facebook who bought the eBay badges had the same thing.. tokens for PN but four day badges.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: TardisMom on July 06, 2019, 08:50:43 AM
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I was able to work everything out with Radgravy.  We sent the SDCC Ebay account a message with the member ids and within a few hours, they sent Radgravy and my dad their barcode emails.  My dad was surprised and quite happy this morning to hear we were able to get him a badge :)

Thank you to the folks here at Friends of Comic Con for providing the forums. It was great to be able to connect with and help out another long time attendee who also got unlucky with the lottery this year.

So glad it all worked out! 
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: teppope on July 07, 2019, 06:52:33 PM
Does anyone know of anyone that needs someone to go half for the museum badges? Just wondering if anyone won an auction but their second bailed on them. If so, hit me up.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: handelacruz on July 08, 2019, 12:48:13 AM
I have a friend who paid $935 for a pair of these charity badges. She got one of the last pairs so she wasn't able to sign up for any exclusives, but she's able to participate in the 2020 returning registration. Pretty interesting!
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: chocolateshake on July 08, 2019, 08:46:58 AM
The people who got a great deal were the ones that got it in the low $700's and under.  In the end, the prices took a turn back up.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Car_Low on July 08, 2019, 12:57:48 PM
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Does anyone know of anyone that needs someone to go half for the museum badges? Just wondering if anyone won an auction but their second bailed on them. If so, hit me up.

a few on the /r/comiccon subreddit
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: teppope on July 08, 2019, 01:01:54 PM
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a few on the /r/comiccon subreddit

is subreddit regular reddit? I saw one on reddit but just checking if it is the same one you saw. Thanks anyway for responding
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: Car_Low on July 08, 2019, 01:09:23 PM
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is subreddit regular reddit? I saw one on reddit but just checking if it is the same one you saw. Thanks anyway for responding

subreddit is the specific pages. Reddit is just the site as a whole.

https://old.reddit.com/r/comiccon/
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on July 08, 2019, 03:49:52 PM
Badges are all gone. On June 20, the going price per pair went back up over $1000 -- for about a week and a half were going in the $1200-$1300 range. The highest recent pair went for $1585, still not a terrible price all things considered. However, after July 2 the price dropped dramatically, some even going for below $700/pair...but then ticked up a bit for the final handful of pairs, but still not as high as the previous peak.

I'm all for them doing this for returned badges in the future.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: accelerate on July 08, 2019, 06:31:28 PM
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I have a friend who paid $935 for a pair of these charity badges. She got one of the last pairs so she wasn't able to sign up for any exclusives, but she's able to participate in the 2020 returning registration. Pretty interesting!

I was going to ask this very question. Being able to participate in Returning Registration makes this a little better deal. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe other ways of winning badges (like through contests), you don't get to go for Returning Reg the following year.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: mark on July 08, 2019, 06:58:34 PM
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I was going to ask this very question. Being able to participate in Returning Registration makes this a little better deal. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe other ways of winning badges (like through contests), you don't get to go for Returning Reg the following year.

I believe that's correct for contests, I'm sure there are some exceptions. The one year we won badges through a contest we were not eligible for returning reg.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: hikanteki on July 09, 2019, 05:39:27 PM
A new round of 1-day auctions are up. The first few pairs ended around $800.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: handelacruz on July 09, 2019, 05:47:41 PM
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A new round of 1-day auctions are up. The first few pairs ended around $800.

Wow, I thought they were done too. I just counted 17 pairs at the moment.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: teppope on July 09, 2019, 08:04:47 PM
if anyone is buying I will go half but we gotta set it up fast and soon.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: ccparka on July 10, 2019, 07:09:59 AM
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if anyone is buying I will go half but we gotta set it up fast and soon.

I'd be willing, PM me.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: KingKzin on July 11, 2019, 10:07:39 AM
Just FYI, these are going for about $750 still and there is another batch available tonight. I believe there will be one more chance tomorrow as well.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: teppope on July 11, 2019, 10:11:12 AM
yeah I know. the price goes crazy at the last minute of course. I've been trying for weeks. Hopefully tonite is the nite
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: KingKzin on July 11, 2019, 10:24:39 AM
We got ours last night. You're right though, all of them jump $100-$150 in the last 20 seconds. You just need to go in knowing that you're willing to spend whatever and make that bid with about 10 seconds to go. Also don't have a new account on eBay, I got screwed out of bidding because my account was new and ebay was limiting bids from my account. Luckily my wife has one as well and we were able to get it.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: teppope on July 11, 2019, 10:29:53 AM
yeah. it's crazy. wish me luck tho. glad it worked out for you.
Title: Re: Comic-Con Museum auction for SDCC returned badges
Post by: marcia29 on July 30, 2019, 04:24:15 AM
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yeah. it's crazy. wish me luck tho. glad it worked out for you.

[member=5893]teppope[/member] - Were you able to win a ticket auction?