Tickets for the first live, sponsored Pokémon Go event went up for purchase yesterday, and, as one might imagine, they sold out almost instantly. Well, if you happen to be one of the many who missed out on getting the tickets the first time, you’ll be happy to know they’re available online again…so long as you’re willing to pay 10 times the original price.
Pokémon Go Fest will take place on July 22 at Grant Park in Chicago. During the all-day event, participants will be offered special challenges and rewards, as well as an exclusive in-game medal and chances to meet fellow team members. When offered along with other incentives exclusive to Sprint and Boost Mobile subscribers — like an extra hour of playtime — a mere $20 for a ticket was worth the purchase, even if you don’t live in the area.
However, it appears that some people saw the $20 price tag and did some simple math: $20 item + limited availability = huge resale value. And, as it turns out, that’s exactly what happened once Niantic confirmed all the tickets were gone within half an hour of them going up yesterday. Once it became apparent that no more tickets were going to be available through Niantic, some people started auctioning off their tickets on eBay for well above Niantic’s asking price.
As of writing this, the lowest bid on any of the auctions is $175, with the average being about $300. In the upper spectrum of bids, there is even one listing that has a buyout price of $1,250 — though, it’s worth mentioning that the highest bid on that one is $450 so it might not go that high.
What’s truly scary about this situation is that many of these auctions have plenty of bids on them despite the listings being relatively new. Some people are already guaranteed a sweet $600 payday for their ticket and the auctions still have plenty of time before they expire. Who knows how high the prices will reach once the final bidding wars commence?
If nothing else, die hard fans are showing they’re willing to pay any price to attend Pokémon Go Fest — even if it means subjecting themselves to as much as a 30x markup.
For everyone else, Niantic has already confirmed that those who weren’t able to get their hands on a ticket still have a chance to unlock the rewards and have promised more details in the coming weeks. So with that in mind, ask yourself one question before you head to eBay: are you willing to pay $600 for something now that you can get for free weeks later?
