Did you survive the Great War? If you got tickets to see Taylor Swift on her sold-out Eras Tour, congratulations. For everyone else, there’s still hope.
There’s a dedicated group of Swift fans who are helping other Swifties find tickets for the remaining dates on the tour without getting scammed or going into debt. I spoke to four bot-busters — @erastourticks, @erastourtix, @Kat_AF13, and @tswifterastour — on how to not overpay on the re-sale market and tips for getting tickets. F*ck the Patriarchy? Yes, but also F*ck the Scammers.
1. What made you want to help fellow Swifties out?
@erastourticks: “I wanted to help Swifties out because I know Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan roll out process was not an enjoyable experience. I was left ticketless in that experience, waitlisted, and never got any second chance opportunity to purchase tickets. I know so many major Swifties and fans who also felt left out in this process, so I wanted to start this to give back to the community and get fans tickets – not scalpers, not bots, not other party resellers.”
@erastourtix: “I wanted to help Swifties since I know how confusing Ticketmaster and their Verified Fan policy are, so I created this account to help everyone better understand how the system works and how to increase chances of getting tickets during presale. From there, I shifted the account to provide updates on when Ticketmaster has been providing additional ticket opportunities, as well as reposting ticket giveaways and people selling their tickets. It’s super important to me that everyone has an equal chance to see Taylor, and misinformation online doesn’t help, so I felt the need to create this account to be a space where people can find updates about Ticketmaster sales and additional ways they can find tickets.”
@Kat_AF13: “I went to the Eras Tour after purchasing a face-value ticket during pre-sale. It’s truly an incredible experience that I wish every Swiftie could have. The goal is to keep as many tickets off resell sites as possible and get them in the hands of real fans for a fair price. The resell market for Eras is outrageous and pricing a lot of Swifties out, so we’re trying to connect fans with fairly-priced tickets in every way possible.”
@tswifterastour: “I had always had a strong connection with Taylor and her music and an even stronger connection people just like me, Swifties. Helping more Swifties see her for the first time just felt like such a magical thing. Just running this whole account and having this platform is something I really enjoy doing for Swifties and almost nothing tops it.”
2. What is the frustration you hear from fans the most?
@erastourticks: “People want tickets and there is ticket inventory from each show that is left. I’m hearing a lot of people tell me the process has been unfair, that Ticketmaster has not been transparent enough and continues to not take accountability for any of the remaining tickets left. I hear a lot of complaints where people were left waitlisted, never got secondary opportunities that were available, issues with code errors and technical glitches that prevented the opportunity to secure tickets. Every night new tickets drop, we see a large spike in tickets available on resale sites – this is a clear indication that the fans who want to be there are not getting those tickets.”
@erastourtix: “The most frustration from people would probably be the lack of affordable tickets available, followed by confusion about Ticketmaster’s additional opportunities to purchase tickets.”
@Kat_AF13: “Ticketmaster. They screwed up the November pre-sale, and continue to allow ‘ticket brokers’ (scalpers) to get tickets during every ticket drop since. There’s no mistaking what’s happening when you watch an entire row of seats disappear in an instant and reappear across all ticket resell sites under the same listing in less than two minutes, with a 1000 percent markup (it’s common to see $49 tickets relisted for $1,200+).”
@tswifterastour: “One big frustration I get is when people can’t discern a scammer from an actual legitimate seller. I have given people tips on how to spot out these scammers and to use safe payment methods based on their location as I have done our own research into this. While there is no 100 percent full proof way of avoiding a scammer, taking precautions to keep yourself safe from them should definitely be a priority too.”
3. What was your story like trying to find tickets for the tour? Or were you able to see her?
@erastourticks: “No, I have not had the opportunity to see the Eras Tour and currently remain ticketless. It was a total disaster for me like many Swifties. As soon as the North American leg of the tour was revealed, I signed up for Verified Fan registration within 45 minutes, post announcement. I’ve been a fan since approximately 2007 and have not missed a single concert tour since the first time I saw Taylor in concert. It was extremely invalidating as a Swiftie to see my dedication and status as a fan be discarded during the Verified Fan process. So the ‘random selection’ which Ticketmaster refers to for Verified Fan is not something I can support at all. I do feel like how long you’ve supported someone is a huge part of any Swiftie’s legacy and I’m disappointed many old and new fans were left out.”
@erastourtix: “I went through presale week like everybody else. Both of my parents and I signed up for Verified Fan, but only my mom was selected. I got in the queue for MetLife Stadium (the selected show) and waited many hours, only to find they sold out. Luckily my friends let me use their accounts, and I was able to get tickets for opening night in Glendale (which was sold through SeatGeek, not Ticketmaster). I tried to help another friend the next day with the Capital One presale, but no tickets would be added to either of our carts. I was super surprised when general sale was completely canceled, as I’ve been using Ticketmaster for many years and have never seen that happen.”
@Kat_AF13: “I got tickets during the November pre-sale. It took six and a half hours of trying to get tickets non-stop. I was on a FaceTime call the whole time with my three friends also trying; I was the only one who was successful. I feel very grateful to have gone. Taylor is putting on a magical show and I had the best time.”
@tswifterastour: “Well, Taylor hasn’t visited my location for The Eras Tour. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance to see her live and while that stings, I do love updating every moment of this tour and just delving into all of it through this account. I have achieved things through this account I never knew were possible and absolutely love interacting with Swifties on a daily basis and doing what I can from where I am! Hopefully one day I do get to see her! Honestly, if people knew where I ran this account from, they would be shocked how I do all of this alone from where I am.”
4. What has been the most in-demand show?
@erastourticks: “This isn’t something I’ve been able to measure and in fact, I believe it would be difficult to measure. Definitely quoting ‘every day is like a battle’ from ‘New Romantics’ when it comes to the random Ticketmaster drops. I’ve noticed that every show gets more and more difficult as demand grows throughout the tour. I’m thinking the SoFi Stadium dates will be the biggest with the number of shows and sheer volume of fans expected with multiple shows there.”
@erastourtix: “The most in demand city has been MetLife, probably Saturday night since that’s always the most in demand night, and people really wanted to see the openers for that night, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers.”
@Kat_AF13: “All of the shows have been very in-demand, but the popularity of Eras seems to build each weekend and picked up steam after Houston for Atlanta, where we saw the minimum resell price stay over $1,000 for the first time. We saw the highest minimum resell prices yet for Metlife night three.”
@tswifterastour: “While ALL of Taylor’s shows, and I mean ALL, have been in such high demand, the shows with highest demand that have already happened were definitely the East Rutherford and Nashville shows (and for good reason, too)! On top of that, the current sales for the Latin America leg of the tour really show what kind of an international force she is.”
5. What’s your top piece of advice for someone trying to get Taylor tickets?
@erastourticks: “My number one advice to someone trying to get tickets: definitely follow my page and have notifications turned on. If you can get your friends/family on board to help you out, it may be worth it as well! Also one thing to look out for is, I’ve learned my page is also home to A TON of scammers. I definitely advise caution when purchasing from another person. The ONLY payment method you should ever use is PayPal G&S. No exceptions as in the event you are scammed you can get your money.”
@erastourtix: “Number one piece of advice: Don’t give up. It 100 percent takes a lot more work finding Taylor tickets than it would other artists, but in the end will be worth it since the show is unforgettable. Ticketmaster is constantly doing small drops of tickets and many fans are selling online (in all corners of the internet), you’ll just have to put in a greater amount of time and effort to find them.”
@Kat_AF13: “The best way to get face-value tickets is through the second round Verified Fan presale that happens about 10 days before each show weekend. However, you needed to sign up for Verified Fan last year and Ticketmaster doesn’t send the codes to everyone who signed up. Other than that, my best advice is to follow along with the Swifties helping and sharing ticket updates. A few of us are now working together with the shared goal of getting Swifties tickets. Don’t jump into buying tickets online without doing your homework first, there are a lot of scammers out there now.”
@tswifterastour: “My biggest piece of advice is to simply NEVER lose the faith. Keep trying, while being cautious at the same time. I have seen so many Swifties get last minute tickets and truly having the best time of their lives at these shows. While recently I have been more focused on updating every show and helping prepare Swifties with whatever important information they may need, there are still a few Swiftie run accounts out there helping other Swifties get tickets out of the kindness of their hearts as well. I have reached out via dm to these accounts and commended them for their work. I personally know that dealing with all the mess of it is something not easy at ALL and for Swifties to still continue doing this out of their own time and kindness is truly heartwarming to see. Lastly, please ALWAYS be careful of who you are buying tickets from and ALWAYS use safe and secure payment methods.”
6. What’s your favorite Taylor Swift song?
@erastourticks: “Oh that’s the hardest question for a Swiftie like me to ever answer. I could make you a playlist of the ones that stand out to me for one reason or another. I’ve found there’s always one song that stands out to me the most on every album. Like on Midnights, for me it was ‘Dear Reader.’”
@erastourtix: My favorite song changes often, but right now I would say it’s ‘You Are In Love.’”
@Kat_AF13: “What kind of mood am I in? I can’t pick a favorite, but the most special Taylor song to me is ‘Hey Stephen.'”
@tswifterastour: “My favorite song from her would definitely have to be “right where you left me” from evermore. While not her most favored album, it’s definitely my most favorite. If I ever do see her live, fingers crossed that’s one of the surprise songs I get!! There’s just something so magical about the evermore album for me. I remember waking up on the morning of the release and getting all dressed up in my Taylor merch and setting up my TV for the ‘willow’ music video premiere and really just taking in the album. I have a ritual for every Taylor album release: to get dressed up in whatever outfit I have that fits the era and just taking in the album for the first time blasting through speakers in my room alone.”
Give them a follow below.
https://twitter.com/erastourticks/status/1657485496195649536
looking for help selling your eras tour tickets? dm a screenshot of the ticket + the ticket details which includes the price of the ticket. you must sell for the price you paid and only use paypal goods and services for the transaction!
— taylor swift ticket help (@erastourtix) November 17, 2022
I created a Google Form for people to fill out about their Ticketmaster Eras ticket drop experiences so we can better understand the new map view, what's working, and what's not working! @fearlessrep1 @erastourticks @erastourticketz @ErasTourResell https://t.co/eqF6CRtudK
— Kat 💖nashs_mom💖 (@Kat_AF13) May 21, 2023
it’s me, hi!
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) November 1, 2022