The high fees charged by ticket distributors are a constant source of annoyance. A K-Tipp comparison shows: If you book at the right place, you can save a lot of money.
Before the start of the open-air season, K-Tipp compared the offers of the biggest Swiss ticket sellers. The result: Ticketcorner charges by far the highest fees. There are already striking differences in the basic price: the recommended retail price for the 3-day pass for the Touch the Lake Festival in Zurich is CHF 119. At Ticketcorner, however, this 3-day pass costs CHF 133.55. Starticket charges CHF 126.90, Ticketportal CHF 128.50. However, most ticket distributors charge steep fees on top of these basic prices.
Print your own ticket and pay extra
If, for example, you pay for the ticket by credit card and print it out yourself, Ticketcorner charges an additional CHF 3.50 for orders over CHF 45 - even though the customers do the work themselves and the seller does not incur any costs. Ticketportal is content with a maximum of CHF 1, and only Starticket and Ticketino do not charge extra for printing the ticket at home.
High fees for ticket dispatch
Customers who do not have a credit card or access to a printer will have to dig even deeper into their pockets. Ticketcorner charges a fee of CHF 5 for invoicing plus postage costs of CHF 9.80 for normal dispatch (dispatch by registered post even costs CHF 13.80). All in all, an admission ticket with a recommended price of CHF 119 costs CHF 148.35 at Ticketcorner - almost a third more. Postage is also expensive at the other two retailers. Starticket charges CHF 4 for postage and CHF 6 for invoicing. Ticketportal charges a total of 12 francs. The cheapest option is TICKETINO, which charges just 5 francs for an invoice including postage. However, TICKETINO is the smallest of the ticket distributors compared and specialises primarily in smaller, regional events.
Eventim in the hands of Ticketcorner
Eventim no longer has its own ticket sales organisation in Switzerland. The internationally active company based in Munich sells tickets via Ticketcorner. 50 per cent of Ticketcorner is owned by CTS Eventim, the other half by Ringier. Anyone who selects the Swiss homepage of Eventim will therefore automatically land on the website of the most expensive ticket seller in Switzerland. Tip: On the website www.openairguide.net you will find an overview of all festivals and open airs in Switzerland and abroad
K-Tip No. 9 8 May 2013.
