stolaf-extra is an incredibly open and valuable resource to buy and sell within the community. It is not a place for commercial ventures, nor should it be used for ticket scalping, but it is the best place to sell unused items and pick up a few extra bucks. While I think it can be safely said that the majority of St. Olaf students come from privileged backgrounds and don’t need extra money, this is not the case for all students. Undoubtedly there are some ticket scalpers on stolaf-extra but I do not think this assumption should be made for all sellers, or even all sellers looking to make a profit.
stolaf-extra is a simple, unregulated market of supply and demand made unique by being situated within the St. Olaf community, where people generally want to help one another out. Some people are not trying to take advantage of others but have legitimate reasons to sell and earn a few dollars back. A friend of mine picked up an extra work shift requiring her to sell her Jesse McCartney ticket; taking that extra shift and selling at a profit allowed her to save more money for a family member who will soon be off of work due to a major surgery. This situation might not be common, but it goes to show the benefit of selling on stolaf-extra. The community also allows individuals to look beyond simple monetary benefit, such as when a few ticket sellers sought to find buyers most in need and provided their tickets at face value. I believe that if someone requested a ticket and provided a reason why they couldn’t spend more than face value, the St. Olaf community would step up and offer them an affordable ticket.
stolaf-extra is as fair as capitalism and to discuss that more I suggest taking courses in the economics, political science and sociology/anthropology departments. By providing fall concert tickets for 5 dollars on a first come, first serve basis, MEC opened ticket sales as fairly as possible – although even the fairness of “first come, first serve” can be questioned. Hence, the issue of reselling tickets is incredibly complex and those looking to sell should not feel degraded. What is “best” is often subjective so I encourage all to reserve judgement and act with good conscience.