Boss Tix Switch

The first tickets hadn’t even gone on sale for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band tour but that doesn’t mean they can’t be bought online already.

Prices on secondary market Web sites such as StubHub have Springsteen tickets going for more than $1,200. From all accounts, the Boss will be structuring his ticket pricing on the low-end of the scale (approximately $55 to $95), with the general admission floor section cheaper (if more desirable) than the surrounding seats.

The low end’s pretty affordable for fans of a rock ‘n’ roll legend but, then again, Springsteen by his own admission is a rich man in a poor man’s shirt. His fans expect blue-collar pricing. Then again, a fan of the Boss might do anything to get those up-close VIP tix.

The question is, how can there be tickets, however expensive, available online when the presale hasn’t even happened yet?

One Web site, Orderseats.com, even lists Springsteen tickets for various sections of the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Bruce hasn’t announced where he’s playing in L.A. when he comes to town October 28th, and according to sources, will likely not be playing the Staples Center.

Yet, section 119, row 18 was selling at press time for $1,181.

Orderseats.com didn’t return a call for comment at press time, but StubHub spokesman Sean Pate explained how things operate on StubHub.com. Turns out, the practice of putting tickets online before a presale is common and StubHub sellers were offering tickets for Springsteen’s Oakland, Calif., date 15 days before the presale.

"This happens for a lot of events, not just concerts," Pate said. "People have either a connection to getting tickets in advance or know they’ll have tickets after the fact. Let’s say you are a ticket holder at the Oracle Arena. You’ll more than likely have an exclusive offer to buy Bruce Springsteen tickets even before a fan club presale. "

Corporations also sometimes get advance access or own suites and can offer them up for a night.

Then there are speculators – sellers testing the waters to see what the going rate will be. If several people buy $1,000 Springsteen tickets, or if they don’t bite, the sellers can price accordingly after the onsale. Under its terms of agreement, StubHub sellers must provide a buyer with either the ticket purchased or one of equivalent or higher value.

"You’ll see people buying the worst row in a section but knowing they’ll get a ticket in that row," Pate said. "In that case, the order still gets filled with a better seat than what you purchased and the seller remains valid through our system. … Any ticket listed on StubHub is guaranteed by our company so a comparable will be offered."

Meanwhile, Orderseats.com says it has a 100 percent satisfaction policy.

"This means you are not charged for any tickets unless your order can be successfully filled," the Web site says.