One Kiwi fan told the Herald that after waiting for one hour and queueing on multiple devices, she managed to secure four tickets.
“It was just a waiting game you had to be patient with, I’m honestly surprised the site didn’t crash. I did appreciate the Ticketek Twitter update saying there were still tickets, because I honestly thought they would have sold out in minutes or the site wouldn’t be able to handle the traffics.” she went on to say, “I still have friends waiting to see if they get tickets and they were on at the same time as me, so it does still feel a bit like it’s just the luck of the draw!”
It comes after Ticketek released a statement an hour and 30 minutes after the release assuring fans there were still tickets for sale.
However, with reports of over 800,000 people on the website and only 250,000 tickets for the three Sydney shows - the percentage of how many of those available in the presale remains undisclosed - many fans will miss out on their chance of securing tickets today and will have to try again on Friday when general public tickets go on sale.
Ticketek has kept in constant communication with fans releasing a statement shortly after the sale began at midday asking them to hold tight, while they ensured everyone gets their turn at attempting to secure tickets.
“Customers are successfully purchasing. Please be patient and don’t refresh your browser,” the statement said. “Lots of Swifties are looking to make their Wildest Dreams come true by securing Taylor Swift tickets right now.
“The Ticketek site is working and fans are successfully purchasing tickets.
“We recommend having your Ticketek account details and payment info ready, as there are lots of Swifties that are excited to Shake It Off this summer!” they said adding, “Please Stay Stay Stay on the page and don’t refresh your browser. The page refreshes itself frequently to let more fans through to purchase. Sit tight, your turn is coming.”
The Herald has requested comment from Frontier Touring regarding the event and whether the presale allocation is exhausted and if fans will be notified when it is.
This is the first of the presale events taking place today - which started at midday - with the second occurring at 4pm for the two Melbourne shows which will see 100,000 fans attend each show, marking the biggest audiences in Swift’s career history.
Many fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment over the long wait times with one sharing a TikTok video of their loading screen, writing “tryna [sic] buy Tswift tickets is getting hard”, another said. One fan went as far as to call it the “pits of hell”.
Meanwhile, another fan took to Twitter saying their friend in New Zealand just joined the queue and was let in straight away while others have been waiting hours.
It comes after Marie Claire revealed that after combining the Australian and New Zealand populations, there is a 1.4 per cent chance of securing a ticket.
And while it sounds like a scarily low number, they are significantly better odds than what Americans faced. With 336 million Americans battling for 2.6 million tickets, it was estimated that only 0.77 per cent of fans (per capita) secured tickets.
How to get tickets
Members of Frontier Touring will be able to access a VIP presale from Wednesday, June 28. The Sydney shows will go on sale at 10am (12pm NZT) while tickets for the Melbourne shows will go on sale at 2pm (4pm NZT).
To access the sale, fans will need to register with Frontier and receive a personalised code which needs to be entered to access the presale. The sale will last 24 hours, or until the allocation is exhausted and only includes tickets for the VIP packages.
There is a restriction of four tickets per person.
Speaking to news.com, a spokesperson for Ticketek said “Queuing is a necessary part of the purchasing process. A way of ensuring fair access to tickets for all fans.
“Fans must remember to not leave the Lounge page or refresh their browser. The page will refresh itself frequently to let more fans through to purchase. Once fans are in the Lounge, they should sit tight and wait to be let through to the event page. And then once they’re through they need to remember to keep an eye on the timer and complete their purchase within the time frame.”
What if I miss out?
If you miss out on presale tickets, don’t enter your anti-hero era just yet. There is still one more official opportunity to get your hands on tickets to one of Swift’s five shows.
The general sale – which is open to anybody – will begin on Friday, June 30 with Sydney tickets available from 10am (12pm NZT) and Melbourne tickets on sale from 2pm (4pm NZT).
And finally, if you aren’t a part of the 1.4 per cent of people who managed to get tickets through any of the three sale events, keep an eye on the Ticketek website because even though it feels more impossible than not crying during All Too Well (10-minute version), sometimes resales are your only way into the Swiftie filled arena.
LOWDOWN:
Who: Taylor Swift
What: The Eras Tour
Where: Melbourne and Sydney
When: February 16-25
Tickets: Tickets officially go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 30
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter who covers lifestyle and entertainment. She joined the Herald in 2020.
