Patrick Reynolds walked into Library West at about 5:45 p.m. Monday. He sat down, opened his laptop and waited until 6 p.m. Congratulations-ticket found.
Reynolds, a UF sophomore, is one of the 5,000 students whose computers ran the virtual gauntlet that is Ticketmaster and emerged with a ticket to the UF-Georgia game Oct. 31.
"When it got to my place in line, I was really excited," Reynolds said. "I knew if I got a ticket, I'd be able to sell it and make some extra cash."
A look at Craigslist shows Reynolds wasn't alone in that thought. Since Monday, student and alumni tickets have been listed for sale from $100 to more than $200.
"It's frustrating," said psychology senior Josh Hernandez. "I feel like people who really want to watch the game and support the team are kind of undercut by people who just want to make a profit."
Hernandez spent the few minutes before 6 p.m. in his living room with friends-laptop ready-but wasn't as lucky. This is the first year since attending UF that he will have to buy a ticket secondhand.
"I don't mind paying a lot of money for tickets, but it's tough being a college student and spending that much money just to see your team play," Hernandez said.
Reynolds, who bought his season football tickets from a graduate student, doesn't see a problem with buying and reselling tickets.
"He just wanted a few bucks for rent and stuff, and I just wanted a ticket," he said. "It's the same with these. If someone wants a ticket badly enough, they'll be willing to pay up to a certain amount within reason. We both get what we want."
Although there were some complaints last year about the new system, which switched from the phone method to online, the University Athletic Association said the sale ran glitch-free.
"Besides the fact that the tickets went very fast, everything ran fine with Ticketmaster," said Mike Masson, student ticket supervisor for the UAA. "There were no glaring issues that we saw."
Some students say the system still has issues.
"I think the current system isn't working," Hernandez said. "Although it's convenient to do everything online, it seems like there's too many things that can go wrong."
Hernandez said while waiting in line, his screen froze. He had to sign in again, likely losing his ticket.
"I actually prefer the old method of calling on the phone. Even though it took a long time, you were rewarded for your persistence," Hernandez said.
