With the coveted wristbands to Electric Forest officially shipping out this week, the F.O.M.O. is certainly becoming very real for those who do not already have access to the SOLD OUT gathering in Rothsbury, MI this June 23-26. And with the sheer amount of scalping and scamming that went on last year, we\’ve wrangled up some online spaces where you can begin your search a little more safely — along with pro tips to avoid those scumbag scammers!

  1. The admins of the unofficial Facebook group Electric Forest 2016 have decided to come up with a screening process which requires people looking to sell their tickets to provide a photo copy of their driver\’s license or state ID and screenshot of their confirmation email. Buyers can join the online waiting list and sellers can post their tickets up here. Once verified, they connect the sellers with a buyer on their waiting list to finish the transaction via Paypal, which tends to be safer than meeting in person. *PRO-TIP* Always, always, always use the Goods & Services option in PayPal, which requires the seller to first ship the item before you are required to pay for it. 
  2. It seems like regular GA and Good Life (VIP) tickets are going up everyday on the Facebook marketplace, Bassnectar Face Value Ticket Exchange. Created by the Bass Network, this closed group seeks to provide Bass Heads with an avenue to find fair, affordable tickets to Bassnectar shows and festivals; and therefore holds a strict policy for FACE VALUE ONLY ticket sales. Sellers who try to scalp are subject to being immediately deleted and banned from the group. *PRO-TIP* If the ticket is $100 or more than face value, stay away!!
  3. Similar to the Bassnectar ticket exchange, don\’t forget to try the closed Facebook group, Electric Forest Ticket Exchange – Face Value ONLY. The marketplace is also keen on scammers and keeps up updated list of names of people that try to scam festival goers. *PRO-TIP* No matter where you end up buying your ticket from, it wouldn\’t hurt to run their name through this list. 
  4. For those more tech saavy users, try the Electric Forest Reddit page for face value only ticket sales as well as useful user-to-user Q&A threads. The great thing about this page is that every ticket sale that is completed gets deleted, so you are only going to find active sales. The not so great thing about the page is that it\’s not the most user friendly website. *PRO-TIP* A good rule of thumb is to always avoid scalper websites like StubHub, which are prone to scamming…although the buyer is protected, it still doesn\’t get you into the event!! 
  5. And don\’t forget that Electric Forest will be releasing a limited number of face value tickets on their official website the week before the festival!! That\’s right, this would be your chance to snag a ticket from those poor individuals who couldn\’t make their payment plans in time. Also, be sure to visit the Tickets FAQ section on the official Electric Forest homepage for more detailed instructions on how to handle your EF 2016 wristbands. *PRO-TIP* Above all, trust your instinct and be informed when buying festival tickets. If you have a bad feeling about the sale, then move onto the next. If the seller is being overly or under accommodating, then it is probably a scam. 

H/T Electric Feels