How are people allowed to scalp tickets on ebay?

[joshuadmx]

I always thought that you couldn't ask more than face value??  How are these seller asking 5x the face value price and are  getting away with this? Especially for events that are in ON. 

[reallynicestamps]

a) Nobody reports them.

b) Somebody buys them.

[afantiques]

What is wrong with charging what people will pay?

More fool them, I say.

[toby_le_pue]

It all depends on what state or province you are in and where the event is held.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/event-tickets.html

[Anonymous]

It they are fully sold out and you really want to attend, then you would want to pay anything to get inside.  I did and it was well wroth it because after the show, I got to into the backstage and met the stars and stayed with them all night to 3 am, taking pictures, etc., etc, etc.  Well worth it!!  Believe me!

If it is Elvis, yes I would do it again at any time.

If you really want to see this specific event (especially that it will never come back) then you would want to pay good $$ to get those tickets otherwise you are a cheapie and out of luck in getting inside.  Good Luck!!

[femmefan1946]

On the third hand.

A problem with 'scalping' is that sometimes tickets are scooped up in great numbers, making it very difficult for ordinary fans to buy them unless they go to the scalper.

Possibly more to the point, neither the artist/team nor the venue makes any profit from these scalped sales.

Which is probably why some provinces make the practice of reselling at an increased price illegal.

[afantiques]

Possibly more to the point, neither the artist/team nor the venue makes any profit from these scalped sales.

So why don't they charge what the market will bear?

Why not auction all tickets - we have the technology?

[reallynicestamps]

While tradition plays a strong role, I would guess it's because most people* don't like auctions.

They would like to know the price beforehand, which is one reason why auctions are slowly dropping out of favour on eBay.

In effect, scalping is a sort of auction. Once the scalper has the tickets, he can negotiate the price with his customers, selling to the highest bidder. Hmm. No that's not really an auction, just haggling.

*Some do, of course.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."  -- Captain Malcolm Reynolds

[nuvistors]

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@joshuadmx wrote:

I always thought that you couldn't ask more than face value??  How are these seller asking 5x the face value price and are  getting away with this? Especially for events that are in ON. 

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What have you got agaisnt the free enterprise , profit motive system ?

[blue_wister]

It's a bit of a leap to accuse him of being against free enterprise. Few people actually support a totally free market; it does not mean they do not support free enterprise generally.

I personally have nothing against the practice of scalping provided it is legal, although I agree it can render some events unattainable to those of more modest incomes.