Online touts charging 11 times official price for tickets, probe finds

TICKET touts are charging exorbitant online prices for top music and sports events, despite the fact that fans can get tickets cheaper from official box offices.

Yesterday official retailer Ticketmaster pledged action to invalidate any music or sporting tickets sold at inflated prices by touts on sites like eBay.

Touts can normally command high prices for sell-out events such as next month’s Ireland v England rugby clash at Croke Park or rock star Rod Stewart’s July gig at Dublin’s RDS.

But an Irish Examiner investigation has revealed that online sellers are also offering tickets at 11 times the face value even when official box offices have plenty to spare.

Yesterday on the Irish version of eBay two €43.70 Westlife tickets were on sale for €480 for the band’s May 1 concert at Dublin’s Point Theatre.

But tickets for the same gig are available on the official Ticketmaster website at prices ranging from €38.20 to €43.70, making the eBay seller’s tickets up to 500% more expensive.

Similarly €65 tickets to see hip-hop kings Snoop Dogg and P Diddy at the Point on March 31 are fetching €342 for two on the internet.

But tickets are still available for general purchase for €65 and €72 from the official Ticketmaster website, making eBay 163% costlier.

Of the 11 most expensive pairs of tickets on eBay for music and sporting fixtures in Ireland, fans can save money on four events simply by buying tickets from official sellers for the same date or another one.

For instance, tickets to see soft rock singer Meatloaf on June 2 at the Point are sold out but are available for €275 for two on eBay.

Yet fans who are prepared to wait two further days can catch Meatloaf for tickets starting at €70.70 each.

Tickets to see alternative rock act Dave Matthews at Dublin’s National Theatre on February 26 are sold out yet they are available for €240 a pair on eBay.

Again, fans prepared to wait until his May 23 gig at the Point can buy tickets officially for prices starting at €54.80 each.

Yesterday Ticketmaster boss Eamonn O’Connor said the company was investigating online touts and would cancel tickets sold by them where possible.

“We are taking this action out of concern for genuine fans who cannot get tickets for particular events because of touts.

“Purchasers (from touts) will suffer the embarrassment of being refused entry and it is unfortunate that genuine fans will suffer in this way after paying inflated prices.”

Ticketmaster also said touts were hoovering up tickets meant for genuine fans and were then selling them at exorbitant prices without permission.

Ticketmaster said it would compare information from the online sellers with its own database of sales, in order to cancel tickets.

Venues were increasingly using barcode-like scanners so cancelled tickets would easily be picked up by door staff, a spokesman said.

The spokesman added that fans had also been duped by online sellers into buying fake tickets while artists and promoters were concerned about the effect of touts on their own reputations.