(1) Well said Peter Godfrey! The police should focus on real crime and ticket sellers ought to raise their prices if people are willing to pay touts more that their tickets' face value! Is someone who sells me a share at 10 quid entitled to legal recourse when I resell it to a third party a week later for 12?!
(2) Whenever anyone buys anything on an eBay, there is a risk of it not being delivered. Why, again, turn tickets into a special case?

TomH, London,

I really dont want police time, legal time etc, spent on this nonsense. Corporate Hospitality represents the biggest "Ticket Tout" system in operation. If "clubs" sell something in short supply for less than people are prepared to pay, its their commercial problem, and they need to solve it.. but keep the courts, the police and the legislators out of it. Our country is based on getting the best price for what you have. Whats the big deal? I think clubs should auction their last 1000 tickets on ebay, but thats their business not mine and certainly i wouldnt want no law that said that genuine buyers did not have to pay market price for goods just becuase they were genuine buyers, and not middlemen.

Peter Godfrey, Skipton,

The easiest way for promoters to hide income is to sell their personal allotments to touts for cash, or to transact a supposed face-value sale with a ticket broker, which has a secret cash premium. A friend in the business once told me that this was the only way to make money.

BigJake, New Jersey, USA

Why is it that a greedy few snatch up supply of tickets and sell them on to the unlucky masses at a premium, they're known as "ticket touts", but those doing exactly the same thing with houses are called "property tycoons"?

I'm happy to tout tickets. Exploiting this system helps me to pay my landlord's mortgage. ;o)

mrak, london,

In an efficient market, touts shouldn't exist because promoters will be able to match price to demand properly. If the promoters are losing revenue because they can't do that, this is their problem, not the government's.

If the price is artificially inflated by criminal groups using botnets to snap up all the tickets using fake identities, then that is a problem for the police and is probably covered under existing fraud laws. However, I have little difficulty spotting fake profiles on social networking sites that have been placed using botnets, so it ought to be possible for promoters to develop software and techniques that can block fake ticket purchases by these groups.

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

I think the best way to solve this problem is to operate a true reservation system like that operated by the airlines. Tickets would be printed with the name of the person whose bum was going on the seat. You'd be asked to appear at the venue at least 2 hours before with passport or other means of identification (e.g. long awaited national ID card). No one would be admitted 40 minutes before the start. Any seats available after this point would be resold by the promoter for standby hopefuls. While waiting in the hall or stadium the large screen TV would let you know the status of the artist, if they were delayed or the concert had been cancelled. While watching Derby County you'd be asked to stay seated until the game had come to a complete close, however, you would be able to buy insurance to cover the cost of your ticket should you decide not to turn up at all. On the other hand, why not make getting on a plane as easy as going to the Albert Hall?

Dean, Yeovil,

selling tickets at inflated prices is the second oldest profession in the world, do not expect it to go away any time soon. on the contrary, it seems to be becoming a more legitimate business every month

joe ockey, boston, Mass. U.S.A

You Wrote: DJ Paul Oakenfold and a leading figure behind the resale rights scheme, said: “I’d like to know how many tickets on the websites come from the event promoters.”


Lets face it.. the answers near 90%+ of them

If you were a promoter and you sold your tickets at £20
and suddenly you had the chance to gain sales at £100 giving you £80 profit you would jump at the chance. Your band is still getting its £20

Or should I say you would float a company on the chance,,or is that just Madonna's promotion conpany and ticket company that is on the stock exchange

Nicholas Iles, Oswestry, United Kingdom