Brickbat: Sold Out

The British government plans to ban the resale of tickets for live events at prices above their original face value. The new rule would apply to concerts, theater, sports, and similar events, meaning resale platforms and scalpers could no longer sell tickets for profit. The government says the ban will help fans avoid inflated prices, curb ticket touting by scalpers using automated bots, and make tickets more affordable and accessible. Critics argue that capping resale prices will simply push ticket sales onto unregulated black-market channels, reduce legitimate resale options, and prompt platforms or sellers to hike fees in other ways.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Critics argue that capping resale prices will simply push ticket sales onto unregulated black-market channels...

Ban black markets. Simple fix, innit.

[mad.casual]

I'm going to need to see proof that you aren't referring to "poor markets that are just as bright and just as talented as legal markets".

Maybe if the transaction takes less than a couple of seconds and comes with an apology afterwards, it'll pass muster.

[LIBtranslator]

Hey... it worked when Herbert Hoover and Harry Anslinger did it, right? Exporting prohibitionism to Germany, so as to get Hitler elected--that was icing on the cake!

[MollyGodiva]

The critics are wrong. With digital tickets tied to your e-mail it is not nearly as easy to transfer tickets like with paper ones. Some performers intentionally keep the ticket prices affordable and the scalpers nullify that.

[Sailor1989]

Although there may be a trail of ticket transfer now. There is no log in the transfer to say what the resale price was. Ticketmaster and the other platforms have an option to transfer with one click and the persons phone number/email. I could purchase a ticket to Taylor Swift for $150 then sell it cash for $275 and transfer it via the app and authorities would be none the wiser.

You are correct about artists trying to make it more affordable and scalpers screwing that up. I like the intention behind the law but there are still too many ways around it.

[LIBtranslator]

To voting Brits, anything that involves the threat or consummation of deadly force is goood...