April 2011
Entertainment
Buying tickets and ticket scalping
Organisers of sporting and entertainment events
authorise particular ticketing agencies to sell tickets for
their events.
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Ticket scalping is the unauthorised reselling of tickets for
more than the original ticket price. This can occur when
someone buys a ticket to an event and can then no
longer attend, or by scalpers deliberately purchasing
tickets in advance to resell for a profit when an event is
sold out.
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Many people buy resold tickets as a way to see a major
concert or sporting event that has already sold out.
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However, buying a ticket from a scalper, whether in
person, online or over the phone, carries two main risks:
the ticket may not be genuine, or may not be
provided at all
● a ticket bought from a scalper may be cancelled by
the event organiser as many tickets carry conditions
that restrict their resale or transfer.
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In NSW, ticket scalping is generally not prohibited,
except in areas around the Sydney Cricket Ground, the
Sydney Football Stadium, and Sydney Olympic Park
precinct.
What should I do when buying tickets?
When buying tickets you should:
Check whether tickets are still available from the
event organiser or authorised sellers before buying
from a scalper, as most events in Australia do not
sell out.
● Check whether the seller is authorised by the
organiser to resell tickets. Contact the event
organiser or promoter, or visit the official event
website, to find out who the authorised sellers are.
● Be aware that, if you do buy tickets from a scalper,
the tickets may not be genuine or may be cancelled
by the event organiser. Check tickets carefully, and
read the terms and conditions.
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Protect yourself by safeguarding your personal
information if buying online. Never give out too many
details, and never give out your date of birth or other
personal identifiers.
Only use secure payment methods - avoid money
transfers and direct debit, as these can be open to
misuse.
Research the seller if you can (for example, eBay
has a rating system for sellers).
Save all transaction records. It is always useful to
have documentation to back up any claims you may
need to make against the seller.
Be aware that you may be committing an offence if
you buy scalped tickets for events at venues owned
by Stadiums Queensland. In Queensland, it is an
offence to buy or sell tickets to events at eight
specific Stadiums Queensland venues for more than
10% above the original ticket price.
What should I do if things go wrong?
If you experience a problem with a ticket purchased from
an authorised ticketing agency, contact the agency first
to discuss the problem. Most event organisers and
authorised ticketing agencies have their own complaint
and dispute resolution processes.
Ticketing agencies selling tickets to live entertainment
events may be subject to the Code of Practice for
Ticketing of Live Entertainment Events in Australia.
This Code sets out standards which relate to:
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advertising and event information
the terms and conditions of sale and entry including
the right to refuse entry and the right to evict a
consumer
lost, stolen or invalid tickets
pricing on tickets
cancelled or re-scheduled events
complaints, refunds and exchanges
money received from consumers in advance of an
event.
April 2011
If you experience a problem with a ticket bought from an
unauthorised re-seller or scalper, you should try to sort
out the problem with them first.
If you paid for the ticket using PayPal, you can contact
the PayPal Resolution Centre and may be protected
through the PayPal Buyer Protection program.
If you paid using a credit card, you may be able to obtain
a refund from your card provider.
If a satisfactory resolution cannot be achieved, contact
NSW Fair Trading for assistance on 13 32 20.
Why is it sometimes so hard for
consumers to get tickets, when scalpers
seem to be able to do so?
Not all tickets to events are available to the general
public. A certain proportion of tickets, particularly for
major events, are reserved for sponsors, club and
stadium members, season ticket holders, corporate
packages, and friends of performers.
These may include measures such as:
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staggering the release of tickets to encourage
consumers to wait and purchase tickets from
authorised sellers
placing limits on the number of tickets that can be
bought by any one person
allowing tickets to be returned to the organiser for a
refund
tightening online purchasing to ensure individuals
and not `computer programs´ are purchasing tickets
requiring names to be printed on tickets and checked
against photo ID upon entry
using electronic ticketing, where tickets are delivered
by email with a barcode or stored electronically on a
credit/debit card or other card.
Whether an event organiser chooses to use any of these
strategies will depend on a range of factors, including
cost and the type of event. You can find out more about
the ticketing arrangements for particular events by
contacting the event organiser or visiting the event
website.
When tickets go on sale to the general public, they can
sell out quickly. Modern ticketing technology allows up to
20,000 consumers to simultaneously purchase tickets
online.
A 2010 review of ticket scalping by the Commonwealth
Consumer Affairs Advisory Council found that the
number of sold out events in Australia is low, and that the
offering of scalped tickets for resale, is generally a very
small percentage of tickets sold to any given event in
Australia.
The review also found that there was no evidence of
scalpers having preferential access to tickets.
What are event organisers doing to
prevent ticket scalping?
Event organisers use a number of different measures to
prevent or reduce ticket scalping.
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
Fair Trading enquiries 13 32 20
TTY 1300 723 404
Language assistance 13 14 50
This fact sheet must not be relied on as
legal advice. For more information about
this topic, refer to the appropriate
legislation.
© State of New South Wales through NSW Fair Trading
You may freely copy, distribute, display or download this information with some important
restrictions. See NSW Fair Trading's copyright policy at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au or email
[email protected]