eBayers strike back
Today’s papers mention that Bob Geldof is appalled by the online touts flogging Live 8 tickets on eBay, but what the stories don’t mention is that the eBay community is already doing something about it. While a search for tickets uncovers hundreds of listings like this:
Most of them now look like this:
This isn’t a new technique - you see lots of it when people try to trick people into buying a photo of an iPod while under the impression they’re getting an iPod Photo - but it’s still a nice reminder that not everyone on eBay is an amoral, profiteering arsehole.
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Comments
I don’t really see how they can - it’s legal, after all. But you’re right, it’s getting a bit silly now. Particularly when the touts invade the pre-sale offers that are supposed to get tickets to fans rather than touts.
The Inland Revenue should be taking a good look at the whole ticket-selling thing, I reckon. A lot of people are making a very good tax-free living.
>>I don’t really see how they can - it’s legal, after all.
ebay’s rules aren’t necessarily governed by the law. It’s legal to sell soft-core porn in newsagents but Smith’s refuse. It’s not illegal to give concert tickets to someone else but Glastonbury required them to have a name on it.
ebay have already banned sports tickets.
I don’t really see how they can - it’s legal, after all
Even when they do (eg Glastonbury tickets), don’t people just get around it by auctioning a bar of chocolate (or whatever) with a free Glastonbury ticket?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4090774.stm
eBay caves in to Geldof telling them to stick their money up their arses. PR faux pas of the year?
Now there’s a tale. I don’t know the score with the venues but according to the No Rock blog, the text message lotteries are waiving their premium rate charges but not their usual operating charges. So they’re making a killing from the lotteries, apparently.
> PR faux pas of the year?
I take it you haven’t seen Michael Jackson’s web site? ;-)
I think ebay should ban all ticket sales. It’s getting out of hand now.