12-27-2007, 10:47 AM
Quote:Internet auction sites such as eBay are colluding with ticket touting gangs to obtain seats for top sports events and concerts, which are then sold to fans at rip-off prices, an inquiry by MPs has found.
Web-based black market ticket agencies collaborate with rings of touts who obtain large numbers of seats then sell them online, the Culture, Media and Sport select committee will claim next month.
A report will accuse eBay and similar 'secondary ticket agents' such as Viagogo and Seatwave of making huge profits by exploiting fans' readiness to pay over the odds for sold-out events. This weekend eBay was advertising more than 8,000 tickets to see the Spice Girls and Six Nations rugby matches. The cross-party group of MPs will demand a clampdown.
The MPs' report reveals the willingness of some secondary agents to offer for sale tickets for events that have not yet been announced or for which tickets have not gone on sale, such as the FA Cup Final, a so-called 'futures market'...
full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/200...e.internet