Warning for AFL fans looking to buy grand final tickets from resellers online
Tickets for Brisbane’s historic AFL grand final sold out in 20 minutes. Now they’re popping up online at hugely inflated prices, but buyers have been warned of some serious potential pitfalls.
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AFL grand final ticketholders are already looking to cash in on the historic event, sparking fears that scalping will be rife leading up to the weekend.
Tickets for the grand final at the Gabba were sold out in less than 20 minutes on Tuesday as the general public was given the opportunity to attend the event for the first time in more than 20 years.
Usually tickets are snapped up by club members and corporates.
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In the hours that followed the historic sellout, many ticketholders were already promoting their tickets for inflated prices on sites including Gumtree and eBay.
One person was selling two tickets for $2000 on Gumtree, while another was auctioning off two tickets on eBay which had already received 35 bids.
Another was selling four tickets, face value for the tickets was $422, but the seller said they had been offered double the amount and would take the best offer.
Under Queensland’s anti-scalping laws, tickets to Stadiums Queensland events – which includes the Gabba – can only be resold at a maximum 10 per cent above their original price.
A spokesperson for Gumtree said fans looking to purchase grand final tickets should contact the seller to confirm legitimacy.
“If users are looking to purchase AFL grand final tickets on Gumtree, we urge them to ask the seller about the legitimacy and terms and conditions of the tickets being sold, before purchasing,” the spokesperson said.
“We have strict Terms of Use that each user needs to accept before listing on Gumtree. This includes Posting Policies where we take the law as our guidance: whatever is prohibited to offer for sale offline, is also prohibited on Gumtree.”
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While there have been numerous posts on Gumtree of ticketholders looking for buyers, the site has also been flooded with fans hoping to find someone who is selling tickets, and say they are willing to pay “big money” in some cases.
An ACCC spokesman said such major events can “attract scammers seeking to take advantage of the strong demand for tickets”.
“We recommend that consumers buy their tickets from authorised sellers,” he said.
“Tickets sold by authorised sellers often carry conditions that restrict their resale or transfer above face value. Venues also have conditions of entry.
“If you buy from an unauthorised seller (also called a ‘reseller’), you risk: being turned away at the venue, not getting the seats you’ve ordered, not being made aware of certain conditions (e.g. restricted view) (and) not getting a ticket, or getting a fake one.”
A spokesperson for the Office of Fair Trading Queensland said there were penalties in place for sellers and buyers of scalped tickets.
“For events at Stadiums Queensland venues, it is illegal to resell or to buy a ticket at a price greater than 10 per cent above the original ticket price,” an OFT spokesperson said.
“The Stadiums Queensland website lists the venues where these ticket scalping rules apply. The Gabba, where the AFL Grand Final will take place, is a Stadiums Queensland venue.”
Under the Major Sports Facilities Act 2001, sellers of scalped tickets (more than 10 per cent above the original price) face a maximum fine of 20 penalty units or $2,669.00 and buyers of scalped tickets (more than 10 per cent above the original price) face a maximum fine of 5 penalty units or $667.25.
“The OFT recommends consumers only purchase tickets for events from authorised sellers.
“Consumers should check directly with the venue or promoter to find out who the official ticket seller is. Some ticket sellers can appear high up in internet search results even when they are not an authorised seller, so it is wise to double check.”
The Queensland Police Service handle complaints about ticket scalping.
Gabba general manager Mark Zundans urged patrons to only buy tickets via Ticketmaster.
“It’s incredibly disappointing when a fan turns up at a game with an invalid ticket, as these tickets are frequently fraudulent or sold to multiple individuals,” he said.