Ticket resales may be capped to address rip-off merchants
TICKET resale websites could be banned from selling popular concert, sports and other event tickets for more than 10 per cent of their face value.
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SCALPER websites could be banned from selling concert and sport and other event tickets for more than a 10 per cent premium on their face value.
The nation’s consumer affairs ministers have agreed to federal Treasury drawing up a range of potential options to tackle “obscene” ripoffs and misleading tactics.
This week, footy fans desperate to see their team play finals discovered tickets to sold-out games were being advertised on resale sites for up to four times their face value.
Tickets to next week’s sold-out Richmond-Geelong blockbuster have been peddled for as high as $515. ViaGoGo advertised a children’s seat in the top tier for more than $100.
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Federal Small Business Minister Michael McCormack said the possibility of widespread price caps would be among measures examined.
Ways to force online resellers to prominently declare the face value of tickets, and to make it clear that they were not official event organisers, would also be explored.
Queensland already imposes a 10 per cent premium cap on ticket resales, which allows sellers to recoup the costs of the ticket, plus handling.
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Mr McCormack said consumers were sick of being “ripped off with obscenely inflated prices” and “some of these websites are dodgy.”
“There are websites that pay a premium to appear first in search engines for ticket sales, even though they are not the authentic seller.”
He cited an example of 2018 Commonwealth Games tickets that were offered online before their official release.
In June, ViaGoGo sparked controversy by reselling $160 tickets to a John Farnham and Jimmy Barnes charity show for an inflated price of $450.
A Choice report into complaints about ticket resale websites, released this week, found many consumers were duped into thinking they were buying from official sources.
But Mr McCormack said it was unrealistic to completely ban reselling, as there were legitimate reasons why some people needed to offload unwanted tickets.
He said Treasury’s regulatory impact assessment would also look at possible ways to combat “bots” technology, which allows scalpers to buy tickets in bulk quantities and then profiteer.
It was hoped that recommendations would be available in the first half of next year.
“As an interim measure, an education campaign will also be developed to improve consumer understanding and awareness of the secondary ticket-selling market,” Mr McCormack said.
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