Ticket Touts

[The Naughty One]

In my eyes, no. In that set of circumstances it's a reasonable decision to make.

But nothing of that was you buying tickets to profit by. You bought the tickets genuinely, with the intention of using them. When a crisis happened in your life your priorities have changed, and you act on those changed priorities.

But all of that is completely different to buying tickets ONLY to deny someone else them at the face value price, via which you aim to take cash off someone for doing nothing. That's robbery in my eyes.

[eFestivals]

You can't rob someone of something they never had, and were never guaranteed to have?

you rob someone when you take something from them against their wishes.

We can all twist things into our liking.

As I said though at the start, I have never bought tickets with the intention of selling, it's been similar events that forced me to sell higher than face value and I can only recall 3 times in my life I've done it. That doesn't make me scum.

Hmmmm ... that says to me that you have a very unfortunate life, or .... you are knowingly being a scumbag because you're buying tickets knowing that it's quite likely you won't go but can always sell them and profit by them.

So perhaps your words here are to assuage your guilt?

Only you know the true answer.

[russycarps]

I agree.

The people on this forum who have sold tickets for a profit bought them with the intention of going to the gig and then changed their minds for one reason or another and they are being labelled 'scum' by a couple of people. Fair enough one of them is russycarps who seems to resort to name calling for the smallest of reasons but seems he is getting some followers on the forum which I imagine pleases him no end.

[Riggins]

you rob someone when you take something from them against their wishes.

We can all twist things into our liking.

Hmmmm ... that says to me that you have a very unfortunate life, or .... you are knowingly being a scumbag because you're buying tickets knowing that it's quite likely you won't go but can always sell them and profit by them.

So perhaps your words here are to assuage your guilt?

Only you know the true answer.

[eFestivals]

The people on this forum who have sold tickets for a profit bought them with the intention of going to the gig and then changed their minds for one reason or another and they are being labelled 'scum' by a couple of people. Fair enough one of them is russycarps who seems to resort to name calling for the smallest of reasons but seems he is getting some followers on the forum which I imagine pleases him no end.

It depends on the reason. One of the reasons might be that they saw the chance to take money of someone else by doing nothing.

If it's that they really planned on going and had to change their mind for some reason, why the need to profit* by it? Just because you can? Then you might as well rob your boss because he's sure as hell going to give you the opportunity at some time; so you rob him just because you can.

(* there might be a need to profit by it, such as if you're in dire financial straits.... but that can only be an occasional thing, because if you're doing it all the time you're doing it for the money and not your circumstances).

[Riggins]

It depends on the reason. One of the reasons might be that they saw the chance to take money of someone else by doing nothing.

If it's that they really planned on going and had to change their mind for some reason, why the need to profit* by it? Just because you can? Then you might as well rob your boss because he's sure as hell going to give you the opportunity at some time; so you rob him just because you can.

(* there might be a need to profit by it, such as if you're in dire financial straits.... but that can only be an occasional thing, because if you're doing it all the time you're doing it for the money and not your circumstances).

[Yesiamaduck]

Just out of interest, would you call a tout 'scum' outside of a music venue? Or is this just internet brovado?

For the record I am completely against touting but calling somebody scum seems a bit far fetched.

You don't know any bodies background, for example if my car was in need of urgent repairs costing £150, I have 2 tickets for a gig which I notice are selling for £150 on the secondary market so I need to make the decision whether to go to the gig or to get my car repaired allowing me to take my children to school and get to work. If I chose selling the tickets would this justify me being called 'scum'?

[The Naughty One]

It's not the selling of the ticket, it's the selling at a profit that makes you scum.

You think I am the first person to call ticket touts scum?

[eFestivals]

Clearly not the same though is it? Robbing from your boss and lose your job, face jail and get a criminal records or sell a ticket for £20 extra to someone who's willing to pay it?

you get your morality from the law?

I pity you.

[The Naughty One]

It depends on the reason. One of the reasons might be that they saw the chance to take money of someone else by doing nothing.

If it's that they really planned on going and had to change their mind for some reason, why the need to profit* by it? Just because you can? Then you might as well rob your boss because he's sure as hell going to give you the opportunity at some time; so you rob him just because you can.

(* there might be a need to profit by it, such as if you're in dire financial straits.... but that can only be an occasional thing, because if you're doing it all the time you're doing it for the money and not your circumstances).

[Riggins]

you get your morality from the law?

I pity you.

[dan05delaney]

People that occasionally list tickets on eBay and they go for a lot aren't scum, far from it. I can understand disagreeing with it but scum is too far.

[russycarps]

My sister had tickets to see take that at the o2 for her and a few friends, she broke her leg and didn't want to travel from m'cr and battle it so put tickets on ebay, 99p no reserve she just wanted to get rid of them, they ended up going for £400,

she wasn't wanting to make a profit just wanted to get rid of the tickets

[eFestivals]

I kind of agree with the sentiment of what you are saying but it IS different to robbing somebody. The person you sell the ticket to is making the choice to pay, albeit at a higher rate than the market value.

YOU are MAKING him PAY EXTRA.

What part of that can't you understand?

You are giving him nothing extra for his money. You are adding no value to that ticket; you're not offering a service in the simple re-selling of that ticket. It's money for nothing. It's robbery.

Or, if you can't go with that one, you are doing the moral equivalent of going up to a guy in the street and robbing him of his ticket, and then saying "you can have it back for extra £££s". Which is extortion.

I've never bought off a tout, never sold a ticket online and once sold to a tout outside a venue (at a loss) but if I NEEDED to sell a ticket for a profit I'd do it.

And if you needed to sell your grannie, your mother and your wife, I'm sure you'd do that too.

Unless morals do kick in somewhere of course. I wonder where that might be?

[Riggins]

if she didnt want to make a profit why not add a "buy it now" option?

[eFestivals]

I don't think any of us are truly moral are we?

Some of us have a moral code that we've used our intelligence to arrive at.

Others take their cue only from what others have said is right and wrong.

So the answer to your question is: yes, some do. And some don't.

Touting is immoral, but personally I see the benefit of them. I guess we can agree to disagree (without calling each other scum )

Sorry, but I reserve the right to express my opinion if I wish.

Just because you might not like that opinion doesn't get to mean that it can't be said.

[dan05delaney]

if she didnt want to make a profit why not add a "buy it now" option?

[jonny2mad]

if I buy a antique book for 20p and sell it for £350 which I've done is that immoral, all I've done with that is put it on eBay no other work involved... and I stopped some "real" book fan from buying it for 20p is that bad of me

[The Naughty One]

YOU are MAKING him PAY EXTRA.

What part of that can't you understand?

You are giving him nothing extra for his money. You are adding no value to that ticket; you're not offering a service in the simple re-selling of that ticket. It's money for nothing. It's robbery.

Or, if you can't go with that one, you are doing the moral equivalent of going up to a guy in the street and robbing him of his ticket, and then saying "you can have it back for extra £££s". Which is extortion.

And if you needed to sell your grannie, your mother and your wife, I'm sure you'd do that too.

Unless morals do kick in somewhere of course. I wonder where that might be?

[The Naughty One]

if I buy a antique book for 20p and sell it for £350 which I've done is that immoral, all I've done with that is put it on eBay no other work involved... and I stopped some "real" book fan from buying it for 20p is that bad of me

[jeffie]

I bought a Leeds ticket a few years ago. But couldn't go. Put ticket on eBay with a buy it now of the purchase price plus booking fee. A lad bought it, simples.

That's how it should work.

[Jie Bie]

stop preaching morality when you've got none yourself

you have to pay extra for the buy it now option

[Riggins]

Some of us have a moral code that we've used our intelligence to arrive at.

Others take their cue only from what others have said is right and wrong.

So the answer to your question is: yes, some do. And some don't.

Sorry, but I reserve the right to express my opinion if I wish.

Just because you might not like that opinion doesn't get to mean that it can't be said.

[Jie Bie]

Definitely not.

No doubt someone will be along soon to say that you robbed the person you bought it from by knowingly only giving them 20p for something you knew was worth far more.

[Riggins]

I wouldn't call it robbery - but at the very least I would say it was taking advantage of the original seller. Imagine for a minute you are at a car boot sale and you see some wee granny selling some bits and bobs to raise some money for bills. You see an item you know is worth £500 - but you can probably convince her to let you have it for a fiver. While it is perfectly legal for you to engage in such a trade (and enjoy all the lovely profit it will entail) would it really be ethical for you to do so?