What you do in your bedroom may no longer be free from legislation. A recent survey found widespread support for “bedroom touting,” where people buy more tickets than they need and then sell the ones they won’t use over the Internet.
Nine out of ten people reported that they wanted the right to buy and sell tickets to concerts and sports events on the open market, according to the poll carried out by eBay. The poll was conducted in response to growing pressure from the entertainment industry for changes in online ticket reselling laws.
Complaints are that online resellers make it harder for genuine fans to get tickets at an affordable price. The belief is that the tickets are bought up in mass and then appear immediately online at inflated prices. This practice is not illegal in most areas, as many states have specific laws that are geared toward limiting resale without completely banning it.
In a survey carried out by ICM Research, 87 percent of people said they should be able to resell tickets. Eighty-four percent believed that a ticket was their private property and that they should have the right to buy and sell it.
EBay’s claim is that fans want the right to resell.
Charles Coney, a spokesman for eBay told Telegraph.co.uk that “People clearly believe sport, theatre, music or concert tickets should be treated like any other consumer good. If you have bought and paid for it, you should be allowed to resell it.”
The company also says that their customers are genuine fans who have too many tickets. As there is little recourse for someone who wishes to return a ticket once it is purchased, fans that may not be able to attend an event are left with no choice but to resell, or lose their money. The ICM survey found that nearly half of people who tried to secure a refund found it “impossible.”
EBay accuses venues of not making enough tickets available. Age-old practices of saving the best seats for corporate sponsors, company perks and loyalty schemes are some of the reasons that fans cannot obtain tickets and also why they sell out so quickly.
“Very often only a very small proportion of tickets are actually made available to the public,” Coney continued.
Another reason that tickets are selling so fast is that the business of ticket buying has moved from slow moving lines in front of box offices to the swift-flying Internet. Some people use their phone to make the purchase, but the vast majority of purchasers need only click a few buttons to quickly complete their sale.
Whether the availability of these tickets is due to venues and promoters with-holdings or because of blocks being snatched up when they go on sale, the free market reigns. Trying to enforce laws that govern an industry that is fast transcending state lines and exists in a virtual reality is a daunting task. But the majority is in support of free enterprise, and the market will dictate what consumers want.
