Is ticket scalping legitimate or should it be banned?

Topic:
Society Debates

27 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
59% of users

  • Yes, ticket scalping should be legitimate because making a profit on goods or services is the American way and to the rich go the spoils.

    If someone purchases an item for X amount of dollars and the value of that item soars for whatever reason within the next year or two, should that individual be allowed to sell the item at a profit? Of course! The same holds true for ticket scalpers, even if the price of their item soars within only a few days due to an event becoming sold out. Whether or not the practice is morally right is beside the point. From a legal standpoint, ticket scalping is perfectly justifiable. Just as with stocks, while there may be signs that the tickets are going to increase in value, there are no guarantees, so the scalper is taking a risk in purchasing them, however minimal. During an extended power outage, say, from a snowstorm, backup generators are at a premium. If stores are sold out, should you be allowed to sell yours at a profit? Again, the answer is a resounding yes! The same applies to ticket scalping, no matter how unfair it may seem.

    Yes GrandioseFrank59

  • I think ticket scalping is legitimate, on an individual basis, but should be banned on a commercial level.

    I do not believe that companies should be able to use their superior resources to buy a majority of tickets and set their own prices on them. But, at the same time, I do believe that individuals have a right to resell their own tickets for market value, if they cannot attend an event.

    Yes ToughEfrain26

  • Ticket scalping is totally fine in my books, because it's fair business.

    If I bought something, and could sell it to someone for much more money than I purchased it for, its totally legal. There is no reason that ticket sales should not be grouped into this same category. If you have a legal product, and there is a market for it, by all means, get the most money you can for your product.

    Yes R04chGrov

  • Ticket scalping should be banned because, sometimes, it leads to criminal activity that is associated with violence.

    Ticket scalping should be banned because, sometimes, it leads to criminal activity that is associated with violence. I can understand legitimate companies buying tickets and selling them for a reasonable profit. But when you have some Joe Blow on the street who is buying them and selling them for 2 to 300 percent above fair market value, then it leads to violent activity and possibly crimes, such as robbery, assault, and battery. Then again, you have some scalpers who are able to duplicate fraudulent tickets and basically sell people tickets that are in no way refundable that are useless.

    Yes SlipArnal

  • Ticket scalping is a legitimate business as there is supply and demand.

    Just like any business, there needs to be an avenue of supply and demand. Ticket scalping is the perfect example of a business that may be questioned in terms of ethics, but does supply a service to fit the needs of a population. If someone can purchase tickets and then resell them to make a profit, how is that different than pharmacies buying drugs and marking them up 500%?

    Yes TedieDelight

  • I agree that ticket scalping is legitimate. It should not be banned because it is perfectly legal.

    Ticket scalping is perfectly legitimate because it represents the freedom we have in America to buy low and sell high at anytime to anyone as long as it is a legal product. That's the basic way business is done and how profits are made. A ticket scalper is not forcing someone to buy his ticket near the stadium. He's simply taking advantage of a situation and attempting to make a profit. The venues who sold him/her the tickets at the original price are not losing anything. They sold the tickets. Now it's a private matter to choose to sell those tickets to whomever wants to buy at the higher price on the day of the event.

    Yes labitacora

  • Ticket scalping should be banned to prevent abuses of ticket pricing.

    Ticket scalping should be banned because it allows people to profit excessively that really have no place in the industry. If profits are to be made by ticket sales, it should go to the performer and all the supporting employees that work on the event and not into someone's hands who just had the ability to buy blocks of tickets.

    Yes babydoll93

  • Ticket scalping is simply people trying to make some money....supply and demand.

    Banning people from ticket scalping is ridiculous. It's simply a matter of supply and demand. If I have a garage sale and someone buys an item for $2.00 and then someone offers them $3.00, and they take it, should I call the police? Of course not! Ticket scalpers are no different. They purchase the tickets and re-sell them. If the event happens to be sold out, they can make a good profit. If the event isn't sold out or tickets are still available, they may lose money. Simple business 101!

    Yes A Tate

  • Ticket Scalping should be allowed.

    Ticket scalping is a legitimate entrepreneurial activity in which the scalper legally obtains entry rights to an event. As the owner of these rights, the scalper assumes the risk that he will be unable to sell the tickets at a profit later. The original ticketing agency could assume this risk by holding back some of the tickets to be sold at a higher price closer to the event in much the same way that airlines sell tickets for a higher price closer to the date of the flight.

    Yes 5h4Dev

  • Ticket scalping should be illegal because it rips off consumers who just want to provide simple entertainment for their family.

    Families get the short end of the staff when it comes to entertainment. Everyone wants to make a buck. Tickets to events are not excluded. I think that this should be illegal because its completely unfair to those who really want to show up and support the event at hand. Resealing these seats for events should illegal because it defeats the purpose of an on sale event time in the first place.

    Yes R3ubHockey

  • Yes, ticket scalping is legitimate and should not be banned. There are legitimate reasons to allow ticket scalping.

    While I believe that ticket scalping may legitimately be regulated as to time and place, I do not believe it should be completely banned. If I own season tickets and cannot attend some of the events, I should not be prevented from selling the tickets I cannot use. Nor should I be prevented from selling some tickets to finance the purchase of tickets I could not otherwise afford. I should not be prevented from making a profit on tickets I buy and can later sell at a higher price. This is just a function of the free market.

    Yes 5kyErto

  • Ticket scalping is legitimate.

    I do believe that ticket scalping is legitimate. It is a way for a person to make money. Also it saves consumers money. They do this by buying greatly reduced tickets. The company the tickets are being sold for are still profiting. It seems like a situation where everyone wins. From the large company all the way down to the little person.

    Yes barbiegirll

  • Ticket scalping is a selfish, irresponsible behavior, but attempting to make people moral by fiat does not work.

    If someone buys a bunch of tickets and sells them at jacked-up prices they are taking a risk of losing it all. I suppose it's a grand example of easy-come, easy-go -- what a waste to have control over all that capital and squander it. Of course, it is ALL ill-gotten gain in the first place -- if the person did not intend to use the tickets for their intended purpose. It makes buying tickets more risky for the intended users while giving no benefit worth the cost for the theater owners, performers, the ball players, and so on. However there are ways that this practice can be recognized as the rude behavior that it is that are more effective than making laws concerning this. It's bribery, essentially, and not sportsmanlike to do, does not support the arts.

    Yes groovybox

  • Ticket scalping is a valuable service and should be legal.

    Ticket scalping should actually be called ticket brokering and is a valuable service that should be made legal. The ticket scalper invests their time and money to obtain tickets that a person could not get on their own for some reason. The scalper purchases a ticket for resale to the person who could not get to the ticket office at the specified time or perhaps only decided to attend the ticketed event at the last minute. The scalper also runs the risk of having tickets that they cannot sell and the subsequent loss of his investment of time and money. The scalper deserves a profit for the risk that he bears. Ticket scalping is merely an example of the free enterprise system at its best and should be legal.

    Yes FauIQu3y

  • Yes, it should be legal, even though it is unsightly, this is America.

    Even though ticket scalping is horrendous, it should be legal. It is supply and demand, plain and simple. Should Ticket master be able to charge outrages rates? That is another question. There are laws against monopolies. Scalpers have purchased the tickets legally, and are trying to make money off the rarity of the item. This should be legal in a capitalist society.

    Yes BriaBlacken

  • That's capitalism baby!

    If someone is willing to pay a higher price than a ticket is worth on it's face then so be it. If there is a market, you must allow someone the right to sell something they own for the most someone is willing to pay for it. This one is basic, and straightforward. This is capitalism, and that is what America is all about.

    Yes 5h035Bow
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No
41% of users

  • Ticket scalping is not legitimate and it should be banned.

    Ticket scalping is not legitimate and it should be banned because it is driven by greed and people who want something for nothing. This is a major problem with our economy. Ticket scalping is just the tip of the iceberg. Speculators caused the housing bubble to break because they were out for a quick profit. When people elect to not work for gain, but to trick others for gain, there will always be a victim, which is morally wrong.

    No JamieM

  • Have you ever been in that situation?

    Ticket scalpers know they can get an astronomical amount of money for some tickets and they do just that, but in the process cheat out deserving fans who were hoping to get some reasonably priced tickets to see someone who they really like, now scalpers offer these tickets for over five or ten times the original price and it isn't fair to the fans who want to see a show. Scalping should be banned. Put yourself in the situation of a fan who wants to see their favorite person or band perform instead of a person who just wants to make money. That's what jobs are for not scheming and cheating.

    No Anonymous

  • I am against a scalping ban because it's private initiative- and that is what the USA is built on.

    Ticket scalping is already illegal nearly everywhere, and yet the practice is still widespread. I think it's one of those issues where there's "No harm no foul"- the scalper almost assuredly got his tickets through legitimate channels, so the event manager is not hurt. And that scalper SHOULD be free to resell his tickets if he sees fit.

    No tabundes

  • I don't think ticket scalping should be banned.

    Honestly, good for them. They bought the product, and people want it. So they sell to those people. It might not be the best way to go about it, but it's not the end of the world. It isn't something that I'd personally do, but more power to them. Who am I to change it?

    No Qu4ntBenj

  • Bad Question

    if people will buy it, then whats the big deal. its not illegal. Its just like reselling anything else

    No Anonymous

  • Ticket scalping is not a legitimate business.

    Ticket scalping is not a legitimate business and it hurts the entertainment business. Ticket sclapers buy tickets that otherwise would go to fans, and then sell them at ridiculously high prices. This makes the tickets unattainable to many people. The sclapers also create an uncomfortable environment at the entertainment venue, trying to sell tickets. They pester the fans and at times make the area feel unsafe.

    No EImerN4th

  • Although this is not a yes or no question, I feel that scalping should not be banned.

    Scalping really doesn't seem all that different than buying and selling anything else for a profit, the ones who lose are the big corporations behind ticket sales and they are probably the ones most vocally against scalping. Gone are the days when people can afford tickets to start with but if people are desperate enough to pay huge amounts to see an event, then why not?

    No 54IInferno

  • I think that ticket scalping should be banned.

    I think that ticket scalping should be banned. Ticket scalping has evolved into a practice where tickets are sold out for a concert or event so consumers have no choice but to go to scalpers, who then charge unbelievable prices. Because of this, the true fans of the stars are unable to enjoy their shows. I think that ticket scalping needs to be banned so that people can enjoy the arts rather than focus on the profits for charging exorbitant rates.

    No ObaICheese

  • Ticket scalping should not be banned.

    There are too many people in this world who are willing to purchase tickets way above face value. I do not see anything wrong with people taking advantage of that fact for profit. Those who scalp the tickets are in a business in which there are risk involved. The investment the scalpers make is upfront and there is no guarantee that they are going to sell those tickets for a profit. There is no difference between ticket scalpers and the retail stores we shop every day. The items are purchased at one price and than sold for profit. If there was not the market for such a high priced ticket out there then we would not have scalpers but obviously the market is there.

    No w00tboycomic

  • Ticket scalping should be banned because it is nothing more than price gouging.

    The practice of ticket scalping should be banned because it is little more than price gouging to take advantage of those willing and able to pay a higher price for entrance to a specific event. Ticket scalpers purchase large blocks of tickets to popular events making access to the general public diminished, and results in those seeking a ticket to have to buy from scalpers or miss the event entirely.

    No ThegaXen

  • I do not believe ticket scalping should be legal. Electronic ticket sales make it too easy for unscrupulous people or organizations to buy multiple tickets.

    I understand that sometimes people might have an extra ticket or two that they want to sell and in that case by all means sell it on Craigslist, EBay or even around the entrance. However when people buy up tickets in bulk for popular events with the intention of doubling the face value for resale then regular fans are prevented from buying their own tickets at a reasonable price. This needs to be prevented at all costs.

    No Chr0Iviobile
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Is ticket scalping legitimate or should it be banned?
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