new site sells tickets safely but not ethically

The new website that claims to combat ticket touts which launched yesterday is selling tickets safely but it's not very ethical, with the sales making an awful lot of money for the sellers.

Officialboxoffice.com was launched yesterday by the Concert Promoters Association (CPA) with the aim of letting fans that either no longer want to go to a gig or were unable to buy tickets when they originally went on sale to securely sell and purchase genuine tickets from each other. However, this would it seems, involve making huge profits for the sellers, and leaving the purchasers out of pocket.

For instance anyone wanting to buy a Madonna ticket, already priced at a hefty face value of £175 can pick one up safely for a rather staggering £300! Fans of BB King and John Mayall are in a similar position with tickets for their joint concerts that were priced at £45 available for a mark-up of over two and a half times their value at a wallet squeezing £114.99.

The CPA said they launched the site because of the lack of imminent decisive Government action on ticket touts. However, the Government have suggested that they take certain actions to reduce ticket touting, few of which they have been prepared to implement. It would seem that the concert promoters want the Government to take a responsibility for their business that they are not willing to take themselves.

The site which was set up as an 'initiative to tackle ticket touts' does in fact state that users are allowed to sell their tickets at inflated prices. This provides very little benefit to those who want to purchase tickets in the secondary market at more sensible prices, other than being able to purchase tickets with confidence.

The site which is run by the concert promoters themselves may well reach its aims of ensuring that the fan will still either get into the gig or will receive their money back in full, but it goes no way in reducing the over inflated prices for these tickets.

This certainly isn't bringing a halt to 'bedroom touting' or those who buy tickets not because they want to go to a music event, but buy them to make money off re-selling the tickets.

eGigs recommends that for those wanting to buy or sell tickets ethically, at no huge mark-up, to consider using the site ScarletMist.com instead.