Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Ticket reselling firm says that a ban on touts would just lead to more black market trade

Ticket resellers have claimed that introducing a new law won’t do anything.

A PROPOSED LAW banning the sale of concert/sports tickets above their face value or capping prices won’t work in Ireland, according a major ticket reselling website.

In an interview with TheJournal.ie, StubHub’s global head of public affairs, Aimee Campbell, said there will always be people selling tickets at a higher than face value no matter what legislation is brought into place and that targeting the initial distribution of tickets would create a better and fairer environment for those wanting to buy.

StubHub makes 15% commission on the final price for any ticket so it comes as no surprise that it does not wish for price caps to be introduced on ticket resales – something which has been put forward by members of the Oireachtas.

Recent checks on its website shows how tickets for Ireland’s game against England at Twickenham this weekend can cost up to €5,100. The higher the price, the more commission StubHub makes on the transaction. Users can put tickets up for sale and choose how much they want to sell them for

When asked if she thought this unscrupulous pricing was fair on Irish or English fans wanting to attend the game, Campbell said: “This is an insanely exceptional circumstance. It’s Ireland against England on St Patrick’s Day. But what I would say is that you see that ticket there still because nobody will pay for it. We want the market to correct itself. We feel that if nobody is willing to pay for it then the seller will be forced to drop that price.”

Fine Gael TD Noel Rock has been a vocal critic of reselling websites. Ticket touting has become an increasingly prevalent problem in Ireland, with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commissioner undertaking an investigation on the matter. Rock introduced a Private Member’s Bill to the Dáil alongside Fianna Fáil’s Stephen Donnelly back in 2016 which would see touting become illegal.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Rock said: “I always wonder what these companies have to lose  from a touting law being implemented. They’ve put an awful lot of effort into talking one down. Could it be that it puts their sky-high commission at risk?

“The reality is that companies like Viagogo and StubHub do incredibly well for themselves at the expense of real fans, while currently getting no real scrutiny. We need to bring real transparency and accountability to these markets and I intend to do that.”

Rock himself has said that he was disappointed with how slowly his Bill is moving through the Oireachtas. He said that he is still committed to ensuring it passes and that tighter regulation will be enforced.

Aimee Campbell thinks otherwise.

90422210_90422210 Prices for football matches have also seen considerable price hikes. Sam Boal Sam Boal

She argues that no matter what you do, touting will always exist in one form of another. She also argued what her firm does is guarantees that the person actually gets a ticket or does not lose their money if it is cancelled.

The proposals to cap prices will create more of a problem than the problem it is trying to solve. If you cap markets, it drives trade elsewhere. If people are willing to pay a higher price, they will find somewhere to purchase it – it’s the same with those selling. If supply is too low, price will always go up.

What’s the solution?

Instead of legislation which would ban the resale of tickets at a higher price, StubHub said Ireland should introduce legislation similar to that which was enacted in the UK last year. This law outlawed the misuse of so-called bots which allow touts to purchase hundreds of tickets in the fraction of the time it would usually take.

In the UK, the misuse of bots is currently illegal but actually buying one is not – and this is an aspect of law which Ireland could benefit from, according to Campbell. Buying one of the bots costs around €500.

Campbell added: “We’ve always been against them. For us it makes the most sense this way as it increases the number of tickets that can be bought by genuine buyers.

“But once again, a law is only good if it is being enforced. Without that it has no point.”

Rock says he took on the touts to highlight the scale of touting.

“Fundamentally I disagree with ticket touting. It stops fans like you and me from going to matches and concerts at the price we should be going to them for.

“The IRFU disagree with touts, the GAA disagree with touting, the FAI disagree with touting, but the law doesn’t disagree with touting.

“That’s why I’ve proposed a Bill to change the law and make sure that above cost ticket selling will no longer take place. The law has passed the first stage in the Dáil but it still has a bit further to go.”

Read: A TD went undercover to tackle touts charging €600 for Ireland v England tickets >

Read: ‘A truly dysfunctional system’: Touts selling World Cup seats for Ireland V Denmark for €700 >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
39 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Garland
    Favourite David Garland
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 11:15 AM

    I’m surprised the Chinese Government haven’t taken a hardline approach to what’s left of the protesters.. At the start they were peaceful but 90% of them have stop protesting, what’s left of them are just taking the mick at this stage. Every weekend wrecking the place, setting fires at subway stations, attacking anyone who has a different point of view to theirs. They’re marching with American flags wanting the USA to protect them, yet if they tried the same in America half of them would have been shot dead by now..

    74
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ryan
    Favourite Ryan
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 12:43 PM

    @David Garland: I have a friend who lives there and he would disagree with you. Protests are still going strong and are not capitulating as you have made out. Taking the Mick out of what? Some may be marching with American flags but so what.. Half would have been shot dead if this was in America? Yea right. Awful post

    121
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Watts
    Favourite Alan Watts
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 12:48 PM

    @Ryan: a lot more would be shot dead in the USA, the police wouldn’t be using sticks in the US

    44
    See 9 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Garland
    Favourite David Garland
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 12:49 PM

    @Ryan: How am I wrong? Unarmed people have been shot dead at traffic stops in America for nothing. Are you trying to say a bunch of students attacking subway stations and police officers in New York would go off without someone been killed? Take a trip to New York and see for yourself the highly armed police and army personnel stationed in every train station. Raise a bat to one of them and you’re a dead..

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Watts
    Favourite Alan Watts
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 12:54 PM

    @David Garland: yeah but he’s saying if a police van was attacked in the states by a group of 30 or 40, they would calmly defuse the situation without using there weapons haha

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Will
    Favourite Will
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:38 PM

    @David Garland: Antifa have been holding violent protests in the US since Trump was elected and none of them have been shot. In fact, they aren’t even charged when arrested, just processed and let go.
    You’re engaging in make believe.

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SC
    Favourite SC
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:59 PM

    @Will: When students protested against being sent to Vietnam to fight they were shot dead in the US. By that stage the majority wanted the war to end. So much for democracy.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Watts
    Favourite Alan Watts
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:04 PM

    @Will: the biggest Antifa becauscrowd /was o lt

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Watts
    Favourite Alan Watts
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:10 PM

    @Alan Watts: the biggest antifa rally to date was about 500 they aren’t bringing major cities to stand still yet or destroying them

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Learned Chew
    Favourite Learned Chew
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:15 PM

    @David Garland: what a cruel attitude David. Easy for you to criticise people trying to protect their freedoms from our peaceful, progressive if flawed republic/ armchairs. Have some compassion please and think before you write. Some one has now been shot. This will probably only end badly. We in the free world will sit on our hands while another generation of people are repressed in china. Do you feel the same way about the people who brought about our freedom? They were shot dead. How would you feel if your children were oppressed by another state?

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Garland
    Favourite David Garland
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:22 PM

    @Learned Chew: First of all my comment was made before the story updated, when I made my comment the story was about just protests. Secondly mass protests like the students have been doing over the last few months wouldn’t be tolerated in most western countries. Imagine Brexit protesters attacking police, setting fire to underground stations, attacking members of the public on the streets of London. It would have been stamped out months ago..

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gowon Geter
    Favourite Gowon Geter
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:37 PM

    @Learned Chew: jasus maybe chillax man .. I too am surprised by the Chineses restraint as they have not been as restrained in the past..
    And we had Water Protests here, where a water ballon was thrown at Phone Joan and the protesters where likened to ISIS and were accused of having ‘missiles” wit Private firms recording then etc blah blah and it was the likes of FG sheeple giving out about them ..

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard Heery
    Favourite Gerard Heery
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 8:53 AM

    Let’s all celebrate it by not buy anything Chinese today

    45
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Wayne Kerr
    Favourite Wayne Kerr
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 9:26 AM

    @Gerard Heery: Makes post on Chinese made phone…

    107
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Charmaine Walker
    Favourite Charmaine Walker
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:18 PM

    @Gerard Heery: duck in orange sauce

    5
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Luap
    Favourite Luap
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 7:39 PM

    @Wayne Kerr: Which he more than likely didn’t buy today

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute sean de paore
    Favourite sean de paore
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:42 PM

    The tolerance shown by the Chinese authorities to date has been surprising. Wouldn’t have been the case in many democratic countries.

    33
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bryen O Murchu
    Favourite Bryen O Murchu
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:04 PM

    @sean de paore: I think once the celebrations of the Chinese 70th Anniversary are over things will change.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liam O’Conchubhair
    Favourite Liam O’Conchubhair
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:31 PM

    @sean de paore: you’re joking? Only reason they haven’t done anything drastic is because of all the cameras focused on HK right now. This is the same county that used tanks on civilians for God’s sake.

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The long walk home☘️
    Favourite The long walk home☘️
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 7:34 AM

    Are they not afraid this just gives China an excuse to send in troops to regain law and order , The World as usual will be found wanting. Dodgy strategy .

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cormac Ó Braonáin
    Favourite Cormac Ó Braonáin
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 8:29 AM

    @The long walk home☘️: I don’t think they need an excuse at this stage. Should’ve done it ages ago after the students eventually got what they wanted but didn’t stop wrecking the gaff.

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The Guru
    Favourite The Guru
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 12:50 PM

    @Cormac Ó Braonáin: Exactly it’s clear these lads aren’t going to stop and can’t be reasoned with. I’m no fan of the Chinese politics but let’s not pretend that the likes of the US or UK would put up with that kind of disruption for months without violence.

    24
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Garland
    Favourite David Garland
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 12:56 PM

    @The long walk home☘️: Another thing I have to laugh at is Irish people siding with the protesters wrecking the place every weekend. When we had water protesters blocking housing estates everybody was up in arms telling them to “Get a job”

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Blessopaddy
    Favourite Blessopaddy
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:38 PM

    @Cormac Ó Braonáin: What the Hong Kong students are protesting is the Chinese Communist government force marching Hong Kong towards totalitarianism and oppression. Something the Xinjiang Uygur’s and Tibetans have endured for the past 60 years. And something many people in China have risen up against since the communists took over, only to be mercilessly put down and killed in their millions.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SC
    Favourite SC
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:48 PM

    @The long walk home☘️: They want a provocation. They would love the army to come in and then they could start crying about human rights. Last I checked you have no right to commit arson. There are lots of currents within the Chinese communist party, the ruling one isn’t even communist now. They can join the party and participate in politics if they want. There are other and better ways to have your voice heard.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Blessopaddy
    Favourite Blessopaddy
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 4:32 PM

    @SC: There is no such thing as human or individual rights in China. As for joining the communist party and participating in politics, many in China did join, only to be killed, tortured or jailed during the great purges of the 50′s and 60′s. And it’s still happening today.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute kehe
    Favourite kehe
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:32 PM

    The protesters’ 5 demands have not all been met or even addressed by the government, one of which is democratic elections that were promised under the British-Sino agreement. People know that if they give up like in 2014 at the end of the umbrella movement nothing will change. There is frustration at the lack of government response in Hong Kong and a minority is attacking what they see as pro-government companies like the MTR (metro). There were around 100,000 people on the streets today and the majority were peaceful, damaging nothing. Some comments here show a complete lack of knowledge of what’s going on. Doesn’t the Irish history narrative of an underdog fighting against the tyrany of an evil empire not ring any bells for people in Ireland anymore?

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gowon Geter
    Favourite Gowon Geter
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:40 PM

    @kehe: Nope all that is long forgotten in the FG utophia

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SC
    Favourite SC
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 1:53 PM

    Why would anyone listen to a bunch of spoilt students who have no life experience and haven’t worked a day in their lives? They should all be sent to India or Pakistan to see glorious democracy and capitalism, where you can work 12 hours a day in factories with no ventilation or toilet breaks, or prostitute themselves to US troops in Japan and South Korea.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Ryan
    Favourite Dave Ryan
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:53 PM

    @SC: sorry but that’s rubbish. I live in Hong Kong and have seen a lot of misinformed comments regarding this news story in the last few months and this one is right up there. I don’t agree with the destruction that has been happening here, particularly on Sunday and this evening, but these are not spoilt students. I cannot think of another situation where people have advance notice that their home is going to be subsumed into a dictatorship and they are rightly concerned about it. They are concerned with diminishing freedoms and a lack of opportunities and frustrations are building for years that the HK and Beijing central governments as well as the business elites who control the city are not listening and do not care. This is the result of that.

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Blessopaddy
    Favourite Blessopaddy
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 4:19 PM

    @Dave Ryan: I couldn’t agree more with you. China is governed by a vicious, totalitarian communist regime who thought nothing of murdering, torturing and jailing millions of its own people to keep them in line. The people of Hong Kong have lived next door to this for 70 years and know exactly what’s in store for them once China takes complete control of Hong Kong.

    14
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Cunningham
    Favourite Paul Cunningham
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 4:34 PM

    @SC: Oh yeah, just focus purely on your tv and watch how the media shows the bad spots (arguably from Chinese agents infiltrating protesters) while half the city regularly shows up to voice their opinion about their future. This isn’t a protest about a tax hike, its about a large portion of the city wanting to have its voice heard and not wanting to have its situation dented by the CCP at every turn before 2047.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gowon Geter
    Favourite Gowon Geter
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:42 PM

    Maybe Apple can give those carrying an american flag a job in mainland China.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liam Mc Meel
    Favourite Liam Mc Meel
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 3:55 PM

    Can’t go around wrecking the place like that know wonder the person was shot dead

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bren Guiden
    Favourite Bren Guiden
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:06 PM

    Not as if communism us corrupted. https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=ufMrx_1569822770&p=1

    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bren Guiden
    Favourite Bren Guiden
    Report
    Oct 1st 2019, 2:09 PM

    @Bren Guiden: execution of the corrupt communist mayor will prevent him snitching on the rest of them. 34billion euro worth of gold.

    2
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds