Risky Business

Buying tickets on the black market and from scalpers for any event is always risky. It is riskier than ever in Vancouver right now. VANOC introduced a 'fan-to-fan' market place to provide spectators with a regulated method of selling their tickets at prices which they wanted, and enabled fans to buy tickets, if they were prepared to meet the prices that the sellers demanded.

Once the transaction is done on the official website, a new ticket with a new bar code is sent to the buyer, and the old ticket is worthless with the bar code inactive.

On the face of it, it's a pretty solid idea, and one that I do not recall seeing elsewhere. As well as trying to bring some order about the resale of tickets, and to avoid fake tickets being created and circulated, VANOC take a 10% cut which the buyer must pay, so it's a handy littler earner for them.

There is one major flaw however for anybody wanting to buy tickets from scalpers. Usually, the main doubt when buying a ticket is its authenticity - is it a fake or not? The main issue now is that the ticket can appear to be completely authentic and real, but could already have been sold on the VANOC website to somebody else. Of course, personal information is taken when one buys a ticket from the official website, but you can guarantee that not all of those purchased are under the correct names. There will inevitably be some people who purchase what they believe to be authentic tickets on the black market and their tickets do not work when they arrive at the event. If and when it gets to that point, complaining and trying to seek money is likely to fall on deaf ears from the organisers.

Authorities want to stamp out the black market....regulate and profit from it themselves. They are unlikely to have any sympathy for those caught out with this loophole for the scalpers.