Tickets for Sunday on eBay

Liam Byrne

Spotted a number of tickets for Sunday's match on eBay, selling for over €500 each! :eek:

I know eBay has a policy for tickets that they must be offered for sale at face value, but isn't it still illegal to sell them even if people offer higher than that ?

I also know that ticket touting is a bit like the drugs trade.....if there weren't people giving in and buying at these prices, the touts would stop and the tickets would be available to genuine people, but what is the official position ?

It's also apparent that none of the sellers have the Face Value field filled in, which appears to be required according to eBay's Terms & Conditions.

1) Is it legal to auction them on eBay ?
2) Is it possible to report them, either for the general attempt at sale or for not having the face value listed ?
3) Will reporting them get them banned, so that they (hopefully) lose out on selling the ticket and get stuck with it ?

Considering there are so many actual fans looking for tickets for Sunday, I think something must be done to stop these scum. And don't give me the "supply and demand" argument....the fact is that it's illegal to sell these at face value and there is supposed to be traceability on these tickets.

Any thoughts or opinions (short of educating people not to buy off these guys) ?

Is it possible to get eBay to prevent this abuse ?

highlydebased

As far as I know it is Illegal.

Is there a report item link somewhere, or else contact ebay. They do respond pretty quickly

SuperWoody101

I agree with Liam 100% this is just wrong and something has to be done about it.

highlydebased

At end of page there is a "Report this item" link. I've done it. Encourage others to do same

Liam Byrne

Well, here's what I've sent to Ed Myers at Live 95, and I've copied both tickets@gaa.ie and eBay on it.....

Let's see if Ed can get some answers from the GAA or from eBay....

Hi Ed

While desperately searching for tickets for Sunday, we came across some on eBay - for massively inflated prices!

Apparently, eBay requires that the sellers include the "face value", but most of the sellers don't have that on their pages.

Even for those that do, and if people "offer" them more money, it may negate this as a method of preventing touts, but isn't the GAA rule that tickets cannot be sold above face value ?

Funnily enough, the UK eBay site says that tickets for English soccer matches are BANNED from eBay.co.uk:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/football-tickets.html

....but the supposedly "equivalent" page on ebay.ie says the exact same thing - about English matches! There's no mention of GAA or Irish matches!

http://pages.ebay.ie/help/policies/football-tickets.html

Aside from the fact that people purchasing from these touts are part of the problem, is there a way to stop this ?

Could you contact the GAA and eBay to find out what their official line is ? Can these tickets and sellers be reported to the GAA, or to eBay, and the sellers and clubs fined or banned from receiving tickets in the future ? Why doesn't the supposedly Irish eBay site refer to Irish events ?

Or. if someone were to buy one of these tickets, can they send the stub to the GAA and get the GAA to refund the difference and then they (the GAA) chase after the tout, considering it was the GAA distribution channels that caused the added expense ?

Even better, is there any way that your research budget could stretch to actually buying the tickets and following them up to identify and "out the tout" ? You'd definitely strike one for the common man there!

I've no problem with someone who has a ticket and can't, or isn't interested in, going passing it on at face value.....I've a serious problem as to how these touts get the tickets when so many genuine fans are unable to get their hands on one.

Liam

SuperWoody101

Liam Byrne wrote:

Well, here's what I've sent to Ed Myers at Live 95, and I've copied both tickets@gaa.ie and eBay on it.....

Let's see if Ed can get some answers from the GAA or from eBay....

Good on ya Liam, I hope Ed talks about this on his show.

dave_t

Fair play!

cooperguy

I dont know about the ebay policy but it is definatly not illegal to sell tickets above face value. I remember a few years ago there was an event (I forget what exactly) and there was a load of tickets being sold way above face value. People were complaining that the government should do something about it and Bertie came out and said that they cannot start passing laws stopping people from setting whatever prices they want to sell their own property and he has a point. Dont buy them if you dont want to pay those prices.

At the end of the day most of those ebay auctions started out with prices that were (probably) under the face value of the tickets. Its the customers who are setting the prices of the tickets by constantly increasing their bids. Of coarse that doesnt apply to buy it now auctions but most of them probably are'nt

Liam Byrne

cooperguy wrote:

At the end of the day most of those ebay auctions started out with prices that were (probably) under the face value of the tickets.

If the face value is not on the listing then it's DEFINITELY against eBay policy.....and eBay.co.uk has specifically said that you cannot list Premiership matches in that country's site, so why don't they do the same here ?

The GAA supposedly has defined distribution channels so that as many people as possible who want tickets get them, and people who don't, don't.

Its the customers who are setting the prices of the tickets by constantly increasing their bids.

That is definitely a huge part of the problem, but your next statement kinda counters that argument.....

....that doesnt apply to buy it now auctions but most of them probably are'nt

That's exactly what they should be! "Ticket for sale, if you want it at face value, then take it now!" If the sellers did this, at least it would show an intent on their part to get a fair price for the ticket, and not act as touts screwing genuine fans who were failed by the system.

Liam Byrne

Reply from the GAA (who were copied on the original email to "Limerick Today")

Dear Liam,

Thanks for your e-mail.

Regrettably there are always a small number people who will "cash-in" on the high demand and small supply for such events as All-Ireland Finals. Thankfully this number is few (10 tickets represents .012% of all tickets available).

The GAA are actively pursuing all such touted tickets on such websites as ebay and needaticket.ie. Where possible we are contacting the people who are selling the tickets to cancel them and any contracts which they have signed up to (in the case of corporate, premium or term tickets). Where club allocated tickets are sold we are also taking action with the relevant county boards.

We advise people not to purchase tickets from unofficial sources as we cannot confirm the authenticity of such tickets - now that all tickets are barcoded lost or stolen tickets can be cancelled and reissued easily rendering original lost or stolen tickets invalid.

Anyone who buys tickets from a tout should send the ticket details, along with information pertaining to where the ticket was bought and for how much to the GAA ticket Office. The matter can then be followed up with the relevant people.

Unfortunately there is no other options open to us at this time vis-à-vis litigation against such individuals as the legislation does not exist. This is something we are also pursuing however.

Trusting you find this in order.

Regards,
GAA Ticket Office

cooperguy

Well they were literally giving away tickets to the match up there so anybody who paid a fortune on Ebay or anywhere else im sure is very sorry now (im sure the result wont help matters either).