Tuesday 30 June 2009

"Touts take the Michael"

What is it with the Scots? How can the country that gave us Adam Smith (and many other smart people besides) have sunk so low?

A letter in today's Metro (not available online as far as I can tell) was predictably wittering on about those evil ticket touts. Step forward, Alun Thomas of Edinburgh:

It must surely be time to put a stop to the black market in reselling concert tickets at extortionate prices.


What the fuck, dude? Do ticket touts go around forcing people to buy their tickets at fucking gunpoint or something? Last time I looked, buying tickets from a tout was an entirely voluntary transaction, possible only because the people originally selling the tickets are not charging the correct market price for the tickets. The difference between what the market will bear buying from touts and the face price of the ticket is entirely down to the generosity (or economic incompetence) of the artist.

But how the fuck do you stop a black market, anyway? That's the whole fucking point of a black market: it exists because the officially regulated market isn't doing its job.


It would be the ideal legacy for the king of pop and allow fans to get back to purchasing tickets at face value.


Listen, you fucking cockwit of an ignoramus, fans can always buy tickets at their face value, if they get to the ticket shop in time. If they don't and they want to see the show, well then they take their chances with a tout.

Jesus wept, Adam Smith must be spinning hard enough in his grave to register on the Richter scale!

11 comments:

XXth Legio said...

Lets hope the Tories start to rebuild Hadrians Wall - though I very much doubt it...

Ross said...

There's a case against touts for things like football matches I suppose, where fans have to be kept apart, but other than that they do a public service.

RantinRab said...

That's Edinburgh fuckwits for you. He is probably a student.

From England...

INCOMING!!!!!!! said...

Adam Smith? He was a foundation bitch as well.

Get a grip!!!!

Faux Cu said...

Yes it isn't a perfect market and, depending on the scumbags lining their pockets can amount to be a near John Bull Home Printing Set.

Ever try to get a ticket for the football World Cup?

80% to corporate suits and 15% to football's nomenklatura leaving 5% to the unwashed.

Angry Exile said...

Why do sports fans have to be kept apart Ross? Or more specifically, why do soccer fans have to be kept apart when there's usually no need with other spectator sports? I know that some want to cause trouble but this is just another example of the authorities punishing everyone for the bad behaviour of a minority. In any case, isn't separating fans just a lazy way for the police to avoid actually having to arrest the twattish ones?

powerman said...

The gap between what the original price is, and what a tout can sell it for is because Touts provide a risk arbitrage service to the vendor by buying early, and in bulk.

Getting rid of them will mean the original vendors adjust their prices up as much as they can for risk (all other things being equal).

Anonymous said...

"Porridge wogs"

Mitch said...

Nice scary clown pic here

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=41724

Anonymous said...

Nothing to do with this post just a general observation but did you really have a nice twin

http://www.webpark.ru/go.php?url=http://images2.webpark.ru/uploads53/pod07/30_podborka_31.jpg

TheFatBigot said...

Tickets are different from most other things we buy. If we buy a kettle it is ours to do with as we will. If we buy a ticket what we buy is the permission of the operator of a venue to attend that venue for a particular event.

The operator can issue that permission subject to whatever conditions he wishes. Many tickets contain a condition that it is issued to the person named on it and is not transferable. As far as I am aware, such a condition is perfectly lawful. It is not easy to enforce but it can be enforced.

Therein lies the problem with touts. If they deal in tickets containing no prohibition on transfer, fair enough, let them charge whatever they like to whoever is stupid enough to pay them. But if there is a prohibition, they simply have no right to sell the ticket in the first place.