Week 3...and I'm still watching. Gee, Tie Domi is really learning to be a figure skater!
But, this is really unbelievable.
Tickets for CBC's Battle of the Blades, initially priced at $5, are now being sold for up to $145 each on Canadian and U.S. websites.
When tickets go on sale (through Ticketmaster)....they appear to sell out within a few minutes. But, if you later go on the TicketsNow website (the 'resale' marketplace of Ticketmaster - - yes, TICKETMASTER!!!!) you will find that tickets are indeed available to purchase...for $97 apiece.
Ticketmaster has expressed concern that people might think something was going on behind the scenes (ummm, you think?!!!) Their senior vice-president says...."the key thing that people must understand is that they're not 'diverting' tickets to TicketsNow." He says, "We received a very limited number of tickets and we sold each and every one of those tickets to individual people. We understand people's frustration, but the laws of supply and demand kicked in."
On the reseller website ShowTimeTickets.com, one seller had posted 24 tickets, with prices ranging from $90 to $145.
On eBay, an American vendor was selling batches of eight and 16 tickets, with prices ranging from $102.41 to $113.92. Shipping was extra, at $20.
Sure. Scalping tickets has been going on for decades...but, in this age of internet technology, its become out of control.
It seems relatively easy to fix. Don't buy tickets from scalpers; don't support resales of any kind. If everyone seeking tickets simply decided only to purchase from the official vendor - - TicketMaster, NOT TicketsNow or anyone else - - a lot of these scalpers would be left hanging onto worthless pieces of paper as soon as the show begins...and lose their shirts, some on a single show.
But, in a city where people will pay over $300 to watch a Leafs game...$145 to see Tie Domi's figure skating career take off may seem like a reasonable night out.
Not me. Take a seat on the couch...pass the chips...and let's see what happens in week 4.