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From pros to amateurs, scalpers leave concertgoers out in the cold

From Coldplay to K-pop concerts, efforts to stamp out scalpers are far from adequate amid a post-pandemic surge in demand for live entertainment

Tan Nai Lun
Published Fri, Jun 23, 2023 · 02:00 PM
    • With more tickets going to scalpers out to make a quick buck, concertgoers increasingly find themselves forced to fork out more money for scalped tickets – or be left out in the cold.
    • With more tickets going to scalpers out to make a quick buck, concertgoers increasingly find themselves forced to fork out more money for scalped tickets – or be left out in the cold. ILLUSTRATION: SIMON ANG, BT

    WHEN K-pop boy band Seventeen performed in Singapore last October, Abigail (who asked to be identified only by her first name), managed to get hold of two Category 1 tickets worth S$298 each during the first round of presales.

    She kept one of the tickets to the sold-out show for her friend, and resold the other for S$450 – reaping a cool 51 per cent profit with just a few clicks of the mouse. Bids for the ticket, Abigail said, reached as much as S$500.

    It is not the first time she has resold tickets at a profit. Over the past few years, she has done the same for various K-pop acts such as Wanna One and NCT127, racking up profits of around S$150 to S$200 per ticket.

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