Within two hours of tickets for Wiz Khalifa’s Convo Concert going on sale, the most coveted seats had already been snagged, leaving the rest of the Pittsburgh-based rapper’s fans subjected to the back rows.
Unless they could find a scalper.
The business of ticket scalping has long walked the tightrope of legality and profitability as fans pursue tickets to their favorite events and scalpers look to make a quick buck.
“(The Wiz Khalifa concert) was the first time I bought tickets with the intention of scalping,” said Jay Campbell, a freshman at Ohio University. “It’s an easy way to get money and since it happens everywhere, I figure why not?”
Campbell said he purchased the floor seat tickets for $40 and initially sold them for $60 and raised the price to $70 as tickets became more difficult to find.
Scalping, or reselling tickets for more than their face value, is not regulated by the federal government and, in Ohio, is legal and left up to municipalities.
John Biancamano, OU’s Legal Counsel, said he didn’t believe there are any university rules addressing scalping.
Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center, said he does not see scalping as a problem.
"We have been fortunate with the Performing Arts Series and have not experienced much of the secondary ticket market to date,” Holzaepfel said.
Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Operations Chris Radford said he hasn’t seen any cases of ticket scalping in his two-and-a-half years at OU, but said the issue could arise with the recent success of OU’s football and basketball teams.
“Sure, it’s looked down upon, yet if that happens (at OU), it means our athletic events are in high demand, and that is definitely a good thing,” Radford said. “With our teams winning a lot recently, we may begin to have this issue arise.”
Radford said the department’s policy is that tickets cannot be resold for more than their face value and that tickets may not be sold in front of a venue before the event.
Those who would like to peddle or solicit goods, including event tickets, elsewhere in Athens must have a license from the city, according to the Athens City Code.
Instead of selling on the streets, ticket scalpers typically advertise on the Internet like freshman George Peck, who said he uses social media to advertise for tickets he has for sale.
“I use Facebook to get in contact with potential buyers,” Peck said. “Then I’ll meet with them in person to strike a deal.”
Peck said despite the controversy about the practice, the risks match the rewards.
“It’s a fair practice. I don’t see what’s wrong when someone is willing to buy them at the price I set,” Peck said, “There is a risk involved for me also. If no one is willing to buy the extra tickets I have, then I will lose the money, so it’s a two-way street.”
as299810@ohiou.edu
