Scalpers are widely regarded as unscrupulous due to their practice of purchasing items, particularly hard-to-get or limited edition ones, and reselling them at astronomical prices.
Still, that hasn’t stopped them from indulging in this unsavoury business.
Recently, tickets to Coldplay‘s upcoming concert in Malaysia went on sale, and fans of the British rock band rushed to buy them.
Source: Coldplay on Facebook
It wasn’t long before the passes started popping up on various secondhand marketplaces for much more than they originally cost.
One Carouseller allegedly even listed a ticket for a whopping RM43,200 (S$12,800).
On 9 May, Coldplay announced that they will be bringing their ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour to Kuala Lumpur on 22 Nov.
General ticket sales commenced on Wednesday (17 May) and they were all sold out in a matter of hours.
Source: @livenationmy on Twitter
Unfortunately, scalpers were among those who managed to get their hands on the tickets.
Online secondhand marketplaces soon became flooded with users trying to make a big fat profit from selling off their seats.
For context, tickets on the official website are priced from RM228 (S$68) for the lowest category to RM3,088 (S$916) for the most premium VIP package, excluding ticket fees and booking charges.
Source: @livenationmy on Twitter
However, a search on Carousell Malaysia displays numerous listings in the mid to high four-figure range.
One user is selling a standing ticket for RM10,000 (S$3,000). A standing ticket normally costs RM658 (S$195), or RM1,258 (S$370) if you opt for the VIP package.
Source: Carousell
Some folks even managed to snag more than one ticket and were trying to sell them as a bundle.
While four Category 1 tickets would cost a total of RM5,152 (S$1,500) on the official website, this seller is letting them go at RM25,000 (S$7,400) — nearly five times more.
Source: Carousell
However, the most dramatic display of inflation came from this Carouseller, who listed a RM1,288 (S$380) Cat 1 ticket for an eye-watering RM43,200 (S$12,800).
That’s a colossal 3,254% markup.
And they seemed utterly unapologetic about it, judging from the product description.
Source: @Coldplay_Asia on Twitter
“If your wallet is feeling light, it’s best to zip your lips and save your quips,” they wrote.
Twitter page @Coldplay_Asia shared a screenshot of the unscrupulous listing and urged those who have no intention of attending the concert to not buy tickets so that fans can have a chance.
Frustrated, other users called for Carousell to take action against these horrible scalpers.
Source: Twitter
One person said that they’ve been reporting such listings to the respective platforms and urged others to do the same.
Source: Twitter
A quick check shows that while the Carouseller’s profile is still active, the listing appears to have been removed.
No matter how badly one wants to see their favourite musicians in concert, supporting scalpers by purchasing tickets from them is not the way to go.
Hopefully, concert organisers and the authorities will be able to do something to crack down on this completely shameless and exploitative operation.
And perhaps Coldplay will announce a second show so that true fans can actually get to rock out to them without resorting to emptying their bank accounts for scalpers.
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Featured image adapted from @livenationmy on Twitter and @Coldplay_Asia on Twitter.
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