Lewis Capaldi Ticket Scalping Increases Scrutiny on StubHub

Secondary ticket marketplace StubHub is once again under increased scrutiny following a seller’s listing of more than 300 tickets to a Lewis Capaldi show.

The tour:

• Capaldi is making his return to the spotlight after two years away while dealing with mental health issues.

• Upon announcing his UK comeback tour tickets sold out within seconds.

Secondary sellers:

• StubHub permitted resale company TG Cyprus Event Services Ltd (TGCES) to list 306 tickets to Capaldi’s opening show at Sheffield Arena on September 6, raising concerns it failed to prevent breaches of consumer law on its platform.

• At £248 each, the tickets were three times their face value.

• Speaking with The Guardian, ticketing and security expert Reg Walker said, “These listings give very clear reason to suspect industrial-scale criminality. There is no legal way to harvest tickets in such bulk.”

• Walker proposed the use of automated bots or multiple accounts as one method of securing bulk tickets.

• He also pointed to the fraudulent practice of speculative selling, where ticket sellers list and sell tickets they don’t possess. They then try to secure them for a lower price elsewhere.

• If successful they pocket the difference. If they fail to acquire tickets, the transaction is canceled and a refund issued.

Increased scrutiny:

• Secondary sellers such as StubHub and Viagogo are already under scrutiny from UK officials, who are considering banning for-profit resale platforms to curb scalping.

• UK consumer group Which? is calling on ministers to put a price cap on tickets sold on secondary sites to deter scalpers.

The reply:

• StubHub and Viagogo state they do not set prices charged by sellers on their platforms.

• StubHub has also stated it does not condone the use of bots and that they are an issue “that takes place on primary platforms,” which should do more to combat them.

• The Guardian reports StubHub did not address the TGCES listings directly, but the company says it does not permit speculative selling on its platform.

• It added: “We enforce strict measures to protect consumers. Any ticket listings found not to be compliant with our requirements are removed.”