Online Ticket Sales Legitimize Scalping

That ticket scalper on the corner may be moving online. Well, perhaps not, but the secondary market for tickets has made the shift, and it's resulted in more reliable and safe transactions for consumers. Companies like TicketsNow.com and StubHub promise on-time delivery, stable pricing, and act to turn away counterfeiters and con artists. Estimates vary wildly as to the size of the secondary market, but it may be somewhere between $2 billion and $25 billion annually. Most of the "product" comes from season ticket holders who can't (or won't) attend every game. Entertainment events also generate a large number of tickets for sale. New England Patriots try to protect fans from high prices by banning any season ticket holders who are caught selling their tickets for more than face value. The next time you need sold-out tickets, rethink approaching Sal on the corner. An online dealer may be able to offer an all-around better deal. Add to document.write("Del.icio.us") | Yahoo! My Web Technorati: Doug is a staff writer for Murdok for the latest eBusiness news.