A ticket exchange, also known as a secondary ticket outlet, is a market where
tickets
Ticket or tickets may refer to:
Slips of paper
* Lottery, Lottery ticket
* Parking violation, Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start)
* Ticket system, Toll ticket, a slip of paper use ...
are bought and sold. Ticket exchanges allow people to buy and sell tickets online. Typically, ticket exchanges are used by individuals wanting to buy or resell tickets from other individuals rather than from the event the ticket is for. Originally, this industry was dominated by
street-based touts working outside large events and venues, buying tickets cheaply from people who had spares and selling them on to last-minute buyers. While some street
touts may still exist, the advent of the internet has transformed the practice.
Secondary markets today are predominantly online. There are two niches of ticket exchanges, also called secondary marketplaces: event tickets and travel reservations.
Ticket exchange in events
The event ticket exchange business is predominantly dominated by
Viagogo
Viagogo, stylized by the company as viagogo, is a multinational ticket exchange and ticket resale brand. It is registered in the United States (Delaware) and has been owned by StubHub since 2021.McCormick, Bret (28 February 2022),Dealmaking, th ...
, alongside its long-time rival
StubHub
StubHub is an American ticket exchange and resale company. It provides services for buyers and sellers of tickets for sports, concerts, theater, and other live entertainment events. By 2015, it was the world's largest ticket marketplace. While ...
which it merged with in 2021. Among these big online ticket marketplaces, smaller companies are emerging offering slightly different servicing. For example, a
marketplace
A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...
that limits the price of the tickets to the current live price. There has been significant criticism of event ticket exchanges in recent years for enabling 'armchair' touts. These are groups of people who purchase a large number of event tickets with the intent to resell them at a
mark-up on ticket exchanges before fans are able to purchase them for themselves.
Ticket exchange in air travel
There are online marketplaces where people can offer their transferable flight tickets and hotel reservations for sale. For travellers without travel insurance, it can reduce losses when unable to travel. Flights are transferable if the name on the ticket can be changed. There are over 60 airlines which allow name changes.
These airlines always charge a fee for this service. The resale of airline tickets depends on the rules of the airline.
Ticket exchanges for travel reservations also facilitate the resale of hotel rooms and
package holidays, such as SpareFare.net.
See also
*
Ticket resale
Ticket resale (also known as ticket scalping or ticket touting when done for profit) is the act of reselling ticket (admission), tickets for admission to events. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and then sold for a price determined by the i ...
*
Tout
A tout is any person who solicits business or employment in a persistent and annoying manner (generally equivalent to a '' solicitor'' or '' barker'' in American English, or a '' spruiker'' in Australian English).
An example would be a person w ...
*
Spiv
A spiv is a petty criminal in the United Kingdom who deals in illicit, typically black market, goods. Spivs were particularly active during the Second World War and in the post-war period when many goods were rationed due to shortages.
According ...
Notes
Tickets
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