Before talking about the resale market in Japan, we share with you our personal sad experience relating to this.
Anyone running a shopping support, watch out for Agnes Sch****!!
In 2019, someone named Agnes Sch**** contacted us to buy a ticket for her. It was from a resale market. She specifically instructed us to contact one particular reseller online. We warned her about the risk of a scammer and risk of not being able to enter the venue. The ticket price was quite expensive - almost 1000USD! She agreed to all terms. We helped her. We never knew she could enter the concert or not.
After the concert, this Agnes Sch**** put the claim to the online payment company - Paypal to take all money back.
First, the online payment company told us to sue her and they do not want to take responsibility. As our policy to be always kind to our customer, we did not want to sue her. In the end, the payment company took her side as they already do. This Agnes Sch**** took the ticket fee and the shopping support fee into her pocket and ran.
Luckily we had several evidence about this criminal Agnes Sch**** before she put many offline. If you need the information about her, we can share but at some price (as we never want to share with anyone with no legitimate interest about this criminal ). If you are also a victim of this criminal, contact us. Let us file a class action.
Ticket scalping and high-priced resale have become entrenched problems in the entertainment industry, undermining fair access to events and harming the overall cultural landscape. Despite various attempts to address this issue through legal, technological, and social measures, scalping persists and evolves. Organizations like STARTO Entertainment and Young Communication have taken a stand against unethical ticket resale practices, but their efforts highlight the challenges involved in combating an issue that is as much technological as it is social.
The problem is compounded by the proliferation of online resale platforms and the emergence of new methods for scalping tickets. Platforms like Ticket Ryutsu Center and Ticket Jam serve as hubs for reselling tickets at exorbitant prices. For example, tickets for Shonen Ninja concerts, originally priced affordably for fans, were listed for as much as 300,000 yen, making them inaccessible to many. Legal actions taken by STARTO Entertainment to force Ticket Ryutsu Center to disclose seller information represent a significant step forward, but they also expose the resistance from some platforms, such as Ticket Jam, which refused to cooperate with legal authorities.
Adding to the complexity is the rise of social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook as alternative venues for unauthorized ticket resale. These platforms provide a less regulated and more anonymous environment for scalpers to operate. Beyond the mainstream internet, transactions are also conducted on the dark web, where regulation and monitoring are virtually impossible. The decentralized nature of these activities makes it difficult for authorities to track and enforce legal measures. This evolution demonstrates that while technological advancements have made it easier for fans to access tickets, they have also provided scalpers with more sophisticated tools and venues for exploitation.
Do you remember Ticket Camp?
The closure of Ticket Camp in 2018 is a critical case study in understanding both the successes and limitations of efforts to combat ticket scalping. Once Japan’s largest ticket resale platform, Ticket Camp operated as a consumer-to-consumer marketplace where users could freely set prices. This model, while providing some benefits for consumers, became a breeding ground for high-priced scalping, drawing criticism from the public and industry stakeholders alike. A significant campaign led by music industry organizations against ticket scalping culminated in the platform’s closure following widespread public backlash and legal pressure.
While the shutdown of Ticket Camp provided temporary relief, it did not solve the underlying issue. Scalping activities shifted to other platforms and social media, adapting to the changing landscape. This reveals a recurring pattern: when one channel is closed, scalpers simply migrate to new venues, often ones that are more difficult to regulate. This adaptability underscores the systemic nature of the problem and the limitations of isolated efforts to address it.
One of the most troubling aspects of ticket scalping is its impact on event accessibility and the cultural experience for fans. Scalpers often use automated bots to purchase large quantities of tickets as soon as they become available, leaving genuine fans unable to secure tickets at face value. This creates a scenario where fans must either pay exorbitant prices or miss out on events entirely. For the entertainment industry, this leads to broader consequences. Scalpers’ bulk purchases can result in empty seats at events when unsold tickets are not used, despite the event being officially sold out. This not only damages the reputation of the event organizers but also creates economic inefficiencies, as fewer attendees translate to lower merchandise sales and concessions revenue.
The human aspect is equally significant. Artists and performers thrive on the energy of full, engaged audiences. Empty seats at a supposedly sold-out show can be demoralizing and diminish the overall experience for those who do attend. Furthermore, fans who spend excessively on tickets often have less disposable income to purchase merchandise or attend future events, creating a ripple effect that impacts the entire entertainment ecosystem.
Despite these negative outcomes, there remains a perception among some event organizers and agencies that scalping can be beneficial as a promotional tool. Rapid ticket sellouts and high resale prices are often seen as indicators of an event’s popularity and cultural significance. This mindset, while understandable, ultimately perpetuates the problem by failing to address its broader societal and economic harms.
A comprehensive solution to ticket scalping must go beyond targeting individual platforms or isolated activities. It requires a holistic approach that includes stricter legal frameworks, increased accountability for platforms that facilitate scalping, and advanced technological measures to prevent bot-driven purchases. For example, dynamic pricing models, identity-linked ticketing systems, and blockchain-based ticket verification are potential tools that could help mitigate the problem by making it more difficult for scalpers to operate.
Moreover, public awareness campaigns are essential to shift perceptions around ticket scalping and encourage fans to avoid participating in the resale market. Fans must recognize that buying from scalpers not only perpetuates the problem but also contributes to the exploitation of genuine fans and the erosion of cultural events as accessible experiences.
What have we learnt from all these?
The issue of ticket scalping extends beyond specific platforms like Ticket Camp, Ticket Ryutsu Center, or Ticket Jam. It is a systemic problem that encompasses not only online resale platforms but also social media, the dark web, and even informal transactions among individuals. Addressing it requires a unified effort to eliminate all forms of scalping, including resale activities conducted outside of official platforms. Simultaneously, the entertainment industry must move away from viewing scalping as a sign of popularity and instead prioritize creating fair and equitable access for all fans. Only through such comprehensive measures can the industry foster a healthier, more inclusive cultural landscape.
It is actually not a Japan only problem. We see the same problems for many concerts like of Tayler Swift outside Japan. It is becoming a world problem..
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