Ticket Resale: Price Caps & Consumer Protection

Actions it got in touch with on consisted of introducing price caps for resale tickets and developing new legal obligations so ticket resale sites and apps are held responsible by Trading Specifications and the CMA for “the accuracy of information they supply to followers”.

Labour’s Ticket Resale Policy

Though Labour’s June 2024 policy didn’t detail what certain customer securities the event would certainly introduce, in March 2024 Sir Keir Starmer stated a Labour federal government would certainly “cap resale prices so followers can see the acts that they like at a fair price”.

Digital Economy Act & Ticket Resales

The Digital Economy Act 2017 banned the use of automated software (or ‘bots’) to acquire even more tickets than the optimum number set by the occasion organiser, and needs resellers to supply one-of-a-kind ticket numbers to help customers identify if a ticket is seated or standing, and its place.

“Accessibility to dramatization, music and sporting activity has actually ended up being challenging and expensive due to ticket touting. Labour will certainly put fans back at the heart of occasions by introducing brand-new consumer protections on ticket resales.”

Government Consultation on Resales

A federal government consultation on the resale of real-time occasions tickets was revealed on 10 January 2025, and ran till 4 April 2025. The government stated the appointment and its call for evidence would certainly assist it fulfill its statement of belief commitment.

Resale Ticket Markups

Resale tickets are typically cost greater than their original rate. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) claimed that in 2019 “most tickets” marketed with 2 major resale websites “had a mark-up over their face-value of greater than 50%”. (Face-value describes the rates established by occasion organisers.).

We’re score this promise as “underway”. Although the federal government is yet to introduce new regulation or brand-new consumer securities for ticket resales, it has carried out a consultation on its proposals to do so.

Understanding Resale Tickets

Tickets for real-time events, such as sports, festivals or performances suits, can be marketed by their initial purchasers in what’s referred to as the ‘second’ market. These tickets are referred to as ‘resale’ tickets.