Ebay. In league with the devil

Ok, so not exactly. But it does facilitate some pretty dubious activity.

I have a particular pet hate. People who buy gig tickets with no intention of going in the full knowledge that they can sell them for a profit on Ebay. It's ticket touting. I bet the majority of people who do it wouldn't stand in the rain in Brixton shouting "Fratellis tickets. Buy or sell. Buy or sell Fratellis tickets". But they are happy to do the same thing from behind a computer. It even happened for Live8. A free charity concert with tickets going for as much as £1,000.

It isn't just gig or sports tickets though. There have been several incidents recently that have caught the eye. Both H&M and TopShop have created ranges by Stella McCartney and Kate Moss that have caused pandemonium in store. But within minutes of the items going on sale and, and the fistfights that ensued, the items were on Ebay selling for huge profits.

It’s only illegal for football tickets in case they fall into the hands of hooligans and some people argue that it is just showing a bit of entrepreneurial spirit. After all, if people are willing to pay over £100 more than the retail price for a pair of tickets to see the Killers, or five times more for a dress 'designed' by Kate Moss then it's their prerogative.

So who's responsibility is it? There have been calls for a while now to make ticket touting illegal and they are thinking of doing this specifically for the 2012 Olympics. But why not for all events? It has been something that people have been calling for for a while to little effect.

Is it the responsibility of the event organisers and ticketing companies? The organisers of the Glastonbury festival have taken it upon themselves to print tickets with photos on. But this has meant registering months before the lottery draw for tickets, which is months before the festival. No a realistic option for tickets to most events.

Adventures on Ebay

Here's what I ended up with in my adventures on ebay.



A pair of NHS crutches at a bargin price of £4 with a frivolous £6.50 being spent on postage. An alarmingly high cost when you discover the state the packaging was in when it arrived.



Rather amusingly however, it does look like I have been sent a shotgun in the post.