Ticket Scalping Laws Vary From State To State
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Who needs tickets?
If fans of the Grateful Dead want tickets to see the four live original members play Touch of Gray at their concert this summer, they are going to have to give more than a Touch of Green. Because the tickets, which originally went on presale between $99-$199 are now selling on secondary markets (or as we call it - getting scalped on line) for over $2000.
Do you know how much tie dye and weed that would buy? Oh yeah, neither do I.
But it makes one wonder: isn't that illegal? Not the weed - that's a different discussion. The ticket scalping.
Turns out that every state has a different law governing the right to resell tickets you bought from the venue at a higher price for a profit. Some states haven't updated the scalping laws on the books from the days before the Internet replaced books and you attracted a seedy element behind the stadium selling tickets for cash.
In those states, like Illinois, it's illegal to scalp tickets unless you're a registered (and taxed) ticket broker.
Other states, like New York, limit the profit you can make to 10% of the ticket price. And others like Minnesota gave up and repealed its scalping laws.
Assuming you're the type of guy who both loves the Grateful Dead and abides by the law (no doubt a HUGE group), Google the ticket scalping laws in your state to see if you wouldn't be better off truckin' to the record store for a bootleg copy of an old concert than breaking the law scalping tickets for this one.