General Chat

Just looked on e-bay and tickets for live8 concert are selling for £1,000 - £1500 I think it's disgusting people are making money on the back of the poor people in Africa.

Well it had to happen, these people are parasites. They should at least donate half the money to the fund.

Some have the front to offer free postage.

Just heard on the news that Bob Geldof will sue anyone who sells tickets for a profit.

Frankly, although this is fairly unpleasant that people are profiting from this - it doesn't surprise me at all. Why would someone pay £200 for the tickets ? because they really want to go, and were unsuccessful in the ballot. I'd buy tickets, because I'd really like to go and I didn't 'win' any, although I wouldn't pay such ridiculous prices. As for Geldof taking legal action - I don't think he's got a leg to stand on. When the ticket release was annonced, there was no reference to the tickets not being transferrable, as far as I know.

I certainly won't be selling my tickets as I am really looking forward to going! On the news this morning they announced that you could buy gold tickets for £400.00 per pair which included 2 nights in a hotel. These are for sale from the organisers and mean you are near the stage so why pay more for ordinary ones? Julie xxx

Julie, you're quite right, I didn't know those were available, are they £400 each or for a pair ?

oops you've already said per pair I might actually consider that :)

Says on the news tonight, all sales have been pulled.

Hi, well following on from the news item that they were wiping them off ebay, I just had to take a look (like one does) theres still some on there and they have disguised some of them too... i.e. selling something else with added live8 tickets...

So what? People sold tickets on ebay for the tsunami charity concert five months ago. They weren't pulled. Live 8 is about raising awareness, not cash. No charity is losing out. People who won tickets paid their £1.50 and won them fair and square. They can do with them what they like. There will be people there making a fortune: is Geldof going to go round every hotel, underground station and hamburger stall demanding they hand over the money? And I notice he has allowed the corporate, gold-circle seats. The whole point of the ticket lottery was to make allocation fair, but I suppose some are more equal than others.

I agree with you, Twinkle, that this was inevitable and I can see that some people may have won tickets but needed the money more, so sold them. However, as you said, the whole point of the lottery was to make allocation fair - which it is not if people enter just so they could sell the tickets to the highest bidder. I know it is human nature for some people to be greedy. I think what upsets people is that it is not in the spirit of the occasion. This ebay thing has raised a bigger issue. Harvey Goldsmith said today that ebay is basically an agency for ticket touting - which, i believe, is illegal. I was really annoyed when, having spent ages on the phone trying to get U2 tickets, a friend told me she had deliberately bought extra tickets purely to make a profit on ebay. This is pure greed - and prevents others enjoying the gig at a reasonable price. By the way, I just heard on the news that Ebay have suspended the accounts of all those who entered spoof bids to try and flood the system and force Ebay to withdraw the sales. Seems a shame they couldn't just bow to public opinion quietly without taking it out on those who had demonstated their disapproval. Sal