Getting tickets for your favourite performers isn't always easy.
But it's an effort made far more difficult by ticket resellers, or those who buy up tickets early to then sell them on for a greater price later on.
Legislation was passed in 2018 which banned people and companies using bots and automated software to bulk buy tickets to then re-sell. However, tickets are still being resold for an eye-watering amount more than originally sold all over the country, and Liverpool is no exception.
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Tickets for Peter Kay tonight (Friday, January 6) at the M&S Bank Arena are being sold in some places for more than double the original price advertised by the arena. Some people on the reselling marketplace StubHub are selling tickets that cost £74.25 (for a ground floor seat, relatively close to the stage) from the M&S Bank Arena for as much as £142 per ticket
Percentage increase: as much as 90% per ticket.
For the 1975 gig coming to the former ECHO arena on Thursday, January 25, standing tickets are going on StubHub for as much as £545 each. The Arena advertised the same tickets for £58.44 when they first went on sale.
Percentage increase: as much as 662% per ticket.
Lewis Capaldi is another huge name coming to the city this year. The Glaswegian singer-songwriter is due at the Arena on Thursday, January 19.
Tickets for his show began at £47.70 for seated increasing up to £71.50 or standing. Now, standing tickets are being resold for as much as £541 per ticket.
Percentage increase: as much as 656% per ticket.
Elton John is also making an appearance later this year. In March the Rocketman is coming to the M&S Arena for two nights (Thursday 23 and Friday 24) on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Tickets range from £166.50 for on floor level, with various VIP packages available, but with some as low as £51.50 in the furthest and farthest seats. Now, for the floor level seats on his Friday, March 24 date, you could expect to pay as much as £830 per ticket, just £2 under the price of five of the tickets originally.
Percentage increase: as much as 398% per ticket.
Note that StubHub and many other such ticket reselling marketplaces serve as the intermediary between buyer and seller. They often take a service charge, though the seller is responsible for the fee to buy the tickets.
A statement was released on behalf of Henry Brown, head of ticketing at The ACC Liverpool Group, operator of the M&S Bank Arena and ticketing agency Ticket Quarter, he said: "We urge customers to only purchase tickets direct from our ticketing agency Ticket Quarter or from the artist’s official primary ticketing agency.
"For the majority of events at the M&S Bank Arena, we sell a percentage allocation of the overall tickets available for the event, with the remaining tickets sold by other ticketing agents. We can only control and be responsible for our own allocation and our terms and conditions state that the ticket cannot be resold, and we would not recommend purchasing tickets from a reseller.
"Ticket Quarter and the M&S Bank Arena are members of STAR - The Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers – which is the leading self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticketing industry across the UK and identifies reputable ticket outlets."
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