A “prolific” tout was reportedly able to list more than 300 tickets to a Lewis Capaldi concert on the ticket resale website StubHub.
The Guardian found that one company was listing tickets for Oasis, Billie Eilish and several major sports events in early July.
It also reportedly advertised at least 306 seats for Capaldi’s opening night at the Sheffield Arena on 6 September, with tickets on sale for up to £248 – more than three times their face value.
Reg Walker, a ticketing and security expert, told the publication that the listings gave “very clear reason to suspect industrial-scale criminality”.
A spokesperson for StubHub told The Guardian: “We enforce strict measures to protect consumers. Any ticket listings found not to be compliant with our requirements are removed.”
The Independent has contacted StubHub and Capaldi’s representatives for comment.
A spokesperson for Ticketmaster said: “Ticketmaster has capped resale prices at face value since 2018.
“We fully support the government’s plans for an industry-wide cap that would remove the incentive for touts to exploit fans and prevent them from paying inflated prices on unauthorised sites.
“We also urge the government to take further action by cracking down on bots and speculative sales.”
“Speculative sales”, or “spec” selling, refers to when professional ticket traders list and sell tickets they do not have, later trying to source tickets for lower prices elsewhere in order to make a profit.
The revelation over StubHub comes as secondary ticketing platforms find themselves under intense scrutiny from ministers, who are currently considering whether to ban for-profit ticket resale sites.
Last year, a row erupted over the hugely anticipated Oasis tour after fans were hit with inflated ticket prices and crashes on Ticketmaster, one of three official sellers for the shows.
It prompted an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over the company’s handling of the sale, while culture secretary Lisa Nandy said in February that a “fairer” system of how tickets are allocated in concert sales was being looked at.
Scottish singer-songwriter Capaldi made his triumphant return at Glastonbury Festival in June, following a two-year hiatus.
His tour kicks off in Sheffield and includes further tour dates in Aberdeen, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Dublin and Cardiff.
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