Common Scams to Avoid When Buying Concert Tickets on Ebay

If you are looking for music concert tickets to that sold out concert that you have been dying to see, you may be willing to do almost anything to get your hands on those tickets.  Craigslist, the newspaper, ticketmaster, and even online ticket agencies can offer great deals on last minute shows, but what if the show you desperately want to see is sold out?  Is eBay a safe place to purchase concert tickets?  Let’s look at whether or not eBay is a viable option to help you get the tickets you want.

For starters, here’s the legalities. eBay has plenty of policies in place to help keep their ticket sales legitimate, but regulating sellers themselves can be hard.  A seller can post an auction for a ticket they do not possess and you may end up buying it before eBay can get the auction pulled off of the site. 

To guard against such an occurrence, be sure you pay with PayPal and conduct every part of the transaction through the PayPal and eBay website, to leave a paper trail in case of dispute. 

PayPal also has a feature called Buyer Protection which will allow PayPal to hold the money if there is a dispute regarding undelivered goods.  PayPal can even pull the money out of the seller’s account and return it to you if you inform them of the scam in time before the seller closes his or her PayPal account.  You can access these payment-recovery features by opening an automated dispute against the seller through your ‘My Account’ tab.

On the same hand, however, there are thousands of legitimate individuals and companies who offer concert tickets through eBay and deliver on their promises. One thing to always look at is the feedback rating of the seller.  If there are a number of negatives, or the score shows they have only made a handful of sales, do not buy or bid on the ticket.  Likewise, be wary of new users.  Sure, this guy may have created an account just to dump a ticket, but he may also have a number of accounts for selling fraudulent items. 

Last, make certain that the concert or event ticket is real when possible.  Ask the seller to verify all of the information on the ticket and ensure that it can get to you before the show, then phone the box office where the concert or event is taking place, to make sure the ticket is real and still valid.  The best way you can do this is to meet in person and only agree to the sale once you have the actual ticket in your hands. Once again, always pay via PayPal, never cash – or you could be left holding a fake or used ticket, with no official way to obtain a refund.

If you exercise caution and a healthy dash of common sense, buying tickets on eBay can be safe, and can save you a lot of money.