TOUT OF OUR EDS
Sheeran seats at rip-off prices despite his bid to stop scalpers
ONLINE touts are already flogging Ed Sheeran seats for more than eight times their face value. Hundreds were on re-sale websites for next year’s Wembley gigs within minutes of being released yesterday – with one chancer even trying to pocket £174,000 for a pair of tickets. But Ed himself has warned about the “fraud and hideous overpricing” and urged fans to steer clear of the scalpers who are speculating on a massive demand for the shows. His promoters have introduced strict terms and conditions and will turn away those without valid tickets, where face value is between £49 and £88 for next June’s concerts.
But the Viagogo website was selling tickets for between £155 and just under £400 within minutes of them going on sale. Some hit the £1,000 mark.
Ed has asked fans who sell tickets on to go through Twickets, which sells at face value. And fans going to gigs will have to have ID, and a photocopy of the credit card which paid for the ticket, in a bid to beat touts. But that won’t stop the rip-off merchants using “walkers” to go in with several people they have sold tickets to at inflated prices, say experts.
Labour MP Sharon Hodgson said: “It’s important that resale websites make it explicitly clear to fans about the terms and conditions of tickets for gigs, so that genuine fans are not ripped off.” Viagogo was unavailable for comment. The Sunday Mirror’s Out The Touts campaign aims to stop the illegal industry worth up to £1billion. KARDASHIANS star Kendall Jenner models the perfect hat for a hot day. Fans at a fashion shoot in London’s East End thought it was a lampshade. But Kendall, 21, saw the funny side when shown a pic of her outfit.