Ticket scalpers getting scalped

Ticket touts for Saturday's All Blacks-Lions test at Jade Stadium in Christchurch are getting their fingers burned, with some unable to sell their tickets or selling them at a loss.

Tickets for the sold-out first test had been reaching two or three times their face value on New Zealand auction sites, despite warnings from the New Zealand Rugby Union that scalpers would have their tickets cancelled.

However, in the past two weeks prices have steadily dropped as the number of buyers has dwindled, unsold tickets allocated to away supporters came on to the market, and sellers found themselves unable to command premium prices.

Dire weather predictions for the night of the match have also been unhelpful.

A month before the test, a blade of grass from Jade Stadium was sold for $1000 because it came with two "free" tickets to the match - an attempt to get around the NZRFU's ban on scalping.

Yesterday, of the 17 TradeMe auctions that closed between 9.30am and 1pm, not one reached the reserve price for tickets.

A seller claimed tickets in the No 1 stand cost him $700 and he was seeking only to get his money back. He attracted no bids. The tickets were then offered at $550, but had drawn no bidders by 5pm.

Tickets were also being offered for sale in Christchurch hotels yesterday by an Australian-based company, howwhenwhy.com, which had not sold its official allocation of tickets for travel and accommodation packages.

- NZPA