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Buying scalped Olympic tickets

Wednesday, 20th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Despite saying that scalping would not be tolerated at these games, the Beijing police seem to be turning a blind eye to the practice, which is common in China. At every event I have been to, I've seen active and obvious transactions going on, with uniformed cops standing mere feet away. It's a far cry from the undercover sting bust I experienced in the spring at an Olympic test event. It's a good thing the powers that be have decided to let it go, because keeping the venues full seems a big enough problem as it is.

How best to game the scalping? Blogger Ben Ross, currently in Beijing, has a good breakdown of how the system works and how best to make it work for you.

Tags: Beijing Olympics, Olympics, scalping, ticketing

Serious About Scalping

Tuesday, 22nd April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

I set out this Saturday to get my first look at the Water Cube. Instead, I got my first look at the inside of a Beijing police car and the bowels of the police station closest to most of the Olympic sites.

Here's what happened: I arrived with a few friends around 2:30 hoping to buy tickets to the 3:00 synchronized swimming test event. Thinking that the purchasing would go as smoothly as it did when I attended the water polo tournament a few weeks before, I figured that 30 minutes would be plenty of time to buy our tickets and get inside. But the event was sold out.

My well-meaning friend went in search of scalpers. He found one, and as soon as the money changed hands, three undercover cops swooped in to arrest the woman who sold them.

After spending the afternoon in the police station, I was a little giddy about getting out.
After spending the afternoon in the police station, I was a little giddy about getting out.
Now, as far as I can tell, ticket scalping is rampant in China. I have seen it done so openly that I thought it was perfectly legal. Just last week, I went to see a matinee at the new National Theater. The person at the official ticket desk said that she was sold out but I could buy tickets from one of the many men hawking them secondhand. But whatever arrangement exists between these entrepreneurs and the legit ticket outlets is apparently not going to exist for the Olympics or these Good Luck Beijing test events.

My friend did not get in trouble; buying these tickets is apparently not illegal, but selling marked-up tickets is. However, that doesn't mean the buyer just gets to walk away. My friend was compelled to go to the police station, show his resident card to the cops, give a report of what happened and sit there while the officer spent more than an hour writing a one-page report of the incident. His money was returned only after being photographed by the officer.

Altogether, the ordeal took more than two hours. If you are looking for creative ways to get into events this summer, be careful how you go about it.

Tags: Olympics, scalping, tickets