Ahead of Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated tour stops in Canada, Swifties found themselves shut out of the ticket market by bots and resellers, who swooped in to buy up seats before they had a fair shot. The result? Sky-high resale prices—as high as $5,000 for a single seat in Toronto and up to $6,500 in Vancouver, where tickets sold out within minutes.
Astronomical prices, however, are only one part of a bigger problem. Just last week, a Toronto woman was charged with 32 counts of fraud after scamming dozens of Taylor Swift fans out of $70,000 by selling them fake tickets. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported 190 additional cases of ticket fraud in the week leading up to the concert.
In response, frustrated fans have started a petition urging the federal government to implement stronger protections against ticket resales. It has since gained the support of member of Parliament Mike Morrice, who pointed out that governments in Europe and the United States are already enforcing stricter penalties for using bots to scalp tickets. “It’s time for Canada to step up,” he told CBC News.
As more people turn to digital marketplaces for everything from concert tickets to clothing and furniture, the lack of consumer protections raises an important question: why has Canada been so slow to act?
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Ticketmaster, the dominant ticket platform, has introduced measures to curb resales and scams, including ticket-purchase limits and verification procedures. For some concerts, it enforces a policy that restricts ticket transfers to within 72 hours of the event, reducing the window of opportunity that scammers have to sell non-transferable or non-existent tickets.
Despite these efforts, resale platforms like StubHub and SeatGeek remain hotspots for price gouging. The issue is exacerbated by Live Nation, which acquired Ticketmaster in 2010 and has been criticized for monopolizing the ticketing market. Live Nation’s handling of Swift’s 2022 U.S. tour drew widespread backlash, with fans enduring hours-long online queues and sky-high prices. The debacle led to U.S. congressional hearings and state-level consumer protection bills.
In Canada, attempts to address the problem have struggled to gain momentum. Quebec introduced a law in 2012 prohibiting merchants from reselling tickets above their original price, but the rule doesn’t apply to individuals, leaving a loophole for inflated resale prices. In 2019, the federal government proposed capping resale prices at 50 percent above face value. However, the plan was dismissed as “unenforceable” by the Ontario government, with backing from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and was never implemented. The Ontario NDP has since called on the Doug Ford government to introduce stricter rules on ticket resales.
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For a better blueprint, Canada could look to the EU, which has had success in addressing similar problems through the implementation of its Digital Services Act (DSA). This 2022 legislation applies across all EU member states and includes robust measures such as strict resale price limits, transparency mandates about original ticket costs, and requirements for secondary marketplaces to verify sellers’ identities. The DSA also prohibits manipulative tactics like “only a few seats left!” alerts that pressure buyers into hasty decisions. Compliance is enforced through platform audits, investigations into consumer complaints and significant penalties for violations.
Initially, the DSA only applied to larger platforms, but as of February, it now covers all sellers, including high-risk sectors like secondhand electronics. Random checks and fines are meant to deter fraudsters, while “verified seller” badges help build trust. These measures not only protect consumers but also promote greater transparency and accountability in digital transactions.
While overpriced tickets and online scams may seem like niche concerns, they reveal broader vulnerabilities in the digital economy. Addressing these issues isn’t just about protecting fans or ensuring fair access to events; it’s about reinforcing trust and fairness in online marketplaces. The blueprint is there—it’s time to put it into action.
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Thivya Jeyapalan is a Tamil Canadian writer based in Toronto. She’s also the founder of the Key of Sight, a music program that provides specialized music programs for students with visual impairments.
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Comments
Gary says:
"it’s about reinforcing trust and fairness in online marketplaces."
Seriously? You want to trust a marketplace that sets up idols as gods, to make mammon into a god as well?
It's called life choices, you want something bad enough you sacrifice enough to get it.
Regret is usually after we realized we have sinned.