Law Articles
To search for a particular term please use the following search box.
Law Topics
Click on a Topic to see available articles for that topic.
- Accidents
- Administrative Law
- Admiralty Law
- Articles
- Banking
- Bankruptcy Law
- Canon Law
- Case Law
- Civil Law
- Civil Rights
- Class Action Lawsuits
- Commercial Law
- Common Law
- Comparative Law
- Constitutional Law
- Consumer Law
- Contracts
- Corporate Law
- Courts
- Criminal Law
- Cyber Law
- Dispute Resolution
- Employment Law
- Equity
- Evidence
- Family Law
- Fiduciary Law
- General Practice
- Government
- Health Law
- Immigration Law
- Insurance Law
- Intellectual Property
- International Law
- Jurisprudence
- Labor Law
- Law and Economics
- Maritime Law
- Military Law
- Natural Law
- Personal Injury Law
- Philosophy of Law
- Property Law
- Public Law
- Real Estate Law
- Social Security
- Space Law
- Statutory Law
- Tax Law
- Traffic Law
- Trusts and Estates
- Water Law
Return to Law Dictionary Index
Ticket Scalping Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Isn't scalping tickets illegal?
"Scalping" tickets - defined as reselling tickets for greater than face value - is indeed illegal in certain states. However, reselling tickets for up to face value is legal nationwide.
How much can I charge for my tickets?
Some states regulate the resale of tickets for venues located in their states. If the seller lives in the restricted state, all bidders are subject to the regulations (maximum bids) of that state. If the seller does not live in the restricted state, but a bidder does, that bidder is subject to the state regulations that place a limit on the resale price (max bid) of the ticket.
How do auction sites know which state regulations to enforce for particular buyers and sellers?
A few auction sites verify location of all bidders and sellers on events in regulated states using both the bidder's or seller's registration information AND a credit card confirmation.
Are ticket sales regulated in all states?
Most states don't regulate ticket reselling, and ticket reselling in an open market can provide an important service for fans of a particular music group or sports team. Even dedicated fans can miss out on ticket sales to a big event, and open markets and auctions give these fans a chance to get tickets an event that they might otherwise miss at a price that the community (through bidding and open sales) decides is appropriate.
What if I live in one of the restricted ticket states, but I'm selling tickets to an event in a state that does not have that retriction?
Scalping laws are mostly based on where the event is located, not where the buyer and seller are located. However, you should ensure that your transaction complies with all laws in your area.
What do you mean by the "face value" of the ticket? Can I recover the service charges and taxes I paid when I originally purchased the ticket?
The "face value" of the ticket includes the price of the ticket and any service charge and tax charged by the original ticket provider that is printed on the ticket. In a few of the restricted ticket states, you may be allowed to charge an additional fee (usually no more than $3 per ticket) to the buyer. As with any eBay listing, the buyer can also be charged actual postage costs, but no additional "handling" fees.