Unregulated WhatsApp resales push ticket prices up to three times their original value
As the festival season begins, a growing number of concertgoers are paying sharply inflated prices for sold-out events through WhatsApp groups, where tickets are resold without price limits, sometimes at up to three times their original value, AT5 reported.
The rise of these groups highlights a parallel ticket market operating outside regulated resale platforms such as TicketSwap, which were designed to prevent price gouging. Instead, buyers unable to secure tickets through official sales or lotteries are turning to informal networks branded “Fix Je Ticket.”
According to AT5, these WhatsApp groups, some with more than 10,000 members, connect buyers and sellers directly. Jarno, one of the founders of the groups, said he launched the initiative three years ago with a business partner to meet demand for a more flexible marketplace. The network has since expanded to more than 15 separate groups.
According to Jarno, the platform offers a practical solution for last-minute buyers. “On TicketSwap it is very difficult to score a ticket at the last minute, and with us that is possible, because our prices are somewhat higher,” he told the newspaper.
Erik Luyten, head of Ticketing & Marketing at Paradiso, called the trend concerning and unfair to fans. He said the venue actively works to combat such practices. “If we find out that tickets were bought with the intention of reselling them at a higher price, we cancel them,” Luyten said.
Within the WhatsApp groups, sellers are categorized as either verified or private individuals to reassure buyers of ticket legitimacy. However, pricing reportedly remains entirely unregulated, allowing sellers to set any price they choose.
Jarno defended the system, emphasizing that transactions are voluntary. “I don’t force anyone to buy a ticket,” he said. “People choose themselves to pay that much for it.”
