A word of caution...

With the ever increasing number of ticket sellers on eBay, sure there are some real bargains to be had but you need to extremely vigilant when purchasing tickets that have recently been released for sale for a concert or whatever that could be months down the line.

A recent tale of woe was discussed over a pint in my local when a friend purchased tickets in early December for a concert in July. These were bought as a Christmas present for his wife and her friend, and cost close to £200. He was advised by the seller that the promoter would probably not release the tickets prior to Christmas, but he would forward them as soon as they were available in the new year. My pal duly created a card with the concert details so he had something to give her on Christmas morning. Now 4 months plus down the road the tickets have not materialised and although the seller was initially responding to e-mail's requesting information as to the ticket whereabouts, recent communication has dried up and the seller is 'No longer a registered user'

Will he still get his tickets... Very unlikely!

Can he file a complaint, get his money back, leave negative feedback... NO!

Why not?... Too much time has elapsed to do so!

The point of this guide...

You need to be aware of the deadlines for reporting problems with a seller...

A dispute with eBay can only be instigated up to a maximum of 60 days!

If you paid with PayPal the time limit with them is 45 days!

Finally, you can't even leave negative feedback as the limit to do so is 90 days, that's assuming that the seller is still in fact a registered member!

Obviously this problem is limited to a small number of unscrupulous sellers, the majority being genuine people, and we all understand that tickets can't be sent out until they are physically available from the promoters.

My advice is...

Take extra time to check seller feedback prior to purchase.

Buy your tickets as close to the event date as possible.

Although you will probably end up paying more for your tickets... DO NOT BUY until the seller confirms that the tickets are IN THEIR POSSESSION.

Obviously then if the tickets don't materialise for whatever reason... You can at least file a complaint in plenty of time, to hopefully get your money back and leave appropriate feedback.

All in all the best option is to buy your tickets direct from the venue or official promoter, that's assuming they are not all instantly sold out as is often the case these days!

Be careful out there :o)