If you’re looking for a ticket for a match or concert DoneDeal’s ticket section makes it very easy to get tickets that you want from sellers in your area

There’s nothing like having a great day out by going to a big sporting event or concert. Seeing sold out on posters however doesn’t mean you’ve lost the chance to attend – few events are totally sold out if you’re happy to buy a ticket on the second hand market.

From weddings and holidays to redundancy and unexpected bills, there are plenty of genuine reasons people resell event tickets.

Move to e-tickets

However, alongside genuine DoneDealers there will always be one or two bad apples who take advantage of the fact that second hand ticket buyers have no rights. If you’re keen to get your hands on tickets make sure that you understand how ticketing works before buying.

Up until a few years ago tickets for events were made of card, often featured security features such as holograms and were difficult to forge.

Technology moved on with the advent of barcode scanner technology, personal email addresses and home printers. It’s now possible to have a ticket emailed to the buyer’s email address from the original ticketing agent. Match or concert goers can just print it out rather than wait for it to be delivered by post. The code is scanned to allow entry with a ticket.

Buyer beware

The problem for people buying second hand e-tickets is whether the ticket is the only copy. If the ticket has been emailed, in theory there is nothing to stop a seller printing multiple copies and selling them. If this concerns you, here are some tips:

• Before meeting the seller ask if it’s an e-ticket or original ticket
• Ask to see a copy of the ticket (via multimedia message/text message for example) if it’s not on the ad
• Find out what the relevant ticket should actually look like, so you know you’re not buying a dud
• Meet in a public place covered by working CCTV and make the transaction clearly in front of the camera
• Ask the seller if it’s okay to take their full details eg address, passport or driving licence number
• Ask the seller if it’s okay to take a photo of them holding the ticket or their car registration plate number
• Remember that if it is a duplicate copy there is no comeback (the ticket states this)
• Check the event seating online first – don’t pay the rate for premium seats if you’re getting the worst seats in the house
• If buying the use of someone’s season ticket expect to pay a deposit – if you don’t return it on time they will use the deposit to cancel and reorder the season ticket

Other things to consider

Do remember that not everybody is out to do bad, so be courteous and pleasant on the phone and when meeting a seller. Genuine sellers have genuine reasons for selling tickets. Sometimes it is a matter of trusting your own instincts and going with a gut feeling.

It’s also worth agreeing with the seller what happens if the concert or event is cancelled. Large ticketing agencies normally refund people who’ve bought tickets by card via the card they made the purchase with. This means that only the person that originally bought the ticket and NOT the person who now has the ticket is entitled to the refund. You should get an agreement in writing between you and the seller that they will pass the refund onto you should this happen. Do this before you hand over your money, of course !