New move to tackle Taylor Swift ticket scalpers cashing in on Melbourne show

The Victorian government has declared Taylor Swift's concert a major event, and it means there's now a cap on the resale price of tickets.

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is performing in Sydney and Melbourne in February 2024. Source: AAP, AP / Ashley Landis

Key Points

• VIP packages for Taylor Swift's Australian shows went on sale through a presale event on Monday.
• Just hours later, tickets were listed at inflated prices on reselling site Viagogo.
• NSW and Victoria both have laws against ticket reselling designed to protect consumers.

Ahead of the ticket sales commencing on Wednesday, the Victorian government has granted 'major event' status to Taylor Swift's concerts in Melbourne.

The change means the two Melbourne Cricket Ground shows face restrictions under the state's anti-scalping laws.

Presale tickets for the singer's Australian performances went on sale on Monday. But just hours after they became available, tickets were listed on reselling website Viagogo costing far more than the original ticket price, with the most expensive listed at $6,000.

United States singer-songwriter Swift will be performing in Sydney and Melbourne in February 2024 as part of her Eras Tour, with general admission tickets ranging in price from $79.90 to $379.90.

VIP packages range from $349.90 to $1,249.90.

Presale VIP packages became available through the American Express presale on Monday morning.

Making a 'Swift' buck

The ticket presale officially started at 10am on Monday, but the American Express website reportedly began experiencing outages from 9.30am.

By that afternoon, presale tickets for both Sydney and Melbourne shows had sold out.

Tickets will next be available through the Frontier presale on Wednesday, 28 June, from 10am for Sydney and 12pm for Melbourne.

The Eras Tour will mark Swift's first performance in Australia since her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.

Is it legal to resell tickets?

In NSW, it's illegal to resell event tickets for profit.

Laws targeting ticket scalping were introduced in 2018, making it an offence to resell a ticket for more than the original retail price, plus transaction costs up to a maximum 10 per cent of the original ticket price.

In Victoria, under the Major Events Act 2009, it's an offence to resell or advertise any event ticket for more than 10 per cent above its face value.

The law also requires vendors to be authorised by the event organiser, and individual ticket advertisements must include ticket and seating details.

Tickets for Taylor Swift's Sydney shows are for sale on Viagogo for over $2,000. Source: SBS News / Jessica Bahr

Cultural events, including theatre events, concerts, gallery exhibitions and festivals, can be declared ticketing events under the amended legislation.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recommends buying tickets from an authorised seller.

Is it safe to buy tickets on Viagogo?

Viagogo has come under fire in the past over its practices.

In 2019, the Australian Federal Court found Viagogo had breached Australian consumer law on a number of counts relating to misleading consumers.

In 2017, the ACCC took the ticket reseller to Federal Court over allegations that it breached Australian Consumer Law when reselling recreational event tickets from 1 May 2017 to 26 June 2017.

In January 2018, it was reported that a quarter of tickets for the Australian Open sold on Viagogo were invalid.