Ticket scalping is illegal in many cities. This is wrong Scalpers more often than not provide a useful service. “At show time, they set up an instant bazaar where the actual value of tickets is haggled into shape; they’re basically stock traders in a secondary market without a dress code. Most of them spend their nights scooping up seats from fans who, for a variety of reasons — friends have bailed, spouse took ill — need to unload them. The scalper then turns around and sells it at the largest markup the market can bear, which is often below face value.”