Billie Eilish resale tickets going for five times the original price

Tuesday 01 July 2025 6:22 pm
 |  Updated: 

Tuesday 01 July 2025 6:51 pm

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London’s ticket resale market has spiralled out of control this summer, with fans facing astronomical markups on concert tickets and a growing wave of scams, according to new research from O2.

Analysing over 1,000 resale listings across major platforms, O2 found Diana Ross tickets listed at 490 per cent above their original price.

Billie Eilish resale tickets followed closely at 488 per cent, with Lady Gaga’s commanding a 418 per cent markup.

Even stalwarts like Coldplay and Oasis haven’t escaped, with prices inflated by 300 to 347 per cent over face value.

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One of the most extreme cases saw a £97 ticket relisted for over £1,200 – a staggering 1,149 per cent increase.

But these aren’t isolated incidents. O2’s report highlighted the dominance of professional touts, with over 82 per cent of Billie Eilish resale tickets posted by sellers moving over 100 tickets a year.

These large-scale operators are driving the inflated prices and squeezing genuine fans out of the market.

That’s why O2 is calling on the government to introduce a 10 per cent price cap on resale tickets as part of its ‘stamp it out’ campaign, warning that “touts are making around £145m a year off the back of music fans”.

A bruised sector

Nationally, ticket fraud has jumped nearly 50 per cent in the last year, with reports peaking in June and July – the heart of the live music season.

The issue has caught the attention of regulators. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised concerns over how Ticketmaster promoted its “platinum” tickets, which in some cases were being sold for three times the regular price without offering any added value.

O2 and other campaigners are calling for better transparency, stricter rules on resale, and smarter technology to stop bots and bulk buyers dominating the market.

Their ‘stamp it out’ campaign offers advice to fans trying to navigate the resale market safely.

Without meaningful reform, London’s music lovers face a summer of inflated prices and risky purchases, while professional touts continue to cash in unchecked.