Scalping, camping and passing: three things given one name

Scalping

Scalping means buying tickets nobody ordered, holding them, and selling above face value once they are scarce. The scalper serves no particular customer at the moment of purchase — they buy to speculate.

That is why it draws objections: it takes tickets away from people who want to attend, manufactures scarcity, then sells that scarcity back. The price a fan finally pays is higher than the artist and the promoter set.

Legal treatment varies by country, but nearly every organiser forbids it in their terms and reserves the right to void a resold ticket.

Camping

Camping means buying to an order placed beforehand. The customer says which show, which tier and how many before the sale opens. The ticket is bought for that person at face value; what they pay on top is a fee for the work, not a markup on the ticket.

The core difference is sequence: camping has a buyer before the ticket exists. Scalping buys first and finds a buyer after.

Passing a ticket on

Passing means handing on a ticket you bought for yourself and can no longer use — illness, a clash, a cancelled flight. Usually at face value or slightly below, to move it quickly.

It is not speculation. It still carries real risk for the buyer, because one QR code can be sent to several people and many shows forbid transfer.

Telling them apart

Three questions separate all three, whatever the seller calls themselves:

• Who was the ticket bought for? Scalping: nobody yet. Camping: a customer who ordered first. Passing: the seller themselves, at purchase.
• At what price does it change hands? Scalping: above face value. Camping: face value, with a separate service fee. Passing: at or below face value.
• Who carries the risk of failure? Scalping: no such risk, the ticket is already in hand. Camping: no ticket, no order. Passing: not applicable.

Where the line genuinely blurs

To be direct: some operations calling themselves camping services are scalping. They buy beyond their order book and sell the surplus at a markup. That happens, and it is why many people distrust every camping service on principle.

That objection is not unreasonable. It is only wrong when applied without checking. What separates the two is not the label but the three questions above.

How to check, including on us

You do not have to take anyone’s word. Ask these three before paying:

• "Is this ticket being bought for me, or already bought and resold to me?" Camping and scalping answer differently.
• "Is the ticket price exactly face value, and what is the service fee?" Both numbers should be separate and stated upfront.
• "What happens if you do not get one?" Camping means no ticket, no order. Anywhere that always has a ticket, whatever happens, is almost certainly selling stock it already holds.