18-year-old concert ticket "scalper" refuses to give or sell Taylor Swift concert tickets to his 19-year old girlfriend, choosing instead to sell them for double what he paid: 'She ended in tears when I told her I wanted to sell the remaining two tickets'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Nov 6, 2024 6:00 PM EST

It remains a fact that if you actually cared for the person you were dating and held in your hand the chance to do something that would make them immeasurably happy—and you'd be a certain kind of evil for not doing it at the chance to pursue an unethical profit, especially when the way you're choosing to make that profit is derided by the masses. Ticket scalping is just one of those things that offer no value, allowing the entitled and uncaring a way to turn a profit and personal gain off a terrible system.

Back in 2023, this now 18-year-old saw a chance and took it. He could see how popular and hotly contested tickets for Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" were becoming and decided to take a stab and see if he could win the ticket lottery and secure some tickets of his own to sell for profit at a later date. Now, in 2024, he had been dating his girlfriend for 5 months when, back in July, she learned about the tickets. Having tried and failed to get tickets herself, she was desperate to get them from him, offering to pay face value to take the tickets off his hands. 

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  • You might be thinking that asking her to pay for both of them would even be a stretch and that it might be nicer for the young couple to go together, maybe asking her to pay for half of the costs, including the price of her own ticket. But, not only was he not interested in accepting face value for the tickets, but he had his sites set on selling them for double what he paid for them, applying frat-bro Econ 101 logic to an ethical issue and seeing nothing but dollar signs where he could have perhaps been considering his partner.

    It's been a while since I've seen an opinion on one of these posts that was so resoundingly one-sided, and we'll be surprised if he's in a relationship for much longer after this.

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  • 02
    AITA for not selling my girlfriend Taylor Swift tickets? In Spring 2023 I (18M) got a pre- sale code and managed to snag 4 tickets for around 700 dollars for a Taylor Swift show. I listen to Taylor casually and enjoy her music but I wouldn't consider myself a "Swiftie". From my perspective, Taylor Swift tickets
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  • 03
    were all anyone was talking about at the time. However, from my sibling's (22M) perspective, I had only registered for a pre-sale code because of his talking about it and felt that he deserved the 4 tickets. This was when I was still in high school and living with my parents. My parents told me to give him 2 of the tickets and I agreed reluctantly but it was hard to say no when you are a high schooler living under the same roof as your parents. Despite disagreeing I accepted the circumstances an
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  • 04
    I moved to a different city in September 2023 for university. This is where I met my girlfriend (19F) who is a huge Taylor Swift fan. We started dating in February of 2024. She almost exclusively listens to Taylor Swift's music and is always watching live streams to follow the show. She has been dying to see the show and tried to get codes but did not get tickets. She
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  • 05
    thought since that I bought them at face value, she wanted to pay me at face value and we could go see Taylor together. She ended in tears when I told her I wanted to sell the remaining two tickets and told me that if she were in my position she wouldn't hesitate to give her tickets to someone if she loved them.
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  • 06
    As many of you know the prices of Taylor Swift tickets are insanely high. If I sell the two tickets it would be close to $6000 and cover one term of my university tuition. I'm by no means struggling financially, I have student loans, and my parents are supporting me through university. But for me,
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    there is no way I can rationalize choosing to go to a concert over $6000 of financial security/freedom. In my mind, there is just so much more you can do by spending that money on other things. But my gf sees the tradeoff to just be the face value of 100-200 dollars per ticket which she would happily pay in exchange for seeing her favorite artist with me. Has my Econ 101 class brainwashed me into thinking about opportunity cost?
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    Note: This was an argument we had in July (5 months into dating) EDIT: I will admit that not mentioning it to my girlfriend may have been the right thing to do. It felt hard at the moment because I was venting about the situation with my family and it came up I also didn't feel like I should be hiding something like that from my s/o. But yeah this is probably something I should have done better.
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  • 09
    I also just wanted to clarify that I fully intended to attend the concert with some friends as well as my brother but I ended up moving away for college and I didn't want to travel back home, especially right before finals at school. Am I the Ah le for not selling my Taylor tickets to my girlfriend?
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  • 10
    OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the a h le: (1) Refusing to sell Taylor Swift tickets to my gf at face value (2) Might make the a hole because I'm refusing to do something that would make my s/o extremely happy for my own benefit
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    Unhappy-End-5181 3h ago • She's offered to buy them, not just be given, and you do like her? They are your tickets to do whatever you want (except the two you gave to your brother), but I could see you being single if you do sell them to anyone but her. But I'm going to say YTA because you seem to have only bought them to scalp. And scalpers are parasites
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  • 12
    Downess 3h ago. YTA not because you bought the tickets and didn't want to share, but because you bought the tickets, then waved them in everyone's face as though saying "I got these and you can't have them".
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  • 13
    If you were just going to buy them and resell them, then you didn't need to tell anyone you had them (especially before you sold them). Just sell them and keep the cash. Your brother and your girlfriend don't need to know about your personal finances.
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  • 14
    But no, you couldn't do that. You had to tell everyone you had them and weren't going to use them, and they couldn't have them. Your parents were right to make you give your brother the tickets. Your girlfriend is right as well - not because she's entitled, but because you're just being cruel by waving a ticket in front of her face and then selling it. This is how someone who is very immature behaves. If I were your girlfriend, I'd dump you.
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  • 15
    ThievingRock . 2h ago YTA for being a scalper. That's gross. Do better. You're also TA for bragging to your Swiftie girlfriend that you have two tickets to a concert... And you won't go with her, even if she buys the second ticket, because you'd rather be a scalper than enjoy a once-in-a- lifetime event with a girl you're supposed to at least like, if not love.
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    And finally, yes, your econ class has brainwashed you. I get it, you're gonna be a Big Finance Bro one day and you figured you might as well pick up the personality now. You're eight weeks into Econ101, so you're basically an expert. But one day you'll realise that money isn't everything. Dollars won't hold you when you're sad, they won't be at your funeral, and they won't remember you when. you're gone. If you keep choosing dollars over loved ones, those dollars will be all you have.
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  • 17
    discobrad85 • 3h ago. YTA for buying tickets purely to take advantage of idiots that will spend that much money in desperation
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  • 18
    Curious-Mousse2071 3h ago • . info: Why did you spend 700$ to get tickets to a concert for a artist you don't even like that much. One I could see, but why 4 of them? Unless it was to sell at a inflated price when they were worth more aka scalping.
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  • 19
    . quick_justice 3h ago. Your economy understanding sks, or you don't value this relationships. In this case your questions is - are relationships with my girlfriend worth 10,000? And how much a great joint time at concert with her is worth? Still, seen you are a scalper you suck, you take experience from genuine fans like your girlfriend to extort money you didn't earn. YTA
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  • 20
    RosyClearwater • 3h ago • YTA. You know she's a swiftie and would want to go. Why would you tell her about them if you didn't intend to take her?
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  • 21
    Joy_M123 . 3h ago. YTA She offered to buy the - tickets and you preferred to resale. And I'm 99% sure she's going to break up with you over that, as I also would
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  • 22
    chatnoire89 • 3h ago • I am not a Swiftie and I don't like concerts. I am also not rich so I totally would sell the tickets if I were you. However, if you know your GF is a huge Swiftie, why would you tell her you have those tickets if you're not going to sell/share it to/with her? In this regards, it just seems you're rubbing it in her face and for that, YTA.
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    No-Flamingo3283 • 3h ago . YTA, not for not selling your GF tickets, but because you're a parasitical scalper.
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    neogreenlantern • 3h ago. YTA because scalpers are
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    Comfortable_End_... YTA. Scalpers 3h ago . And you're putting money over your gf, so clearly she doesn't mean that much to you.
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  • 26
    eebibeeb 3h ago • YTA, mostly for participating in scalping, but I would be so hurt if my bf could've taken me to a once in a lifetime experience I've been thinking about for years, and didn't purely out of greed. I'd be really questioning their character
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  • 27
    whatthefox70 • 3h ago. Is she your ex-girlfriend now? Because if you did this to me, I would have dumped you on the spot.
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  • 28
    Shortestbreath • 3h ago. YTA for being a scalper.
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  • 29
    xconn420 3h ago • . YTA. Hard to believe she's still your girlfriend.
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    • alaskanlights 3h ago. YTA for mentioning it to her and you'll be a bigger AH for selling the tickets for 3k each.
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  • 31
    DJ_Mixalot • 3h ago YTA for the bragging AND the scalping.
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  • 32
    alien_overlord_1001 • 2h ago • YTA. First, for being a scalper. I will refrain from saying what I think of them. Second, you are waving these tickets in peoples faces, knowing full well they desperately want one. You already lost two of them to your brother because you bragged about it, and now you are bragging about it to your girlfriend - who you very well know is a huge fan - don't be surprised if she isn't your girlfriend after you sell those tickets. Enjoy your money.
    via Icy-Flamingo2570

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