The online community was recently set alight by a dramatic Facebook post recounting the financial downfall of a concert-ticket reseller who claimed to have lost more than B850,000 after speculating on demand for a major live music event. The emotional post, which quickly went viral, sparked heated debate about the ethics and risks of ticket scalping.
According to the now-deleted post, the woman and a friend jointly invested in 327 seated tickets for the Nanglen Music Festival. Each ticket cost B2,600, bringing their total investment to B850,200. The pair reportedly bought the tickets in bulk with the intention of reselling them at a higher price once demand surged closer to the concert date.
She explained that their decision was influenced by information from ticket distributors, who suggested that ticket supply would be limited. Their confidence was also bolstered by past experience, as tickets for the same festival had sold out rapidly the previous year, creating strong resale opportunities.
However, the plan quickly unravelled when event organisers released far more tickets than expected. Instead of scarcity, the market was flooded with supply. As the concert date drew nearer, hundreds of resellers found themselves in the same position, desperately undercutting one another in an effort to recover their investments.
In her post, the woman revealed that tickets purchased for B2,600 were eventually sold for as little as B200 each. Even at those rock-bottom prices, many tickets remained unsold. The losses, she said, wiped out not only their anticipated profits but also their personal savings.
Beyond the financial damage, the post detailed a severe personal toll. The woman claimed that she and her partner had pawned gold, sold personal belongings, and even financed a car to raise funds for the ticket purchases. “This lesson has made us collapse while standing,” she wrote, expressing uncertainty about how to move forward and admitting she felt emotionally overwhelmed.
She concluded her message by asking for moral support and thanking those who had offered encouragement or purchased tickets from her. She said she was writing through tears, hoping her experience might serve as a warning to others considering similar ventures.
The story spread rapidly across social media and was shared by several consumer-focused pages. Reactions were sharply divided. Many users criticised the practice of bulk-buying tickets for resale, arguing it drives up prices and harms genuine fans. Others responded with sarcasm or schadenfreude, seeing the loss as a consequence of speculative greed.
Amid the wave of criticism and mocking comments, the original Facebook post was eventually deleted. Despite its removal, the incident continues to fuel discussion about ticket scalping, market risks, and the fine line between entrepreneurship and exploitation in the digital age.
