Live 8 Tickets Sold on eBay

Bob Geldof is upset. He has organized a free concert in London to raise awareness of African poverty. The tickets were given away by lottery, but some of these tickets have wound up on eBay, (imagine that!).

"I am sick with this," Geldof said in a statement. "What eBay are doing is profiteering on the backs of the impoverished.

By the way, how many people knew who Bob Geldof was before he started his anti-poverty crusade?

eBay responds:

"We live in a free market where people can make up their own minds."
…
"A ticket to the Live 8 concert is no different from a prize won in a raffle ... and what the winner chooses to do with it is up to them."

Reselling these tickets is not forbidden under British law.

Blaming eBay for being the market for these goods is easy. But really, what did he expect? If you give valuable commodities away by lottery, they will soon reach the marketplace one way or the other. This gives people who really want to see the concert the chance to do so.

It is ridiculous for Bob Geldof to blame eBay for African poverty. They have nothing to do with it. In fact, eBay has helped many poor people sell their items for more money than they would have gotten from a pawnshop.

The curious thing about all this is that Geldof seems to be doing the Live 8 concert as a publicity stunt. Isn’t his squabble with eBay just more good publicity? Maybe Geldof isn’t really all that mad at eBay.