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Out of more than 50 advertisements
posted on sites like ST701 and eBay, as well as online forums at
vr-zone.com and
singaporebikes.com, at least 36 sellers described their tickets as
'discounted', 'cheap' or 'below price'.
Most said they're selling their tickets because they can't attend
the race, for one reason or another.
The situation contrasts with what happened last year, when some
ticket-holders marked up the resale price.
Mr Michael Wong, 40, a marketing manager, said he posted an
advertisement on eBay early this month, offering two Pit
Grandstand tickets at $900 each. The most expensive seats are
those in the Green Room, which costs $3,628.
Within a week, someone bought his tickets.
The face value of Mr Wong's tickets is $1,488 each, meaning Mr
Wong had sold them at a 40 per cent discount.
But he explained he had nothing to lose as the tickets were
complimentary.
He said: 'I thought of going to the race with my wife. But I have
to travel. We can't attend the race as I also bought a
plane ticket for my wife to accompany me.
'I felt the only way to attract buyers was to give discounts,
especially when I read in the news that Singapore GP hasn't
sold out its tickets.'
Tickets to the race do not carry the buyer's name, meaning it is
transferable.
Miss Janet Lee, 23, a student who bought Mr Wong's tickets, said:
'It's value for money as the tickets are for all three
days. If I bought tickets directly from Singapore GP, $900 can
only buy a Connaught Grandstand ticket.
'There's a wow factor that comes with the Pit Grandstand as I'd
get to see technicians working on the cars during the pit
stops.'
Others like Miss Belinda Koh, 30, a civil servant, were selling at
a loss just to offload the tickets quickly.
She is offering a Padang Grandstand ticket, which normally costs
$598, at $550.
She said she bought the tickets in May but could not attend as she
received an invitation to a cousin's wedding last
month.
F1 fans who got their tickets from Singapore Grand Prix are
unhappy.
Mrs Michelle Goh, 30, who paid $598 for a Padang Grandstand ticket
when sales began in mid-April, said she should have waited.
She said: 'When I saw people selling their tickets for $550, I
scolded myself for rushing to buy the tickets.
'Singapore GP should do something. It's unfair to people who
bought tickets from the proper channels.'
Singapore GP told The New Paper that it is aware that some ticket
holders are reselling their passes. The same thing
happened last year, when some people marked up the resale price.
Its spokesman said: 'We do allow reselling at face value. But if a
reseller marks up the price, that's speculative and it
deprives real fans from watching the race.
'We recognise that people have legitimate reasons to resell their
tickets. If you sell below the face value, that's not a
problem, because it doesn't deprive anyone of the chance to watch
the race.'
Ticket sales have been slower this year because of the recession.
Only 83,000 tickets were offered for sale compared to
100,000 last year.
Singapore GP's ticketing site showed that about 8,000 seats are
still available in the grandstands, except for the
Esplanade Waterfront Grandstand.
Walkabout passes for all three days are sold out. |