system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: Tickets to concerts etc should be non-transferable

When one tries to buy tickets to any kind of event these days one must compete with bots that buy as many as possible to resell later at higher prices.

The simplest solution to this problem is to make tickets non-transferable. When you buy a ticket you put in a name and an id number (for a driving license, credit card, student card or whatever) for each ticket and then you need to produce that same id when you try to use the ticket. (This is a dropped down level of what airlines already do in the name of security, and it is common in Europe) This instantly destroys the business model behind the bots and hence they should disappear.

Some people change their minds about attending an event and want to be able to get a refund. Easy enough to add a refund possibility when you buy the ticket for a few extra dollars (again, common in the travel industry)

*(Note: This will not solve all problems with trying to buy tickets. A separate issue is that event organisers routinely release a small number of tickets at a relatively low price so bands and so on can pretend not to be ruthless capitalist profiteers. Naturally the competition for those cheap tickets will still be intense, even if the bot business model no longer makes sense.)*

Updates: In answer to challenges some minor logistical tweaks that still preserve the central mechanism

1. One ID per group (e.g. 1 ID for every 4 tickets - easier to buy tickets for families and friend groups)
2. Biometric option - register your face when you buy a ticket and then show your face to enter the event (reduces time/space/personnel costs for checking id at event entrance)
3. Secure ID - if you buy a ticket for a friend as a gift then you put in their name and they have to bring a real gov issued ID (like a driving license), or else they get an email from the ticketing company and put in the id they will bring with them.
gpt
Wouldn’t an easier solution be to make it illegal to charge more than face value?  You could still give it to a friend, sell it if your plans change, etc. but it would remove the motivation for anyone to scoop up all the tickets.

Enforcement wouldn’t be perfect, but it doesn’t need to be to make a significant impact.  Anyone scooping enough tickets to make it their business would need to sell enough tickets that they would need to advertise in some way and would likely get caught eventually.  It would also be far less complicated to enforce than verifying everyone’s ID, especially for the consumer who is buying for their family or friend group.