Yahoo Finance Taylor Swift: Aussies making money from Swifties' weird and wonderful requests
Tens of thousands of fans will see the superstar take the stage tonight, and there's an opportunity to line your pockets.
Billionaire Taylor Swift will make a fortune from her seven sold-out Australian shows, and has even been described as driving a mini-economy, but there’s also a chance the hype surrounding the superstar could help you earn an extra buck.
Swifties getting ready for the Princess of Pop to take the stage in Melbourne tonight are flocking to AirTasker to try to score tickets or to make the most of the experience.
Among the hundreds of tasks now linked to Swift, one man has posted an ad for $1,000 for someone to find him a ticket, offering a staggering $500 on top of the ticket price just for sourcing it. A woman looking for four tickets is willing to pay an extra $750 on top of the cost of the tickets.
An Aussie father is offering $100 simply to line up at the merch stand because their flight isn’t going to get in on time.
“My daughter would be over the moon,” he said.
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Another advertisement has requested someone get four deck chairs, a picnic rug and an esky to set up and save a spot for $150, and a hairdresser has scored a $70 job giving one fan a blow dry before the event.
A person scored $200 for going to the MCG on Wednesday at 8:00am so they could purchase a t-shirt on one fan’s behalf, while another scored $20 for simply taking a photograph of the countdown clock at Barangaroo, in Sydney.
“I need to know the time it says and the time you took the photo in order to work out when a future countdown time will occur,” the poster asked.
AirTasker CEO Tim Fung said the influx was no surprise.
“Swifties are crushing it on Airtasker, and are proving yet again to be dedicated and die-hard fans. So, we weren’t surprised with the surge in tasks posted so that thousands can make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime concert experience," he told Yahoo Finance.
Taylor Swift scam warning: 'Low act'
Those still trying to land a ticket have been warned of scams on platforms like Facebook Marketplace after a surge in superfans being taken advantage of online.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a warning to fans after more than $135,000 was lost by those buying fake tickets.
“This scam is a low act, seeking to take advantage of fans, many of whom are young and are desperately trying to secure a ticket to make their dream of seeing Taylor Swift live come true,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.
The social media posts advertising seats appear to be very genuine. Someone will say they have a single ticket or several and are selling them at cost because they can no longer attend the concert.
The cheapest tickets have set fans back by $79.90, while the A Reserve seats cost $379.90. Scam sellers might even pressure you into transferring the money quickly, due to the high demand for the tickets, or ask for a bit more cash to account for changing the name of the ticket.
The ACCC said you should avoid sending money to someone you didn’t know on social media because there was a high chance you could get scammed. The best course of action is to buy tickets from an authorised ticket seller because they have systems in place to ensure you don’t become a victim.
There was a last-minute resale on Thursday, which is now sold out.
Swift will perform her three-and-a-half-hour setlist on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, before flying to Sydney for a four-night run from February 23 to 26.
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