Local 12: ‘Treacherous’ resale market inflates Taylor Swift concert tickets
UC economics professor Iryna Topolyan explains the dynamics between buyers and sellers
Local 12 enlisted Iryna Topolyan, PhD, department head and professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, to lend context as to why tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour are so expensive.
Swift will perform before her “Swifties” at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday night. Per Local 12, fans thinking about attending one of the Cincinnati shows at the last minute will be forced to pay north of $1,000.
Iryna Topolyan, PhD, department head and professor of economics.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Topolyan said. “Of course, sellers are trying to extract as much money as they can, so, it boils down to them trying to sell it to the highest bidder.”
Swift’s partnership with Ticketmaster has created “bad blood,” with the latter’s dynamic pricing model adjusting prices based on demand.
“I would guess that we will not see tickets selling for much lower,” Topolyan noted.
According to Topolyan, consumers bear a portion of the responsibility for the high prices.
“So, essentially what we are seeing here with sky-high prices is the phenomenon of the transfer of a big chunk of the consumer surplus from the consumers to the resellers,” Topolyan explained.
Read and watch more of Topolyan’s interview with Local 12.
Featured image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Tips to avoid headaches this holiday season
December 15, 2025
A University of Cincinnati migraine expert offered a list of potential headache triggers around the holidays, and how you can try to avoid them, to 91.7 WVXU News. "There are a number of different factors that make this a very headache provocative time," said Vincent Martin, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine and director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the Gardner Neuroscience Institute.
Local couple uses royalties from children's books to give gifts to kids in need
December 15, 2025
A local couple has found a unique way to give back to those in need this holiday season. Vic and Laura Troha wrote two children's books together, and this year, they are using the proceeds to buy Christmas gifts for Hamilton County foster kids. The couple are both graduates of the University of Cincinnati's College of Allied Health Sciences and met the day they graduated.
The hottest toys this holiday season
December 15, 2025
Local 12 turned to Lindner College of Business associate professor-educator of marketing Roseann Hassey to explain what’s got the trendiest items flying off the shelves.