We couldn't get Taylor Swift tickets, but this scalper selling 1 for $3,500 did

It was almost noon, but instead of heading for lunch, many of my colleagues were glued to their screens.

The Taylor Swift ticket presale for UOB cardholders would begin in a few minutes, and even our CEO joined in, giving them advice on how to maximise their chances of getting tickets.

"At around 11.50am, the site had a loading error, but all's good and I managed to get in at 12," Yuki told me.

Claudia had the same issue: "I tried to log into my Ticketmaster account but I kept getting the error message, so I just gave up and entered the holding area first."

For those who didn't have UOB cards of their own, they were borrowing their parents', friends' or even significant others'.

But with queue numbers ranging from 123,754 to 897,659, many didn't manage to get tickets in the end.

"I am Cat 7 — sitting outside the stadium," a dejected Claudia added.

Only two lucky colleagues, who received queue numbers in the 3,000s and 13,000s respectively, managed to snag them.

Over a million queue numbers were issued within 10 minutes, reported The Straits Times.

"I'll try again on July 7," Lyn, who didn't manage to get tickets, told me.

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General sales will start at noon that day on Ticketmaster and physically at SingPost outlets for those who pre-registered and have received a code. Ticket prices range from $108 to $348, with VIP packages also available from $328 to $1,228.

"I'm banking on my friends getting them," Amierul said. "There's still general sales so fingers crossed!"

Taylor Swift performs at the Singapore National Stadium for six nights on March 2 to 4 and 7 to 9, 2024.

Meanwhile, scalpers have already started selling their tickets on Carousell.

One seller had their listing up at around 1pm, selling four VIP tickets for a total of $3,888. It is unclear which VIP package they bought.

The Carousell user claimed: "I'm diagnosed with terminal illness and my doctor told me I may not make it past 2023."

They added that they were selling off their tickets to pay for a Disneyland trip and buyers' "money will be [used] for a good cause".

The listing has since been deleted.

Others are selling Cat 3 tickets (which have a retail price of $288) for $750, Cat 1 tickets (originally $348) for $900 or VIP tickets (retailing $1,228) for $3,000 each.

One listing, which only states that the seller has "good seats", is going for $3,500.

A Coldplay fan is even trying their luck at trading a newly-bought Taylor Swift ticket for one to the band's shows in Singapore in January next year.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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