Shania Twain fan warns to read fine print on ticket reseller sites

A Shania Twain fan wants to warn others to read the fine print after she bought Halifax concert tickets on a U.S. ticket reseller site without realizing it.

Erdine Chisolm thought she paid about $582 Canadian for two tickets to Twain’s Halifax show in June 2023.

“I kind of went, 'Phew, that’s a little bit more than I wanted but that’s okay, I’m sure it’ll be wonderful,'" she said.

But when Chisolm saw her Visa statement, she noticed her credit card was charged a lot more for the tickets.

“$814.27,” Chisolm said.  “Well, that’s a little bit much.”

Chisolm had thought she was buying her tickets from a local ticket-seller.

It turns out she was shopping on a U.S. resale website — one where Twain tickets currently on sale were being sold for marked up prices and all prices are in U.S dollars, not Canadian. 

That means what she thought was $582 Canadian, was actually in American dollars. The currency is an important detail that eventually appears on the website before buyers purchase their tickets but doesn’t appear when buyers select their seats. Chisolm didn’t notice she was buying tickets in U.S. dollars as she filled out her contact and credit card information to make the purchase. 

“Read all of the fine print,” she warns.

When Shania Twain tickets were scooped up quickly, some resurfaced on ticket reseller sites – something that is perfectly legal to do in Nova Scotia.

When demand outpaces supply, secondary ticket markets flourish, according to Catherine Moore, an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music.

“Because some people who are actually individuals and not bots will think, 'Well, this is an opportunity. I can buy a ticket that’s face value at $200 and if I can resell it for $500, then I’m not going to go to the show,” Moore said.

Her advice is buyers beware.

“You have to be really careful of where the tickets are coming from and what the currency is you’re being charged. Whether fees are being shown or not,” Moore said. “In different jurisdictions, there are different regulations about how early in the sales process all of the fees have to be shown.”

Moore believes showing all the fees makes a difference but also believes speed is a factor as everyone is in a rush to get the tickets.

Brookes Diamond is a concert promoter in Halifax.  He notes concerts do have controls in place around how many tickets can be sold to buyers.

“Shania Twain had a limit of 8 tickets,” Diamond said. “And first come first serve.”

As for Chisolm, she’s not upset the tickets were for resale. She just wants people to warn others.

“Read all the fine print,” she said.

As for the concert, she’s still looking forward to attending.

“I just hope it’s one heck of a good concert because all terms and conditions are final,” she said.