British online marketplace Viagogo said that there are "plenty of affordable Rugby World Cup tickets available on their secondary platform," according to STUFF. Viagogo has defended "inflated Rugby World Cup ticket prices being listed on a secondary market as the tournament in England nears." A single ticket for the sold out World Cup final at Twickenham on Oct. 31 was going for NZ$6,329 ($4,800) on viagogo.com. Top prices for tickets to All Blacks pool matches were listed between NZ$800 and NZ$2,000. In a supply and demand market "that will shrink as September kick-off draws nearer there are fears from fans that prices will continue to get exploited." Viagogo on Wednesday moved to allay those fears, "claiming the listed prices don't always turn into reality." It was in the interest of the sellers to set a "competitive asking price." Viagogo spokesperson Alex Levenson said, "Sellers can list tickets at any price, but high prices rarely sell as they can be compared with others at lower prices. The reality is that around half the tickets sold on viagogo are priced at or below face value" (STUFF, 1/21).
