Early Morning Adventures and Ticket Reselling Issues

So there I was, standing outside a Walmart at 6 a.m. on a Wednesday. This is what being a dad to a 9-year-old looks like, I suppose. The night before, my daughter reminded me about a plain white t-shirt she needed for display in class. And, well, I hadn’t quite managed to prepare or check class emails like a responsible parent might. So, instead of running out the night before, I thought it would be smarter to go in the morning when things were likely quieter.

Upon arriving just before 6, I spotted a group of 12 to 15 young men, probably in their early to mid-20s. I suspected it had something to do with sports cards, and I turned out to be right. This was evidently their weekly ritual. The guys gathered outside Walmart, buying up all the cards on the shelf. Instead of keeping them as collectors, they flipped them for a profit on Facebook Marketplace. I was close enough to catch snippets of their conversation, where they boasted about their earnings from the previous week. Then, I heard something that really took me by surprise.

“Last week we got everything they needed,” one man said with a grin. “I grabbed it right out of the inventory cart. I was done with other guys who were just casually browsing. I flipped everything that week for $40 each.”

For those who aren’t in the know, Needohs are these fluffy, sensory cubes that have become a big hit among kids under 10. Not too long ago, you could grab one at Walmart or Target for less than $10, but now they seem to be hard to find. So, naturally, some adults are swooping in, buying them out, and reselling online. Just recently, I checked Walmart.com, and it showed all Needohs are being resold at a staggering 300-400% markup, taking advantage of kids’ FOMO in ways that just don’t sit right.

When it comes to social leeches, sports cards and fidget toys are worlds apart. Sure, it’s frustrating, but at the end of the day, nobody really “needs” these products. If we could somehow break free from that social pressure to own them, the whole game loses its steam. What’s more troubling is how resellers have infiltrated sports culture, and we’ve almost come to accept that eventually, you’ll always pay a premium for live games. If you’re seeking memories, there’s nothing like sacrificing your hard-earned money to these opportunists.

This week, the conversation around reselling and price gouging has intensified, especially with the FIFA World Cup, NBA Finals, and NHL Stanley Cup Final approaching. Each of these major events has faced challenges from these parasitic resellers.

FIFA, in particular, has faced backlash for implementing “dynamic pricing” for this year’s World Cup, setting exorbitant ticket prices that cater only to the affluent. In response, FIFA released over 77,000 general tickets through its official channels, but they were snatched up almost immediately.

Similarly, the hype around the New York Knicks making their first Finals appearance since 1999 caused resellers to buy up tickets more than a month in advance, banking on the team’s success. Now that they’ve made it, individual upper deck seats are being offered at $7,517 each. This kind of price gouging plays on the hopes of a desperate fanbase, and technology allows resellers to avoid even the pretense of being there in person with “I need tickets” signs.

It’s not just a global event issue—local teams are feeling the sting too. Just recently, both the Carolina Hurricanes and Ticketmaster had to respond to fans in Raleigh who were outraged by resellers dominating the Stanley Cup market. Seats that cost $40 to $60 during the regular season are now selling for over $1,000 each.

Whenever this scenario unfolds, both ticketing platforms and teams usually claim, “There’s nothing we can do.” Price gouging has simply become the norm, and even ticket sellers admit they feel powerless.

But does it have to be this way? Other countries tackle these issues with more success. The BOTS Act of 2016 aimed to curb online resellers of live events, but it has loopholes that allow sophisticated buyers to still use bots to grab tickets while staying technically legal.

Now, we find ourselves in a frustrating situation where attending significant games is out of reach for all but the wealthiest individuals. This reality is especially stark in the U.S., where only 16 states have outdated anti-scalping laws that do little to address online sales or price gouging. Many states have no protections whatsoever against scalping.

As for ticket sellers, they often act like they have no options, probably because they benefit substantially from this mess. Ideally, ticket platforms would block resale of their tickets entirely. However, they have a motive to encourage repeated sales, pocketing a service fee each time. The more the tickets circulate, the more profit for them, while they can conveniently shift the blame onto resellers.

Other nations offer solutions. In the UK, laws are in place to restrict ticket sales above face value, with similar regulations being considered in Canada and Australia. Countries like France, Germany, and Spain are moving in the same direction.

In contrast, the U.S. remains stagnant. Even a White House pledge from March 2025 to enforce the BOTS Act better and protect consumers from price gouging has seen no advancements. With the 2026 World Cup approaching quickly, the specter of price gouging looms large.

This situation feels fundamentally unfair. With countless fans missing out on extraordinary experiences, opportunists profit from other’s hardships. Without wealth, many children won’t get to share memorable moments at live events with their families. We’re heading toward a future where witnessing such occasions becomes impossible for those not born into affluence.

The issue is bigger than just profit from a $30 fluffy cube; it’s about undermining a cherished part of our culture. It’s crucial for all our representatives to collaborate on curbing live event price gouging, and thankfully, it’s something that could be done relatively quickly.