Retail

$10,000 ticket to see just half of the Harry Potter show

UK re-sellers profiting from Harry Potter play tickets
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UK re-sellers profiting from Harry Potter play tickets

Tickets for the smash hit theater show "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" are being re-sold online in the U.K. for a spellbinding £8,102.55 ($10,680).

The single ticket for March only buys you access to the second part of the two-part play which is currently being staged at the Palace Theatre in London.

Many fans failed to get tickets through official channels despite spending hours online attempting to secure seats, but successful ticket scalpers have been able to mark up the price on popular re-sale sites.

One such site, Viagogo, is charging a £1,912 ($2,521) booking fee to add to the £6,173 cost of the ticket. The final cherry on the cake comes in the shape of a £16 postage fee.

StubHub, owned by eBay, lists a single ticket to see both parts of the play on April 8 for £4,999 ($6,589). The original ticket had a face value of £65.

Unauthorized reselling has been criminalized in Britain for soccer since 1994 but it remains legal for plays and concerts.

However, British media are reporting that dozens of people have been turned away from the Harry Potter performances after theater staff were told to refuse entry to those who bought tickets using unauthorized retailers.

Re-sale sites state they would reimburse any rejected tickets. Viagogo and StubHub were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.


People pose for photgraphers with copies of J.K. Rowlings new book 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' during an event to mark the book launch at a mall in Chennai, India on July 31, 2016.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images