Yes yes we’ve all heard the joke about Jackson Five’s reunion tour – now with 20% off all ticket prices but I have to admit the first thing I thought about when I got my first ‘Michael Jackson has died’ text was… “What about the eBay buyers?”

We all know that when big concerts are on – you can always get over priced tickets on eBay for around 300% face value. But when things like this happen – and 50 tour dates are cancelled at the O2 arena – who will refund the eBayers?

Well – eBay have have issued the following announcement:

The sad news of Michael Jackson’s death has left fans of the King of Pop bereft. eBay is committed to ensuring that no buyer is left out of pocket as a result of the unique nature of the event, and will ensure all buyers on the site can receive a full refund for their ticket purchase.

On this basis, eBay and PayPal is extending its Buyer Protection to all Michael Jackson concert ticket purchases bought on eBay. The company will also help sellers by refunding eBay’s sales commission when they refund buyers for Michael Jackson ticket sales.

Final details of how buyers and sellers can work with eBay and PayPal will be announced early next week. See here for more details: http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200906271249112.html

I think eBay have to be congratulated on this occasion for their prompt and effective strategy on refunds. I bet quite a few buyers are now resting easier… though not so many sellers who are losing their huge profits

Kate xo