A Comprehensive Explanation of the STARTO Ticket Resale Issue: The Reality of Random Distribution, Numbered Sales, and QR Code Transactions, and the Legal Risks Involved

2. Basic Flow for Obtaining STARTO Tickets

• FC Pre-Lottery → Notification of Results → QR Issuance via Smartphone App

• Seats are hidden until just before entry (to prevent reselling)

• Pre-registration of companions is also required, with face recognition or ID verification conducted
  Even with such mechanisms, reselling survives by "changing its form."corporate.starto.jp

3. Four Psychological Reasons Fans Turn to Reselling

1. Securing Good Seats

   • Applying multiple times with the same name plus family names, "releasing all but the best seats."
     
     

2. Recouping Travel and Merchandise Costs

   • Due to rising transportation and accommodation costs, selling at "face value + α" to effectively have zero net cost.
     
     

3. Creating funds for supporting activities

   • Generating funds for purchasing other content.
     
     

4. Sudden schedule changes

   • Since the resale window at face value is lottery-based, it flows into "high-value transactions with guaranteed buyers."
     The gap between supply and demand, high profits, and the ease of online transactions are the background factors.sedori.co.jpshakes.co.jp

4. What is random distribution

• A method where the winner's serial number is assigned "randomly".

• Even when distributing tickets to companions after the fan club lottery, they are handed over with seats unspecified, so resale sites list them as "FC advance/seat unspecified/random distribution."

• While there is a chance of hitting a popular area,there is a high risk of getting obstructed view seats or standing room.detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jpdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp

4-1 Transaction prices for randomly distributed tickets

Generally, prices are highest for "seat confirmed > random > production release seats" in that order. Even random tickets can soar in price because the gamble of "possibly getting a good seat" stimulates buyer psychology.

5. What is selling by number

• A practice of transferring tickets won under multiple names in order of "number" priority.

  • Example: 2nd in line out of 2 names → meaning "enter the better seat if it's the first in line, and transfer the remaining."detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jpdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp
    
    

• Buyers face a high risk as seats are not confirmed until the day of the event, but with the possibility of front-row seats, they tend to be traded at high prices.

6. The mechanism and risks of transferring by QR code

• The method of lending/selling an account along with the QR code issued via a smartphone app.

• Typical example of fraud: After the transfer, the seller "reissues" the QR code to invalidate it, preventing the buyer from entering.johnnysgoods-kaitori.jp

7. "Why doesn't resale disappear despite being prohibited?" Five structural factors

1. Demand > Supply──The number of applications exceeds capacity.

2. High profit margins──Profits of several tens of thousands of yen can be obtained.

3. Online anonymity──Instant transactions via SNS and flea market apps.

4. Difficulty in applying penalties──Current law requires proof of "repeated and continuous" actions.

5. Fan culture's "tacit approval"──The logic of "for the sake of my favorite" overrides ethics.sedori.co.jpshakes.co.jp

8. STARTO and the latest industry measures

• Digital tickets × facial recognition
  
  

• Monitoring transfer counts with GPS-enabled QR codes.
  
  

• Strengthening Legal Measures

  • In October 2024 and March 2025, a request for disclosure of sender information to the Chike-Ryu administration → Disclosure order confirmed.corporate.starto.jp

  • In March 2025, the court ruled "Resale Listing = Infringement of Business Rights" (First in Japan).corporate.starto.jp

9. When a request for disclosure of sender information is received

1. An inquiry letter is sent by email (e.g., Chikejam).

2. If no objection is filed within 2 weeks, the information will be submitted to the court.

3. Based on the obtained name and address, STARTO considersclaiming damages (tens of thousands of yen or more) or criminal complaints.tomida-shimaoka.com

9-1 Possibility of Criminal Penalties

In case of violation of the "Act on Prohibition of Unauthorized Ticket Resale,"imprisonment for up to 1 year or a fine of up to 1 million yen is stipulated.gov-online.go.jp

10. Case Study: Examples of Ticket Ryuu / Ticket Jam

11. Future Prospects and Recommendations

• Immediate Issuance of Official Resale Lottery Tickets & Expansion of Resale Quotas

• The Pros and Cons of Implementing Dynamic Pricing

• Fan Education── Awareness of "Ethics in Supporting" and Legal Risks

• Platform Collaboration── Sharing of Resale Detection Algorithms

12. Conclusion

At the root of the resale problem is the fan psychology of wanting to see their favorite performers up close, and the structural shortage of tickets. The acquisition of judicial decisions by STARTO is a significant step, but as long as the supply-demand gap and online anonymity persist, the cat-and-mouse game will not end. Fans need to recognize that "easy resale = criminal risk" and utilize official resales, which in the long run, is also a way to protect their favorites.

Yahoo! Chiebukuro "What is Johnny's Random Distribution?"」 detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp