By Bill Wilson Business reporter, BBC News

The England v South Africa Rugby World Cup final is a sell-out

The last of the tickets for the Rugby World Cup final have gone, and England fans who want to be there for the big game will be turning their minds to how they can get into Stade de France on Saturday night.

The International Rugby Board has said that any tickets that are returned will be sold on their website but in reality the chances of any turning up are slim to non-existent.

So, try a ticket tout or back street agency? It is very expensive and, as has been seen in the past, the seller might not even have any tickets.

Ebay? Again, likely to be very expensive, and time is running short to arrange to collect the tickets.

That leaves the relatively new phenomenon of secondary ticketing brokers, which have appeared in the UK and European mainland over the past 18 months or so.

'Natural fit'

It is an idea that started in the US, whereby sellers of spare tickets are put in touch with those wanting to buy tickets, with the broker taking a cut or fee from both the buyer and seller.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Buyer selects event and seat Pays through broker's system Broker tracks ticket delivery If seller lets buyer down, broker seeks out replacement tickets

It is very handy if you have a South Africa v USA ticket but really need an England v Samoa ticket, or vice versa.

Some of the names taking a lead in the secondary ticketing market are Viagogo, Get Me In!, Stubhub and Seatwave.

Tickets for the Rugby World Cup final are selling for between �935 and �3,400 a seat on Seatwave, and between �900 and �1,700 on rival Viagogo.

Other matches were cheaper: tickets for the South Africa v Portugal group game were sold at �5 on one site, and �185 tickets for the South Africa v Argentina semi-final were selling for �100.

"Secondary ticketing has a natural fit with the market for a number of reasons," says Joe Cohen, founder of the Seatwave website and formerly of primary ticketing outlet Ticketmaster, pointing out that it is a market that exists for a short period of time before big events so an efficient and speedy system is vital.

The system helps both people who bought tickets on spec, who then cannot go for various reasons, and those who decide last minute that they want to go.

Simple solution

So how does it work?

However the actual legal status of secondary ticketing sites remains murky - something that the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee inquiry into ticket touting is looking at.

It is hard for any individual to get the sufficient number of tickets to turn it into a vocation Joe Cohen, founder, Seatwave

The seller of the ticket pays a commission and the ticket exchange offers guarantees that there is actually a ticket for sale and penalises the seller if they renege on a deal.

The seller has to register a credit or debit card in advance, and if they fail to provide a ticket then the broker deducts money to buy the seller a replacement ticket.

Sellers are sent a pack that includes a registered mail envelope and label with the buyer's address, for ticket delivery. the broker has the registered mail number and tracks the delivery.

Typically, 15% of its tickets are sold at below face value, about 15% at face value, and the remaining 70% at a premium.

Ticket touting?

They are concerned at the prospect of a legitimate market developing for ticket-touting, particularly as most secondary ticket exchange activity takes place online.

There will be no shortage of buyers for Rugby World Cup final tickets

The committee is set to report in November.

Mr Cohen rejects the assertion that sites such as his encourage ticket touting and speculation, with people buying up large amounts of tickets to sell on at profit.

"You have to remember tickets are being sold over a short period of time," he says.

"It is hard for any individual to get the sufficient number of tickets to turn it into a vocation.

"I am not denying people might make a hobby of it, and make a few pounds, but not on a mass scale."

Mr Cohen sees himself as a liberator who is breaking the established "cartel control" of tickets for big events and believes "sports organising bodies [that] associate secondary ticketing with touting" are wrong.

The broker insists that government regulation of the activities of firms such as his is not required, and the government agrees, having indicated that it would prefer the sports and entertainment industry to self-regulate.

"Voluntary agreement with the secondary market for suitably designated events would be preferable," the Department of Culture Media and Sport recently said.