Feelings are running high over the re-sale of tickets for Saturday's Grand Slam clash with Ireland.

On Tuesday morning, two debenture tickets for the championship game at the Millennium Stadium went for �730.

This is one example of dozens changing hands on internet auction sites.

Fans are said to be upset at the profiteering and the WRU has urged people not to buy tickets from touts.

It is illegal to re-sell tickets for football games due to crowd trouble fears but the same rule does not apply to rugby.

Is it unethical to sell any tickets for vast profit in this manner or is it simply a case of market forces taking over?

Below are a selection of your responses:

You don't have to buy them? So whats all the fuss about. If your stupid enough to pay �730 thats your fault!
Tom Woollam, Cardiff, Wales

I have found myself unable to attend several games in the past and have sold on my tickets either for face value or gratis. However, it has to be said, only to true rugby fans. I thought that there was still a policy in clubs that anyone found to have passed on their tickets for profit had their personal/club allocation reduced. I would much prefer be in a stadium full of rugby fans and not just those who wants to say 'I was there'.
Colin HR, Edinburgh

That's life I guess. I would rather them be that expensive than less then the original price as it is a reflection of how good Wales are playing.
Daniel Jones, Cardiff

Touts are parasites pure and simple, simply adding a layer between seller and buying to cream off a nice profit for themselves. What value do they add? If they didn't scoop up the tickets in the first place then people who wanted the tickets could get them at the proper price.
dave j, London

I bought a ticket off 'ebay' for the game in Paris,which had been issued to the WRU.The same seller had 12 tickets on sale for the Ireland game.They all went for over �250... I can supply a copy of my Paris ticket to the WRU if they want to follow this up. Steven Jackson, Mold

Every year the same people whinge at not being able to get tickets. If they were serious rugby suporters, they would be members of their local clubs and then they could apply for some.
Phil Nethercott, Barry, Wales

Interesting in the number of eBay auctions, that end AFTER the game is played! Amazingly, people are bidding on the items. One of the auctions doesn't finish until TUESDAY 22nd April ... looks like a winner to me.
Alan, Wrexham

I think it is wrong to sell tickets over the internet, If they did not want them in the first place then why did they deprive someone who did want them for purchasing them at the correct price.
Gill Wallace, Cardiff

I bought a ticket off 'ebay' for the game in Paris,which had been issued to the WRU.The same seller had 12 tickets on sale for the Ireland game.They all went for over �250.This guy made �3000 from obvious abuse of an allocation.I can supply a copy of my Paris ticket to the WRU if they want to follow this up.
Steven Jackson, Mold North Wales

If you want a chance at getting a ticket for an international...join your local rugby club. At worst you can put your name "in the hat" for a ticket. At best you might even begin to attend grassroots rugby games and put some much needed cash into the coffers of the clubs. Then you can call yourself a rugby fan. If you don't get a ticket, watch it in a pub and support your local landlord. If you can't afford a pint, watch it at home with the kids and get them enthused about the great game. If you haven't got kids enjoy the game in the peace and comfort of your living room. So you see, if you love rugby you can't lose!
Essex Havard, Cardiff, Wales

Yes it is wrong. They are being sold for extortionate prices. I'd love to watch the final at Cardiff, but i wouldn't dream of paying that much money for a ticket. Helen Morris, Neath

I believe the practice is wrong, but understandable. As a Wales fan of many years, I find it almost impossible to obtain tickets through official channels. Corporate ticket sales and the "closed shop" prevent thousands of devoted fans from attending games and potentially drive us into the hands of touts. The WRU must take some of the responsibility for this as the corporate ticket sales distort true market values and rob real fans of the game the opportunity to support their team. It also makes me really angry that due to inefficiencies in ticket sales, there are occasions when stadia are not even full to capacity (e.g. Murrayfield last weekend). I could not get tickets!!!!
Guy Edwards, Swindon, England

There is a system for this. On the ticket is the name of the club it was issued through. If it ends up with a tout and the buyer reports it to the RFU the guilty club can have it's ticket allocation suspended for a period. I am not sure if this system operates in Wales but I seem to recall it did. Anybody posting here about "capitalism and the free market" really ought to think about what they are really saying.
Gavin Curnow, Devizes

I'm disgusted that tickets sold don't end in fans hands , but the WRU should look into the allocation at club level where most of these tickets come from and the hospitality industry they sell too who also do very nicely out of this closed shop arrangement. Its a shame that fans who travel around Europe spend money on travel and tickets (mostly at face value) are now forced onto e-bay or miss out on the atmosphere of this unique occasion. Shame on you , RWU !
Glyn Jones, Pangbourne - Berks

Yes it is wrong. They are being sold for extortionate prices. I'd love to watch the final at Cardiff, but i wouldn't dream of paying that much money for a ticket. People are eager to see the game and greedy people take advantage of people online by selling the tickets at so high a price.
Helen Morris, Neath

For an ordinary rugby fan buying from a resale is the ONLY option available if you actually want to see a specific match. Nick, London

I was a regular attender of international rugby matches but have been priced out of it by sky high admission costs and lack of available tickets thanks to greedy corporate hospitality. Well done those who are making some money back to those daft and greedy enough to pay the inflated costs. It's bad enough watching Scotland's current team on TV without being charged extortionate prices!!
Jack, Edinburgh

It is not the issue of reselling genuine tickets, but the window of opportunity that this opens for forged tickets to be sold. To make reselling illegal ideally makes it impossible to purchase a fake and if you do, on your own head be it.
Mark Jones, Swansea

Nothing wrong with making profit, but NOT at the expense of the real supporters most of who can't afford the prices touts ask. Extreme example would be a millionaire buying all the tickets and selling them to the super rich only, everyone else (who really want to go) can't because of the action of one. How would you feel if your landlord sold the house you rent and the new landlord doubles the rent saying he can because the house is theirs now?
Mark, Wheathampstead

For an ordinary rugby fan buying from a resale is the ONLY option available if you actually want to see a specific match.
Nick, London, UK

Why is it OK to buy a house at �50,000 & sell it for �100,000, but wrong to do the same with rugby tickets? The RFU are certainly happy enough to make a huge profit selling tickets for "corporate hospitality"- why are they the only ones allowed to make a profit?
Peter, Nottingham

Personally, I think its a case of supply meeting demand. If people are foolish enough to pay over the odds for tickets, more fool them. I had tickets for myself and the kids to watch Steps a few years ago, they didn't want go so I went on my own and sold the other ticket on the door. I lost out on a �10 but was happy enough, H was fantastic.
Roger Jones, Great Yarmouth, UK

The WRU have made it clear that they are more concerned about money than either the game of rugby union or its supporters: Witness the totally cynical culling of the Celtic Warriors. All those who sell tickets on are doing is following the example set by David Moffett and the WRU.
John, Cardiff

To sell tickets more than the price that the IRB state should not be allowed in the game and the IRB should take action against the WRU so recommending prices like that as it is not good for the game no matter what game it is
Will Velida, Andover

Is it wrong to sell ANYTHING for a profit? The answer in this case is no. If there a people desperate enough to want to go, then there will be an opportunity to cash in on that need. It's not wrong just savvy! Jan Cordani, USA

Selling tickets on for a profit is not true to the ethos of rugby. I had 4 tickets for the 1990 Gland Slam decider, but ended up with 2 spare. I'm proud to say that I sold them both at face value (although I did get rather drunk at the buyer's expense). In the early 90s, I witnessed a tout getting a good shoeing outside Parc de Prince for trying to sell at a grossly inflated price. I was pleased to see the gendarme standing by to let him get what he deserved.
AP, Edinburgh

If someone can't go to the game and sells their ticket for more than face value then fair enough. I do object, however, to people deliberately buying more tickets than they need with the sole intention of selling them for profit to, for example, cover the price of the tickets they use.
Powell, Wales

Is it wrong to sell ANYTHING for a profit? The answer in this case is no. If there a people desperate enough to want to go, then there will be an opportunity to cash in on that need. It's not wrong just savvy !
Jan Cordani, USA

If the price is too high then people will not pay it. If they're willing to pay �70 for a designer T-shirt that costs �4 to manufacture and import then by definition they must be willing to pay �730 for a rugby ticket. It's just another designer label, which only means you're paying way over the odds for something no more expensive to make than any other brand. The only people complaining are those that want to go, but who choose not to pay the fair, open, market price that satisfies both buyers and sellers.
Stephen Brooks, York, England

I can't believe anyone would pay those prices, people should be careful when buying them because we had a situation in our company where the company Raffles off a couple of tickets to its employees, the tickets were some how stolen and sold on but had replacement tickets sent back to the company, so when the winners went to the match the people with the stolen tickets were asked to leave and one couple had paid �800 for two tickets.
Phil, Cardiff

Good - and more of it! Fans are stupid and will pay anything which is why we now have these over-paid sportsmen. If touts are making money off the fans too then I see nothing wrong with that. Perhaps one day people might wake up and realise all sport is a rip off.
Cameron, UK

If only these touters worked for the WRU, their dent would be cleared very quickly
Rhys, Ystalyfera

Why is it that all the "real fans" always claim they have no chance of getting a ticket. The tickets are made available through rugby clubs to their members. Why are these "real fans" banned from joining rugby clubs? or is it that they only want to watch international matches and not the bread and butter of club rugby week in week out, I wonder who the "real fans" really are?
Geoff Evans, Brecon, Wales

I applied to the Millennium Stadium in September 2004 for tickets for the Wales vs England match in February, I was told they would be on the web site when available. They never became available but i could buy them on the internet for �2-300 - HOW! Make tickets available from the ticket office only then all supporters have a fair crack at the whip.
David Pethers, Henley on Thames, UK

If you are stupid enough to pay a tout massively over the odds to watch less than an hour & a half of rugby, then more fool you. If people didn't buy at inflated prices off touts there would be no touts and hence no debate. Anyway, it's not much different than the inflated prices charged in the first place: the market gets what it demands. It's almost like the Lotto: "a tax on stupidity".
Rob, UK

If I had some tickets and thought I could get �730 for them, I'd certainly do it! Ethics are all very well, but I'd sooner take the cash, thank you.
Christy, Newcastle, UK

As much as a detest ticket touts, Rugby simply doesn't attract the same kind of trouble football does from so called 'fans'. To ban ticket resale the same way as football seems unfair as it lets the other touts who sell over priced tickets for gigs/festivals get away with it.
Tracey, Bristol, UK

Why don't stadiums adopt the same principle as with flights, and only have e-tickets? when you turn up to the ground, you can swipe your credit card, as proof of sale/purchase. Alex Watson, Dusseldorf

People who get a ticket are in a privileged position, especially as most clubs get so little allocation and so those whose name comes out of the hat are very lucky. The WRU should take strong action against those who sell on for profit, they should give the ticket back if they have no intention of going. The same should happen if tickets for debentures are up for sale, unless of course the money goes to charity.
Simone, Cardiff

I can't believe anyone with a ticket would sell. Surely to be able to say "I was there when Wales won a Grand Slam" has to be worth more than money. I suppose where there is big money to be made some people will always sell-out, but it is unethical and should be legally wrong.
David, Bridgend

If tickets are sold by debenture holders for above face value they should lose their debenture with no refund
Carl, Cardiff Wales

When I played rugby (small club in w. Wales), playing members who'd bought tickets were expected to return with the stubs after the match. Disciplinary action would be taken against members who'd sold-on their tickets. Ticket allocation needs to be controlled if the proceeds of Welsh matches are to be kept in Welsh rugby.
Haydn, Wimbledon, UK

I am fed up with the pious attitude of many. Anyone who says they wouldn't make money if it was legally possible should reconsider. If you want to go but can't, I can't see anything wrong with it. If you are doing it purely for profit, so long as it is legal and people are prepared to pay the extra, I say 'good on you!'. I feel it is just a matter of the green eyed monster creeping in. 'If I can't have it, why should you?' We are a Capitalist country at heart, so love it or hate it, it's the way of the world.
Karen Smith, London, UK

If people didn't buy the tickets from touts then the trade would dry up. I hate going to Cardiff and the first thing i hear is some tout shouting "buy or sell tickets" and i know lots of people who feel the same. It takes something away from the day. Rhys, Narberth

Why don't stadiums adopt the same principle as with flights, and only have e-tickets? when you turn up to the ground, you can swipe your credit card, as proof of sale/purchase. Therefore, if you have to cancel, the ticket goes back on sale at face value. This would also reduce the risk of forgeries etc.
Alex Watson, Dusseldorf, Germany

As a fanatic Welsh rugby fan for over 40 years there have been many occasions that I have not been able to obtain a ticket, but I have travelled to Cardiff and purchased one on the street or in pubs, often paying over face value. It is my decision whether or not to do so. It is categorically not a case of selling to a non-fan. If you want something badly enough you must be prepared to pay for it. It is purely personal choice.
Davies, Suffolk

I think its totally wrong to re-sell tickets at inflated prices, but then again it's supply and demand. If people didn't buy the tickets from touts then the trade would dry up. I hate going to Cardiff and the first thing i hear is some tout shouting "buy or sell tickets" and i know lots of people who feel the same. It takes something away from the day, I always feel good when i hear of "proper" rugby fans who happen to have a spare ticket selling them to other fans at face value, although i have heard of touts pretending to be fans and buying tickets to sell on, which again is wrong!
Rhys, Narberth

How could it be wrong? It's a capitalist country. It's just supply and demand. People pay way over value for Gucci handbags, so why not for sport tickets? They are luxury goods, we don't need them, people can decide for themselves how much they are prepared to pay.
Malcolm, Wirral, UK

How do these people obtain tickets they don't even want when genuine fans of the game miss out?? So long as there are people that are willing to pay these stupid amounts for tickets then these touts will continue to profit from it! I'd rather place �360 on Wales to win the Grand Slam and watch the match in a local pub than spend that amount on a ticket, at least you have a chance of winning something!
Dan Jones, Cardiff

Yes it's unethical and outside the spirit of the game. Tickets should be available to genuine fans not touts. I have bought and sold tickets before, and only at face value and to genuine fans. Its not right.
Richard Davies, Swansea

Where as I would not pay over inflated prices for tickets, I feel its a case of supply and demand. It is unethical, but touting will prevail for as long as people are prepared to hand over the asking price.
Chris, Swansea Wales

If tickets were available to the general public as opposed to the cliques of rugby club members, then the demand for touted tickets would not be as great, and the problem will improve dramatically.
Peter Morgan, Llanelli, Wales

It is totally wrong to re-sell these tickets above face value. I would not be surprised if it is the clubs that are selling their allocation of tickets to pay for players!! Give normal people a chance of supporting their country
M Evans, Neath