Many Shanghai residents who have received free Expo tickets in gift packs are now making quick and easy money by selling them at a rate lower than at authorized ticket booths.

As the municipal government is distributing 2.5 million free Expo tickets to Shanghai permanent residents, the locals are keenly involved in various kinds of ticket sales for money and convenience.

More than 3,781 free tickets have been sold since June 1, according to ganji.com, a popular classified website in Shanghai.

The ticket is included in the "Expo gift pack" given by the Shanghai municipal government to thank residents for their support and understanding before and during Expo 2010 Shanghai. These tickets expire about one month after residents receive them.

Migrant workers without residence permits or household registrations in Shanghai are not entitled to the "Expo gift pack".

Most sellers said the ticket is of little use to them either because they have already visited the Expo Garden or they can't find time to go before the tickets expire.

"I wanted to sell the ticket because it was useless to me but might be useful to others," said Zhao Wenxia, a 56-year-old resident in Zhabei district.

She said she had already been to the Expo Garden during the trial operation period, and "there is no point to visit it again."

She later sold the ticket to a migrant worker at price of 120 yuan ($17.7) "for some pocket money."

Li Shuai, a lawyer in Jing'an district, said his ticket will expire by the end of July.

"I can't go because I am on a business trip until early August," he said. "So I sold it and bought a ticket for August."

For buyers, the ticket may save them from great trouble at a much lower price, up to 25 percent off the face value.

Zhou Tong, a marketing manager with a bank in Jing'an district, spent 1,000 yuan for 10 tickets as gifts to her clients.

"An Expo ticket is the most popular choice for client gifts now," Zhou said. "Buying tickets from residents is much more convenient and cheaper than buying from authorized ticket booths."

Shen Jiayun, a resident from Sichuan province, also bought some tickets for her relatives who are visiting at the end of July.

"I have only one ticket, which is far from enough," Shen said. "I planned to order more from (the designated) convenience stores, but they told me I had to wait for a couple of weeks."

Buying Expo tickets online may also be risky, Shanghai police said. Several fraud cases involving Expo ticket purchases have been reported to the police since early June.

Yuan Yuan, a spokesman for the bureau of Shanghai World Expo coordination, said he advises visitors to buy tickets from authorized agents to avoid fake tickets and other frauds.

(China Daily July 22, 2010)