Scalping of tickets to Nipsey Hussle memorial shut down by eBay

Free tickets for Nipsey Hussle’s public memorial service Thursday at Los Angeles’ Staples Center were sold out Tuesday morning within minutes of going live, and many people attempted to use the opportunity to make big bucks by selling them online.

On eBay, four tickets for Thursday’s “Nipsey Hussle Celebration of Life” service were sold for $400. In the item description, the ticket seller specified that the buyer would receive their tickets by Wednesday.

But this type of listing violates two of eBay’s policies — the company’s free ticket policy, which allows eBay to prohibit the sale of free tickets on the platform, and its “human tragedy policy,” which bans sellers from profiting from tragedy or suffering.

“This listing is prohibited under eBay’s policies and did not end up as a successful transaction,” eBay said in a statement. “We’ve reached out to the seller to educate them regarding our policy.”

Tickets for the slain rapper’s memorial were available to only California residents at 10 a.m. Tuesday on axs.com, with a four-ticket limit per person.

Attendees of Thursday’s event are encouraged to arrive early because of large crowds and will be subject to metal-detector screenings and other searches. Cameras, recording devices and backpacks of any size will not be permitted inside the arena.

Following Thursday’s Staples Center event, which starts at 10 a.m., a 25.5-mile funeral procession will take place through Inglewood, South Los Angeles and Watts. It will begin at Staples Center, travel south to East 108th Street, west to La Brea Avenue and Manchester Boulevard, north to the Marathon Clothing store where Hussle was gunned down March 31 before ending at the funeral home in the Crenshaw district.

On Friday, Los Angeles council members will adjourn their meeting at City Hall in the memory of the slain rapper. Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson announced Tuesday that the Crenshaw Boulevard and West Slauson Avenue intersection will be named “Ermias ‘Nipsey Hussle’ Asghedom Square.”

The 33-year-old rapper and community activist was killed in broad daylight March 31 in front of his clothing store on Slauson Avenue. Hussle, a Grammy-nominated artist, was beloved among South L.A. residents for devoting his time and resources to helping those in his community.

Twenty-nine-year old Eric Holder is suspected of killing Hussle and is charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.