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Free invites for fashion shows that are 15 minutes long are going for up to $1,500 a pop on Craigslist or Shout. Gawker examines the seedy underbelly of NYFW scalping, running an interview with "New York's preeminent fashion week scalper" who claims to be the Robin Hood of fashion show scalpers. He sells show invites for $180 to $1,300 a show without taking a commission, and then gives the money back to the original invite holders in exchange for invites to the shows he wants to attend.
But not every Fashion Week scalper is so altruistic. A Craigslist seller who's pocketed over $2,000 selling invites over two seasons told Gawker: "The customers I have are losers who don't deserve to attend. They spend money to get something other people work hard for."
The show invites themselves are coming from insiders with underpaid fashion industry gigs, according to Gawker's sources. Combine those motivated sellers with "ferocious demand" for fashion show access and the anonymity of the internet, and anyone who has the money to spend will find a way in, invited or not.