scalp

In a commercial context, to scalp means to purchase goods—most commonly event tickets—and resell them at a price higher than the face value to make a profit. The term is also used in financial trading to describe a strategy of making many small profits on minor price changes. While the specific commercial usage likely dates back to 19th-century railroad ticket brokers who sold cut-rate fares, the word itself is inextricably linked to the historical act of removing the scalp (skin and hair) from a person's head, a violent practice associated with warfare between European colonists and Indigenous peoples in North America.

Usage of the term is contested due to its association with colonial violence and anti-Indigenous stereotypes. Those who continue to use the term often view it as standard industry jargon for unauthorized reselling or specific day-trading strategies, arguing that the modern commercial meaning has effectively separated from its etymology. However, linguistic activists and Indigenous groups argue that using a word describing a traumatic historical act to denote a trivial financial transaction is dehumanizing and insensitive. Consequently, many organizations and style guides are shifting toward more descriptive terms like "reselling" or "price gouging" to avoid perpetuating language rooted in racialized violence.

Example:
"The legislature is considering a bill to penalize bots used to scalp concert tickets online."

Example:
"He decided to scalp the extra seats he bought rather than giving them to a friend."