Getting your hands on a ticket to see the popular boy band MIRROR was never easy – and fans said they aren't sure whether the government's efforts to prevent scalping have made things any better.

Tickets went on sale on Tuesday for 12 concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum scheduled for July and August, with fans having to register their real name and ID details via the online ticketing office, URBTIX, operated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

But the platform was jammed for much of the day.

“All internet ticketing slots are currently taken up by other customers” was the message greeting visitors.

Nevertheless, some 13 percent of around 37,700 tickets for the shows earmarked for public sale had been sold, two hours after the ticket office opened at 10am.

But some fans said they had no luck getting a ticket despite waiting for hours.

“I used my laptop and my phone and recruited my boyfriend to help too. Now both he and I are depressed because we can’t buy a ticket,” a fan who identified herself as Kelly said.

Another fan, Nicky, said he knew that one of his friends had succeeded in buying a ticket at lunch time, but he just wasn’t so lucky.

He said he would keep trying until all the tickets were sold out. “It seems hopeful if I keep on trying,” he said.

A woman surnamed Suen said she had been trying to queue for a ticket at work even though she wasn’t a die-hard fan of the 12-member band.

“It’s mostly because of the frenzy [over the band],” she said, but added that the waiting process was long and frustrating.

In a Facebook post, the Home Affairs Bureau said Acting Secretary for Home Affairs Jack Chan was glad to see tickets were being sold in a largely smooth and orderly manner.