The simplest way to preserve friendships is to NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING. When someone gives me a ride home, I offer gas money even though it is rarely taken. When a coworker said they were getting a new computer desk that matched their office decor and I could have the old one - asked how much he wanted for it. And when a friend asks if I want a ticket to a hockey game I say it depends on the cost. I never assume anything to be free and it avoids a lot of hurt feelings.
Now the secondary question is - should a friend offer a ticket for free? And I think that depends on where the ticket came from and the respective financial situations. For me, the *ONLY* time I offered a ticket to a friend and charged him for it was when it wasn't my ticket to give away. Me and my friend Steve bought tickets together, but Steve got sick and gave me the ticket "to do as I saw fit". So I offered the ticket to my friend Bill for $20. And the $20 went straight back to Steve.
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