Every way of selling tickets costs something. The trouble is that the cost hides in different places: a percentage here, a fixed amount there, VAT on top, and money that reaches you a week after the event. This guide shows how to compare them, and how to choose between paying per ticket and paying a flat monthly fee.
Three questions to ask any ticketing service
1. What is the full fee on one ticket?
Take one ticket at your real price, say ฿500, and add everything up: the percentage, any fixed amount per ticket, payment fees and VAT. That one number is what you compare. A “low percentage” can turn out dearer than it looks once a fixed amount is added to every ticket, especially on cheap tickets.
2. Who pays it?
Some organisers add the fee to the buyer’s price, some absorb it. Either is fine, but decide on purpose. If the buyer pays it, the price on your poster should match the price at checkout, or people feel tricked.
3. When does the money reach you?
This one gets forgotten. When the money goes through a ticketing company, it may be paid out to you after the event. For a small business paying a venue or a teacher in advance, that wait matters. With PromptPay straight to your own account, the money is yours the moment the buyer pays.
Paying per ticket or a monthly flat fee
There are two common ways to pay for the tool itself.
Per ticket. You pay a small fee on each paid ticket and nothing in quiet months. Ideal when you run an event now and then.
Monthly flat fee. You pay the same each month and nothing per ticket. Ideal when you sell a lot of tickets every month.
The break-even sum
Divide the monthly fee by the fee on one ticket. The answer is how many paid tickets a month make both ways cost the same. Sell more than that every month and the flat fee is cheaper. Sell fewer and per ticket is cheaper.
Worked examples with Tellfox’s prices
Tellfox has both, and you pick:
- Free events: free. Free tickets have no fee, on every plan, including the Free plan.
- Pay as you sell: 3% of the ticket price per paid ticket, never more than ฿30. Taken from a ticket credit you top up in advance, with no monthly fee.
- Ticketing Plus: ฿990 a month on the Starter, Business or Pro plan. No fee per ticket, up to 1,000 paid tickets a month.
The fee on one ticket with pay as you sell:
| Ticket price | Fee per ticket |
|---|---|
| ฿200 | ฿6 |
| ฿300 | ฿9 |
| ฿500 | ฿15 |
| ฿800 | ฿24 |
| ฿1,000 or more | ฿30 (the most it ever is) |
And the break-even with Ticketing Plus at ฿990 a month:
| Ticket price | Fee per ticket | Plus pays off from |
|---|---|---|
| ฿300 | ฿9 | 110 paid tickets a month |
| ฿500 | ฿15 | 66 paid tickets a month |
| ฿1,000 or more | ฿30 | 33 paid tickets a month |
Example 1: a yoga studio’s monthly workshop
One workshop a month, 30 tickets at ฿590. The fee is ฿17.70 a ticket, so ฿531 for the month. That’s below ฿990: pay as you sell is the cheaper choice.
Example 2: a weekly talk series
Four talks a month, 50 tickets each at ฿500: 200 paid tickets. Pay as you sell would be ฿3,000 a month. Ticketing Plus at ฿990 saves ฿2,010.
Example 3: a free open day
Any number of free registrations: ฿0. Free events are free to post on every plan.
Remember that Ticketing Plus needs a paid plan (Starter or higher). If you’re on the Free plan only for events, add the plan’s price before comparing.
Why the credit is prepaid
With Tellfox, the ticket money goes straight into your account by PromptPay. It never passes through Tellfox, so there’s nothing for Tellfox to take the fee from. Instead, you top up a ticket credit (฿200, ฿500 or ฿1,000 at a time, or automatically), and each paid ticket’s fee comes off it when you confirm the payment. You get ฿100 of credit when you first switch Ticketing on, for the fees on your first paid tickets.
When the credit runs low you’re told. If it runs out, new paid sales pause until you top up; free events, tickets already sold and the door scan keep working. A cancelled ticket gives its fee back to the credit.
Frequently asked questions
Do free events really cost nothing?
Yes. Free tickets have no fee on every plan, including the Free plan, and switching on Ticketing costs nothing.
Can I switch between pay as you sell and Ticketing Plus?
Yes. Add Ticketing Plus when you have a busy season, and remove it when things are quiet. Plus applies to tickets sold while it’s on.
Does the fee change the price my buyers pay?
No. The buyer pays your ticket price to your PromptPay. The fee comes from your credit.
See it for your event
Tellfox Ticketing: your own event page, PromptPay straight to your account, QR tickets and a scan page for the door. Free events post free, on every plan. Prices on the pricing page.