To sell tickets online for a small event, you need three things: a page where people choose a ticket, a way to take card payments, and a ticket with a QR code that arrives by email. A ticketing platform gives you all three at once. You create the event, set your prices, share the link, and the money lands in your account. On the day, you scan tickets with your phone.
Here's every step, from setting a price to welcoming people at the door. It works for a concert, a workshop, a class, a fundraiser, a dinner or a small festival.
Step 1: Decide the basics before you open any platform
Have these answers ready first:
- Date, start time and end time.
- Place (or the link, if it's online).
- Capacity: how many people really fit? Count your team, performers and guests too.
- Refund policy: do you refund people who can't come? Until when? Write it now, calmly. It saves a lot of awkward emails later. (Here's a template.)
Step 2: Choose ticket types and prices
Fewer choices sell more. Two or three ticket types are enough for most events:
- General admission: the main ticket.
- VIP: a better spot, a drink included, a little extra.
- Early bird: a lower price for a limited time, so people buy early.
How to set the price: add up your costs (venue, sound, performers, promotion), divide by the number of tickets you're confident you'll sell (not your full capacity), and round up. Then compare with similar events near you. If your price comes out too high, look for a sponsor or add a VIP ticket that helps cover the gap.
Early bird tip: give it a real deadline and announce it. "Early bird ends Friday" works because it's true.
Fundraiser or charity event? Consider a "supporter" ticket at a higher price next to the regular one. Plenty of people happily pay more when they know where the money goes.
Step 3: Pick a ticketing platform
A good platform should give you:
- A clean event page that looks good on a phone. Most people buy from their phones.
- Card payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with money paid straight into your own account.
- Tickets with a QR code emailed the moment someone pays.
- A scanner for the door that runs on your phone.
- Your audience's language. If some of your community speaks Spanish, the page, checkout and emails should too. Nobody should feel left out because of language.
- Clear fees. Check who pays them, you or your buyers, and whether the price people see at the start is the price they pay at the end. Nobody likes surprises on the last step.
Can I just do it myself? You can take payments by bank transfer or a payment app and keep a spreadsheet. For 20 friends, that's fine. For anything with the public, you'll spend hours matching payments to names, answering "did you get my payment?" and checking people off a printed list. A platform pays for itself in saved time.
Step 4: Build your event page
The first thing people should see is what it is, when and where. Make it readable in two seconds.
Then add:
- One great photo. People buy the feeling. A photo with faces beats a logo.
- A short description: what will happen, who's performing or teaching, and why they shouldn't miss it.
- Practical details: parking, age limits, what to bring, accessibility.
- Your refund policy and a contact email.
Before you publish, do a test purchase: buy a ticket with a 100% off promo code, check that the email arrives and the QR code opens, then cancel the order.
Step 5: Share the link everywhere
Always use the same ticket link:
- On Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, in your bio and on every post.
- In your newsletter and community group chats.
- On flyers, with a QR code that goes straight to the page.
- On your website, with a Buy tickets button or a ticket widget.
Tip: ask your performers, presenters and sponsors to share the link too. Their audience is your audience.
Step 6: Check people in at the door
On the day:
- Open the scanner on your phone or tablet.
- Scan each person's QR code. You'll see right away whether the ticket is valid or already used.
- If someone doesn't have their ticket, look them up by name or email.
Tip: arrive early and test the scanner with the venue's real signal. Lots of venues have poor reception inside, so use a platform that keeps working offline.
How to do this in Eventasaurus
In Eventasaurus all of this happens on one screen.
- Sign up free, then go to Events and click Create Event. Add the name, date, venue and your tickets.
- In Settings, click Connect Stripe Account. Ticket money is paid straight into your own Stripe account.
- Click Publish and share your link with Copy ticket link.
- On the day, open Check-In and tap Open Scanner. It keeps working if the signal drops.
Anyone whose phone is set to Spanish or French sees your page, checkout and emails in their language, automatically. Your own words can be translated too: in Translations, your description, schedule, bios and ticket types are translated to Spanish or French in one click, free. Review them, then turn on Show Spanish to visitors. Want tickets on your own site? Click Embed and copy the Tickets Widget.
Your buyers pay the ticket price, with nothing added. You pay a 1% platform fee per order ($1 minimum), plus Stripe's card processing. Free tickets carry no fee. No monthly plan, no contract.
FAQ
What's the easiest way to sell tickets online for a small event?
Use a ticketing platform. Create the event, add your ticket types, connect your payment account and share the link. Buyers pay online and get a QR code ticket by email, and you scan them in with your phone.
Can I sell tickets for a free event?
Yes. Free tickets still give you a list of who's coming, each with a QR code. On Eventasaurus, free orders carry no fee.
How much does it cost to sell tickets online?
It depends on the platform. Some add a service fee to every ticket that buyers pay, others charge you. On Eventasaurus, buyers pay only the ticket price, and you pay 1% per order ($1 minimum) plus card processing (US platform fees).
How do I sell tickets on my own website?
Most platforms give you a ticket widget or a button you paste into your site. Here's how it works on Squarespace.