Ticketing fees, explained properly
Every ticketing platform describes its pricing differently — some quote fan-side percentages, some organiser-side flat fees, some hide everything behind a sales call. This guide normalises all of it into one question: how much money leaves the room per ticket sold?
The three pricing models
- Percentage + fixed (most common). Eventbrite (6.95% + 59p), Skiddle (10% + 27p, min £1), FIXR (4.99% + 49p + VAT). Cost scales with your price and punishes cheap tickets via the fixed part.
- Flat per-ticket. Ticket Tailor: 60p + VAT pay-as-you-go, or prepaid credits from 22p + VAT. Predictable; proportionally better as your ticket price rises.
- Zero-fee. Tickts: £0 per ticket, monetised through optional extras instead. The fan pays face value; the organiser keeps it.
A fourth non-model — quote-only — covers Ticketmaster, See Tickets, DICE and DesignMyNight, where rates are negotiated per contract and fans see the result at checkout.
Worked example: the same event on four platforms
Take a 200-ticket comedy show at £15. Same room, same show, four fee outcomes:
| Platform | Structure | Fees on 200 × £15 | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tickts | £0 | £0.00 | 0% |
| Ticket Tailor (PAYG) | 60p + VAT/ticket | £144.00 incl VAT | 4.8% |
| Eventbrite | 6.95% + 59p | £326.50 | 10.9% |
| Skiddle | 10% + 27p (min £1) | £354.00 | 11.8% |
Note the effective rates: the advertised '6.95%' becomes 10.9% of face value once the fixed fee is counted at this price point. Advertised rates are marketing; effective rates are arithmetic.
Why fees cluster around 10%
UK marketplace fees have converged near 10% + pence not because costs demand it — processing costs under 2% — but because discovery is the product being sold. Skiddle, DICE and RA argue their audience justifies the margin. Sometimes it does: a club night that sells out from Skiddle's listings got real value. A comedy night whose audience came from the promoter's own Instagram paid 10% for a checkout form.
How to compute your real cost
- Write the full formula: (face value × %) + fixed, apply any minimum, then add VAT if the rate excludes it.
- Multiply by realistic volume at each price tier you sell.
- Add what you absorb vs what fans pay — remember fans respond to the total.
- Compare against a flat-fee and a zero-fee baseline.
Or skip the spreadsheet — our fee calculator runs every platform at your exact price and volume.
Questions people ask
Do all platforms charge VAT on fees?
No — and it's a real trap. Some quote fees including VAT (TicketSource's 7% route), some exclude it (Ticket Tailor's 60p, FIXR's 4.99% + 49p, Humanitix's 4.67% + 46p). An excluded-VAT rate is 20% dearer than it reads.
Are fees cheaper for free events?
Usually free tickets are free (Eventbrite, Ticket Tailor within 2,000/yr, Humanitix, Tickts). Check the cap and what happens the moment you add one paid ticket type.
Can I negotiate fees?
On quote-only platforms everything is negotiated. On self-service platforms, rarely — but volume deals exist above roughly 10k tickets/year on several of them. Zero and flat-fee platforms have nothing to negotiate.
Keep reading
See what £0 booking fees look like
Tickts charges fans nothing on top of face value. Organisers keep 100% of the ticket price, paid straight to their own Stripe account.
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