Here are 8 Different Event Tools That You Can Use With PayPal to Sell Tickets Online for Your Fundraiser
From a practical standpoint, there are several different factors you need to consider when planning a fundraising event. You need to make sure prospective attendees can learn more about your cause, view the event calendar, register and purchase tickets to confirm their attendance.
While most event registration systems will let you share event information and set up an online registration system, you’ll need a few more tools to sell tickets online. Specifically, you’ll need to integrate a payment gateway – like PayPal – with your online event registration and ticketing tool to sell tickets to attendees.
To help take some of the work off your plate, we’ve rounded up some event tools that you can use with PayPal to sell tickets online for your fundraiser. But, before we begin, let’s quickly take a look at why you should consider selling tickets online in the first place.
Why You Should Consider Selling Tickets Online
Traditionally, event organizers would sell tickets either in-person at a box-office or by mailing it to attendees after they submitted their registration form.
However, the paper registration process is slow, inaccurate, outdated, and not effective if you wish to reach today’s digital generations. Instead, you need to start selling tickets to your events online. Here are a few reasons why:
- Saves time and money as compared to offline payment methods. You don’t need to set up the physical infrastructure (such as ticket sales counters) when you sell tickets online. Additionally, people can buy tickets from you 24/7 which is far more efficient than having a small staff that sells tickets in person or over the phone.
- You get accurate sales data. Online payment methods give you access to accurate and real-time sales data enabling you to make informed decisions in a timely manner.
- It’s easier to offer more ticket types. With online ticketing, you’re able to sell multiple ticket types to your customers without increasing back-end management.
- You can collect attendees’ email addresses. You’re able to collect and organize attendee data (including names and emails) much faster than the traditional paper registration process. Additionally, you can use it to create personalized experiences for your attendees.
- You’re able to gather data and improve your marketing efforts. Having access to customer data will help you run targeted email marketing campaigns and sell more tickets for future events.
Let’s look at some of the event ticketing tools you can use to sell tickets online for your fundraiser and accept payments made through PayPal.
Selling Tickets Online Using PayPal
PayPal makes it easy for event organizers to sell tickets online in a cost effective way. As compared to other online payment gateways, PayPal charges lower transaction fee i.e. 2.9% + $0.30.
It’s used by both individuals and businesses making it one of the most popular payment gateways. Attendees can make payments either through their PayPal account or by using a debit or credit card.
In this section, we’ll step through some of the different tools you can use with PayPal to sell tickets online. To get a good idea of how much it’ll cost you to set everything up and sell tickets, we’ll assume 150 people will be attending the fundraiser and each ticket costs $25.
#1: Event Espresso
Event Espresso is an event registration and ticketing plugin for WordPress that lets users accept registrations and sell tickets online for all kinds of events. Out of the box, it comes with six different payment gateways (including PayPal) and supports 17 additional payment gateways offered as premium add-ons.
With Event Espresso, you can create as many different types of tickets as you’d like, set up ticket scanning, accept group registrations, and much more.
Since PayPal comes out of the box with Event Espresso, you’ll only need a Personal support license ($79.95) to start accepting payments online with PayPal. So, for each ticket you sell, you’ll receive around $23.98 [less the PayPal transaction fee and cost of a support license]. In total, it’ll cost you $79.95 + $153.75 = $233.70 to sell 150 tickets. This brings your net revenue on this event to a total of $3,597.
#2: Event Smart
Event Smart is a hosted event registration and ticketing platform that makes it easy for event organizers to set everything up and begin selling tickets in no time.
The standout feature on offer with Event Smart is that it doesn’t charge a per-ticket fee. What this means is that you can sell as many tickets as you’d like without being penalized with hidden fees.
With Event Smart, you only pay a flat $10 per month to integrate PayPal with your event site, when you are on the Basic free plan. So, for example, you’d have to pay $10 per month to receive online payments and the PayPal transaction fees. In total, it’ll cost you $10 + $153.75 = $163.75 to sell 150 tickets in one month. If you sell tickets to your fundraiser over the course of two months, you’d pay $10 + $10 + $153.75 = $173.75 in total to sell 150 tickets.
#3: Ticket Tailor
TicketTailor is an event ticketing platform that lets users create an online box office, sell tickets, and manage attendees. You also have the option to embed the box office into your existing website or Facebook page.
It also lets you customize your e-ticket emails with personal branding. What’s more is that you can collect booking fees on your tickets.
If you’re looking to organize a one-time fundraising event, then you’d probably want to go for the Pay as you go plan. Ticket Tailor charges $0.65 per ticket in addition to PayPal transaction fee i.e. $1.675 per ticket. So, in total, it’ll cost $1.675 * 150 = $251.25 to sell 150 tickets.
#4: Eventbrite
Although Eventbrite has a native payment processing option, it allows you to connect your PayPal account to your event site and collect payments made through PayPal.
However, using PayPal with Eventbrite restricts you from using a number of features including reserved seating, registration transfers, and taking credit card payments at your event.
On the low-tier Essentials plan, Eventbrite charges 2% + $0.79 per ticket in addition to PayPal transaction fees. So, you’ll pay $1.025 in PayPal transaction fee per ticket in addition to $1.29 per ticket in Eventbrite service fees. In total, it’ll cost 150 * ($1.025 + $1.29) = $347.25 to sell 150 tickets.
#5: Ticketbud
If you’re looking for an all-in-one event ticketing solution that lets you collect online payments using PayPal, Ticketbud may be worth considering. It offers several neat features including promotion tools and audience segmentation capabilities.
To make payments, registrants are directed to PayPal to complete the checkout process and you’ll be able to collect funds in your bank account 2-5 business days after the money is sent to your PayPal account. Accepting payments through debit and credit cards requires you to have a Premier or Business PayPal account. If you don’t have one, attendees will only be able to make payments through their PayPal account.
Ticketbud charges 2% + $0.99 per ticket. So, you’ll pay $1.025 in PayPal transaction fee per ticket in addition to $1.49 per ticket in service charges. In total, it’ll cost 150 * ($1.025 + $1.49) = $377.25 to sell 150 tickets.
#6: Eventbee
Eventbee supports integration with a variety of online payment gateways such as PayPal, Braintree and Stripe. It lets you easily collect donations, create e-tickets with QR codes, and send confirmation emails to your registrants.
With Eventbee’s Basic plan, you pay a flat $1 per ticket instead of paying a percentage of the total cost of the ticket. So, you’ll pay $1.025 in PayPal transaction fee per ticket in addition to $1 per ticket in Eventbee fees. In total, it’ll cost 150 * ($1.025 + $1) = $303.75 to sell 150 tickets.
#7: Tickets for WooCommerce
As the name suggests, Tickets for WooCommerce is a premium WooCommerce extension that lets you sell an unlimited number of tickets for your fundraiser from within your WordPress website.
WooCommerce’s built-in integration with PayPal allows you to collect payments from attendees at checkout.
The Tickets for WooCommerce third-party WooCommerce extension’s Personal license costs $89. In total, it’ll cost you $89 + $153.75 = $242.75 to sell 150 tickets.
#8: PayPal Events
PayPal Events is a free WordPress plugin that lets you sell e-tickets for your fundraiser directly through your event site. This plugin comes PayPal-ready and works with any WordPress theme.
It lets you manage your ticket sales, send e-tickets with QR codes to your attendees, and gives you the option to choose from seven different PayPal Buy Now buttons.
The PayPal Events plugin is available for free through the WordPress Plugin Directory. Since PayPal charges a standard fee of 2.9% + $0.3 per transaction, it’ll cost you $153.75 to sell 150 tickets.
Conclusion
Ticketing is one of the most important aspects of event management which is why you need to make it as easy as possible for attendees to buy tickets from you. Fortunately, you can use an event ticketing tool that lets you accept payments made through popular payment gateways – like PayPal – to sell tickets online.
Which payment gateway do you use to collect payments from event attendees? Let us know by commenting below.
