How to sell tickets online for free
Selling out a show should not start with a platform invoice. This guide walks through publishing an event, taking card payments, handling fees and checking guests in — while keeping as much of your revenue as possible.
The short version
- Publishing an event page and issuing QR tickets costs nothing.
- Free events cost you literally zero — there is nothing to process.
- Paid tickets only carry the card processor's fee, which you can absorb or pass to the buyer at checkout.
- Set per-tier capacity so you never oversell.
Step-by-step
1. Decide what you are actually selling
Before you touch a ticketing tool, write down your capacity, your ticket tiers (early bird, general, VIP, comp) and the price of each. Capacity per tier is what protects you from overselling later — every tier on Had A Blast Tickets has its own seat count, and checkout stops the moment a tier is sold out.
2. Create a free event page
You do not need a website to sell tickets. Create an organizer account, add your event title, date, venue, description and photos, and publish. Publishing an event page on Had A Blast Tickets is free — there is no setup fee, no monthly minimum and no charge for free events.
3. Connect a way to take card payments
Free ticketing platforms don't charge you a platform setup fee, but card payments always carry a processor fee (typically around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction in the US). Connect your payment account once and money for paid tickets lands in your own bank account on the normal payout schedule.
4. Choose who absorbs the fees
You have two options: absorb the processing fee yourself (a cleaner headline price) or pass it to the buyer at checkout (you keep the full face value). For low-priced community events, absorbing the fee usually converts better; for higher-priced tickets, passing it on is normal and buyers expect it.
5. Share one link everywhere
Your event page is a single public URL. Put it in your Instagram bio, your email newsletter, community Facebook groups, local event calendars and any poster QR code. One link means one source of truth for sales numbers instead of a spreadsheet of DMs and cash.
6. Check guests in with QR codes
Every order emails the buyer a scannable QR ticket. At the door, scan or look up the order — no printed guest list, no double entry. Each code is tied to one order so duplicates are obvious.
7. Watch sales and react before it's too late
Track tickets sold, revenue and refunds per tier from your dashboard. Alerts fire when a tier hits 80% of capacity so you can open a second release, add a show or raise the price while demand is still hot.
What "free ticketing" actually costs
| Scenario | Platform cost | Card processing |
|---|---|---|
| Free RSVP event | $0 | None — no payment taken |
| Paid tickets, you absorb fees | $0 to publish | Deducted from your payout |
| Paid tickets, buyer pays fees | $0 to publish | Added at checkout |
Exact card processing rates are set by your payment processor, not by Had A Blast Tickets.
Common questions
Can I really sell tickets online for free?
Yes — the ticketing platform can be free. Publishing your event page, listing tiers and issuing QR tickets costs nothing on Had A Blast Tickets. The only unavoidable cost on paid tickets is the card processor's fee, which you can either absorb or pass to the buyer.
What is the cheapest way to sell event tickets?
Use a platform with no setup or subscription fee, and pass card processing costs to the buyer at checkout. For free events, there is no processing at all, so your total cost is zero.
Do I need a website to sell tickets?
No. A hosted event page with its own public link works as your website — you can share it directly or embed the link behind a button on an existing site.
How quickly do organizers get paid?
Card payments settle to your connected payment account on the standard payout schedule, typically the next business day after your first sales.
Publish your event in minutes
Free event pages, QR tickets and live sales analytics. No setup fee.
Still deciding? The help center covers refunds, payouts and door check-in in more detail.