How to sell tickets for your event online (step by step)
Safara One team ·
Selling tickets online takes less time than most organizers expect — an afternoon for the setup, then a few minutes a day to promote and keep an eye on sales. This guide walks through the whole process, from deciding what to sell to checking people in at the door, with the exact steps on Safara One.
1. Decide what you're selling
Before you open any ticketing site, settle four things:
- Date, time and venue. Include an end time — guests plan around it, and multi-day events are fine.
- Capacity. How many people the room holds, or how many you can handle. A limit also makes tickets feel worth buying early.
- Ticket types. One general-admission ticket is enough for most events. Add more only when they mean something different: an early-bird price, a VIP seat, a free ticket for volunteers, or a "supporter" ticket for people who want to pay a little more.
- Price. Work back from your costs (venue, materials, your time) and what similar events near you charge. A round number is easier to share by word of mouth.
2. Choose a ticketing platform
Look at the total a buyer pays, who pays the fees, and when you get your money. We've compared the main options in Eventbrite alternatives for Canadian organizers and the cheapest way to sell tickets online.
On Safara One, creating an event is free and free events cost nothing. On paid tickets the buyer pays a booking fee of 4.3% + $1.90 per ticket (plus 13% HST on the fee), and you receive the full ticket price. On a $25.00 ticket the buyer pays $28.36 and you receive $25.00.
3. Set up how you'll get paid
Paid tickets need a payout account so the money can reach you. Safara One uses Stripe:
- Go to Settings → Payment and choose Connect Stripe.
- Complete Stripe's onboarding — your identity and bank details. If you stop part-way, come back and choose Complete Setup.
- When it reads Stripe Connected, you're ready to sell.
Free events don't need this step. Do it before you publish a paid event: one published without a connected account is saved as a draft until you finish.
4. Build your event page
Choose New Event. Everything is on one page:
- Name, date and time. Make the name say what the event is — "Saturday Morning Sound Bath" beats "Session 4".
- Description and cover image. Say who it's for, what happens, what to bring and how long it lasts. A clear photo of the space or a past event works better than a poster full of text.
- Location. Search for the venue or address, then add further instructions — which door, where to park, which buzzer.
- Tickets. For each type: a name, a price (0 for free) and how many are available. Optionally set when sales end; otherwise tickets go on sale as soon as you publish.
- Ticket currency. CAD unless you choose another. Tickets in other currencies carry a 6.5% booking fee plus a flat fee in that currency, to cover international card costs. The currency can't change once tickets have sold.
- Capacity, theme and font. Leave capacity blank for unlimited, and pick a look for the event page.
- Public or protected. Public events are listed on Discover. A protected event is hidden and needs a password — useful for members-only classes or private parties.
5. Publish
Choose Publish Event and pick up to three categories, which decide where it appears on Discover. Every event goes through an automatic content check; most go live straight away, and anything uncertain waits for a quick review by our team.
6. Share your link
Most ticket sales come from people who already know you, so start there:
- Your own channels first: your email list, Instagram bio and stories, WhatsApp groups, and a pinned post wherever your community gathers.
- Ask past guests to bring a friend — a personal invitation outperforms any ad.
- Post more than once. Announce it, share a reminder a week out, and again when tickets are running low.
- Partner up. The venue, a local shop or a related group may share it with their audience.
7. Watch your sales
Open the event from Events and choose Manage event. The overview shows how many of each ticket type have sold and how many are left, the Guests tab lists who's coming, and Insights shows tickets sold, total revenue and purchases per day — so you can see which post or reminder actually moved tickets.
8. Send one useful message before the day
From the Messages tab you can email everyone with a ticket. Each event includes one message, so save it for what guests need: the entrance, what to bring, the start time. Use Send test to me to check it first.
9. Check guests in at the door
On the day, open Manage event → Check in guest. Scan each guest's QR code with your phone's camera, type the code printed under it, or tick them off from the Guests list. A ticket can only be checked in once, so a forwarded screenshot won't get a second person in.
10. Get paid
Each sale goes to your Stripe account as the ticket sells, and Stripe pays out to your bank automatically on its schedule. You receive the full ticket price; the booking fee is charged to the buyer on top. Settings → Payment → Transaction History lists every sale and payout. All sales on Safara One are final, and buyers agree to that before they pay — mention it in your description if your guests might expect refunds.
Quick checklist
- Date, venue, capacity, ticket types and prices decided
- Stripe connected (paid events only)
- Event page with a clear name, description, photo and directions
- Published and shared on your own channels
- One message to ticket holders before the day
- Phone charged for QR check-in
Questions
How long does it take to start selling tickets online?
The event page takes a few minutes. Connecting Stripe for the first time takes a little longer because it verifies your identity and bank account — do it a day or two before you plan to launch.
Can I sell tickets for a free event?
Yes — free tickets work the same way, with QR codes and check-in, and cost nothing for you or your guests. See free event ticketing for tips on getting people to turn up.
How many tickets can someone buy at once?
Up to 10 per order on Safara One. Each paid ticket carries its own booking fee.