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| Frequently Asked Questions |
General Questions
1. How can I contact someone at Brown Paper Tickets?
You can reach us by email at: Support@BrownPaperTickets.com
Or by phone at 1-800-838-3006
Or by fax at 1-206-260-3178
Or by mail at:
Brown Paper Tickets, LLC
220 Nickerson Street
Seattle, WA 98109
Seller Questions
1. What are your fees?
A producer using Brown Paper Tickets doesn't pay for any tool, feature, or service. Everything a producer needs to put on their show is free, though we do charge for some additional services as outlined below.
Ticket buyers pay a flat non-refundable service fee of $1.99 if the ticket is $10 or more. If the ticket is less than $10, the service fee is just $.99 per ticket. If the ticket is free, then there are no service fees at all.
and 2.5% of their ticket, unless you decide to pay it for them. The price is always the same whether ordered over the phone, online or in person. If you prefer laminated badges and lanyards, prices are identical to what we charge for tickets. Please contact Producer Support for more information.
The only additional charge incurred by a producer is when they wish to have a portion of the ticket sales from their event before the event occurs, if they wish to modify an existing seating chart or if their event is canceled after tickets have been sold.
If you wish to have up to 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales before your event takes place, there is a $99 background and credit check fee and a fee of 2.5% of the amount to be paid out in advance. There are other terms and conditions that apply for this service, please call our Producer Support department for more information if you feel this is right for you.
Initial seating chart creation is free for producers one time per venue. Modifying an existing chart incurs a one time fee of $50.
If you would like us to print some tickets that you can either sell yourself or sell through another service, please see question number four.
The only other case where you would have to pay Brown Paper Tickets is if an event is canceled and tickets have already been sold. The charge is $0.99 per ticket as well as 5% of the face value of the ticket. This is because credit card processing is always 2.5% of the amount charged to the card and credit card companies count both the initial charge and the refund as separate transactions. If a customer cancels the order but the event still occurs, there is neither a charge to the customer or the producer of the event.
2. How can your service fees be so low?
A good question, but a better question is, why are the other companies' service fees so high? To answer your question, we're not greedy. The reality is you don't have to charge much to deliver an excellent service.
3. Is there a way to split the fee between producer and buyer?
Yes, however, we want to make it clear that the total fee never changes and producers will never be paid a kickback. A producer may wish to pay the entire service fee - this feature can be useful in conferences and conventions where it would be silly to have a couple of dollars tacked on to a $700 registration fee. Or, the fee may be split in any incriment by the producer with the ticket buyer.
4. I'd like to do some or all of the ticket sales myself. Can you print up a batch of tickets for my event and mail them to me?
We'd be happy to. Bulk tickets cost 10 cents each plus a minimum shipping charge of $6 dollars per 500 tickets for all orders shipped via Priority Shipping or $18 per 500 tickets for all order shipped via Express Shipping. If you can pick up your tickets at our offices in Seattle, there is no shipping charge.
If you aren't using our service for ticket sales to the public, select the 'Order Bulk Printed Tickets' link on the left side of your User Page then choose the 'Create New Layout' option from the drop down menu. If you are ordering for tickets for an event you have listed on our site, just select that event from the drop down menu.
Our average turnaround time for processing and printing of tickets is 24-hours, but it is still best to order your tickets well in advance of your event if possible. Tickets are almost always mailed the day after they have been ordered.
5. What security measures do your tickets have?
Brown Paper Tickets uses a variety of security tools. We use holographic foils, black light imaging and a unique bar code on each ticket. This makes our tickets far beyond a color laser printer's capability. In addition, we often change our ticket design. Not only do we get the aesthetic advantage of a new artist's design, but it also makes counterfeiting a much more expensive process.
If there is ever a question about the legitimacy of a ticket, our 24-hour call center will be able to verify when the order was placed, the credit card details and all of the other information submitted by the ticket buyer.
6. Can your system handle the amount of traffic our event will generate?
Yes. We designed the system to scale to 10,000 times our current volume. Remember, we're changing the entire industry!
7. How do I get my money?
One week after the final day of your event, we will mail you a check for the full face value of the tickets that we sold for your event. If your event is very large and you need a percentage of the proceeds from ticket sales before the event, please call our Producer Support department and we can often work something out. Please see the first question in this section for more information.
8. Can I sell tickets directly from my own website?
Of course! Brown Paper Tickets' API allows a webmaster to conduct the entire ticketing process from his or her own website. This option isn't recommended unless you are comfortable with server-side programming. Documentation for this feature is available here.
9. How do I sell tickets?
Selling tickets on Brown Paper Tickets is a simple procedure that should only take a few minutes from beginning to end. The entire process looks like this:
1. Register. You can do this by clicking the 'Sign Up Now' link located in the light blue box in the upper right-hand corner of our website. This is how we know who you are and where to send your checks.
2. Post your event's information. Post as much information about your event as you wish. We will then handle the entire sales process, including the printing and shipping of tickets to ticket buyers. If you have any problems setting up your event, remember we are ready to help you 24 hours a day.
3. Receive a check when it's all over. Within a week after the end of your event, we'll send you a check for the full face value of the tickets we sell.
There are no registration fees and no sales fees for you to pay. The entire process is usually 100% free for you, the ticket seller, and ticket buyers pay a service charge of only 99 cents and 2.5%, which is the smallest service charge in the industry.
10. Are there any limitations on the quantity of tickets I sell?
No. We can handle shows with an attendance anywhere from 1 person to 1,000,000.
11. My event requires a feature that I didn't see when creating my event. Can you accommodate special requests?
Often times we can. In fact, we may already have implemented your request for another event we have handled. Please give our Producer Support team a call and we will see if there is any way to help you.
12. My event is longer than just one day. Can you print us plastic badges instead of paper tickets?
Yes. Badges can have up to 15 printed lines of text. Please call our Producer Support team if you wish to have badges for you event instead of tickets.
13. Can I make changes to my event after it is posted?
Absolutely. You can change any aspect of your event at any time. Again, if you can't figure out how to do something on our website it is always best to call us so that we can talk you through the process.
14. I operate a venue that runs events very frequently. Is there a way to upload a large number of events at one time without using the website interface?
Certainly! Please give us a call and we can email you a pre-formatted spreadsheet to fill in. For instance, if only the names of the bands performing and prices change you can simply copy and paste all the rest of the information.
15. What does Not Just For Profit ticketing mean?
It means that we are committed to making it as easy as possible to buy and sell tickets. To ticket buyers, this means that you pay the lowest service charges in the industry and have access to a toll-free number 24 hours a day in case there is any sort of problem with the order or even if you are just lost and need directions to the venue.
To ticket sellers, it means that you pay us nothing unless you choose optional services and have the peace of mind that you are backed by our producer support team if any issues do arise. We also do our best to be good stewards of the community and the environment by allowing your customers to select a charity at the end of each web sale to donate a portion of our company's profits to. Also know we will treat your customers with the respect they deserve.
All of our full time employees receive health care, a window, and even a free bus pass each month, so you can be sure we're treating our people as well as we'll treat you.
16. I'd like my event to have a no refund policy. Is this possible?
Yes, for the most part. We will always allow a refund or cancellation on an order within 12 hours of purchase, and we will also cancel any orders that are clearly accidental duplicates right up until sales for the event end. If you wish to have a no refunds policy please call our Producer Support team and they can implement that for you. You also need to clearly disclose on your event page that the tickets are non-refundable.
Buyer Questions
1. Where can I buy tickets?
You can buy tickets online, of course, at www.BrownPaperTickets.com. You can also buy tickets over the phone at 1-800-838-3006. Prefer to go on foot? In some cities there are walk-up locations. The event venue itself may also have tickets for sale (and will often not charge the service fees).
2. What are your refund policies?
We offer refunds of the full face value of tickets for shows that are canceled or postponed. To receive a refund for a canceled or postponed show, contact us by telephone at 1-800-838-3006 or by e-mail at Support@BrownPaperTickets.com within three days of the first day of the event. We will then provide you with instructions for receiving your refund. Refunds are available for reasons other than an event being canceled or postponed on a case by case basis. Please call us at 1-800-838-3006 and we will see if you are eligible.
3. What payment methods are available?
At this time, Brown Paper Tickets accepts the following credit card types: Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Tickets can also be purchased with cash at our offices in Seattle, Washington or Edinburgh, Scotland.
4. How do I buy tickets on the website?
The ticket buying process on Brown Paper Tickets is fairly straightforward and goes something like this:
| 1. Find the event you want to go to. |
| 2. Fill in your shipping information. |
| 3. Fill in your billing and credit card information. |
| 4. Your tickets will either be delivered to you via USPS, held at Will-Call, or you'll be able to print them at home. |
5. How much is your service charge?
We add a flat non-refundable service fee of $1.99 if the ticket is $10 or more. If the ticket is less than $10, the service fee is just $.99 per ticket. If the ticket is free, then there are no service fees at all.
6. How will you send me my tickets?
There are four methods of delivery available, though not every method is available for every event. This is how it breaks down:
|
Delivery Method |
Availability |
Last Available Day |
Cost |
| USPS First Class |
Some Shows |
Until 5 Business Days prior to show |
Included |
| USPS Priority |
Some Shows |
Until 4 Business Days prior to show |
$4.95 |
| USPS Express |
Some Shows |
Until 2 Business Days prior to show |
$17.50 |
| Will Call (Ticketless) |
Some Shows |
Usually up to 1 Day prior to show |
Included |
USPS First Class: This is the standard delivery method. It is available for all shows until 5 days prior to the first day of the event. This delivery method generally takes 2-5 business days.
USPS Priority: This is the U.S. Postal Service's 3-day delivery service. It is available for all shows until 4 days prior to the first day of the event. This delivery
method generally takes 3-4 business days.
USPS Express: This is the U.S. Postal Service's fastest delivery service.
It is available for all shows until 2 days prior to the first day of the event. This delivery method generally takes 1-2 business days. There is an additional $17.50 service charge for delivery via USPS Express Mail.
Will-Call: With this method, you will not receive a physical ticket. Instead, you are asked to bring a photo ID to the the venue. The event staff will compare your ID to their will-call list and grant you access if they match. If you buy more than one ticket in a single order, your guests must be with you at the time you enter the venue if you haven't listed their names individually when placing the order.
7. What if my tickets are lost in the mail?
Weird. If your tickets don't show up and are returned to us, we will contact you to get a correct address or resend them to a different address. If they still do not arrive, please call us on the day before the event. We will use either our bar code technology or the individual ticket numbers to make sure that duplicate tickets do not show up at the venue on the day of the event. We will then arrange with the event producer for you to pick up new tickets at Will Call.
8. I see that you have a list of charities on the Billing Information page. How can my favorite charity be included?
Please contact us at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/charities.html and we will consider it for inclusion to our donations program. If you'd like to find out more about our donation process, you can do so at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/donationfaq.html. The final decision is made by a vote of all the employees here at Brown Paper Tickets. We get many requests for charities to be considered for this program, so please understand if yours hasn't been selected. It may be included at a later date. You can read more about this month's charities at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/.
9. The event that I am interested in has a message that indicates that sales have ended. Does this mean the event is sold out?
Probably not. While the remaining tickets may have sold out at the door, this message means that there were still tickets remaining for us to sell when the producer decided to end online and phone sales for the event. If you call us we can check to see approximately how many tickets were remaining when sales for the event were closed and also give you a phone number or email address so you can see if it is possible to reserve a ticket ahead of time.
10. I've come across a section of your site asking me to provide my Social Security Number or Tax ID number. Do I need to do this to buy tickets for an event I wish to attend?
Not at all. You must have came across the section of the website intended for people wishing to sell tickets for their event. For legal reasons we need to have that information on file for anyone using our service to sell tickets.
11. Does your website offer secure transactions to prevent fraud?
Our site uses the industry standard 256-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption for all transactions. You should also see a lock symbol somewhere on the edge of your browser window that will pull up our security certificate if you click on it. We currently use a third-party company called Thawte Communications to verify all transactions are secure. You can visit their website at http://www.thawte.com/ for more information.
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