★ 4.0 · 32 reviews
Brown Paper Tickets
The first and only fair trade ticketing company!
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Live in 72 hours
About Brown Paper Tickets
Brown Paper Tickets is a fair-trade ticketing platform that offers event organizers a free service to create, promote, and sell tickets for their events. Since its founding in 2000, it has been known for its Not-Just-for-Profit model, which allows organizers to donate a portion of their ticket fees to charities of their choice. The platform supports a wide range of events, from community theater and festivals to niche gatherings like roller derby and beekeeping classes. It provides in-house customer support seven days a week and serves event organizers in over 120 countries. After being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown Paper Tickets was acquired by Events.com in 2021, and has since been transitioning its users to the Events.com platform. The service offers various payment options, including custom merchant accounts, PayPal, and its own processing, with transparent buyer fees. AiDOOS can enhance deployment and adoption of Brown Paper Tickets by providing structured implementation and configuration services, ensuring that event organizers can quickly set up their ticketing systems and leverage best practices for promotion and sales.
Challenges It Solves
- Event organizers need a cost-effective way to sell tickets without high upfront fees
- Nonprofits and community groups need a platform that supports charitable giving
- Organizers seek an easy-to-use ticketing system with reliable customer support
- Small events need a simple solution to manage registrations and payments
Use Cases
Nonprofit Fundraising
Organizations use Brown Paper Tickets to sell tickets for fundraising events and donate a portion of fees to their cause.
Community Events
Community groups manage ticket sales for local events like festivals, theater performances, and workshops.
Arts & Entertainment
Independent artists and performers sell tickets for concerts, plays, and other artistic productions.
Pricing
Custom pricing — built for your team
Brown Paper Tickets pricing is tailored to your organisation's size, integrations, and requirements. AiDOOS generates your proposal instantly — scoped & ready in seconds.
💡 Pricing insight from reviewers: Brown Paper Tickets uses a fair-trade model with a fee per ticket, and some services are free to event organizers.
Key Features
Allows organizers to donate a portion of ticket fees to charity
Tools to promote and market events on the platform
Sell tickets using your own merchant account with direct funds
Accept payments through PayPal
Organizers can earn rebates on service fees
Sell tickets in over 20 currencies with automatic conversions
What Reviewers Say AI-synthesized from 32 reviews
What works well
- Free for event organizers with no upfront costs
- Supports charitable giving with fair trade model
Common concerns
- Website has been retired and users are transitioned to Events.com
- Phone support temporarily unavailable
Reviews
32 verified reviews4.0
★★★★☆
out of 5 · 32 reviews
By segment
Enterprise43%
Mid-Market57%
M
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"They manage all ticketing and tracking for my fundraising events."
I'd give them 8 points because they have some excellent features that require a bit of effort to master. But their customer service is outstanding. It's easy to build promotional materials for your event. Once it's up, you can share multiple links from different platforms like your website, Facebook, Twitter, e-newsletter, etc. That's great! The price is slightly high compared to other nonprofit ticket sellers. I had trouble with the right phrasing as a nonprofit—we should avoid "ticket sales" and use "suggested donation" instead. Brown Paper Tickets had limited options. After chatting with them, they figured out the best fit, which was "admission donation." I highly recommend this service due to its easy-to-use interface and fantastic support. I go to the site, set up my fundraising event, and it goes live after their review and approval. They take care of everything and send periodic email updates on ticket donation progress.
M
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Eco-conscious and socially responsible with great customer service, though a small outfit"
I've been a user since 2008, off and on, for events and trade shows. It's quite user-friendly. I've always gotten prompt replies to emails or calls for support. I've never used it for anything bigger than 200 people. There are plenty of solid reporting options. It's effortless to schedule multiple events and block out specific dates. They also keep me on track by double-checking everything. The interface is a bit messy visually. It's clearly a utility-focused backend, but it can be confusing at first. Since they're a smaller company, even with great support, making lots of last-minute changes isn't ideal. Best for well-established events, especially if you're printing tickets. I go to the site, create my fundraiser, and it goes live after their review and approval. They handle it all. Plus, they send periodic updates on ticket donation progress. You should give Brown Paper Tickets a try. The price is a bit high, especially versus other nonprofit ticketing services, but that's because they send customizable tickets to every buyer within 48 hours. So far, they're the only affordable nonprofit-focused option that does that, and it's essential for our event.
S
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Room for improvement"
There's barely anything to appreciate here; it's quite poor. The only decent thing is seeing an event you're interested in, but they can't even get that info to show up properly. They have a noble goal, but you forget it in two minutes. They don't even ask about the kinds of events I like or have any onboarding to learn about me, so they can't tailor anything. If you want to snag tickets quickly, just use Eventbrite or StubHub. I'm not using Brown Paper Tickets to solve any business challenge.
S
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"About Brown Paper Tickets"
As someone who puts on events, the platform is very user-friendly for setting up ticketing, and I'm pleased with the technical help. But it's transaction-based, not patron-based. So we can't track a customer's buying history over time, and that info isn't gathered or used to build a relationship. While BPT enables ticket sales, we'll need separate tools for managing relationships, fundraising, etc. The fees for buyers are competitive. If you run multiple events regularly, you might be better off with a system where you can fold the costs into the ticket price. As an admin who's run box offices, I don't like that the system isn't branded to our organization. A customer who starts on our site might get confused when they hit the ticket page—it's clearly a third-party setup. If they have questions or problems, who do they contact? A branded online ticketing system on my own website seems like a far better approach.
S
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"A Unique Approach to Selling Tickets"
What stands out is the ability to set ticket prices in multiple currencies, which signals global scalability. Plus, they refund the processing fees you pay to your credit card processor. That's amazing! It's the standout feature compared to rivals who profit from fees. This lets me keep my ticket costs down. Their fees are minuscule, just a dollar. So far, I have no complaints. I just wish more people knew about them and chose them over Eventbrite. I'd strongly suggest giving Brown Paper Tickets a shot—it's essentially free for charity and fundraising events, and attendees only pay a $1 fee rather than the annoying $7-15 Eventbrite charges. Selling tickets at no or minimal cost to my business, and my customers skip the steep fees.
S
Senior Software Engineer
"User-friendly platform for event ticketing services"
It's incredibly simple to operate. Every event you set up undergoes validation and review before going live. That's all there is to it. The features they provide are solid. My only gripe is that the pricing seems a bit steep for what you get, but otherwise it's a solid choice and I've run into zero issues so far—I'll update this if that changes. I'd suggest it to anyone needing these services. Don't let the price tag scare you off; consider the support and features you're getting. At least give it a shot. Since we're a software firm, we organize many events like seminars and contests, and I've used this to host one successfully thanks to the platform's organization.
M
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Simple ticketing for community gatherings, meetups, and conferences"
There are tons of local happenings in the app; buying tickets for performances, business mixers, etc. is simple, covering events that the bigger players ignore. The area-based search works nicely. I can't think of much to complain about. Perhaps offering more payment methods and a slightly clearer interface would help? All in all, it's a solid option for local event ticketing and sometimes the only choice for small conferences or speaker series. A good ticketing platform for neighborhood events. Definitely worth checking out if you need to sell tickets for a company function. It's been really handy for us to grab tickets for small local conferences and workshops. It lets us send our team to nearby talks, tech meetups, or conventions.
E
Executive Director
"Budget-Friendly Ticketing Software (assuming they make it through the COVID-19 closures)"
Besides selling tickets online, they let me order custom printed tickets to sell at the door. The system also handles comps and free passes for specific guests. Their support team is fantastic. Free events cost nothing—no fees at all! There's no true season ticket package. However, they have a clunky workaround that ends up confusing both attendees and our gate staff. This platform gives us a cheap way to sell tickets online. We can also gather buyer names for our mailing list.
G
General Manager
"Our small nonprofit is owed over $11k with no response from them"
As both a seller and buyer, listing events and finding them was a snap. But they never pay out to organizations. We're still waiting on our money. There's zero way to reach a human, and emails go unanswered. Selling event tickets online
P
President and Owner
"Straightforward and Dependable Ticket Buying"
My encounters with Brown Paper Tickets for event purchases were straightforward and dependable. Navigating the platform was a breeze and transactions were fast, simplifying the whole process. It works well both online and via phone, and getting my tickets was uncomplicated—they arrived directly in my inbox with a clear subject line that made them simple to locate. Nothing about my ticket buying experience with them gave me any trouble. Overall, it was a smooth and trustworthy way to get event tickets, with user-friendly navigation and efficient processing. The system is accessible from any device and the delivery method is hassle-free, landing straight in my email and easy to spot.
Enterprise Readiness
GDPR
Identity & Access
SSO✗ Not supported
RBAC✗
Audit Logs✗
Data Security
At restAES-256
In transitTLS 1.2+
Key mgmtVendor-managed
SLA & Availability
Uptime SLA99.9%
RPO—
RTO—
Pen test—
Compliance & Portability
Data residency—
Data export
Right to erasure✗
Integrations
4 total appsPP
PayPal
Accept ticket payments through PayPal, with funds going directly to the organizer's PayPal account.
CMA
Custom Merchant Account
Sell tickets using your own merchant account to receive funds directly.
FB
Promote events and sell tickets directly through Facebook.
EC
Events.com
Brown Paper Tickets was acquired by Events.com; integrates for continued event management support.
Governance & Compliance
EU AI Act
No data available
Data Processing Agreement
No data available
Sub-processors
No data available
Right to Erasure
No data available
Change Notifications
No data available
NIST AI RMF
No data available
AiDOOS Managed Deployment
Deploy Brown Paper Tickets in 72 hours
AiDOOS handles setup, CRM integration, SSO config, and user provisioning. Your team goes live — not your IT department.
12
Deployments
94%
Adoption rate
4.8/5
Post-deploy sat.
1-2 weeks
Time to value
Prerequisites
- Active Brown Paper Tickets account
- Event organizer profile
- Payment processing setup (PayPal or merchant account)
Configuration Options
- Set ticket fees and currency
- Configure event listing details
- Integrate with payment gateways
- Customize registration forms
How Brown Paper Tickets Compares
| Product | AI & Analytics | Ease of Use | Enterprise Features | Pricing | Integrations | Mobile Experience | Quick Setup | Customer Support | Rating | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
B
Brown Paper Tickets This product
|
Fair | Good | Fair | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent | ★ 4.0 | $Custom/user |
|
EB
Eventbrite
|
Good | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | — | $0/user |
|
TM
Ticketmaster
|
Good | Fair | Excellent | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Good | — | $Custom/user |
|
TL
Ticketleap
|
Fair | Good | Fair | Good | Fair | Good | Excellent | Good | — | $Custom/user |
Virtual Delivery Center · A new delivery category
A Virtual Delivery Center for Brown Paper Tickets
Pre-vetted experts and AI agents in the loop, assembled as a delivery pod. Pay in Delivery Units — universal pricing across roles, seniority, and tech stacks. No hiring, no contracting, no procurement cycle.
- Plans from $2,000 — Starter Pack, 10 Delivery Units, 90 days
- Refundable on unused Delivery Units, anytime — no questions asked
- Re-delivery guarantee on acceptance miss
- Pre-flight delivery sizing — you see the plan before you commit
How a Virtual Delivery Center delivers Brown Paper Tickets
Outcome-based delivery via AiDOOS’s VDC model. Why VDC vs traditional consulting? →
Outcome-Based
Pay for results, not hours
Milestone-Driven
Clear deliverables at each phase
Expert Network
Access to certified specialists
Implementation Timeline
1
Discover
Requirements & assessment
2
Integrate
Setup & data migration
3
Validate
Testing & security audit
4
Rollout
Deployment & training
5
Optimize
Performance tuning
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ticket buyer fee for Brown Paper Tickets?
The ticket buyer fee varies by currency and is typically a fixed amount plus a percentage (e.g., $1.49 + 6% for USD). This fee is added to each ticket sale.
Can I sell tickets with Brown Paper Tickets for free?
Brown Paper Tickets does not charge upfront costs to event organizers; they operate on a per-ticket fee model, which is paid by the ticket buyer.
Is Brown Paper Tickets still active?
The Brown Paper Tickets website has been retired. The company was acquired by Events.com, and users are directed to use Events.com for future event ticketing.
What payment methods does Brown Paper Tickets support?
It supports PayPal and custom merchant accounts, allowing organizers to receive funds directly.
Can I integrate Brown Paper Tickets with AiDOOS?
Yes, AiDOOS can facilitate the deployment and configuration of Brown Paper Tickets, including setting up payment integrations and event management workflows.