| |
|
| 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
2. How long does it take to get my printed tickets?
Our average turnaround time for processing and printing tickets is 24 hours, but it is still best to order your tickets well in advance of your event. Tickets are almost always mailed the day after they have been ordered.
Seller Questions
1. What are your fees?
When producing an event using Brown Paper Tickets everything you need to put on your show is free.
People buying tickets to your show always pay the same fair fees, unless you decide to pay it for them. Our fees are simple: for ticket prices $9.99 and under, our fee is 99 cents: for ticket prices $10 and up, our fee is $1.99, The tickets will always cost the same whether they are purchased over the phone, online, or in person.
Paper or plastic?
If you prefer laminated badges and lanyards for your event, the fees are the same as tickets. Please contact Client Services for more information.
For those times when you need a little bit more, we are here for you. We also offer the following special features and services:
Changes to seating charts
Creating a seating chart is free one time per venue. If you want to modify an existing chart, there is a one-time fee of $50.
Printing extra tickets
Want us to print some tickets that you can either sell yourself or sell through another service? Sure thing! Please see question number four for all the details.
The only other time that you would have to pay Brown Paper Tickets is if your event is canceled and tickets have already been sold. The charge is 99 cents 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 the initial charge and the refund as separate transactions. If you cancel your order but the event still ends up going ahead, there is no charge to you or the ticket buyer.
2. How can your service fees be so low?
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. You can also choose to split the fee with the ticket buyer in any increment.
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 (Priority Shipping) or $18 per 500 tickets (Express Shipping). If you pick up your tickets at our offices in Seattle there is no shipping charge.
If you are not 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 tickets for an event you have listed on our website, just select that event from the drop down menu.
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. For an extra level of security, 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. 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.
8. Is there a limit on the number of tickets I can sell?
No. We can handle shows with an attendance anywhere from 1 person to 1,000,000.
9. 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. You may also use your own merchant account to receive the proceeds from your ticket sales immediately.
10. 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 flat service fee.
11. My event requires a feature that I didn't see when creating my event. Can you accommodate special requests?
We often can. We may already have accommodated your request for an event producer in the past. Please give our Client Service team a call at 1-800-838-3006 and we will see if we can help you.
12. My event is longer than just one day. Can you print us plastic badges instead of paper tickets?
Yes. Badges cost between 50 cents and $1.25 depending on your needs. Please call our Client Service team if you wish to have badges for your 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 run a venue that holds frequent events. 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 spreadsheet to fill in. This can be a big time-saver if the only differences between your events are the names of the bands and the prices. You simply add the new information and copy and paste the rest.
15. What does Not Just For Profit ticketing mean?
We are committed to making it as easy and as fair as possible to buy and sell tickets.
This means that you pay us nothing unless you choose optional services, and you have the peace of mind that you are backed by our Client Services team if any issues do arise.
To ticket buyers, this means that they 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 their order, or even if they are just lost and need directions to your venue.
We also do our best to be good stewards of the community and the environment by allowing ticket buyers to select a charity at the end of their web sale to donate a portion of our company's profits.
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 treat you. Also know that we will treat the people who attend your event with the respect they deserve.
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 Client Service 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?
Online at www.BrownPaperTickets.com
Over the phone at 1-800-838-3006
We have walk-up locations in Seattle, WA and Edinburgh, Scotland
Also, the venue itself may have tickets for sale. If the venue is selling tickets, they often exclude 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?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Tickets can also be purchased with cash at our offices in Seattle, Washington or Edinburgh, Scotland.
4. What delivery methods are available?
There are four methods of delivery available, subject to the producer's discretion.
|
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 |
$6.00 |
| USPS Express |
Some Shows |
Until 2 Business Days prior to show |
$18.00 |
| 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.
Will-Call (Ticketless): 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.
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. There is an additional $6.00 service charge for delivery via USPS Priority Mail.
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 $18.00 service charge for delivery via USPS Express Mail.
5. How much is your service charge?
Tickets with a face value of $9.99 or less are subject to a 99 cent service charge. A service fee of $1.99 is applied to tickets with a face value of $10 or more.
6. 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. |
7. What if my tickets are lost in the mail?
If your tickets are returned to us, we will contact you to get a correct address and resend them. If they do not arrive at all please call us on the day before the event and we will 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 complete the form at www.brownpapertickets.com/charities.html and we will consider it for inclusion in our donations program. If you would like to find out more about our donation process, you can do so here.
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 has not been selected; it may be included at a later date. You can read more about this month's charities at 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?
This message means that there were still tickets remaining for us to sell when the producer ended online and phone sales for the event. If you call us we can approximate how many tickets were remaining when sales closed and provide you contact information so you can see if it is possible to reserve a ticket at the venue 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?
Whoa. Not at all. You must have came across the section of the website intended for people wishing to sell tickets for their event. Simply go back to the homepage and begin again.
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 that all transactions are secure. You can visit their website at http://www.thawte.com/ for more information.
|
| |
|
|
