Ticketing fees around the world

The same platform charges different fees in different countries — sometimes dramatically so. UK organisers discovering Eventbrite's US rate card usually ask the obvious question: why are we paying nearly double? Because market structure, not costs.

The Eventbrite exhibit

Presentation differs (the US splits processing out; the UK bundles it), which is exactly why cross-border comparisons need effective rates, not headline ones. On effective totals, English-speaking markets cluster at 10–14% for marketplace self-service.

Why the differences persist

• Competitive density: the US has aggressive discount competitors at scale; the UK's cheap tier (Ticket Tailor, Tickts, Outsavvy) is newer and platforms reprice slowly.
• Interchange rules: EU/UK card interchange is capped (~0.2–0.3%), the US isn't — yet US-style '2.9% processing' pricing migrated here anyway. The margin hides in the gap.
• Regulatory posture: the EU's consumer-rights regime and the UK's DMCC Act squeeze drip pricing; US checkout fees remain wilder (the FTC's junk-fee rule only began biting in 2025).

What travels and what doesn't

Percentage-plus-fixed structures are universal. What changes by country is the fixed part's weight (heavier where processors charge flat cents), VAT/GST treatment, and payout speed norms. If you run events in multiple countries, benchmark each market separately — a platform cheap in one can be mid-table in another.