Fees, pricing and "Pass fees to buyer"
What it costs to sell tickets on The Ground, how the ticket fee is calculated, how to pass it on to buyers, and how fees behave on refunds.
Free events are free#
Free events (price HKD 0) cost nothing: unlimited event pages, RSVP tracking, approval, sign-up forms, notices, WhatsApp and e-mail invites, QR check-in.
Paid events#
| Online payment (Stripe) | Offline payment (FPS / PayMe / transfer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket fee | 5% + HKD 2.35 per ticket | none |
| Payment processing | included in the ticket fee | none – you collect the money yourself |
| Who pays the fee | You, or the buyer if Pass fees to buyer is on | – |
| Payout | To your bank via Stripe, on your payout schedule | Already in your account |
The full pricing page is at join.theground.io/pricing.
How the fee is calculated#
Example: ticket price HKD 150, fee 5% + HKD 2.35.
| Pass fees off (you absorb) | Pass fees on (buyer pays) | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays at checkout | HKD 150.00 | HKD 159.85 |
| Fee | 150 × 5% + 2.35 = HKD 9.85 | added on top |
| You receive | HKD 140.15 | HKD 150.00 |
With group tickets and discounts the fee applies to the actual amount charged per transaction (one payment for all seats).
Pass fees to buyer#
Setting → Payment card → tick Pass fees to buyer (only shown when your Stripe account is connected). The event page and checkout show the fee line to the buyer. Turn it off for a "what you see is what you pay" price and absorb the fee yourself.
Minimum and maximum prices#
- Stripe charges need a minimum amount. The admin enforces HKD 10.00 as the smallest chargeable price after discounts – early bird must be ≥ HKD 10 and promo codes cannot leave a remainder between HKD 0.01 and 9.99 ("Charge must be $0 or at least HKD 10.00").
- Prices go up to HKD 100,000.00.
- A promo code equal to or larger than the ticket price makes the ticket free at checkout ("attendees can check out for $0") – that is allowed.
Offline payments cost nothing#
If you accept FPS / PayMe / bank transfer with Offline Payment, members upload a screenshot and you confirm it. The Ground charges no fee on these. See Offline payments.
Refunds and fees#
When you refund a Stripe payment, the buyer gets the refunded amount back, but the ticket fee is not returned to you. On a full refund you are out of pocket by the fee (HKD 9.85 in the example). Plan cancellation policies accordingly and prefer partial refunds or credits where fair. See Refunds.
Currency#
All prices are in Hong Kong dollars (HKD). Buyers with foreign cards are charged in HKD and their bank converts.