Pricing Ladder (Early Bird and Tiered Tickets)

A pricing ladder links ticket types in a sequence so that when one tier closes, the next one opens automatically. Use it for Early Bird → General Admission transitions, or any tiered pricing structure where you want the price to increase as the event fills up or a deadline passes.

How It Works

A pricing ladder is a chain of ticket types. Each type in the chain (except the last) has a trigger that determines when it closes and the next type opens.

When a trigger fires:

• The current ticket type stops selling
• The next ticket type in the chain becomes available automatically
• Buyers who already purchased the earlier tier keep their tickets — the transition only affects future purchases

Triggers are evaluated in real time. There is no delay between a trigger condition being met and the next tier opening.

Trigger Types

Each tier in the ladder (except the last) has a trigger that controls when it closes. There are three options:

When sold out — the tier closes the moment all its allocated tickets are sold. Use this for "first 50 tickets at the Early Bird price" structures where inventory is the gating factor.

When sale window ends — the tier closes at the sale end date and time set on the ticket type, regardless of how many tickets remain. Use this for "Early Bird pricing ends Friday at midnight" structures where a deadline is the gating factor.

When either occurs — the tier closes as soon as either condition is met first. Use this when you want a date deadline but also want to close early if tickets sell out before then.

Setting Up a Pricing Ladder

1. On your event, open Ticket Types and create a ticket type for each tier (for example: Early Bird, General Admission, Last Chance)
2. Scroll down to the Pricing Ladder panel and click to expand it
3. Use the Add to ladder... dropdown to select a ticket type, then click Add — repeat for each tier in the sequence
4. Use the up and down arrows to order the tiers (first available at the top)
5. For each tier except the last, select its trigger: When sold out, When sale window ends, or When either occurs
6. If you select When sale window ends or When either occurs, set the sale end date on that ticket type in its ticket type settings
7. The last tier in the chain is marked Final tier — when it closes, no further tier opens automatically

A Complete Example

Event: A conference with three pricing tiers

• Early Bird — $49, 50 tickets, trigger: When sold out
• General Admission — $79, unlimited, trigger: When sale window ends (set to the day before the event)
• Day-Of — $99, 50 tickets, Final tier

What buyers see:

1. When the event goes on sale, only Early Bird tickets are visible
2. Once all 50 Early Bird tickets sell, General Admission opens automatically
3. The day before the event, General Admission closes and Day-Of tickets become available
4. When the 50 Day-Of tickets sell out, the event shows as sold out

Combining with Access Codes

You can gate the first tier of a ladder behind an access code to create a private presale:

1. Create your Early Bird ticket type with an access code
2. Create your General Admission ticket type with no access code
3. Link them in a pricing ladder with a quantity or date trigger

Buyers with the presale code see the Early Bird ticket. When the presale closes, General Admission opens to everyone automatically. See Access-Code Gated Tickets for how to set up the code.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to buyers who already purchased Early Bird tickets when the ladder transitions?

Nothing — their tickets are unaffected. The transition only stops new Early Bird purchases. Existing buyers keep whatever tier they bought at the price they paid.

What if Early Bird tickets haven't all sold when the date trigger fires?

The unsold inventory closes regardless. Only the trigger condition matters — if you set a date trigger and that date arrives, the tier closes even if tickets remain.

Can a buyer purchase tickets from two different tiers in one order?

No. At any given moment only one tier is active. A buyer can only purchase from the currently active tier.

What happens during checkout if the trigger fires mid-purchase?

Equaticket holds inventory for up to 35 minutes when a buyer initiates checkout. If the tier closes while a buyer is partway through the payment flow, their purchase is rejected with a message asking them to return to the event page, where the next tier will be active.

Can I have more than three tiers?

Yes — you can chain as many ticket types as needed. Each type in the Pricing Ladder panel points to the next one in the sequence.

Can I pause a tier without removing it from the ladder?

There is no dedicated pause control for individual ladder tiers. If you need to temporarily stop a tier from selling, remove it from the Pricing Ladder panel — this takes it out of the active sequence. You can add it back later using the Add to ladder... dropdown.

Still need help? Contact support.