Ticket KPIs · Ticket resale glossary
Sales-to-Available Ratio
Also known as: Sold-to-available ratio, Sales/stock ratio
The sales-to-available ratio compares the tickets sold for an event with the tickets still available: tickets sold divided by available tickets.
A ratio above 1 means more tickets have sold than are left; the higher it goes, the scarcer the remaining supply. A low ratio close to the event date means plenty of stock and usually softer resale prices.
Using tickets sold in the last 24 hours instead of total sales turns it into a measure of how many days of stock are left at the current pace. See also sell-through rate, which expresses the same idea as a percentage.
How the sales-to-available ratio is calculated
Sales-to-available ratio = tickets sold ÷ tickets available. A ratio of 1 means as many tickets have sold as are still on sale; 3 means three tickets sold for every one left.
It is closely tied to the sell-through rate: if R is the ratio, sell-through = R ÷ (1 + R). A ratio of 1 is 50% sell-through, 3 is 75% and 9 is 90%. The ratio stretches out the top end, which makes differences between nearly sold-out events much easier to see.
Worked example: from 4 to 9 in a week
An event has sold 4,800 tickets and has 1,200 available. The ratio is 4,800 ÷ 1,200 = 4.0, equivalent to 80% sell-through. A week later 5,400 have sold and 600 remain: the ratio is 9.0, or 90%.
In sell-through terms the event moved 10 points; the ratio more than doubled. That stretch is the point. Going from four to nine tickets sold for every ticket left is a big change in scarcity, and resale prices usually react to it.
The daily version: days of supply
Replacing total sales with tickets sold in the last 24 hours turns the ratio into a pace measure. Daily sales ÷ available tells you what share of the remaining stock sells each day; turned upside down, available ÷ daily sales gives the days of supply left.
Example: 150 tickets sold in the last 24 hours with 1,200 available is 0.125 — an eighth of the stock per day, or 8 days of supply. If the event is 30 days away, supply will run out well before the date unless more tickets arrive.
How to interpret the ratio
Read the level and the direction together:
- Below 1: more stock than sales so far — common early in a sale, or for weak events late in one.
- Rising quickly: supply is being absorbed; expect the get-in price to firm up.
- Falling: new stock is arriving faster than sales, from a restock or a wave of resale listings.
- Very high values: with tiny availability the ratio swings wildly, as 20 tickets more or less can double or halve it.
Pitfalls with the sales-to-available ratio
Keep sold and available from the same market. Dividing resale tickets sold by primary availability, or primary sales by primary plus resale stock, produces a number that doesn't describe any real pool of tickets.
And because availability can fall to zero, the ratio can become infinite. At that point switch to primary percentage sold or sell-through, which always stay between 0 and 100%.
Track it with Eventory
Eventory shows tickets sold and available tickets side by side for every event, the two inputs of the ratio.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good sales-to-available ratio?
A ratio above 1 means more has sold than is left, and above 3 or 4 the remaining stock is scarce. More useful than any fixed level is the trend: a ratio rising week on week marks an event that is tightening up.
How is the sales-to-available ratio different from sell-through rate?
They use the same inputs. The ratio divides sold by available; sell-through divides sold by sold plus available and is a percentage. A ratio of 4 equals 80% sell-through. The ratio spreads nearly sold-out events further apart.
Can the ratio be used on the resale market?
Yes, as long as both numbers are resale: tickets sold on the marketplace divided by tickets currently listed there. A low resale ratio with growing listings means sellers outnumber buyers and prices are likely to soften.
Where can I find the numbers to calculate it?
Eventory shows tickets sold and available tickets side by side on every event page, for resale and for Ticketmaster, along with tickets sold in the last 24 hours for the daily version of the ratio.