How Ventril works: a safer way to buy tickets from strangers

This is what happens from the moment you find a ticket to the moment the seller is paid.

1. 01Find your event and open a listing. You see the full amount before you pay.
2. 02Pay through Ventril’s checkout. Ventril holds the money; the seller doesn’t receive it yet.
3. 03Your ticket appears in your dashboard. At mapped venues it stays locked until you’re at the venue, or until 3 hours before the event.
4. 04Go to the event. Once you’re in, tap “I got in”. That releases the seller’s payment and ends your right to dispute.
5. 05If the ticket doesn’t work, open a dispute with evidence between the start of the event and noon the next day.

Ventril holds the payment. Our payment provider processes it, but the money isn’t passed to the seller when you pay.

It’s released to the seller at 12:00 noon Lagos time on the day after the event starts, if no dispute is open. If you tap “I got in” earlier, the seller is paid then. For tickets sent through the organiser’s app, the payout waits for you to confirm the ticket arrived.

Compare that with a bank transfer to a stranger on Instagram: once the money leaves your account, nobody is holding it and nobody reviews what happened if the ticket fails.

Most ticket scams in Lagos depend on the seller being anonymous or the ticket being sold more than once. These checks are aimed at both.

• Every seller verifies their NIN before they can list.
• The payout bank account must be in the same name as the NIN, so the money goes to the person who was verified.
• The seller uploads the ticket file to Ventril, or proof of transfer for tickets sent through the organiser’s app. They don’t send it to you directly.
• A person reviews every listing before it goes live.
• Duplicate ticket files are flagged.
• Accounts that break the rules can be suspended.

At mapped venues, the ticket file unlocks when you confirm you’re at the venue, or automatically 3 hours before the event, whichever comes first. Ventril records when and how it unlocked, so there’s a clear record that the ticket reached you.

You can unlock it early if you need to. You’ll be asked to give up the “never received it” claim first. Other problems, such as being refused at the door, can still be disputed.

Our promise is simple: if it doesn’t get you in, you get your money back. Here’s how that works in practice.

Open a dispute between the start of the event and noon the next day, and attach evidence, such as a photo at the gate or a message from the organiser. A person reviews both sides before deciding whether you’re refunded or the seller is paid.

Because the money hasn’t left Ventril, a refund comes from the payment we were holding. You don’t have to chase the seller for it.

Ventril charges 12% of the ticket price, with a ₦150 minimum. The seller chooses whether the buyer pays it on top or it comes out of their payout, and as a buyer you see the total before you pay. Free tickets have no fee. Buyers can also make an offer on a listing.