Organisers ask the same question every week, usually a day before they print a sponsor deck: what does Tickethub.ng actually cost, and who pays the fee at checkout?
The honest answer has three parts: the platform fee, the choice of who carries it, and the timing of when money reaches your bank. This article covers all three, with worked numbers on real Nigerian ticket prices. Live rates always sit on the pricing page, so confirm there before any figure goes into a budget.
The short version
- Free events carry no platform fee. Ever.
- Paid tickets on Launch are 6% + ₦100 per ticket sold. Grow and Scale are lower.
- Absorb keeps your flyer clean. Pass protects margin on cheap tickets.
- The fixed ₦100 hurts most below about ₦2,000. Model your cheapest tier first.
- Gross ticket sales are not cash. Clearing time is real.
The platform fee in plain English
Tickethub.ng charges a platform fee on each paid ticket sold. Free events do not pay a platform fee at all, so a free RSVP night still gets you a public page, a guest list, a capacity cap, and QR check-in at no cost.
On paid tickets, the fee has two parts: a percentage and a fixed amount. Both matter, and the fixed part is the one organisers underestimate.
Grow and Scale carry a monthly subscription on top of the lower ticket rate, so the right plan is a volume question, not a status question. Compare organiser plans to see what each unlocks.
Absorb or pass: who carries the fee
This is the decision that shows up on your flyer, so make it before you publish a price anywhere.
Absorb
You include the fee in the price the buyer sees. Flyer price equals checkout price.
- Best on mid and high prices, VIP, tables
- Keeps marketing creative simple
- Reduces checkout abandonment
Pass
The buyer sees a fee line at checkout. Your face value stays exactly as advertised.
- Protects margin on low prices
- Works when a partner fixes face value
- Requires one honest line in your caption
Most concert and conference organisers absorb, because a single clean number sells better. Campus and community organisers more often pass, because a fixed component is heavy against a ₦1,000 ticket. Both are legitimate. What is not legitimate is switching quietly after sales open.
Worked examples on real Nigerian prices
All figures below use Launch pricing at 6% + ₦100, before payment processing.
Read the third column, not the second. That is the real story of a fixed fee component: it is nearly invisible on VIP and dominant on a campus ticket. At ₦500 you are handing over a quarter of face value, which is why the answer at that price is usually a free RSVP with a paid upgrade tier rather than a cheap paid ticket.
What to do about very low prices
- Free RSVP plus paid add-on. Free entry, paid meet-and-greet or drink bundle. No fee on the free tier.
- Raise face value slightly and absorb. ₦1,500 that includes everything often reads better than ₦1,000 plus a visible fee.
- Bundle. A four-person group ticket at ₦4,000 pays one fixed fee instead of four.
Processing and payouts are separate from the platform fee
Card and transfer payments run through Nigerian payment partners such as Paystack. Those rails have their own costs and their own risk reviews, and they sit outside the platform fee.
Timing matters as much as cost. Ticket payments need clearing time before the balance becomes withdrawable. Once you request a payout, processing typically takes 2 to 48 hours, and weekends and public holidays stretch that. A Friday sell-out does not guarantee a Saturday morning artist payment.
Never promise instant payout. Not to artists, not to venues, not to co-promoters. Pay deposits from your operating account and settle the balance after clearing. The full cashflow model is in payouts for Nigerian organisers.
How to choose a plan
Do the arithmetic rather than the vibes. If Grow saves you 1% per ticket and costs ₦15,000 a month, it pays for itself at roughly ₦1.5m of monthly ticket sales, before you count what the extra tools are worth.
- Occasional nights? Stay on Launch. There is no penalty for it.
- Selling every month? Compare Grow against your actual last-90-days volume, not your ambition.
- Running at volume with a team? Scale exists for multi operator box office, reporting, and control.
Revisit the choice after three comparable events. Volume and operational maturity move together, and a lower rate that also unlocks better attribution can pay for itself twice.
Comparing platforms honestly
When you compare ticketing platforms in Nigeria, headline percentages mislead. Compare on four things instead:
- Net payout on your real ticket ladder. Run your actual prices through each fee structure. A lower percent with a higher fixed fee can cost you more.
- Whether free events stay free. Some platforms charge on free RSVPs.
- How payouts actually behaved for organisers you personally trust, not for a testimonial page.
- Door quality and attribution. A slightly higher fee with reliable check-in and clean promoter tracking is cheaper than a chaotic cheap tool that costs you a night.
Questions organisers ask
Do free tickets pay fees?
No. Free events carry no platform fee, and you still get the guest list and QR check-in.
Is the fee per order or per ticket?
Model it per paid ticket. Someone buying four tickets pays four fixed components.
Can I change absorb or pass after sales start?
You can, but prefer not to. Set it before major sales go live. If you must change, say so publicly rather than letting early buyers discover it.
Do complimentary tickets pay fees?
Set comps up as free inventory rather than fake ₦1 tickets. It keeps your reporting honest and avoids paying a fixed fee on a gift.
What happens on refunds?
Follow your published refund policy and the platform process. Fee handling on refunds can depend on timing and provider rules, so do not invent guarantees in buyer chat.
What if I change plans mid-season?
Confirm your account state and the current rate on the pricing page before you announce new net figures to partners.
Model your ticket ladder before you print anything
Take your cheapest paid tier, run absorb and pass, and see which one you can actually defend to a buyer.