Refund protocol
When an event gets cancelled or rescheduled, here's how the resale market handles seller payouts and buyer refunds — and the one timing detail that changes who covers the money.
Why this protocol exists#
A cancellation is a small race against the clock. Sellers are owed their money, buyers are owed a refund — and there's only so much liquidity to go around. This protocol exists to make that race predictable, so everyone gets made whole without surprises. Three things it sets out to do:
- A clear playbook. One agreed way to handle cancellations and reschedulings in the resale market, so nobody is improvising under pressure.
- Stopping the money in time. Pausing or cancelling seller payouts early enough that the funds are still there to refund buyers.
- Telling everyone what happened. A standard way to notify sellers and buyers, and to push refunds through — either back to the original card, or by bank transfer when that isn't possible.
When an event is cancelled#
The Partner needs to tell menta about the cancellation before the date payouts go out to sellers (settlement). As soon as that notice arrives, menta tech freezes every pending seller payout for the event and closes the resale market — no more listing, no more buying.
From there, menta refunds the Fan-to-Fan buyers (the people who bought resale tickets). The refund goes back through the original transaction whenever it can; if that route isn't available, menta reaches out to the buyer for their bank details and sends the money by transfer instead.
Nobody is left guessing. Within 2–3 business days of the Partner's notice, menta emails the sellers to let them know their sales were cancelled, their payouts voided, and that the refund for their own original purchase is something the Partner handles through its usual channels. menta also emails the Fan-to-Fan buyers to confirm the event was cancelled and their refund is already on its way — though it may take a little longer to show up depending on their bank.
When an event is rescheduled#
A rescheduling — a new date, a different venue, a changed lineup — is treated the same way as a cancellation here. So the same rule applies: menta tech needs to hear about it before payouts go out to sellers. If the notice comes after the money has already moved (which generally happens 96 business hours after the original event date), the Partner has to provide enough liquidity to cover the Fan-to-Fan refunds, and make sure no refunds are issued for sales that have already been settled.
Once notified, menta tech cancels the seller payouts for the event, closes the resale market, and refunds the buyers. Sellers get an email explaining the event was rescheduled, their sales cancelled and payouts voided — and that they're welcome to list their tickets again once the market reopens. Buyers get an email confirming the reschedule and that their refund has been processed.
What can't be refunded#
Outside the cancellation and reschedule cases above, and unless local law in the Partner's territories says otherwise, a few things hold:
- Resale purchases are final. Tickets bought on the resale market aren't refunded for any reason beyond the ones covered above.
- Service fees stay put, unless the Partner and menta tech have agreed otherwise in writing.
- A seller asking for their money back can only be refunded for tickets that didn't sell. Anything already sold isn't refundable to the seller — that money is paid out to them in the matching settlement.