Purchasing for others during Open Registration

We know you're excited to purchase badges for friends during Open Registration, but before you rush to log in to your Member ID account the day of the badge sale, be sure to read through this information so that you’ll be on the path of success! If you are selected for a registration session, you will be able to purchase badges for up to three people - yourself included if you so choose - while supplies last. There are two items you need to keep in mind when purchasing for others:

• All people that you choose to purchase for must have a valid Member ID prior to Open Registration. 
• All members in your buying group must not have previously purchased the Preview Night (Wednesday, July 19) option in order for them to be eligible for Open Registration. 

Below we’ll go through the three most common situations and questions people have pertaining to Open Registration.

So, you want to purchase a badge for your mom, dog sitter, or best friend? Perfect! There are just a few items you need to have checked off before you can do so. All people you plan on buying for must have a valid and registered Comic-Con Member ID  before you can even start thinking about purchasing for them. 

If you are randomly chosen and put into a registration session, you will need to select the “Register Another Member ID” tab and enter the Member ID and last name of the member you wish to purchase badges for. If the Member ID and last name are valid, their name will appear in a green box. If they have a suffix or special character in their last name, you must include it when you enter their last name in order for their account to appear. 

Select their desired badges from the inventory available, then add to your cart. You will need to repeat this for each person you wish to purchase badges for. Once everyone’s been added, it’s time to check out. You will be able to edit badge selections once you move past this page, but you won’t be able to change registrants.

If so, Nice! We love a friend group who has fun coming together year after year at Comic-Con. But, on the same hand we do always warn our attendees to proceed with caution if you do choose to join a buying group. It’s vital that you only join a group if you truly feel it is well-organized from the start, as well as there being solid communication before, during, and after the registration process. Buying in groups gives people a chance to obtain a badge through a different method but, over the years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people who wind up empty-handed due to disorganization, lack of communication, or untrustworthy groups.

Here’s the thing: hundreds of members are moved from the waiting room to a registration session every minute, and several of you could be selected around the same time. If you try to purchase the same badges for the same person, you could get an error message that their badges have already been purchased when you try to process your order. Remember, you won’t be able to add or change registrants on the “Process Order” page, so you may miss out on maximizing your purchase limit! If you miss out on purchasing for a friend due to lack of communication,, Comic-Con will be unable to help you.

And lastly, but of the utmost importance: We highly suggest only joining a buying group with people you trust. Everyone in your group must operate within their own instance of the waiting room. If we detect that a participant has shared their waiting room information or URL, they will be removed from the registration queue and any transactions linked to it will be canceled immediately. If someone in your group attempts to sell or scalp their badge, all badges in the order will be canceled, including yours.

First of all, a round of applause needs to be had for you and whoever you bought for! We’re already excited to see you next July! Now, down to the nitty-gritty. Order acknowledgment emails will be sent out immediately to each badge holder, so keep an eye on your inbox, spam box included (just in case). Payments will begin processing once the badge sale ends. Badge confirmation emails will be sent out once we get closer to the event.

Bear in mind, not all eligible attendees will get the chance to purchase or obtain a badge during Open Registration. There are significantly more attendees than available badges. Entry to the waiting room does not guarantee you a badge or registration session. May the odds be ever in your favor!

We encourage you to read all of the step-by-step instructions here, bookmark Toucan - the official blog of Comic-Con and WonderCon, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for additional information leading up to Open Registration.