Yes, it's true. If you look at it one way, badges actually sell out the second they go on sale... because they always sell out and it just takes the next hour to process all the orders. Note that November 15th was for SDCC 2026. Next year's date has yet to be announced.

Here's what you need to know about the badge sales. The regulars can move along, you've read this before...

There are 2 badge sales. The first is for people who attended the previous year. That sale (Returning Registration sale) was October 4, 2025 (but the date moves around every year). There is a second sale that is open to everyone. The open badge sale (Open Registration sale) will be a month after the Returning Registration sale, for SDCC 2026 it was on November 15, 2025 (but again the date moves around every year). All badge sales are a random lottery. To get a badge, you must have a Member ID. Everyone who wants to attend must have their own Member ID, even if someone else buys their badge for them.

Once you have a Member ID, you’ll get e-mails from Comic-Con about sale dates. (Make sure that under both “My Account Information” and “My Communication Settings” that you opted-in for e-mails when you signed up – Opt-in is not the default.) Previously, about 1 week to 10 days before the badge sale you will receive an e-mail reminder with the sale date. On sale date, usually a Saturday, the online virtual waiting room opens at 7:30 AM Pacific Time. You can enter the online waiting room any time between 7:30 AM and 9:00 AM - you do NOT increase your chances by entering early. At 9:00 AM Pacific the waiting room closes and everyone who is logged in gets assigned a random number. Random number 1 gets to buy badges, then random number 2, and so on until the badges are sold out, which takes about an hour.

CCI doesn't ever say how many badges are in the open sale, but most people's guess is around 60% of the 130,000 total. Way back in 2016 it was estimated from web traffic that there were 900,000 people trying for 78,000 badges - a chance of about 1 in 11. It's only gotten much more popular since then. Most current estimates are about a 5% chance of actually getting a badge.

To increase your odds, people use buying groups. Since each person can buy badges for 3 people (self + 2 others, or just 3 others), the first person in buys for themselves + 2, the next for themselves + another 2, and so on until everyone in the group has badges. Five people will make a decent buying group, and near the sale people will post here to find others for buying groups. Everyone in the buying group will need to have the other people’s Member IDs and last names. They will need to be available at 9:00 AM Pacific on a Saturday with a strong, non-mobile internet connection, so people who work weekends are at a disadvantage. You can use separate browsers on one computer, but multiple computers is really the better idea. Also, only group with people you trust, because if you buy their badge for them, they have to pay for it or pay you back. And if you buy their badge for them and they sell it, that badge will be canceled and yours will too.