In news that should be a surprise to no one (but is still news), Comic-Con International confirmed on Twitter today what they’ve been hinting at for months (and years, really): That there will be no Badge Resale of returned badges for San Diego Comic-Con 2016, meaning if you don’t have a badge already, you’re probably out of luck.
@teenwolffoeva There will not be a resale of returned or cancelled badges for Comic-Con 2016. We encourage you to try again next year.
— San Diego Comic-Con (@Comic_Con) March 10, 2016
Although CCI has been stating all year that they “don’t anticipate” the sale to happen, this is the first official confirmation it won’t be happening.
The last Badge Resale occurred in in 2013. Beginning in 2014, according to CCI, there just haven’t been enough refunds and cancellations to hold the sale again. When badges are this hard to get, and demand is this high, most want to hold onto their golden ticket. Here was the reasoning, circa 2014:
In past years Comic-Con International has been able to hold a sale of returned and unallocated badges in June. Unfortunately, due to an extremely low rate of refunds and cancellations this year, we are not able to hold a resale of Comic-Con 2014 badges. Thank you for your support and understanding.
There’s still a very faint glimmer of hope for those hoping to attend SDCC 2016. There are a few contests, like the Assassin’s Creed one announced today, which will send lucky grand prize winners to the convention. For everyone else — make sure you’re signed up for a Member ID so that you’re eligible to participate in 2017.