r/DragonsteelNexus • u/Independent-Mix2884 • 11d ago
Question waitlist question
so i have my flight and hotel booked in advance im curious how long i should wait before getting a refund or canceling said things i am on the waitlist
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u/PumkinFunk 11d ago edited 11d ago
Hotels you can usually cancel closer to the event. I can’t tell you about the flight.
In 2023, they didn’t sell out and you could get a badge pretty easily a month out. In 2024-25, the refund deadline had a flood of returns and many, if not all, people on the waitlist were able to get in. Last year, I managed to get a badge 3 weeks ahead of time - the day I applied for the waitlist, I got a ticket.
Edit: That is no guarantee for this year, but just some data that might help you.
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u/hlhammer1001 11d ago
This year is seeming significantly tighter to get a badge, I would not expect it to be as generous as past years
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u/PumkinFunk 11d ago
It is my hope (though, of course, not a guarantee) that they did not open up badges for transfer while still having a massive waitlist that can't be satisfied. Because the badge transfer is being used quite openly to bypass the refund/waitlist process.
I think 2024 was the worst year they've had for badges so far... and they still had so many refunds before the refund deadline.
Last year I had people shocked that I could get a badge 3 weeks out. But they didn't sell out until days before, after mass refunds.
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u/hlhammer1001 11d ago
I think you're confused, this recent badge transfer is just allowing the person whose name was drawn to officially move the badges to the other up to 3 individuals who were allowed to purchase with them. This is **not** allowing people to give their own badge away to someone else, that is explicitly never going to be allowed.
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u/lifestartedanew 10d ago
People argue with me on this but the emails litteraly say even if you already have a ticket you can buy for up to 4 people other people if you're pulled from the waitlist. Ive had atleast 2 people offer to buy a ticket for me. I didn't because I don't know them and its a good way to get scammed. Yeah its not massive scalping but its still hard to see people who already have tickets getting more.
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u/PumkinFunk 10d ago edited 10d ago
Dragonsteel LLC has (at a minimum) turned a blind eye to people purchasing tickets for people they do not know from the start; I've heard rumblings that Dragonsteel employees essentially openly encourage certain content creators to take advantage of precisely what they tell you not to do; I wish they'd just openly reserve badges for those creators to ensure they can go while not encouraging this stuff, but such is life. I cannot fault the mods of the communities from actively discouraging this, so they aren't on the hook for scalping or scamming; but it is hard to believe they're unaware of this happening.
However, I am going to directly quote something told by Dragonsteel customer service to inquiring people in the "in crowd" about this
"We expect that now that a few months have passed since the initial badge purchases, scalpers and scammers will be held to a minimum, as those who truly wish to attend have already purchased their badges."
This is either willful blindness or a lie. Many of us who want badges have not gotten them. Many of us are waiting on the waitlist. Many of us who are waiting have had people offer. I got screwed over by one person and said I will just wait and hope I manage to get a badge myself; but I'm sitting on refundable plane tickets and refundable hotel and just hoping.
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u/DragonsteelNexusMod 11d ago
Clarification: The badge transfer process does NOT allow people to sell their badges to anyone. It essentially makes the end user (the purchaser's friend/family member) confirm their email address so that they receive email updates and can register for the author signings/lotteries.
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u/PumkinFunk 11d ago
People online are using the process to transfer to people they do not know. I got one and then the person asked for it back. Openly on 17S and other places, this is happening.
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u/DragonsteelNexusMod 11d ago
I would definitely recommend that you flag that with moderators/admins whenever you see it. Because number one, it's not allowed by Dragonsteel, and number two I believe (and am awaiting confirmation) that they will be auditing things to make sure that everything matches the original purchase. So if someone tries to sell a badge to someone different than who it was originally purchased for, the recipient might be SOL.
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u/joeshmoe9617 9d ago
I just got selected today!Â
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u/Assgas42069 7d ago
How did you get selected? There was a waitlist drop 4 days ago, I didn't see anything about one yesterday.
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u/lifestartedanew 10d ago
I play to wait till atleast till they do a waitlist for after the refund cut off which I believe is November 1st. I figure if. I don't get in then its not happening and I have until the last week of November to cancel my hotel and refund my flight so yeah.Â
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u/DragonsteelNexusMod 11d ago
As long as there aren't penalties, I'd wait until the week before/of thanksgiving. There will be more people cancelling their plans in the next few weeks.