This guide is in all likelihood not accurate for 2020, as 2019’s sale broke many expectations and was a big disaster all around. It’s hard to say what this year will hold, but hopefully it will somewhat resemble something more 2018ish again, which this guide is based on.

[Updated February 2nd, 2020]

So hopefully I’ve already convinced you that if you have even just a thought of coming this year, or a future year, this is something you need to try for. With the even-more-limited supply of Main Sale tickets this year, it’s going to be harder than ever. Please read this guide through now, then do the Preparation steps below right away.

Preparation: Do This Today [5 min]

  1. Set up a Burner Profile
    1. Don’t fudge anything for your Burner Profile, it doesn’t yield any advantage. (i.e. You don’t need any affiliations, prior year attendance, etc…)
    2. Use the same email address that you will use for your Ticketfly account.
    3. Note your password.
  2. Set up a Ticketfly account
    1. Use the same email address that you used for your Burner Profile.
    2. Make sure your Ticketfly mailing address matches the address on the credit card you’ll use in the sale.
    3. Note your password.
  3. Mark your calendar for the Main Sale Registration on April 1st.
    1. This is a 48-hour window beginning at 12PM (PDT) to use your Burner Profile to register for the sale, and if you do not register during this time then you cannot participate in the sale in the following week.
    2. This is not the sale and it certainly does not guarantee a ticket.
  4. Mark your calendar for the Main Sale on April 8th at 12PM (PDT).
    1. This is the actual sale. You’ll need to have undistracted time at your computer, with reliable internet, from about 11:45AM to 1PM on this day, no way around it.
    2. If this day (a Wednesday) is a workday for you, be sure you’ve got this time reserved.
  5. Recruit friends and family to follow the steps above. Share this guide with them.
  6. Wait for the Main Sale Registration on April 1st.

Main Sale Registration on April 1st [2 min]

  1. During the 48-hour window for Main Sale registration commencing at 12PM on April 1st, you must:
    1. Log into your Burner Profile.
    2. Click Register Me For This Ticket Sale.
    3. Ensure you click it and get an on-screen message You have successfully registered for access to the Main Sale!
    4. Look for a confirmation email confirming You are registered for the 2020 Main Sale. If you don’t get this, check Spam, and go back into your Burner Profile and see what’s up.
    5. This is really easy to mess up if you’re not paying attention! Make sure you register, and make sure you get the confirmation to prove it!
  2. Double-check that you have whatever automatic reminders you need in place for the day of the main sale.
  3. Follow up with your recruits to ensure they follow the above steps.
  4. Wait for the Main Sale on April 8th. Double check you have alarms set for well before 12PM (PDT) on the 8th so you’re ready.

Main Sale on April 8th [1 hr]

  1. The day prior to the sale (April 7th)you should have received an email with a button “Enter 2020 Main Sale!”. It won’t work until about an hour before the sale.
  2. Around 11:45AM (PDT) on April 8th:
    1. Be at your fully-charged computer, with 100% reliable internet connection, passwords handy, credit card ready. Regarding credit cards: A given credit card can only be used for a single purchase. If you are a couple and both of you get through to buying stage on your respective accounts, you must use different credit cards!
    2. Keep this page open in a browser window for reference.
    3. Open up some means to contact me with questions: Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, or the little chat window in the lower-right-hand corner of this page. (Don’t use regular text message as I can’t reply from my computer.)
    4. Log into your Ticketfly account in a browser window (simply to accomplish this ahead of time).
    5. Attempt to enter the queue by logging into your Burner Profile and using the enter sale button, by using the “Enter 2020 Main Sale!” button in yesterday’s email. It’s possible this won’t work until 0–15 minutes before the sale starts. In any case, enter the sale before 12PM PDT, or if this fails, as close to 12:00:01 as possible!
    6. You should end up at a Ticketfly page saying you’re waiting for the sale to begin. As long as it says that you’re waiting and “don’t reload this page”, you’re good. (Make it impossible to accidentally close this window!)
    7. If you try to enter the sale and get some other message (like you’re early, or even saying that the sale has ended), wait a minute and try again.
    8. Enter the sale queue before noon! If you don’t do the above before noon, your chance to buy tickets may have dropped dramatically.
  3. At 12:00PM (PDT) the sale begins.
    1. You should be automatically redirected to another screen where you will see a little man figure begin walking along a green track.
    2. The further the man is to the end of the track, the closer you are to getting to the buy stage.
    3. The sale’s entire lot of 20,000 tickets are being bought up over the next 20–60 minutes.
    4. As long as it’s as described, don’t reload or touch anything.
  4. If you get redirected but are then prompted to log into Ticketfly, or get redirected to an essentially blank screen without buying options or a shopping cart:
    1. Calmly but swiftly get yourself logged into Ticketfly.
    2. If there isn’t an apparent option to log in, try opening Ticketfly in another tab, then refresh the original tab if necessary.
    3. If you see something not described here and are lost, contact me straight away!
  5. Once you get to the shopping cart:
    1. Buy two tickets and one vehicle pass, no matter what, and get them delivered via courier (choose UPS Expedited if you’re in Canada); do not choose Will Call. The order will come to about $1600 CAD.
    2. If you can only add vehicle passes and cannot add any tickets, do not buy anything — the sale is essentially over. (Sorry if you got excited and thought you were about to score tickets.)
  6. Once it’s all over, let me know your result right away!