- What does it mean to be a regular subscriber? What are the benefits?
- How do I sign up for a customer account, and what are the different customer types?
- Is there a minimum number of comic book titles that I need to subscribe to?
- How long does each comic book title subscription last? Am I committing for a certain time period?
- Do I have to pay for a whole year of comics ahead of time as a subscriber?
- How do I add a title to my subscription list?
- After I add a title, how long will it be before my first issue arrives?
- How do I drop a title from my subscription list?
- How do I know what titles I have subscribed to?
- What about crossovers and special issues? Can I get just one issue of another title without worrying about subscribing/unsubscribing to it?
- How do I securely pay for my subscription online?
- Do you store my credit card number?
- Do you have a retail store I can visit?
- What do I do if there is a problem with my order or delivery?
- What do all of the different Order Statuses mean?
What does it mean to be a regular subscriber? What are the benefits?
If you wish to read every issue of at least one comic book title, then you want to become a regular subscriber. This means that Spandex City will make sure that a copy of every title you subscribe to will be ordered and held specifically for you. You will never have to worry that the issue will sell out, and you don’t have to worry about rushing to a store when a popular issue is released. We’ll take care of everything for you. Depending on your subscriber type (see the next answer), we’ll either deliver your comics to you on campus, or we will hold them for you at our store. You only pay for each issue as it arrives in our store. It’s not like a magazine subscription where you have to pay for a whole year ahead of time!
How do I sign up for a customer account, and what are the different customer types?
It’s easy to become a regular customer or comic book subscriber at Spandex City! Please use this link or click on the ‘Register’ link on the top area of the home page to start the registration process. You will then need to provide some basic personal, shipping/delivery, and communication information. You will also be asked to choose one of the following customer types:
- Casual Shopper – This is the default option. This designation indicates that you do not wish to view products that are rated “M” or that are intended for mature readers. Of course, we never display these products in our retail store, and we want to make sure you have the option of screening these products from view on our website as well!.
- Full Access (18+) – The “Full Access” designation indicates that you wish to view all products on our website, including those that are rated “M” or that are intended for mature readers. You must indicate that you are at least 18 years of age (in the Personal Information section of the registration page) to be approved for this type of customer account.
- Education (Taxable) – Choose this option if you are an educator who will be purchasing materials for instructional purposes only. You are eligible for an educator discount. Only "Family-friendly" products can be purchased.
After you have submitted your registration form, you can start adding titles to your subscription list right away! If you selected a “Full Access” customer type, you may need to wait up to one business day before you can view all available titles and products.
Is there a minimum number of comic book titles that I need to subscribe to?
No. You can subscribe to as few or as many titles as you like. Unlike other comic book subscription services, Spandex City doesn’t impose a minimum number of titles.
How long does each comic book title subscription last? Am I committing for a certain time period?
Each subscription lasts for as short or as long as you want it to! It might be one issue or one-hundred. We’ll keep pulling the next available issue for you until you cancel your subscription to that title. Your only commitment is that you agree to purchase the next available issue after you cancel. (Sometimes it’s already on the way, and it’s too late for us to cancel the order with our suppliers.)
Do I have to pay for a whole year of comics ahead of time as a subscriber?
No! Being a “subscriber” just means that you want us to order and hold each issue of a comic book title for you. You only pay for each individual issue when it’s ready for delivery or store pick-up.
How do I add a title to my subscription list?
There are four simple ways to add a title to your subscription list:
- Online – Just search for a comic book title or browse for the titles you want to add through the “Categories” or “Publishers” menus. When you find one you want, just click on it. The product description will indicate the expected per issue price. You will see a drop-down list labeled “Add/Drop”. Make sure that “Add title to subscription list” is selected. You can also indicate an issue number that you want to start at if you are looking for issues that have shipped in the past. If you leave that blank, we'll just assume you want to start with the next available issue. After you have added all the desired titles to your cart, go ahead and check out. You will receive an e-mail order confirmation, but you won’t be charged anything at this time! You only pay when the issues actually arrive at our facility and are held for you (for delivery or in-store pick-up).
- Via E-mail – Having trouble accessing the website for some reason? Just send an e-mail to service@spandexcity.com and let us know what titles you want to add. Just make sure your subject line has the subject “Add titles to my subscription”. For security purposes, make sure you send the e-mail from the same account you used to register. We’ll contact you to confirm that the titles have been added to your account. It’s that easy!
- Via Phone – Can’t get online, and you can’t wait to add something to your list? Just call us at (704) 909-7168 and let us know what titles you want to add. We love to talk to all of our customers in person, from time to time! If we can’t get to the phone, just leave a message and we’ll contact you to confirm that we’ve added the titles for you. No matter what, you’ll receive an e-mail confirmation to the e-mail address on file, so that you’ll know if someone else called and added a title to your subscription list without your knowledge. (But why would anyone do that?!)
- In Person – Anytime you’re in our retail store, you can add titles to your subscription in person, of course! You’ll still receive an e-mail confirmation for your records, too.
After I add a title, how long will it be before my first issue arrives?
It depends... You will get the next issue that is released (or even past issues, if you let us know what issue number to start with in the 'Starting Issue Requested' field). Issues are usually released once a month for each title, so your first issue might come the next Wednesday, or it might come three Wednesdays from now. If you need to know for sure, just call us!
How do I drop a title from my subscription list?
There are four simple ways to drop a title from your subscription list:
- Online – Just search for a comic book title or browse for the titles you want to drop through the “Categories” or “Publishers” menus. When you find one, just click on it. You will see a drop-down list labeled “Add/Drop”. Make sure to change the entry to “Drop title from subscription list. After you have added the title to your cart, go ahead and check out. You will receive an order confirmation of the drop. You will still be responsible for paying for one more issue of that title, because your order is usually already processing with our suppliers.
- Via E-mail – Having trouble accessing the website for some reason? Just send an e-mail to service@spandexcity.com and let us know what titles you want to drop. Just make sure your subject line has the subject “Drop titles from my subscription”. For security purposes, make sure you send the e-mail from the same account you used to register. We’ll contact you to confirm that the titles have been dropped from your account. It’s that easy!
- Via Phone –Just call us at (704) 909-7168 and let us know what titles you want to drop. We love to talk to all of our customers in person, even if you’re dropping a title… If we can’t get to the phone, just leave a message (including your Spandex City Subscriber Number), and we’ll contact you to confirm that we’ve dropped the titles for you.
- In Person – Anytime you’re in our retail store, you can drop titles from your subscription in person, of course! You’ll still receive an e-mail confirmation for your records, too.
How do I know what titles I have subscribed to?
We will periodically send you an e-mail summary of all of your current subscriptions.
What about crossovers and special issues? Can I get just one issue of another title without worrying about subscribing/unsubscribing to it?
At Spandex City, we cater to our subscribers. For crossover storylines and other special events, we provide special subscription options. When you are browsing our titles, you will see a sub-category for “Crossovers and Mini-Series”. You can just add one of these products to your subscription list in the usual way, and we will automatically pull all the related books for you every week. You’ll see the details in your weekly e-mail as usual. You don’t have to go hunting through individual titles and issues! If it turns out that you want to get just one issue of another title, just send us an e-mail or call us. If the issue is available, we’ll take care of you!
How do I securely pay for my subscription online?
You can securely and easily pay for your weekly comic book titles on our website.
- Wait until you receive an e-mail (usually on Tuesdays) from Spandex City with a detailed list of the comic books that are arriving for you that week, along with a subtotal.
- When you sign in, select “Subscription Account Payment" at the top of the ‘Categories’ menu. You'll see a product called “Subscription Account Payment”.
- Choose “Buy Now”, and enter a sufficient quantity (in $10.00 increments) to cover your books. Extra funds will be held in your subscription account for future books.
- Checkout. Select the payment option “Visa/MC/Discover”, and you will be taken to our payment gateway.
- Enter your credit card details. Enter the three digit number printed in the signature area on the back of your Visa/MC/Discover card into the “Card Code” field.
- After completing your payment, you will be automatically taken back to our website, and you will receive a confirmation e-mail from us.
Do you store my credit card number?
No. You enter your credit card number yourself via our secure credit card payment gateway with every purchase or weekly subscription payment. We never store your card number or charge you automatically for anything!
Back to topDo you have a retail store I can visit?
Yes! Please come visit us at 2914A Mt.Holly-Huntersville Rd. Charlotte, NC 28214. We are the only Comic Book Lounge on the East Coast!
What do I do if there is a problem with my subscription?
Just contact us via e-mail or phone. We’ll do our best to make everything right for you!
What do all of the different Order Statuses mean?
When you receive your order confirmation, or when you look at your order history, each order will have one of the following statuses:
-- Not Finished: This is the status if you start to checkout, but do not complete the payment process.
-- Queued: This is the status if you add or drop titles from your subscription list. You will later receive a confirmation that your Add/Drop request has been 'Processed'.
-- Processed: This is the status of an Add/Drop request that has been confirmed. Also, any order that is paid for but not yet delivered has this status.
-- Complete: This is the status of an order that has been paid for and delivered/picked-up.
-- Declined: This is the status if your payment has been declined.
-- Backordered: Occasionally an item you order is not available as expected. In this case your item will be in a 'Backordered' status. This should not occur frequently, as we only list items that are available to be delivered on schedule.
