HotTopic

Complete guide on our Hot Topic module

Video Guide

This video shows an older Stellar interface. Use the written steps and Stellar 4.0 screenshots below for the current controls.

Quick Start — Recommended Setup

1. Create a HotTopic task group in Tasks, then click Create Task.
2. Choose normal, select your profile and checkout proxy group, and enter the product’s numerical SKU. Start with a product Qty of 1 and the default Delay of 3000 ms.
3. For account checkout, save your HotTopic credentials in Accounts and choose that account in the task. Normal also supports guest checkout.
4. For a simple standalone checkout task, leave Watch Task off. For monitored restocks, create a monitor task for the same SKU and enable Watch Task on the Normal task.
5. Set the Qty at the bottom to the number of tasks you want to create, then click Create. Review the setup before starting: a Normal task can place an order when the item is available.

Preliminary Checklist

Prepare your billing, shipping and payment information in profiles. Check it before running checkout tasks.

Use high-quality proxies. ISP proxies are recommended for monitoring and residential proxies for checkout. Low-quality or flagged proxies can produce Akamai-related errors.

If you need a provider, see Stella Proxies. Having more than one provider gives you alternatives if one stops working.

The Stella Proxies guide also explains the available proxy options.

A cook group can help you find SKUs, release information and restock alerts.

Accounts & Sessions

Normal supports guest checkout and account checkout. To use an account, open Accounts, choose or create a HotTopic account group, and add the account’s email and password. Select that saved account in the task’s Account field. The old Sessions tab is now Accounts.

Saving an account stores its credentials. The task uses them to log in and save a session. Check that you can sign in on Hot Topic’s website if login fails.

Supported Modes

• normal: attempts checkout for a product loaded on the website, using your profile and optionally a saved account.
• monitor: checks stock and signals Normal tasks that have Watch Task enabled for the identical SKU. It does not place an order by itself.

Normal Mode

Use Normal for checkout. Fields marked with an asterisk in Stellar are required.

• Name: an optional label to help identify the task.
• Mode: select normal.
• Profile: choose the saved billing, shipping and payment profile to use.
• Checkout Proxy: choose the proxy group for checkout requests. Residential proxies are the existing recommended starting point.
• SKU: enter the numerical product ID, not the full URL. See the example below.
• Qty beside SKU: the number of units to attempt in each order. It defaults to 1. Respect the retailer’s product limit; Stellar does not automatically reduce an excessive quantity.
• Delay: the interval in milliseconds between requests/retries. The current default is 3000 ms, or 3 seconds. See the delay FAQ before changing it.
• Account: choose a saved HotTopic account for account checkout. Guest checkout is also supported.
• Discount: optionally enter a valid discount code. Leave it blank if you are not using one.
• Start Time and End Time: optional scheduling controls. Leave them empty if you intend to manage starting and stopping yourself.
• Watch Task?: enable this when a Monitor task will signal checkout. Use the identical SKU in both modes. Leave it off to run Normal independently.
• Use Rakuten? / Use TopCashback?: optional cashback integrations. Configure the chosen service in Settings first; leave these off if you are not using cashback. Cashback is not guaranteed.
• Qty at the bottom: how many task rows to create. This is separate from the number of products per order.

Monitor Mode

Use Monitor with Normal Watch Tasks when you want a separate task to check stock.

• Name: an optional label.
• Mode: select monitor.
• Monitor Proxy: choose a monitoring proxy group. ISP proxies are the existing recommended starting point.
• SKU: enter the same numerical product ID used by the Normal task.
• Monitor Delay: the interval between stock checks, in milliseconds. The current form defaults to 3000 ms.
• Start Time and End Time: optional scheduling controls.
• Qty at the bottom: how many Monitor task rows to create.

Example: Monitor + Normal Watch Task

1. Create a monitor task for the SKU you want.
2. Create a normal task for that exact same SKU with your profile and checkout settings, then enable Watch Task.
3. Start both tasks. The Normal task waits for the Monitor task’s stock signal before attempting checkout.
4. If you want Normal to check and attempt checkout on its own, turn Watch Task off; a separate Monitor task is optional.

Waiting Watch Tasks reduce checkout proxy usage because they are not repeatedly checking stock while waiting. The running Monitor task still makes requests and uses its assigned proxies.

FAQ

Where do I find the SKU?

Look for the numerical product ID near the end of the product URL. For example:

https://www.hottopic.com/product/invader-zim-gir-duo-crew-socks/16751950.html

The SKU in this example is 16751950. Copy every digit.

What product quantity should I use?

Start with 1 unless the release instructions say otherwise. Ask your cookgroup for the product’s purchase limit. Entering more than the allowed quantity can prevent checkout; Stellar does not automatically adjust it.

Which delays should I use?

For a first setup, the current Normal and Monitor forms both default to 3000 ms. The earlier HotTopic release guidance used a Monitor Delay of 0 and retry delays around 500 ms. These are faster settings, not the current defaults.

The Monitor Delay hint in Stellar says Hot Topic does not rate limit. That does not mean every proxy will work or that faster requests guarantee checkout. Check task statuses and proxy performance, and follow current release-specific staff guidance before using more aggressive delays.

Do I need a Monitor task?

No. Normal can run alone with Watch Task off. If Watch Task is on, run a Monitor task for the identical SKU so there is a source to trigger checkout.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Akamai errors or blocked requests

Check proxy quality and whether the assigned group is working. Try another reliable proxy group and review current staff announcements. A shorter delay does not fix a blocked proxy.

Stuck waiting for a stock signal

Check that the Monitor task is running, both tasks use the exact same SKU, and Watch Task is enabled only when you intend to use a Monitor. If running Normal alone, disable Watch Task.

Login or account errors

Confirm that the selected account is saved under HotTopic in Accounts and its credentials work on the website. Correct the saved credentials before retrying.

Product not found, no stock or checkout failure

Recheck the SKU, current product availability and allowed purchase quantity. A stock signal does not guarantee that an order can be completed. If an error continues, send support the exact status, mode and relevant setup details; do not post passwords or payment information.

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