A rant against Disney Profiteers

[OG Runner]

Big demand and LOW supply - - - - - Can't say I blame them for wanting to make some money in this crummy economy.
Gotta hand it to them for their entrepreneurial spirit.

We bought a coffee mug a few years ago - - - by accident - it was limited edition. Now the thing sells on Amazon and Ebay for over $300 US.
My wife says we should sell it - - but I love it. We get a coffee mug everytime we go. It is symbolic for that years trip. I could never sell it.

I should be clear that I would see absolutely nothing wrong with if you decided to sell your mug now. I collected comic books for a number of years. I happened to be at an event where the first printing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was being sold. A number of
years later, after they had a few movies and cartoon series, I sold that first print issue, that I paid $1.99 for, for $700.00. However, as with
you, I did not buy the issue or the mug, head home and sell if at 400% more than I paid.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

However, as with
you, I did not buy the issue or the mug, head home and sell if at 400% more than I paid.

But that is reality.

Some things, intentionally or not, become instant collectibles. It doesn’t always take time for them to “age,” which may be more what we are used to seeing.

People buy comic books for fun, but make no mistake, people also buy them as an investment. For some, the possibility of the value going up justifies collecting for fun in the meantime.

Same with baseball cards, records, and Disneyana.

It can feel bad when we get the short end of that stick. It can put food on the table on the other end.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

How is this an opinion

would you still care about them? They'd likely be long forgotten.
We pine for the things we cannot have, not the ones we have.
I am not looking to persuade anyone of anything.

The underlined sentences ARE opinions.

 

[JohnD]

I stood in line for more than an hour to purchase HS 30th anniversary merchandise on 5/1. When I got to the register, the person in line next to me was surprised I was only purchasing for myself. Yeah, I'm purchasing my own personal mementos. I don't want extra stuff to have to go to the trouble to re-sell. Apparently, re-selling has gotten so ubiquitous that purchasing for oneself and not purchasing any more in order to re-sell it is the odd choice.

 

[OG Runner]

Yeah, you made 350% profit.

Comic Book Profitteer! Arrrrrr!

You may be right, but I didn't sell it until I needed to. I did not buy it with the intent of immediately selling it, at times
buying in enough of a quantity that others are unable to purchase the products I am reselling.

 

[Heppenheimer]

But that is reality.

Some things, intentionally or not, become instant collectibles. It doesn’t always take time for them to “age,” which may be more what we are used to seeing.

People buy comic books for fun, but make no mistake, people also buy them as an investment. For some, the possibility of the value going up justifies collecting for fun in the meantime.

Same with baseball cards, records, and Disneyana.

It can feel bad when we get the short end of that stick. It can put food on the table on the other end.

Reminds me of the first page of a book I read about investing... unless you get really lucky, can manipulate the market or really know the ins and outs of the art world, collectibles are a terrible investment. The cost of buying and storing all these random tchotchkes rarely pays off with one or two that actually ends up being worth something to someone.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Reminds me of the first page of a book I read about investing... unless you get really lucky, can manipulate the market or really know the ins and outs of the art world, collectibles are a terrible investment. The cost of buying and storing all these random tchotchkes rarely pays off with one or two that actually ends up being worth something to someone.

Agreed.

Who has the ability to manipulate the after market? Who has the best odds of picking re-sell items that will actually go up in value? Who benefits the most - long term- when WDW collectables go up in value?

Marvel wins when their comic books to go up in value. MLB wins when baseball cards to go up in value. Oh, and probably the company that sells bubblegum.

Bonus! The bubble gum doesn't even have to be good if people are buying the gum just to get the cardboard that comes with it.

Baseball cards were pure marketing genius!

 

[flynnibus]

Sounds like an illegal lottery to me.

Yup... but you can't fix stupid.

And these people out to make a cheap buck copy cat from others... and if just a small percent buy into your model... you're still ahead.

 

[flynnibus]

Why would they stop it?

You've explained why you don't like it, but haven't explained why it is bad for WDW.

Because negative customer satisfaction has a negative impact on the view of the company.

Why do food businesses prepare food that they know they won't likely sell and have to throw away each day? Because the cost of NOT having the meal available will cost them more in the long run than the waste whose cost is built into their pricing margins anyways.

A company who sells things aims to have enough to keep selling their 'thing'.

And when it's a limited availability item... guests who miss out because of greed of others are disenfranchised by those others and hold the business accountable to 'keep things fair'.

I mean, if it didn't matter, why wouldn't Disney just sell to the first person willing to buy everything? Dump limits all together and just collect their money? Because the fact customers get to buy the stuff is part of the 'value'/relationship the company is seeking.. not just the revenue.

When you disrupt that - it's a negative to the company

 

[Bronson55]

In august 2018 Disney announced the Holograph Doom Buggy toy with a retail price of $14.99. Almost immediately the online Disney store listed it as out of stock with no ability to do a back order. By the time I got there the first week in September they were no where to be found. Only two places that sold them were the Christmas Shop and the Market in Disney Springs. Both locations told me that the limit was 10 per person and that they would get sold out within minutes. Told me to keep trying. I went to both locations every day for 10 days. Same story, all sold out to a few people who bought 10. Soon afterwards the price jumped to $29.99 but still unavailable. I returned for 10 days in Early December and did the same thing with same results. At the same time E Bay had them for upwards of $89. Do I think Disney should have sold them one per customer...hell yea,

 

[Tony the Tigger]

And when it's a limited availability item... guests who miss out because of greed of others are disenfranchised by those others and hold the business accountable to 'keep things fair'.

Make more. #problemsolved

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Do I think Disney should have sold them one per customer...hell yea,

Makes sense.

 

[flynnibus]

Make more. #problemsolved

Well then it would no longer be 'limited' now would it?
And the root problem remains the same... customers expect a fair opportunity to pursue things. When that is disrupted - people get bothered by it.

When it's a open, made available to the public thing, customers want a fair shake at it. When they feel they don't get a fair shake, the will voice displeasure.

If you sold all your allotment of stock to someone before you even put it out for the general public, do you not expect customers to be upset with you?

 

[Lensman]

I had actually made the suggestion you made in your first paragraph, to RunDisney. I noted in this would actually help New Balance,
also, in that they would not need to guess, as much, as to how many pairs of sneakers to bring. They stated they appreciated the suggestion, but New Balance had their own way of doing things.

Wait, who is selling these shoes and where are they being sold? I was under the impression that Disney was selling them, but the above makes me think that New Balance are selling these directly to the public somehow.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Well then it would no longer be 'limited' now would it?
And the root problem remains the same... customers expect a fair opportunity to pursue things. When that is disrupted - people get bothered by it.

When it's a open, made available to the public thing, customers want a fair shake at it. When they feel they don't get a fair shake, the will voice displeasure.

If you sold all your allotment of stock to someone before you even put it out for the general public, do you not expect customers to be upset with you?

Could be just as upset because they choose not to make “enough.”

Limited is limited. If you get in line, you get it. If you don’t get in line, you have no one to yap at but yourself. You chose not to get in line. Someone else did. What they do with the item is nobody’s business.

Could also be just as upset because the company limiting people to 10 pieces is not much of a limit.

Don’t confuse something that may be a bummer for you personally with being wronged by another customer.

 

[flynnibus]

Limited is limited. If you get in line, you get it. If you don’t get in line, you have no one to yap at but yourself. You chose not to get in line. Someone else did. What they do with the item is nobody’s business.

That's a nice theory when it's just one offs and small scale stuff.

Then you have systematic organized buying to corner as much inventory as possible. Or simply scale when you have dozens of entities trying to do the same.

Instead of it just being 'you vs some rando', now it's you vs 100+ others who aren't in it for the same ethical foundation you are.

It's all nice to say 'what do you care what they do...' until the scale of things reach the point of disrupting the whole system and not just one or two people get the short straw.. but many do.

 

[OG Runner]

Wait, who is selling these shoes and where are they being sold? I was under the impression that Disney was selling them, but the above makes me think that New Balance are selling these directly to the public somehow.

Yes, they are a limited Disney design, made for the marathon, sold at the runners expo.

 

[cosmicgirl]

Big demand and LOW supply - - - - - Can't say I blame them for wanting to make some money in this crummy economy.
Gotta hand it to them for their entrepreneurial spirit.

We bought a coffee mug a few years ago - - - by accident - it was limited edition. Now the thing sells on Amazon and Ebay for over $300 US.
My wife says we should sell it - - but I love it. We get a coffee mug everytime we go. It is symbolic for that years trip. I could never sell it.

Which mug is this? I'm curious!

 

[Lensman]

Yes, they are a limited Disney design, made for the marathon, sold at the runners expo.

But is Disney controlling the sale of the items? If they are, I don't understand why they told you that they have no control over the sale of the items and that you had to contact New Balance about the idea of registrants being able to reserve a pair of shoes?

 

[OG Runner]

But is Disney controlling the sale of the items? If they are, I don't understand why they told you that they have no control over the sale of the items and that you had to contact New Balance about the idea of registrants being able to reserve a pair of shoes?

The design was specific for the marathon. (I believe the year I was looking to buy them, it was themed, based on Goofy.)
They were also being sold specifically at the expo, but I do not believe Disney controlled the sale, such as the number of
pairs, etc.