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Buying tickets on Ebay?
- Thread starter fmingo36
- Start date
WDW FAN 4 LIFE
New Member
The problem with using Ebay for tickets is until you actually try to use them, you have no clue excatly how many days are really left on the tickets. Just because a seller may have great feedback & claim they are selling a pass with 4 days remaining on it, they could be lying & the pass really has 0 days left on it.
So in the end the decision is up to you, but my personal preference would be to purchase my tickets from WDW. Either while on vacation there, at a Disney Store, or online at disneyworld.com. At least by getting them that way, you know there would be nothing wrong with them.
So in the end the decision is up to you, but my personal preference would be to purchase my tickets from WDW. Either while on vacation there, at a Disney Store, or online at disneyworld.com. At least by getting them that way, you know there would be nothing wrong with them.
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slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
I'll give you the same advice I gave someone else on their similar thread.
If you really want to take a chance and buy WDW tickets on ebay, go for it. It's certainly just as much of a chance as buying anything else on ebay. You can buy something "new! In the box!" that turns out to be neither/nor. Some items with "wear and tear" could be barely usable. Movies and videos could turn out to be bootlegs. And of course, there's always the possibility that you'll never get anything you bought. All the precautions and security measures put in place to protect you doesn't change the fact that someone will take your, or your credit card company's, money and run. So if you want to take the chance, take the chance.
BUT, just make sure you go to WDW with enough cash or credit available to re-buy all the tickets you bought on ebay. Because there's a chance that your tickets will be invalid, or not have as many days on them as you thought they would, or completely valid but only for the person they were originally assigned to. And when they say you can't go in because the ticket isn't valid, you'll have two options. You can either kick and scream like a baby, HOPING they'll let you in to avoid a scene (good luck trying THAT every day of your vacation-they'll probably confiscate the tickets anyway and if you're lucky, take pity on you and let you in just for that day).
OR you can suck it up like an adult, realize that you were trying to bend the rules to your advantage, got caught and got hosed, and go back to the back of the line to buy your own legitimate tickets, kids crying all the time because they were so close to getting in to WDW, and now they have to wait another hour or so. Great way to start the vacation day, y'know?
If you really want to take a chance and buy WDW tickets on ebay, go for it. It's certainly just as much of a chance as buying anything else on ebay. You can buy something "new! In the box!" that turns out to be neither/nor. Some items with "wear and tear" could be barely usable. Movies and videos could turn out to be bootlegs. And of course, there's always the possibility that you'll never get anything you bought. All the precautions and security measures put in place to protect you doesn't change the fact that someone will take your, or your credit card company's, money and run. So if you want to take the chance, take the chance.
BUT, just make sure you go to WDW with enough cash or credit available to re-buy all the tickets you bought on ebay. Because there's a chance that your tickets will be invalid, or not have as many days on them as you thought they would, or completely valid but only for the person they were originally assigned to. And when they say you can't go in because the ticket isn't valid, you'll have two options. You can either kick and scream like a baby, HOPING they'll let you in to avoid a scene (good luck trying THAT every day of your vacation-they'll probably confiscate the tickets anyway and if you're lucky, take pity on you and let you in just for that day).
OR you can suck it up like an adult, realize that you were trying to bend the rules to your advantage, got caught and got hosed, and go back to the back of the line to buy your own legitimate tickets, kids crying all the time because they were so close to getting in to WDW, and now they have to wait another hour or so. Great way to start the vacation day, y'know?
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It is really not worth the risk. Here is a list of the possible problems you could have.
1. The only way to tell how many days are left on a ticket is at guest services at the parks.
2. Disney tickets are non-transferable and Disney can and will deny entry if a name other than yours is on the ticket.
3. There is no guarantee that the tickets you are purchasing are really even tickets. You could be very well buying someones old room key.
4. If there is a problem you have little or no recourse to get your money back.
1. The only way to tell how many days are left on a ticket is at guest services at the parks.
2. Disney tickets are non-transferable and Disney can and will deny entry if a name other than yours is on the ticket.
3. There is no guarantee that the tickets you are purchasing are really even tickets. You could be very well buying someones old room key.
4. If there is a problem you have little or no recourse to get your money back.
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Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
I can get you discount tickets through Maple Leaf if you want. Sure the savings won't be what you see on ebay, but at least you will know that you are getting good tickets for a cheaper price. If you are interested please email me at evan@kingdomkonsultant.com
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macsmom
Active Member
A friend of mine just got back from The World where she tried to use tickets that she bought on eBay. Turns out that no days were left - I believe both tickets were 2-day tickets. She ended up having to buy tickets. When she got home, she was able to get her money back, but she still had to go through a hassle at the parks having to take the time to purchase tickets, etc.
danna
danna
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WDW FAN 4 LIFE
New Member
I am surprised your friend was not escorted out of the park by WDW security. I remember a few years ago watching Inside Edition & they did a story about those discount ticket vendors on 192. It turns out a family purchased tickets with 0 days left on them & when WDW found that out, they were told they had leave the Animal Kingdom which is the park they tried to go to & be escorted out by WDW security. I have no idea if WDW changed the rules if you accidently use a ticket with 0 days, but if not then I say your friend was lucky to be allowed to purhcase new tickets.
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First of all they would never even get past the turnstiles with invalid tickets and the only way they would be "escorted" out by security is if they became belligerent. When the ticket came up as invalid the cast member would simply direct them to guest services.
The main focus of the investigation that you spoke about was to arrest the charlatans on I-drive and 192 that were taking advantage of tourists trying to save a buck.
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WDW FAN 4 LIFE
New Member
I am just stating what I remember seeing on Inside Edition, so don't shoot the messanger here. I only brought it up because of the fact macsmom said how her friend purchased tickets with 0 days left on them & how I remember this news story that I saw on TV. I hope that I was wrong that WDW can have you escorted out for using tickets with 0 days on them. However once again the only reason why I said it is because after seeing it happen to another family, I thought that was the process was done when guests use tickets with 0 days left on them.
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This is the big one. All tickets require a biometric scan, and they upgraded those machines my last trip. (It now just looks at the index finger.) If you're buying leftover days on someone else's old 7-day hopper or newer MYW 10-day hopper, then there's a good chance those tickets are linked with the sellers' finger scan. You won't get through the gates, can't transfer the ticket to one reissued in your name. It's buyer beware and all about how much you'll save, and is it worth the risk.
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WDW FAN 4 LIFE
New Member
What if someone was selling tickets that were pre MYW? Correct me if I am wrong but tickets sold before the MYW, never expired until you used up all your days. So if someone were to purhcase these types of tickets on Ebay & they had the remaining days left on them, I would think who ever used them would be able to get in since they did not have the biometirc finger scans 5 years ago if you did not use an AP ticket. I realize some of you may say the tickets were still non-transferable, so the people who use them from Ebay should not be allowed. Well shouldn't Disney tell that to Ebay & close down all the auctions for WDW tickets? The same can be said for those discount ticket outlets. If you are not allowed to use these tickets, why don't the police shut them down since it must be a Florida law.
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slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
You may be right about being able to better "get away with" using someone else's tickets if they are pre-finger scan technology. Still a risk, however, that there will be any days left on those tickets. Just because someone says there's 2 days left on my 5 day park hopper pass doesn't mean there are 2 days left.
As far as having the police or Disney lawyers scour the internet looking for resales of used tickets, I would guess it's more of a time and money issue than a "doing what's right" issue. In other words, because Disney already stipulates that you can't transfer tickets, and because modern tickets do indeed use the biometric technology, the amount of tickets floating out there that could be re-sold without WDW catching on is small. Really small. It's not worth the time and effort necessary to have someone monitoring ebay looking for someone trying to pawn off old tickets, getting one of their lawyers to send a 'cease and desist' letter and then comfirm that the auction has been terminated. Same reason they don't make more of an effort to clamp down on any local independent stores with signs that say "we buy/sell Disney tickets." Bottom line is, if you buy a used ticket, more than likely, you won't be able to use the ticket and Disney will get your money anyway when you have to buy your own ticket. Their technologies at the gate, and their legalese on the tickets themselves, negate any need to warn people further. Their time and money is better spent on movie & merchandise bootleggers.
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WDW FAN 4 LIFE
New Member
You make some very good points & thanks for answering my question.
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slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
my pleasure. I just know how so many people really look forward to their Disney vacation, and I know how expensive it can be to go. I'd just hate to see a vacation start off poorly because of unusable tickets. You'd wind up feeling foolish for wasting money, you might feel the pinch in your wallet that'll make you try to save money lots of other ways, making you and your family forgo souveneirs you really want, or eating at some of the nicer resturants. Personally, I'd find even the risk of that grief to be enough of a deterrent not to do it.
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Those were good points, slappy. Regarding the old, non-expiring hopper tickets: We had them last spring (2005) by which time WDW had switched to scanning everyone. We all were scanned (the older, finger bone scan) using those tickets. I want to say that my sister's ticket was demagnitized, so she had to do to GR, show ID, and have it reissued. That's another big risk you take when buying older tickets: the ticket's strip becomes unreadable. Neither you nor the seller realized that; but when you go to GR to have it reissued, you're asked to produce ID then...
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