Disney needs to crack down on merchandise scalping.

[sxeensweet]

Right. There are ways, now more than ever, to impose the limits. Also, if multiple bands are being used, are they still trying to crack down on all of that? Interesting crossover there. Scalper gets caught abusing multiple bands and their DME account gets locked and they have to sit down and talk to security... to bring out why they're using multiple bands to access limited edition special merchandise... That could get fun real quick.

Problem with that plan not everyone uses a magic band nor has to use a magic band.

 

[mousehockey37]

Problem with that plan not everyone uses a magic band nor has to use a magic band.

But they mostly all do have MDE accounts. KTTW cards and MB's can all need to be scanned/swiped. It's still easy to track.

 

[mousehockey37]

Which of course brings us back to what the dusters call my narrative, Disney has prioritized mining cash over a great guest experience and so has sucked the value out of a Disney vacation.

Yup. It'd also be neat that if they put the limits on the MDE account, that if it's for hard ticket party merchandise that it blocks them from accessing more merchandise (ie, they go to the 1st MNSSHP and buy their limits, then try to go back to the 2nd party and get told that they've already bought their limit).

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

If you have a couple kids, each kid should be able to have one. Maybe limit 5. That's up to the parents though. 10 is too many. 5 seems about right.

Instead of per person though, do it per MDE account. That way once person 1 hits their limit, person 2-X can't get another limit at a different point in line or time.

Exactly what I brought up..

 

[Dead2009]

Part of the problem is Funko not making these accessible after a certain amount of time. They know people just cant drop what they're doing to run to Disney to get one of these so the easy thing to do would to make a hundred or so and have them available on Disney's website only. After they sell out, that would be it.

 

[mousehockey37]

Part of the problem is Funko not making these accessible after a certain amount of time. They know people just cant drop what they're doing to run to Disney to get one of these so the easy thing to do would to make a hundred or so and have them available on Disney's website only. After they sell out, that would be it.

Sadly, that's the price of event specific, limited edition merchandise. It doesn't have to ever be available to the general public. Trading pins are a great example. They make 300 of a certain pin. Once they're gone, they're gone and you have to be at the event to get them.

Say they did your idea of online only after a sellout, who says that people who already bought their limits and such aren't ones to get their hands on more of them online?

 

[2351metalcloud]

IMO When you purchase something in the park you should get your magic band scanned for a Merch-Purch...That way if you go to Mousegear to buy said 2 and then run over to Imageworks to get another 2 it would then block the person in buying another set for their own limit....But, then's theirs the people that bring their families and have them buy 2 of each and so on and soforth...

This might help somewhat, but eventually someone or multiple people might set up internet sites/apps for people to sign up to try to buy certain limited items while they are on vacation and agree before purchasing to sell them to someone else immediately for a price more than they paid. This could be marketed to people as a way to make money on vacation. This person who is trying to buy a very large number of these items can then sell these large number of items they've purchased for an even greater cost. This might depend on the margins from the shipping costs of people selling stuff they get on vacation to one reseller.

Or you might just have local big Disney fans in Orlando form groups and go out and buy a bunch of these things at once and then group together to all sell them at the same high price and possibly share in the profits. They might even save money by rooming together and buying food together and getting discounts in some ways from this.

Disney could of course possibly change their selling practices in regards to any situations in people buying things like this however.

 

[Mickey shaped world]

Its not just Disney park merch this happens with. A beauty and the beast collection was recently released in the uk shop Primark , which included a chip mug. I waited for the release date to get one but the morning they went on sale they sold out. As I was leaving the shop I saw a load of them hidden behind the till, I asked a member of staff if I could get one but she said they were already spoken for. I'm guessing for the staff to sell on later, they were going for up to £40-£50 on ebay, even though they only cost £5. Thankfully after waiting a month, more stock came in and I got one, I would never buy from those rip off resellers.

 

[MickeyMomV]

Run Disney items is another great example of this. The Dooney and Burke bags and New Balance shoes fly off the shelves at these events because of merchandise scalpers then they show up on ebay. But instead of a $20 toy selling for $60 you have a $100 pair of shoes Selling for $250-$300 or a $200 bag selling for $400-$500. Its just stupid!! I would love a 1 per guest per day rule tied onto their park ticket. If you want more than one you better bring a friend or come back the next day and hope there are some left.

 

[larryz]

One person's "scalper" is another person's "entrepreneur."

Is this expressed disgust based in revulsion for our free enterprise system, or is it disguised jealousy because some folks weren't able to get to the shops before stock sold out?

It's not like we're talking about MREs and water being supplied to starving hurricane victims here...

 

[Tony the Tigger]

They don't need to crack down on anything. This is the basic law of supply and demand.

Now, personally, I would limit them to fewer than 5 (or even fewer) instead of 10 if something is a limited edition, but that is up to Disney, not me.

By making limited editions, you are necessarily creating collectibles. Those, by nature, increase in value. It's no different than stamps, coins, baseball cards, or records.

Part of the reason these items are desirable at all is because they will presumably increase in value. Part of the reason to justify buying them is because they are expected to at least maintain their value, or be left as a collection to grandchildren, etc.

There are people who make a living doing what has been termed "retail arbitrage." They go to Walmart's clearance section and buy Lego sets to sell on eBay for a higher price. Nothing wrong with that at all.

The only way to partially avoid this situation is to make more, which is entirely within their capability. Still, there will always be temporary shortages, and in the "buy it now" internet world, prices go up until supply gets back to normal.

You don't think Tom Petty music has gone up in value overnight? That's not scalping. That's catering to a collector market combined with the law of supply and demand combined with entrepreneurship. There's going to be a temporary spike across the board as supplies at retail quickly sell out. Then there will be replenishment from the warehouses which will also sell out. Then prices will remain above normal until more are repressed. Then prices go below normal when the market is flooded. It's not a safe bet by any means.

Finally, if someone with an AP wants to go stand in line for 3 hours and lay out their cash (plus what they paid for that AP) I can't fault them for being compensated for that 3 hours, and I'm certain there are those who appreciate not having to fly to WDW to stand in line for 3 hours, because buying one on ebay for double the price is still a lot cheaper and easier.

I get the personal disappointment. And I would fault people who don't follow the rules (and buy 20 instead of 10.) But I'm not going to fault folks dealing within Disney's parameters and taking the personal risk to sell them on ebay, which can result in returns, lost shipments, dropped prices, etc. I'm certain there are folks who live in the area who make a living this way.

 

[thomas998]

You can't legislate stupidity away and frankly that's what people are that buy these silly things off ebay. Now I know some kids collect these silly things, and I understand it... kind of like collecting baseball cards when I was a kid... But buying these things on ebay is something adults are doing and it makes no sense. Reminds me of a guy I worked with back when Beanie Babies were all the rage. He and his wife would drive to other cities on weekends trying to complete Beanie Babie collections under the nutty belief that they would continue to go up in value and he would be able to pay for his daughters college with the stupid things..... As you might expect that didn't happen.

I would just like to know why adult buy these silly things? at regular price or off ebay, they seem a big rip.

 

[thomas998]

They don't need to crack down on anything. This is the basic law of supply and demand.

Now, personally, I would limit them to fewer than 5 (or even fewer) instead of 10 if something is a limited edition, but that is up to Disney, not me.

By making limited editions, you are necessarily creating collectibles. Those, by nature, increase in value. It's no different than stamps, coins, baseball cards, or records.

Part of the reason these items are desirable at all is because they will presumably increase in value. Part of the reason to justify buying them is because they are expected to at least maintain their value, or be left as a collection to grandchildren, etc.

There are people who make a living doing what has been termed "retail arbitrage." They go to Walmart's clearance section and buy Lego sets to sell on eBay for a higher price. Nothing wrong with that at all.

The only way to partially avoid this situation is to make more, which is entirely within their capability. Still, there will always be temporary shortages, and in the "buy it now" internet world, prices go up until supply gets back to normal.

You don't think Tom Petty music has gone up in value overnight? That's not scalping. That's catering to a collector market combined with the law of supply and demand combined with entrepreneurship. There's going to be a temporary spike across the board as supplies at retail quickly sell out. Then there will be replenishment from the warehouses which will also sell out. Then prices will remain above normal until more are repressed. Then prices go below normal when the market is flooded. It's not a safe bet by any means.

Finally, if someone with an AP wants to go stand in line for 3 hours and lay out their cash (plus what they paid for that AP) I can't fault them for being compensated for that 3 hours, and I'm certain there are those who appreciate not having to fly to WDW to stand in line for 3 hours, because buying one on ebay for double the price is still a lot cheaper and easier.

I get the personal disappointment. And I would fault people who don't follow the rules (and buy 20 instead of 10.) But I'm not going to fault folks dealing within Disney's parameters and taking the personal risk to sell them on ebay, which can result in returns, lost shipments, dropped prices, etc. I'm certain there are folks who live in the area who make a living this way.

They fact that they are limiting them to 10 makes me wonder what they mean by limited edition... Is it 100,000 in total or what.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

You can't legislate stupidity away and frankly that's what people are that buy these silly things off ebay. Now I know some kids collect these silly things, and I understand it... kind of like collecting baseball cards when I was a kid... But buying these things on ebay is something adults are doing and it makes no sense. Reminds me of a guy I worked with back when Beanie Babies were all the rage. He and his wife would drive to other cities on weekends trying to complete Beanie Babie collections under the nutty belief that they would continue to go up in value and he would be able to pay for his daughters college with the stupid things..... As you might expect that didn't happen.

I would just like to know why adult buy these silly things? at regular price or off ebay, they seem a big rip.

Why do we have to call them stupid and silly?

To each their own.

 

[thomas998]

Why do we have to call them stupid and silly?

To each their own.

I can't think of a better explanation of what to call what are essentially extra large vinylmations... They aren't art... I can't really say they are collectibles... not sure if you have a better description of what they are let me know.... not even toys because you can't play with them just sit them on a shelf to collect dust.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I can't think of a better explanation of what to call what are essentially extra large vinylmations... They aren't art... I can't really say they are collectibles... not sure if you have a better description of what they are let me know.... not even toys because you can't play with them just sit them on a shelf to collect dust.

So, to clarify, the criteria is if you don't understand the purpose of or generally like something, then it must be stupid or silly? There is no other possible explanation? No one else can find that item interesting or valuable for a reason that has not crossed your mind?

 

[thomas998]

So, to clarify, the criteria is if you don't understand the purpose of or generally like something, then it must be stupid or silly? There is no other possible explanation? No one else can find that item interesting or valuable for a reason that has not crossed your mind?

Considering you can't offer a better description and you took issue my description of silly or stupid... well I rest my case. I gave you chance to provide a better term and you apparently couldn't.

 

[ford91exploder]

Again, I'll purchase random pins because I like them (like my Avatar) or party-specific but I don't go overboard with it.

When we bought pins DW and I would buy the ones we LIKED not the ones 'most likely to be valuable'.

 

[Rescue Ranger]

Completely in agreement.

Max should have been a 2 limit, firstly.

I understand with some items but there was no reason for this to be so limited and if it was, you DONT let a single individual fill their bags with them. Figment has and always will be one of my favorites. I've been waiting patiently and anxiously ever since Funko started with park merch, for a Figment POP and it finally happens and I can't even get it

It sold out online too quickly too. I don't mind having to pay a slightly inflated price for him but I won't feed into some of these prices.

I guess my hope now is a future release wearing his sweater or a Dreamfinder/Figment set or a Disney Treasures set that has him.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I'd be happier if I could just find a single Disney trinket in the parks that says MADE IN U.S.A. During our last trip in 2013 I tried, I mean really tried and found nothing...