Magic bands from third party sources?

[msteel]

I see that My Disney Experience has a way to link a magic band.
I see that there are some magic bands for sale on eBay.
Have any brave souls out there tried experimenting with used or "new" third-party-sourced magic bands?

Right now the only authorized way to get a magic band is through a resort reservation, right? But does anybody know what happens if you have both a third party ticket and a magic band linked to an account?

 

[Tom]

I see that My Disney Experience has a way to link a magic band.
I see that there are some magic bands for sale on eBay.
Have any brave souls out there tried experimenting with used or "new" third-party-sourced magic bands?

Right now the only authorized way to get a magic band is through a resort reservation, right? But does anybody know what happens if you have both a third party ticket and a magic band linked to an account?

I can't even imagine why someone would buy a Magic Band off of ebay. They're FREE from Disney, so there's absolutely no benefit. I'm sure people must be trying to scam others into thinking they're buying something valuable.

Get original Magic Bands from Disney. No further discussion required.

 

[Master Yoda]

I never thought I would see a day where someone could sell such an inconsequential item that is essentially free.

It will follow the same rule ticket medium currently does making it non-transferable.

 

[Rob562]

Heck, there are people on ebay trying to sell the empty MagicBand boxes!

I wouldn't risk trying to buy one of the Bands for sale on ebay. If it's already linked to another profile (the seller's, presumably), you won't be able to link it to your own. The only chance would be if they somehow got their hands on an unlinked Band (which conceivably would only come from a resort or Guest Relations CM who sneaked them out).

If the listing says there's a random name on the Band then you know for sure it was previously linked to someone.

-Rob

 

[Cesar R M]

Heck, there are people on ebay trying to sell the empty MagicBand boxes!

I wouldn't risk trying to buy one of the Bands for sale on ebay. If it's already linked to another profile (the seller's, presumably), you won't be able to link it to your own. The only chance would be if they somehow got their hands on an unlinked Band (which conceivably would only come from a resort or Guest Relations CM who sneaked them out).

If the listing says there's a random name on the Band then you know for sure it was previously linked to someone.

-Rob

Following Rob's post...

If you re enter Disney in, for example.. a year.. you can rehuse the older MagicBands or they will give you newer ones again?

 

[Rob562]

Following Rob's post...

If you re enter Disney in, for example.. a year.. you can rehuse the older MagicBands or they will give you newer ones again?

Both.

You'll get a new Band for the new reservation, but you can also use your old Band. So if you choose a different color the second time, you can then choose which Band to wear on a daily basis.

While there is a battery inside (which will last for at least 3 years), that system is only used for certain interactive elements in the parks, most of which aren't even on-line or installed yet.
Any use where you tap the Band against a reader (hotel room door, entrance turnstiles, FP+, cash register) the Band will function indefinitely.

-Rob

 

[Phonedave]

We were told to save our bands that we used last week for our June trip - but that if we lost them they could deactivate them and issue us new ones.

When linking our AP's to the bands we were told to make sure we got it right, because we linked the wrong AP to the wrong band, they could not undo it. They would have to issue us new bands and completely delete the profile of the old band.

-dave

 

[msteel]

OK, a couple of points:

Yes, the bands are essentially free from Disney, but there is no way to get one yet besides booking a reservation at an overpriced hotel.
Yes, tickets are non-transferrable. I don't know if it is so clear about the band itself (maybe it is, but I haven't seen or remembered that specifically)
Yes, it would be risky to experiment since you risk losing expensive tickets or, I suppose, worst case scenario might even include getting banned from the parks. That is why I said BRAVE souls (should I have said "foolish mortals"?)
Finally, some of the eBay ads mentioned magic bands can unlock content in the Disney Infinity game (I don't know what it is and haven't bothered to look it up).

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I never thought I would see a day where someone could sell such an inconsequential item that is essentially free.

It will follow the same rule ticket medium currently does making it non-transferable.

I've seen park maps and expired FP tickets on ebay for years. I guess I kind of see the "why" behind the FP tickets as so often the CMs weren't checking them and it was a way to buy your way onto the attractions you wanted to hit (another reason for an electronic solution for sure) and the park maps I suppose maybe I can see some logic in if it was a map from say the day of Epcot's 25th etc. but I have to agree that Magic Bands sort of takes the cake.

Now all that said... if you don't have a room reservation, and you did buy an MB off ebay and let's pretend it were transferable and you were able to link it to your account via MDE, I don't think it'd do you any good other than to use it as your ticket in and out of the parks. It's not like having the MB linked to the account is what gives you the FP+ capability, it's the fact that you have the room reservation... right?

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Finally, some of the eBay ads mentioned magic bands can unlock content in the Disney Infinity game (I don't know what it is and haven't bothered to look it up).

This is 100% true. An MB placed on your Infinity console will unlock the Dragon's Gate and associated texture and sky for your Toy Box. This may be the only "good" reason to buy one off ebay I'd suppose as it is pretty cool. My son did it the day our bands came and he still goes bonkers when he hears the music and sees the dragon fly by as he's playing around in his Toy Box.