New Epcot 30 Merchandise

[wiigirl]

I love that dated/vintage looking stuff!

 

[dreamfinder]

I agree. I don't see the benefit for Disney to have LE Merchandise. Why only have 300 Iphone case when you could easily sell 3000. I would love that iphone case, but i'm not paying $80 to a person who bought 2. In the end you wind up paying for theirs too.

Keeps the collectors happy. The collectors buy the big ticket expensive items. Those $60 jumbo pins, $250 framed pin sets, Princess dolls, etc. LE items drive the market for most things like pins, vinyls, etc. Artificially limiting supply helps to create demand. Situations like this, Disney wants to give the fans onsite a change to buy some merchandise, while ensuring they aren't left with left overs.

It doesn't apply in this case, but often Disney uses LE merch as a way to sell tickets to an event. By offering LE merch, they are able to charge people $150 bucks to come to a 2 day pin event. Just to hear them talk about what pins will be sold over the next year. And to buy more pins. What other situations can you charge someone for the privilege to find out what they will spend more money on over the course of the upcoming year?

As much as the mark up sucks, the person who is selling it was there. Had to spend time being there, and money in some form. (Gas, AP, hotel, etc) If it truly is $80 for a $30 case, that is a bit much.

Steven Miller did admit that if the demand is there, the non LE items may be reproduced again at some point. And seeing demand in some LE items can often convince them to make a different non LE version. It's a great way for them to test demand for something.

 

[valenrandy]

Ok, the iP4 cases are still available as of 10am. Several stores had them besides mouse gears. It's hard to believe that only 300 of each were made as they have been on sale since Friday. Also there is no LE markings on the box indicating a a run of 300. The line at around 9am went from mouse gears to sse. By around 9:45 the line was concentrated along the breezeway to TT. We were about #20 at mouse gears and all vynalmation was gone by #15 with the exception of what looked like a pricey 9inch figure.

BTW we showed up around 6:45am at bag check. And everyone was let in around 8:35/40ish
Commemorative map and pin were being handed out at the front gate. I assume international gateway as well.

 

[MKCP 1985]

They would be crazy to make only 300 of those phone cases and then sell them for $30. That's not much different than any other iphone case price. My guess is there might be more than 300 of them, but time will tell.

 

[WDWBryan]

Heh I saw those iphone cases the other day. I had never seen them before so figured they were new and exclusive to Epcot but didn't think they were anything special or a limited item.

 

[alphac2005]

Keeps the collectors happy. The collectors buy the big ticket expensive items. Those $60 jumbo pins, $250 framed pin sets, Princess dolls, etc. LE items drive the market for most things like pins, vinyls, etc. Artificially limiting supply helps to create demand. Situations like this, Disney wants to give the fans onsite a change to buy some merchandise, while ensuring they aren't left with left overs.

It doesn't apply in this case, but often Disney uses LE merch as a way to sell tickets to an event. By offering LE merch, they are able to charge people $150 bucks to come to a 2 day pin event. Just to hear them talk about what pins will be sold over the next year. And to buy more pins. What other situations can you charge someone for the privilege to find out what they will spend more money on over the course of the upcoming year?

As much as the mark up sucks, the person who is selling it was there. Had to spend time being there, and money in some form. (Gas, AP, hotel, etc) If it truly is $80 for a $30 case, that is a bit much.

Steven Miller did admit that if the demand is there, the non LE items may be reproduced again at some point. And seeing demand in some LE items can often convince them to make a different non LE version. It's a great way for them to test demand for something.

It's something that the only time they want to acknowledge the past of EPCOT after they've systematically degraded the product, it's when there is merchandise, pricey merchandise to sell. For years it has been hush-hush about everything, but the mighty dollar rules supreme. It's funny how the same people who lament what they've done to the place is who they're selling merchandise to in droves today.

 

[Tigger1988]

There's no chance in hell that they only made 300 each of the cases. Last year they sold a "limited" iPhone case with only 1971 being sold, or so they claim. They still had plenty in stock when I visited in April, 6 months later. Bull.

 

[dreamfinder]

It's something that the only time they want to acknowledge the past of EPCOT after they've systematically degraded the product, it's when there is merchandise, pricey merchandise to sell. For years it has been hush-hush about everything, but the mighty dollar rules supreme. It's funny how the same people who lament what they've done to the place is who they're selling merchandise to in droves today.

Nostalgia sells, no two ways around it. Everyone wants to relive the glory days.

There's no chance in hell that they only made 300 each of the cases. Last year they sold a "limited" iPhone case with only 1971 being sold, or so they claim. They still had plenty in stock when I visited in April, 6 months later. Bull.

Was it the same exact identical case? No change to the side color, or a slight tweak to the design? And the other question, was it limited edition, or limited release? Those are two very different things in the world of WDW merchandise. LE means that they will only make a known number, and then stop. Limited release means that they won't make it forever, but don't have a predefined limit on the production run.

 

[alphac2005]

Nostalgia sells, no two ways around it. Everyone wants to relive the glory days.

I can do that by actually buying vintage EPCOT merchandise and not feeding the pig that Disney has become.

 

[WDWBryan]

I never buy merchandise. I don't get walking around in Disney advertising that I have to pay for.

 

[Tigger1988]

Nostalgia sells, no two ways around it.

Was it the same exact identical case? No change to the side color, or a slight tweak to the design? And the other question, was it limited edition, or limited release? Those are two very different things in the world of WDW merchandise. LE means that they will only make a known number, and then stop. Limited release means that they won't make it forever, but don't have a predefined limit on the production run.

Exact same. And they advertised them as a limited edition of 1971.

 

[klineski96]

Were they handing out any special 30th Anniversary guide maps today upon entrance or were they the normal/standard ones?

Thanks!



EDIT: Whoops... found my answer in a different thread. Off to eBay I go.

 

[dreamfinder]

Exact same. And they advertised them as a limited edition of 1971.

Then shame on them. Unless they really sold that slowly.....

 

[AllyInWonderland]

Ebay is your friend!

True! Thanks!

 

[Hoop Raeb]

Lots of stuff still available last night at Mouse Gear. Tons of blue shirts, limited number of marroon, lots of lanyards, pins and iPhone cases.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Lots of stuff still available last night at Mouse Gear. Tons of blue shirts, limited number of marroon, lots of lanyards, pins and iPhone cases.

The blue shirts have been around for a while. It's a great shirt though, so I'm glad they're keeping it around.

 

[jessfriends]

The blue shirts have been around for a while. It's a great shirt though, so I'm glad they're keeping it around.

I think they meant the special Epcot 30th blue shirts.

Are the box mystery pins still available? Are they limited edition? I hope they still have some of the stuff left at the end of the month.

 

[The MaD Hatter]

Just got back from another day at Epcot. Lots of 30th stuff still to be had including lanyards, pins, mystery pins, t-shirts, hats, iphone cases, and Mickey ears, including SSE overlay.

 

[WDW1974]

It's something that the only time they want to acknowledge the past of EPCOT after they've systematically degraded the product, it's when there is merchandise, pricey merchandise to sell. For years it has been hush-hush about everything, but the mighty dollar rules supreme. It's funny how the same people who lament what they've done to the place is who they're selling merchandise to in droves today.

Yep.

EPCOT's 30th was simply a merchanding event for feeble-minded fans who want retro merchandise (most that looks like pooh) of a place that no longer exists. Maybe Ron Schnieder can hug them and tell him how the Disney fan community and bloggers pulled him from obscurity and made him relevant (to a very small group) again.

You look at most of WDW's current lines and it's all retro to some degree because it's much cheaper to pull off old designs and logos and slap them on new pieces than it is to create new merchandise.

 

[WDW1974]

Just got back from another day at Epcot. Lots of 30th stuff still to be had including lanyards, pins, mystery pins, t-shirts, hats, iphone cases, and Mickey ears, including SSE overlay.

Yep ... it will be at the outlet stores before Black Friday ... anyone want me to pick something up? (there will be a Spirited handling/conveneince fee added!)