Disney Banning APs of "personal shoppers" / merch resellers

[rg35]

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/12/...asses-of-guests-who-buy-and-resell-souvenirs/

Looks like too many people have been buying limited edition merch w/ their discounts and selling online at a markup.

I think this is a perfect example of why so many of us are skeptical when someone posts a question here asking about something that might fall into a grey area. Too many people are looking to abuse things for their own gain at the expense of everyone else. I guess this isn't even a grey area, it's a total violation. But I don't know how people would do something like this thinking that they would never get caught.

 

[rteetz]

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/12/...asses-of-guests-who-buy-and-resell-souvenirs/

Looks like too many people have been buying limited edition merch w/ their discounts and selling online at a markup.

I think this is a perfect example of why so many of us are skeptical when someone posts a question here asking about something that might fall into a grey area. Too many people are looking to abuse things for their own gain at the expense of everyone else. I guess this isn't even a grey area, it's a total violation. But I don't know how people would do something like this thinking that they would never get caught.

Disney created this problem themselves. I don’t believe there is any rule against it either. Disney reserves the right to revoke passes tho.

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Personally I think this is long overdue

 

[hakepb]

What if AP discounts were automatically and electronically tied to the magic band?
Then Disney could electronically limit quantities of merchandise sold per specific AP.

 

[hakepb]

Disney created this problem themselves. I don’t believe there is any rule against it either. Disney reserves the right to revoke passes tho.

Yep. It’s good for Disney that there is crazy demand for new/limited products.

I’m wondering what pain Disney feels from this?
It would have to either be behavior problems and/or enough other people stopped renewing AP’s because they didn’t have access to the merchandise after the eBay’ers.

 

[rteetz]

Yep. It’s good for Disney that there is crazy demand for new/limited products.

I’m wondering what pain Disney feels from this?
It would have to either be behavior problems and/or enough other people stopped renewing AP’s because they didn’t have access to the merchandise after the eBay’ers.

I am thinking Disney would rather people not capitalize on their merchandise. What Disney could do is put more limits on merchandise so instead of 5-10 as the limit maybe 2-3 per person.

 

[hakepb]

I am thinking Disney would rather people not capitalize on their merchandise. What Disney could do is put more limits on merchandise so instead of 5-10 as the limit maybe 2-3 per person.

Or be like Ticketmaster and run their own “reselling” stores, selling their high demand product at a premium.

 

[jade1]

No horse in it, but how do they know an ebay sellers annual pass info?

I'm guessing items have a SN and its logged/attached to the AP at purchase?

 

[iamfathom]

I support this if it means people who want the actual item stand a better chance of getting it at cost price, but I think they are sending mixed signals when for the Funko releases they had bags of 10 Pops pre packaged up ready to hand out, they know why people would want 10.

And as has been mentioned I think limiting LE items to 2 per person would be a good step.

 

[jade1]

I support this if it means people who want gbe actusl item stand a better chance of getting it at cost price, but I think they are sending mixed signals when for the Funko releases they had bags of 10 Pops pre packaged up ready to hand out, they know why people would want 10.

And as has been mentioned I think limiting LE items to 2 per person would be a good step.

Hey no typing while riding on the safari. Kidding got it figured out, and agree.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yep. It’s good for Disney that there is crazy demand for new/limited products.

I’m wondering what pain Disney feels from this?
It would have to either be behavior problems and/or enough other people stopped renewing AP’s because they didn’t have access to the merchandise after the eBay’ers.

The article says Disneyland. Not sure if they're doing the same in WDW. And DLR doesn't have magic bands.

But I agree the logical step would be to find a way to tie the quantity to the AP and enforce limits.

 

[hakepb]

The article says Disneyland. Not sure if they're doing the same in WDW. And DLR doesn't have magic bands.

But I agree the logical step would be to find a way to tie the quantity to the AP and enforce limits.

That gets me every time, I forget that both WDW and DL are in an Orange County.

 

[rg35]

Disney created this problem themselves. I don’t believe there is any rule against it either. Disney reserves the right to revoke passes tho.

As quoted from the article itself, the passholder agreement states that “benefits and discounts are for personal use only and may not be used for any commercial purpose including, without limitation, to obtain or purchase items or services with the intent to resell such items or services.”

 

[rteetz]

As quoted from the article itself, the passholder agreement states that “benefits and discounts are for personal use only and may not be used for any commercial purpose including, without limitation, to obtain or purchase items or services with the intent to resell such items or services.”

If that is the case why are they cracking down on this now? This has been going on for years without any issue. Like I said though Disney created this problem themselves.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

If that is the case why are they cracking down on this now? This has been going on for years without any issue. Like I said though Disney created this problem themselves.

That seems to be their MO on a lot of things. They tolerate - even do things to encourage - behavior that doesn't seem like behavior they'd want. After years of status quo, something prompts them to take action. See rider swap and the old SDFPs as examples. And see BOG breakfast cupcakes for a current example of something they encourage but will probably someday crack down on. Either they just don't care until behaviors are really widespread, they are testing the market demand for things, or they're running psychological experiments on their guests for some nefarious purpose.

 

[Ariel484]

No horse in it, but how do they know an ebay sellers annual pass info?

I'm guessing items have a SN and its logged/attached to the AP at purchase?

Is it eBay sellers, or "personal shoppers" like they interviewed for the article?

I'm in a couple of Disney purse Facebook groups and two of the "shoppers" got their passes revoked - they'd essentially buy in-park items and sell them to the rest of us in the Facebook group for retail + shipping + PayPal fees + a shopper fee, usually 10-20% of retail. I think most/all of us suspected they were also pocketing the AP discount, but it was sort of an unspoken thing. Maybe these shoppers are also doing eBay sales and I just don't know about it. If Disney is just going after personal shoppers and not eBay-ers, I agree with the person in the article who says that they (Disney) are barking up the wrong tree.

I'm not sure how Disney tracked/busted the two people I know of who lost their passes (both Disneyland locals, hasn't affected the WDW-based shoppers), they seem to think rival shoppers had a vendetta against them and turned them in. Others have said that Disneyland somehow tracks AP sales in a way that WDW (currently) does not, not sure if they scan the cards before people use their discounts? Maybe it's more of an issue at Disneyland because there are more local AP holders compared to WDW?

If Disney made all of their in-park stuff available on the ShopParks app, or still took phone orders, that would cut down on the "need" for these shoppers...but maybe that's a pretty big project that they don't want to bother with.

 

[rteetz]

Is it eBay sellers, or "personal shoppers" like they interviewed for the article?

I'm in a couple of Disney purse Facebook groups and two of the "shoppers" got their passes revoked - they'd essentially buy in-park items and sell them to the rest of us in the Facebook group for retail + shipping + PayPal fees + a shopper fee, usually 10-20% of retail. I think most/all of us suspected they were also pocketing the AP discount, but it was sort of an unspoken thing. Maybe these shoppers are also doing eBay sales and I just don't know about it. If Disney is just going after personal shoppers and not eBay-ers, I agree with the person in the article who says that they (Disney) are barking up the wrong tree.

I'm not sure how Disney tracked/busted the two people I know of who lost their passes (both Disneyland locals, hasn't affected the WDW-based shoppers), they seem to think rival shoppers had a vendetta against them and turned them in. Others have said that Disneyland somehow tracks AP sales in a way that WDW (currently) does not, not sure if they scan the cards before people use their discounts? Maybe it's more of an issue at Disneyland because there are more local AP holders compared to WDW?

If Disney made all of their in-park stuff available on the ShopParks app, or still took phone orders, that would cut down on the "need" for these shoppers...but maybe that's a pretty big project that they don't want to bother with.

I don’t know if we really know for sure who exactly they are going after. Maybe Disney just notices they are a suspected eBay/personal shopper and then that’s how they figure it out?

 

[Ariel484]

I don’t know if we really know for sure who exactly they are going after. Maybe Disney just notices they are a suspected eBay/personal shopper and then that’s how they figure it out?

Maybe...I guess if you're a CM who works at the same location and you notice the same people coming in for new releases buying multiple items, you start to put 2 and 2 together?

 

[rteetz]

Maybe...I guess if you're a CM who works at the same location and you notice the same people coming in for new releases buying multiple items, you start to put 2 and 2 together?

That’s what I would think. Maybe they track transactions and look that way too?

 

[Ariel484]

That’s what I would think. Maybe they track transactions and look that way too?

Maybe so. It's super interesting that they're doing this...and a good reminder to read the TOS when you buy an AP.