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Disney Resellers Are At It Again, This Time at EPCOT’s 40th Anniversary

Credit: @MagicalNewsLIVE (left), Disney (right), Clipart

Today is the 40th anniversary of EPCOT at Walt Disney World (and the 51st anniversary of the entire Resort). Disney celebrated the milestone anniversary of the company’s second Florida theme park by holding a special rededication ceremony this morning and offering unique merchandise, snacks, and complimentary commemorative maps and posters to Guests in attendance.

Unfortunately, nearly any special event at Walt Disney World these days comes with resellers, who stock up on merchandise making it difficult or impossible for Guests both in the Parks and at home to find items for themselves, unless they want to support said resellers by purchasing from them with absurd markups.

EPCOT 40th Anniversary Merchandise

Credit: Disney

RELATED: EPCOT 40th Anniversary Merchandise Featuring Figment Just Revealed

A quick scroll through eBay revealed that many of the items Disney launched today for the 40th anniversary of EPCOT have already been scooped up by resellers, who are hoping to make a sale often at over 100% markup from the original pricing.

Thankfully for fans shopping from home, many of the items that were released this morning on shopDisney are still available, so eBay does not have to be the only option for picking up some of the special 40th-anniversary pieces. The Figment plush below for instance is still available on shopDisney where it is priced at just $26.99 vs. the reseller price in the eBay listing.

Figment on eBay

Credit: eBay

RELATED: Resellers List Disney Park Event Tickets for Nearly $1,000

We have to caution against making any purchases from resellers, as it only encourages this type of behavior that causes merchandise to sell out while Guests who would purchase it in the Parks are unable to buy it directly from Disney. In the case of the EPCOT 40 merchandise, we definitely recommend checking shopDisney as several items scooped up by resellers at the Park is still available online.

Disney does have some limits on how many limited edition items can be purchased, but unfortunately, these limits do not stop resellers from getting back in line, going to a different shop, or bringing along friends and family. While most Disney fans do hope that the company will someday be able to prevent this practice, it is still sadly a reality when new merchandise is released.

RELATED: This Figment-Inspired Cake Could Be the Star of EPCOT’s 40th Anniversary

It is also possible that Disney will restock at least some of the new merchandise released for EPCOT’s 40th anniversary. Last year, resellers stocked up on several items released for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World that ended up selling out immediately but were plentiful at later dates at stores throughout the Parks.

In any case, we will continue to monitor new merchandise releases at Walt Disney World, and will fill you in on all the latest news here on Disney Tips.

About Brittany DiCologero

Brittany is a New England-based writer focused on the history of the Walt Disney World Resort. She is the author of "Red, White, and Disney: The Myths and Reality of American History at the Walt Disney World Resort," and "Brittany Earns Her Ears."