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Reselling has been a problem with limited edition merchandise at theme parks and beyond for years, and unfortunately, seasonal offerings and other special items make the practice even more noticeable. At the Walt Disney World Resort, specialty items like popcorn buckets, souvenir sippers, and limited edition pins, spirit jerseys, and Starbucks tumblers are among the usual lineup of items resellers tend to gravitate toward.
Credit: Paula K
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What do Disney resellers do?
As their name suggests, resellers buy merchandise at Disney Parks and Resorts and resell it, typically online. The process a reseller takes typically involves them buying up large quantities of certain Disney souvenirs so they can turn a profit, likely either on eBay or their own personal shopping websites or social media channels.
There are several issues with reselling, namely that these Guests often end up buying all of the merchandise in question leaving Guests who are actually in the Parks out of luck unless they wish to pay upwards of double or even triple the cost on eBay when they get home. On top of this, resellers are often the culprits behind long lines for merchandise and purchase limits.
Screenshot from eBay
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The Latest Hot Item for Disney Resellers
The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival kicked off today, March 1, 2023, and along with a full lineup of 70s-inspired Orange Bird merchandise are two very popular new Loungefly backpacks. Loungefly pieces are incredibly popular accessories for Disney fans, and while it is not surprising to see them scooped up by resellers, it is certainly disappointing.
The new Loungefly bags feature both Figment and Orange Bird, two Disney Park characters who have historically graced some of the most popular merchandise. In terms of how much resellers are marking up the bags, the Orange Bird backpack costs $85 at the EPCOT seasonal event, but it is already listed at over $115 on eBay.
Guests at the Park today have taken to social media to share that the new backpacks appear to already be sold out. While it is likely that Disney will continue to restock the items throughout this year’s Flower & Garden Festival, it remains disappointing to see the stock dwindle so quickly on the first day of the event.
Credit: @Disneylandpbp
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Why hasn’t Disney done anything about resellers?
Putting an end to reselling practices is easier said than done. While one Disney Resort has banned the practice, the Walt Disney World Resort has only put in place procedures intended to curb the issue, but in reality, they are very difficult to enforce.
For one, many of the resellers are Annual Passholders, and the terms and conditions of having a Disney World Annual Pass note that they cannot use their pass to make a profit. Of course, this would be difficult to prove, however it is one policy that is in place against reselling.
The only other policy is purchase limits which usually range from 2-10 purchases allowed of the same item per person. The problem with this, as you may have expected, is that resellers will get friends and family to buy items in additional transactions, and depending on the item they can hop back into the checkout line or find it at multiple locations around the Parks. For years, fans have been suggesting that MagicBands or Park tickets be used to track this behavior but that has not happened as of this writing.
