Disneyland is quietly revoking annual passes of guests who buy and resell souvenirs

[Demovictory9]

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/12/07/disneyland-is-quietly-revoking-annual-passes-of-guests-who-buy-and-resell-souvenirs/

?w=863

Disneyland has been quietly revoking the annual passes of so-called “personal shoppers” and others who buy collectible merchandise inside the parks and then resell it, either to individuals or online, according to observers and people who say it happened to them.

The move demonstrates Disney’s powerful marketing savvy — and also the seemingly insatiable appetite of collectors who are willing to pay sometimes high markups for limited-edition merchandise that’s only sold inside the parks. Even items that seem mundane to the uninitiated — like plastic popcorn buckets made in China — can be feverishly sought-after by Disney collectors, when they’re carefully released in limited quantities for a short time only.

The collector craze has led to a secondary market ranging from small-time personal shoppers who go to the parks and fetch items for individual clients to resellers who buy large numbers of products and post on sites such as eBay.

Lately, observers say that Disney appears to have aggressively targeted these resellers, cancelling their annual passes under a provision in the passholder contract that bans people from using their discounts and then reselling items they purchased inside the parks.

Samantha Cudnohufsky, 25, of San Diego said she was surprised to receive a letter dated Nov. 16 informing her that her Disneyland pass was being revoked for one year.

“It came out of nowhere — I had no warning,” Cudnohufsky said, adding that she began operating a small personal shopping business about four years ago. “They took away my pass right before the holidays. … I had several people tell me that other people had been hit too.”

Even though her pass has been canceled, Cudnohufsky said she is still obligated to pay Disney monthly until May.

“They’re not stopping the payments,” Cudnohufsky said. “I still have to make my payments or they will send me to collection. It’s about $71 a month.”

Disney responded to requests for comment with a written statement that “Park Rules and Annual Pass Terms and Conditions are in place to help protect the experience for all of our Guests.”

[Jake Stern]

1. Isn't a case of this lady picking up a Princess Minne doll for her niece

while she's visiting the park with her family and being paid back no more than the retail price.

She and people like her markup these items, sometimes drastically, in order to turn a profit.

Their park.

Their pass.

Their rules.

[MineralMan]

2. One local thrift store near me, with a very recognizable name

started banning eBay sellers from the store. They were buying up merchandise and then reselling it on eBay. That went on for a while, until the store realized that a sizable percentage of their sales were to those resellers. After they banned them, their revenues plummeted.

The problem was caused, really, by the store's pricing policies, which did not consider the actual value of individual items. For example, that store priced all items with the same description at the same price. So, all dining room chairs were $5.99, regardless of quality, age, condition, or whatever.

When my wife and I moved to this area, our new house had a dining room, so we needed a table and chairs for it. I visited that thrift store daily, looking for chairs I liked. Eventually, I found two very nice high-end Windsor arm chairs for the head and foot of the table, and four equally nice Windsor chairs that matched for the sides of it. It took a couple of weeks of daily visits. In reality, the two arm chairs would have been priced at over $100 each in an antique shop. But, they were $5.99 each, because of their pricing policy.

The eBay sellers were taking advantage of that, and why not? The thrift shop's business model was to take donated items, price them for a fast sale and turn merchandise over quickly. In reality, the eBay sellers were helping their model work for them. The store staff didn't have enough knowledge to price items individually, so their "like items at the same price" worked well for them.

Nobody was harmed by the eBay sellers, and the store sold its donations quickly for cash, which was their goal. They dropped the banning policy pretty quickly.

[kcr]

3. "Nobody was harmed by the eBay Sellers." Wrong. eBay resellers are a scourge.

They do plenty of harm by manipulating and inflating markets. It would have been better to keep the ban and change the pricing policy in a way that keep items affordable. As much as it pains me to side with Disney, I'm glad to see them taking this action.

[MineralMan]

4. I disagree. If it were not for eBay, the antiques market would have

disappeared already. Antiques dealers are heavily involved in selling on eBay now, too, and that's about all that's keeping them in business.

Besides, before eBay, it was the antiques dealers who were picking at thrift stores. If you want to find treasures at Goodwill, you'd better be there daily when they open. If you're not, they'll all be gone within an hour. That's how it has always been.

[kcr]

5. How nice for you that you got such nice chairs at an excellent price

Opportunities like that disappear because of eBay. You very clearly and neatly showed just how that happened, then go on to champion it anyway. Enjoy your chairs.

[MineralMan]

7. Yes. I did find nice chairs. I didn't deprive anyone of anything.

They were there. I bought them at the price asked. They're in my house and we use them daily. Had I not bought them, they would have been bought by one of the antique shops in the area the same day. Since items like chairs are very hard and expensive to ship, they wouldn't have ever gone on eBay, frankly. But there were still plenty of nice, sturdy dining room chairs. There are every day. They're still just $5.99. Nobody is being deprived of chairs because someone buys the best of them the moment they're put out for sale.

Other items also get snatched up and resold. Again, there are plenty of the same types of merchandise in the thrift stores. The dealers go there early and often. They buy items they can resell. The thrift store gets the money, which is pure profit for them, since the items were donated. Other shoppers have plenty of items from which to choose, as well.

Nobody is harmed. Now, the thrift stores could identify the very desirable items and price them higher, of course. But, they do not have people who can identify such items, which may look just like other items of the same type. So, they don't use that pricing strategy, as a rule. Their goal is to shift a lot of merchandise as quickly as possible, since more donations come in every day and space is limited.

It all works together in the used goods business. It always has.

[kcr]

8. No, you didn't.

The store did, by allowing themselves to become a middle-man for eBay scalpers instead of standing up to them and now no one else gets to have nice chairs at an affordable price. Like you did.

[MineralMan]

9. No one else?

How did I find them, then? Anyone can do as I did. Show up daily and early. If you want the choice items, that's how it works.

The thing is that those working there don't know which items are especially desirable. That's why they set prices the way they do. It is their customers who know. So they buy the best stuff first. If you aren't there early, you never see it.

Did you know that Goodwill does not allow its employees to high-grade donations. Everything donated goes out on the floor. First come; first served.

Some stores also sell on Goodwill's auction website. If someone spots a treasure, it goes on there. However, that involves packing, shipping, photos and written descriptions. Not all stores bother.

Goodwill is doing OK. Some stores do price merchandise individually. Some don't. I've sold on eBay, but never picked thrift stores. My picking was all at estate sales, and I specialized in weird stuff that wasn't immediately grabbed by resellers. Goodwill and other thrift stores rarely had the stuff I sold.

Reselling on eBay is a very hard way to make a living. I stopped doing it, because it was impossible to find enough stuff to sell at a margin that made it possible to earn more than $10/hr. That's how hard it is, and I have a very good eye.

I still sell now and then, but sporadically, when I spot something extraordinary. It sucks as a business model.

[jmowreader]

6. When you refer to what you're doing as a business, you've gone too far