Its Not Fair

[KPeterso]

I arrive on Sunday. If you don't make it Thursday, I'd be happy to get one and ship it to you or if you're local, meet up. We are staying until Saturday at VDH.

Such a sweet offer. I am actually pretty local. I can keep looking. It is still early in the celebration so I expect them to get more. I may even try to make it over this weekend for the evening. But that I will have to wait and see about.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Thanks to all for reading and sharing my disappointment. It didnt ruin my trip, but it was something that just mad me sad and angry.

I have now started my trip report June 2025 California and Beyond, Recharging My Vitamin D

 

[Tomorrowland 67]

That's indeed frustrating. There should be a system in place where a guest inside the park should always be able to purchase at least one specialty item such as a key or a popcorn bucket.

 

[Tinkaboo]

Thanks to all for reading and sharing my disappointment. It didnt ruin my trip, but it was something that just mad me sad and angry.

I have now started my trip report June 2025 California and Beyond, Recharging My Vitamin D

Can't wait..your reports are always so much fun to read...

 

[LizzyS]

Emailing Disney is pointless. All the keys are on ebay and other reselling sites. Im back in Ireland and it will be June 2026 when Im back in USA. Its just whack a mole, Disney may catch one or two resellers but they cant stop all of them. Theres nothing Disney can do.

The only real way to stop the resellers is for people to stop buying from them. They only do it because the demand for the merchandise is there and people dont care, they will just buy online. The real problem is everyone online who wants the Disney parks merchandise without going to the parks.

I honestly don't see why Disney has so *many* "park exclusive" items that you can only get in park. The keys could've been sold online to a) make them available to travelers before their trip and b) make sure the resellers don't clear out the in park inventory so that those that want to wait to purchase can do so.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I honestly don't see why Disney has so *many* "park exclusive" items that you can only get in park. The keys could've been sold online to a) make them available to travelers before their trip and b) make sure the resellers don't clear out the in park inventory so that those that want to wait to purchase can do so.

The whole point of exclusive park merchandise is meant to be an incentive for people to go to the parks. Its to give people in the parks something that you can only get there. That was the whole point of these keys. Go to the park, buy the key and then have the interactive experiences in the parks. They are not meant to be just bought online by the general public, as thats only half the experience.

 

[Kit Jackson]

The whole point of exclusive park merchandise is meant to be an incentive for people to go to the parks. Its to give people in the parks something that you can only get there. That was the whole point of these keys. Go to the park, buy the key and then have the interactive experiences in the parks.

To me, this makes sense for in park activities like the Keys, and maybe the sippers or popcorn buckets, but other than that, it really doesn't make sense anymore.

I have no idea what the numbers are, so I could be totally wrong on this, but are there that many locals going to the parks just to buy a special pin you can only get in the parks? Wouldn't Disney make more money selling all the pins at Disneystore.com? People outside the parks are going to want the pin. Very few people are going to plan a special trip to the parks just to buy the pin. However, if Disney sold the pins on their website, people outside the parks would buy the pin. At this point, people are still buying the pins outside the parks, it's just a question of whether or not Disney makes money from it or does the money go to a seller on eBay or another site.

An alternative is to make it clear that some items will be park exclusive for X days or months, and then it will appear on Disneystore.com.

 

[Pluto468]

An alternative is to make it clear that some items will be park exclusive for X days or months, and then it will appear on Disneystore.com.

This is such a great idea. Plus Disney would make so much more money this way! Sometimes I'll see something like a t-shirt that I really want but unless I want to pay double for it on Ebay there's no way I'll ever have it if it's a park exclusive.

 

[LKing]

I have no idea what the numbers are, so I could be totally wrong on this, but are there that many locals going to the parks just to buy a special pin you can only get in the parks?

Pin Drop Tuesdays are chaotic. There are large lines for new/limited releases.

 

[Moonspinner]

Pin Drop Tuesdays are chaotic. There are large lines for new/limited releases.

That’s wild. I had no idea this was going on.

 

[Moonspinner]

The whole point of exclusive park merchandise is meant to be an incentive for people to go to the parks. Its to give people in the parks something that you can only get there. That was the whole point of these keys. Go to the park, buy the key and then have the interactive experiences in the parks. They are not meant to be just bought online by the general public, as thats only half the experience.

I agree except for the keys. Since they can only be used in the park (for the most part), I think there is no harm selling them on line so people have them ahead of time before they go to the parks. But for other exclusive parks merchandise, I agree with you 100%

 

[Bossy22]

Take away resellers and I loved the park exclusives (and I live in Canada). I just think it was so fun to go buy something on our trip that you could only get in the park! It made it more special.

 

[Disney0010]

Was just watching one of the live streamers. The stores this morning were PACKED with people buying Halloween merch. One could not move in some of the stores. Just check eBay later.

 

[AquaDame]

We're heading down over labor day and I also really wanted this experience IN the park.. have they sold out again or has it been smooth sailing now that the keys are 'old news'?

 

[LKing]

We're heading down over labor day and I also really wanted this experience IN the park.. have they sold out again or has it been smooth sailing now that the keys are 'old news'?

As of yesterday, the keys were everywhere. They were available in every store in Disneyland and at WOD. I have not seen them in DCA.

As was mentioned, there was a big Halloween merchandise drop today. A lot of 70th merchandise has been taken off of of the floors. I doubt that the keys have been removed.

 

[Dznefreek]

No one ever said life is fair.

 

[DLRExpert]

Resellers buy because people are purchasing them at a high price. While a purchase limit would be helpful they would still sell out as there are ways around that and guests like you would buy them up anyways.

Also be aware that guests are buying multiple keys to hopefully get the different pins.

The main issue is Disney not keeping enough in stock or at least managing how many they sell per day so they at least have something to sell every day.

 

[LKing]

The main issue is Disney not keeping enough in stock or at least managing how many they sell per day so they at least have something to sell every day.

Other than for a short period at the beginning, and on July 4, the keys have been in stock and available for sale.

 

[LizzyS]

To me, this makes sense for in park activities like the Keys, and maybe the sippers or popcorn buckets, but other than that, it really doesn't make sense anymore.

I have no idea what the numbers are, so I could be totally wrong on this, but are there that many locals going to the parks just to buy a special pin you can only get in the parks? Wouldn't Disney make more money selling all the pins at Disneystore.com? People outside the parks are going to want the pin. Very few people are going to plan a special trip to the parks just to buy the pin. However, if Disney sold the pins on their website, people outside the parks would buy the pin. At this point, people are still buying the pins outside the parks, it's just a question of whether or not Disney makes money from it or does the money go to a seller on eBay or another site.

An alternative is to make it clear that some items will be park exclusive for X days or months, and then it will appear on Disneystore.com.

Right, the keys were probably a bad example for the point I was trying to make, but I agree about things that are not in-park functional or concession-related.