There was a post on the Community Board where a woman did buy her tickets from ebay. They turned out to be useless and Disney would not help her. In addition, neither ebay or paypal would help this family. Eventually (after a lot of work and several months) I believe she got a refund from her credit card company.
Risk is not worth it!
Risk is not worth it!
DMRick
I prefer to be tagless!
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I wouldn't expect Disney to help. I am very surprised that Paypal wouldn't..they were wonderful when we got something that wasn't right from eBay. They did have to hear both sides of the story, but as soon as they did, we got full credit.
Also, I wonder why her credit card gave her a hard time..or why it was so much work. I would be more upset with my credit card people....although I assume she had to get something from Disney saying the card was blank...and it prob had to be within a reasonable time of purchase (maybe that was why Paypal couldn't help..maybe she was past the time limit). Did she mention the person's feedback..if they had checked into it?
And yes, there is risk in lots of things...so eBay is not for everyone. I'm always surprised when people send my so much money after just seeing a small picture and reading what I have to say abotu the item. But thank God they do...since a good part of my income is from eBay.
Also, I wonder why her credit card gave her a hard time..or why it was so much work. I would be more upset with my credit card people....although I assume she had to get something from Disney saying the card was blank...and it prob had to be within a reasonable time of purchase (maybe that was why Paypal couldn't help..maybe she was past the time limit). Did she mention the person's feedback..if they had checked into it?
And yes, there is risk in lots of things...so eBay is not for everyone. I'm always surprised when people send my so much money after just seeing a small picture and reading what I have to say abotu the item. But thank God they do...since a good part of my income is from eBay.
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IIRC, the seller did have good feedback. He was from Germany and reportedly said he bought the ticket on site. As it eventually turned out, he bought the ticket from a used ticket broker (thus broke the law). It sounded like he honestly believed there were still days left on the ticket. I think the issue with the credit card company was the "matter of proof". How could you prove a ticket was not as the seller advertised if Disney will not help? It is definitely not in Disney's best interest to assist people who buy and resell partially used tickets. I will look for the original post and post the link here when the search feature is allowed. It's offline at the moment.
I do agree with the poster that said most of the people who use ebay are honest. If they were not, ebay could not exist. Personally, I just don't think the risk associated with used WDW tickets is worth saving a few dollars. JMHO.
DMRick
I prefer to be tagless!
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I'm surprised that Disney would not just say how many days are on the tickets..they do that for us..we always have them checked before we leave..and they print us up the "use" on paper...so we know just what days they were used (it even shows which parks you entered, at what times). IMO this would have been easy to prove, if all the days used were before the eBay purchase. Disney doen't ask where I get the tickets from..we just go up to guest services, and ask for a print out...so they wouldn't have known they were getting "involved". I guess the thing to do if buying tics from eBay, is to get them checked at guest services (we had ours checked right at the hotel), before you try to go in the parks.
I wouldn't have bought something like this from Germany, because it would be so hard to get it made right if there was a problem. You would think the guy would want to keep his good feedback, once he found out they were no good and refund, himself. I have to say, though, that this is the first time I have heard of someone being stung buying Disney tickets on eBay (and I'm sure like the rest of you, I'm on several Disney boards). I still think the risk is very low, if you follow the precautions (good feedback, pay by card). Of course there is risk in lots of things, and this is one of them..buying anything on eBay.
alvernon90
Two Decade Veteran
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Not to restart a debate, but I just wanted to chime in because everyone is at least a little bit right:
1. If you aren't a Florida resident, you are still subject to Florida laws when in Florida, but you aren't when you're at home. So if you bought a partially-used ticket while in Florida, you'd be breaking the law, but not if you are doing it at home on eBay.
2. Violating company policies (such as Disney's non-transfer policy and eBay's partial ticket policy) is a matter of personal decision. Some people feel they are morally obligated to obey any company policies, some people think they should obey only to the extent that they might get caught. I personally feel that it's wrong to violate company rules if you are directly harming fellow consumers (such as line jumping at Space Mountain) but not if the rule exists only so the company can get more money out of you. If Disney had a policy against posting their hotel discount codes to Internet message boards, how many of you would refuse to use codes you read about here?
3. There is always a risk in buying partially used tickets, but between feedback and chargebacks the risk is pretty small. If the reward of a much cheaper price is worth the risk to you, then you should go for it. If not, feel free to pay more for peace of mind.
4. Despite their non-transfer policy, Disney's refusal to help if you get burned is not because you bought partially used tickets on the Internet, but because they don't owe anything. All of the admission days they sold have been used. If, on the other hand, you lost your tickets and went to them with photocopies of the numbers on the back, Disney would almost certainly replace them even though you bought them on the Internet. You wouldn't even have to tell them, but I'm sure they'd replace them even if you did.
5. What is a transfer, anyway? Many families gather up the tickets and put them in one safe place. If I enter a park today with the ticket my son used yesterday, and he uses mine, did I violate Disney's transfer rule? What if somebody gives me a ticket as a gift? What if someone gives me a partially-used ticket as a gift?
The bottom line is that Disney doesn't want people setting up booths right off of the property to undercut their at-the-gate ticket sales. (If they were really concerned about the Internet, they easily have the clout to get a federal law passed rather than a Florida-only law.) Buying tickets on the Internet, therefore, is not absolutely wrong or absolutely stupid, it's a grey area. Whether you want to be in that grey area is up to you.
1. If you aren't a Florida resident, you are still subject to Florida laws when in Florida, but you aren't when you're at home. So if you bought a partially-used ticket while in Florida, you'd be breaking the law, but not if you are doing it at home on eBay.
2. Violating company policies (such as Disney's non-transfer policy and eBay's partial ticket policy) is a matter of personal decision. Some people feel they are morally obligated to obey any company policies, some people think they should obey only to the extent that they might get caught. I personally feel that it's wrong to violate company rules if you are directly harming fellow consumers (such as line jumping at Space Mountain) but not if the rule exists only so the company can get more money out of you. If Disney had a policy against posting their hotel discount codes to Internet message boards, how many of you would refuse to use codes you read about here?
3. There is always a risk in buying partially used tickets, but between feedback and chargebacks the risk is pretty small. If the reward of a much cheaper price is worth the risk to you, then you should go for it. If not, feel free to pay more for peace of mind.
4. Despite their non-transfer policy, Disney's refusal to help if you get burned is not because you bought partially used tickets on the Internet, but because they don't owe anything. All of the admission days they sold have been used. If, on the other hand, you lost your tickets and went to them with photocopies of the numbers on the back, Disney would almost certainly replace them even though you bought them on the Internet. You wouldn't even have to tell them, but I'm sure they'd replace them even if you did.
5. What is a transfer, anyway? Many families gather up the tickets and put them in one safe place. If I enter a park today with the ticket my son used yesterday, and he uses mine, did I violate Disney's transfer rule? What if somebody gives me a ticket as a gift? What if someone gives me a partially-used ticket as a gift?
The bottom line is that Disney doesn't want people setting up booths right off of the property to undercut their at-the-gate ticket sales. (If they were really concerned about the Internet, they easily have the clout to get a federal law passed rather than a Florida-only law.) Buying tickets on the Internet, therefore, is not absolutely wrong or absolutely stupid, it's a grey area. Whether you want to be in that grey area is up to you.
DianeV
DIS Veteran
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- Dec 13, 1999
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- 4,053
As I said I have purchased many times off ebay. I always check feedback and I would not buy from someone in another country (except Canada which I have) - I would say I have made approx. 10 purchases for various theme park tickets including Disney and had not one problem with the tickets. I even was surprised to see that a couple tickets had more days left then the person who sold it to me said..
I find it kinda funny that there is always someone who "heard of" or "knew" someone who bought a bad ticket. I think it happens less often then you think.
Of course to alleviate all this Disney could start selling a one day hopper. I'm surprised they havent thought of that yet or if they have that they dont want to do it.
I find it kinda funny that there is always someone who "heard of" or "knew" someone who bought a bad ticket. I think it happens less often then you think.
Of course to alleviate all this Disney could start selling a one day hopper. I'm surprised they havent thought of that yet or if they have that they dont want to do it.
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Partially used tickets are not OK to sell on ebay per their policies.
A few years ago, I contacted ebay regarding whether I (as a non-Florida resident) could buy partially used Disney tickets that were listed on ebay. I had seen a couple of people stopped at the gates of the parks with "bad" tickets, had read some postings on this board about buying tickets off ebay and I was wondering just what the rules were.
I was referred to these 2 ebay rules pages:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-contracts.html
Quote from first page: Before listing an item on eBay, you should carefully read any contracts that you have entered into that may limit your right to
sell your item on eBay. Some items, such as airline tickets, have terms printed on the item that may limit your ability to sell that item.
The information I was given was that since it says right on the back of the ticket: non-transferrable; must be used by the same person onany and all days, it would not be OK to sell that partially used item on ebay. It's not only ebay policy, it's getting into contract law (note: I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV). Disney also has the right to confiscate (even if all days are not used) tickets that are not used in accordance with their rules.
the second page was:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-tickets.html
Quote from second page: For events in Florida, eBay permits resales of tickets by sellers in Florida at no greater than face value plus $1 per
ticket for all entertainment events held in the state. For tickets to Florida events sold by non-Florida residents, bidders within Florida may not bid above face value plus $1. In addition, eBay does not permit the sale of multi-day or multi-event tickets that have been used at least once for admission.
At the time that I wrote to ebay, a lot of partially used tickets were sold with the story "We bought 5 day tickets and only used 3 days." Ebay has clamped down on that now, so most of the listings you see now are "one day, multi-park tickets", which if you look at the picture, are actually park hoppers with one day left. Since these tickets are not OK to buy/sell by ebay rules, if you have a problem, they don't have to help you at all. Also, a lot of the tickets are being sold by people with 10 or less feedback, so there is not much to go on there.
It is true that WDW can't look at the tickets and see who used them. But, the magnetic strip on the back does link to information in their computer, which does include things like exact dates and times it was used, how it was paid for, etc.
If you buy these tickets, you might be lucky, but if you have a problem, you are out all the money and on your own.
A few years ago, I contacted ebay regarding whether I (as a non-Florida resident) could buy partially used Disney tickets that were listed on ebay. I had seen a couple of people stopped at the gates of the parks with "bad" tickets, had read some postings on this board about buying tickets off ebay and I was wondering just what the rules were.
I was referred to these 2 ebay rules pages:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-contracts.html
Quote from first page: Before listing an item on eBay, you should carefully read any contracts that you have entered into that may limit your right to
sell your item on eBay. Some items, such as airline tickets, have terms printed on the item that may limit your ability to sell that item.
The information I was given was that since it says right on the back of the ticket: non-transferrable; must be used by the same person onany and all days, it would not be OK to sell that partially used item on ebay. It's not only ebay policy, it's getting into contract law (note: I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV). Disney also has the right to confiscate (even if all days are not used) tickets that are not used in accordance with their rules.
the second page was:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-tickets.html
Quote from second page: For events in Florida, eBay permits resales of tickets by sellers in Florida at no greater than face value plus $1 per
ticket for all entertainment events held in the state. For tickets to Florida events sold by non-Florida residents, bidders within Florida may not bid above face value plus $1. In addition, eBay does not permit the sale of multi-day or multi-event tickets that have been used at least once for admission.
At the time that I wrote to ebay, a lot of partially used tickets were sold with the story "We bought 5 day tickets and only used 3 days." Ebay has clamped down on that now, so most of the listings you see now are "one day, multi-park tickets", which if you look at the picture, are actually park hoppers with one day left. Since these tickets are not OK to buy/sell by ebay rules, if you have a problem, they don't have to help you at all. Also, a lot of the tickets are being sold by people with 10 or less feedback, so there is not much to go on there.
It is true that WDW can't look at the tickets and see who used them. But, the magnetic strip on the back does link to information in their computer, which does include things like exact dates and times it was used, how it was paid for, etc.
If you buy these tickets, you might be lucky, but if you have a problem, you are out all the money and on your own.
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Here is the link to the thread in which a poster reported buying WDW tickets on ebay that were not as advertiosed:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=253934&highlight=german*+AND+ticket
In fact, she thought she was buying unused tickets. Be sure to read the entire thread. More info provided on the last pages.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=253934&highlight=german*+AND+ticket
In fact, she thought she was buying unused tickets. Be sure to read the entire thread. More info provided on the last pages.
A case could be made (and I am only playing Devils Advocate here) that you are directly harming fellow consumers (and yourself) when you break a rule that exists "only so the company can get more money from you." Disney puts that money back into the theme parks (and sure, they give some to their stockholders, and pay their execs, etc., but the majority of it goes to the theme parks). When they don't make that money, the park gets a little less clean, the costumes a little less detailed, the rides refurbished a little less often, new attractions open less frequently.
amwhitaker
Not happy unless I'm going to Disney.
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We have bought unused days several times from a guy outside of IHOP. On my recent trip to WDW I knew I had an extra day left on one of my many tickets that I threw in a drawer. I took all the tickets I had and had them checked at guest relations. I was VERY happy to find that on two passes purchased from the IHOP guy that we have 4 days of Plus features on both! I don't think the guy knew it. I am thinking of selling them on Ebay. I guess you take your chances wherever you decide to buy tickets.
Eric Julie and Hailey
<a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/dis-sponsor/index.
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Here's the actual Florida statute (yes, I am an attorney -- but, I do not play one on TV!) -- It's interesting to me how this language mimicks the exact language on eBay's policy:
§ 817.361. Resale of multiday or multievent ticket
Whoever offers for sale, sells, or transfers in connection with a commercial transaction, with or without consideration, any nontransferable ticket or other nontransferable medium designed for admission to more than one amusement location or other facility offering entertainment to the general public, or for admission for more than 1 day thereto, after said ticket or other medium has been used at least once for admission, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. A nontransferable ticket or other nontransferable medium is one on which is clearly printed the phrase: "Nontransferable; must be used by the same person on all days" or words of similar import. Upon conviction for a second or subsequent violation of this subsection, such person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
§ 817.361. Resale of multiday or multievent ticket
Whoever offers for sale, sells, or transfers in connection with a commercial transaction, with or without consideration, any nontransferable ticket or other nontransferable medium designed for admission to more than one amusement location or other facility offering entertainment to the general public, or for admission for more than 1 day thereto, after said ticket or other medium has been used at least once for admission, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. A nontransferable ticket or other nontransferable medium is one on which is clearly printed the phrase: "Nontransferable; must be used by the same person on all days" or words of similar import. Upon conviction for a second or subsequent violation of this subsection, such person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
DMRick
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You're an attorney, and got arrested for buying illegal tickets in Florida. And had to go to jail..you weren't able to keep yourself out of jail? That must have been embarassing. Were their repercussions from your home state bar because of this? I bet they played that up in the newspapers..attorney caught buying illegal Disney tickets..oh geesh! If you don't mind my asking, were you able to plead ignorance of the law?
I think we were all clear on it being illegal to buy/sell used tickets in Florida. That was covered some time ago in this thread. As far as being "Illegal" to sell on eBay..it sounds like it is against their rules for some tickets...not against the law. As an attorney, is what Disney put on the back of the tickets (non transferable) considered a contract, (implied or otherwise), if you didn't have to sign anything saying you read it? Just curious.
Eric Julie and Hailey
<a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/dis-sponsor/index.
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I was arrested before I ever went to law school. In fact, it was while rotting in jail (it was a holding cell while they processed the paperwork -- I was there 12 hours) that I decided I was going to law school!
I was never convicted of anything. It was ultimately (in laymen's terms) dropped. Even if I had been, it is a low grade misdemanor -- not enough to cause problems with a state bar. The charge is about one step over a speeding ticket.
Nevertheless, I learned my lesson!!!
I was never convicted of anything. It was ultimately (in laymen's terms) dropped. Even if I had been, it is a low grade misdemanor -- not enough to cause problems with a state bar. The charge is about one step over a speeding ticket.
Nevertheless, I learned my lesson!!!
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