Pathetic

[inkkognito]

Okay, I think that the Disney Cruise items being offered on Ebay have reached a new low. Would you believe that people are now selling those free AAA soda mugs? They are represented as a way to get free soda throughout your cruise. Puh-leeese!! It's bad enough that people pay to buy navigators (old ones!)...I guess I should quit providing that free on my website and make some $$ for our cruises by soaking people in online auctions. I've seen the free video being sold out there, and also the free brochures that you can get from travel agents. But soda mugs? That's a new one!! And call me picky, but I wouldn't want to be drinking out of some stranger's mug anyway...wouldn't be worth it to me just to save some $$ over buying my own.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Barb - Please please please don't stop posting the current navigators. You neither Dave
Thanks to both of you for all your help. It is wonderful.
(I understand it can be frustrating to see what people can try to get away with but please listen to your hearts and your readers and keep your sites just like they are).

 

[keenercam]

Barb--I agree with imgoingtodisney, people like you and dave who have so generously given your time and energy to provide information to the rest of us are just fabulous! I, too, have been astonished by the free DCL stuff people sell on ebay, including the cruise document package, the navigators, and the luggage "tags".
Keep up your awesome work!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I know this is a tad frustrating, but I just laugh at it--after all, who would be stupid enough to pay $$ for a brochure you can get from a travel agent? Just because someone lists an item, doesn't mean it sells. Persoanlly, I wouldn't buy the mug, not out of squeamishness, but it would be just my luck to have the style change a week before I sailed. The one that cracks me up most is the person selling the little soaps.

 

[prymsu]

To you Barb and to Dave. Please don't take off links on your web site. You have no idea how invaluable the information is to all of us who don't have your experience or knowledge.

Everyone appreciates your time and efforts, and I for one would like to thank you and Dave for all your efforts.

 

[Hopkins]

Last week, someone was selling pictures from the Magic fire. The one photo was similar to the photo Barb and others have on their sites showing the aftermath of the smokestack. They also said they have a picture showing the crew pool. I believe the auction stated at $9.99 for 5 pictues. I don't know if there were any takers. Maybe, if they had pictures of the actual flames coming out the smokestacks with the firefighters all around, that would be different. That's what photographers do all the time for the newspapers all the time, but even then...

Tina

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

What bothers me about people selling Navigators on eBay is that the Navigators are copyrighted material. I probably shouldn't post most of what's on my site because the material is copyrighted, but I don't charge for anything on my site... my site is strictly non-profit. I wouldn't/couldn't charge a fee for my site or collect fees for any services because I don't own the copyrights to the material on my site.

But... the folks who are selling Navigators on eBay are making a profit by selling copyrighted material that they don't own the copyrights to. I'm sorry, but that's just not right.

Don't worry, folks. I'm not going to drop that feature from my web site so I can start selling them on eBay. I wouldn't make any money from it. My family doesn't sail anywhere near as often as Barb & Tony do. I'm only able to keep my site updated because wonderful, helpful DISers send me updated sets of Navigators and other materiel.

Their courtesies plus the thank-yous that I get are all the compensation I'll ever need.

And I'm pretty sure Barb has no intention of dropping that feature from her site either. She was just expressing frustration.

 

[peg2001]

I too was recently looking at Disney Cruise items on e-bay and saw the assorted "free" items being offered for bid. It is a shame that people don't realize that this information is available elsewhere for free.

Barb - I can understand your refusal to buy the "free" AAA mugs on ethical principle but it sounded like you might be uneasy at drinking from a previously used cup. Don't you do that every time you visit a restaurant?

Dave - There is nothing illegal or unsavory about selling copyrighted material. Every book is copyrighted but anyone can sell/re-sell it. If they were COPYING the navigators and offering the copies for sale, that would be copyright infringement. I think it is silly for anyone to BUY the navigators, but there is nothing wrong with offering to sell the ones you have. Anyone disagree?

I have a question about the Disney Cruise travel agent only guides that I see on e-bay. Do they have any information beyond what I can find on Disney websites and discussion boards?

 

[tiggere]

On my first Disney Cruise in August of 1999, I picked up 4 of the "boat of beanies" from the Disney Magic for $40 each. I planned to keep 1, give 1 away and sell 2 on ebay for maybe $80 each. (supply/demand, will get to that later.) Anyway, I came home, listed them, and the price went up, up, up, up. I was losing sleep watching these 2 auctions go to unheard of high prices. It turns out that 2 other people were selling the same item but were saying in THEIR add that the beanie boats were limited editition and would not be available much longer. Their auctions ended at about $200 each and ended days before mine. The people that read their adds couldn't bid because the auction had ended so they came to my adds which did NOT state anything about the items being limited edition, but the “rumor” had already been spread. (It was early in the DCL marketing plan, no one knew if they were limited or not yet.) People bid furiously to win my auctions. At the end of the 7 day auction, I had $1150 (yes, that’s ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS) for the 2 beanie boats. One person even payed $40 to ship it to England. I gladly collected the money and spent it on a category 6 stateroom on the Disney Magic in 2000. On that cruise, I thanked that lucky Mickey’s Mates gift shop every time I walked by it for allowing me the “opportunity” to cash in on the lucky supply/demand fate that I was dealt. Today, you can’t get $40 for those beanie boats on ebay. You see, ebay is full of worthless, overpriced crap for sale. Most of the auctions on ebay get no bids. But there are also great deals that I shop for frequently, and buyers that pay way too much for something they could have gotten elsewhere. But the bidder is free to pay whatever they like! These buyers bid on their own free will. Its their money. Its not like I marked up the price of food in a time of crisis. This was a TOY and there were many many folks willing to pay $500+ go get it! So I sold it to them! Supply/Demand. Sorry for the long story. I’ve been wanting to tell it since it happened.

 

[IrishCowboy]

tiggere,
I agree with you. Its all simple economics and supply and demand. One person's junk is another person's treasure. I've paid lots of $$$ for some sports collectibles that I'm sure most would say was crazy, especially my wife!

Barb,
FYI, the ebay mug listing says that the mugs are still sealed and never been used.

 

[4nana]

Barb and Dave...

Just think of the money you could be making!!! LOL
The mugs are up to $11 now! I saw them yesterday and yours truly was thinking about bidding as they looked sealed to me...
but decided not too. Hey I'm not too proud....LOL!! Even if they got them free, for the 7 day anything under $35 each would save me money wouldn't it ???

 

[prymsu]

Maybe Disney should issue soda cards instead of the souvenier mugs. On Carnival you get a card, and you must present it for your drink. It has an expiration date on the card, so that after the last day of the cruise, it is no longer valid.

I don't know if folks are rebuying to reuse, then do they also 'steal' other things? Give me a break.

 

[ldb1030]

I have a question about the Disney Cruise travel agent only guides that I see on e-bay. Do they have any information beyond what I can find on Disney websites and discussion boards? [/B][/QUOTE]
======================================
I'm a TA and have one of those guides and it does have tons of information but nothing that a TA would not share with you and nothing that you could probably find out on the internet!
If I had extras, I would even GIVE it to a client if they really, really wanted one!

 

[inkkognito]

Quote from Peg2001:
Dave - There is nothing illegal or unsavory about selling copyrighted material. Every book is copyrighted but anyone can sell/re-sell it. If they were COPYING the navigators and offering the copies for sale, that would be copyright infringement.

Peg, they ARE selling copies, not the originals (that way, they can keep reselling). That's the really sad thing. And don't worry everyone, Dave is correct. I was just expressing frustration, but I would never stop offering all the info. free on my website. I really enjoy helping others get the most out of their vacation, and I think that people who charge for readily available free materials are immoral and are ripping people off...they should be ashamed. Most of those navs. are too old to be of much help anyway. But don't worry, the Platinum Castaway Club isn't going anywhere!! All the thank-yous I receive from people who have found my info. useful are plenty of payment
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[IrishCowboy]

Just curious, but ethically speaking, does it matter if the mugs have never been used before?

 

[prymsu]

if someone is buying them as a collector's item or for some reason like that - i don't have problems with that.

but if someone is buying them to take on a cruise and get the free soda, i think that is just plain wrong. To me, it is no different than walking through a grocery store and eating food without paying, and so on. And eventually it drives up costs, which affects us all.

 

[4nana]

Golly Gee....
If these mugs were used I might think that too...but I never looked at buying/using these new mugs as stealing
If someone got them as a gift/bonus by going thru AAA,
yet never used them and are selling them still wrapped
and unused, then how it is stealing??

 

[prymsu]

as what is ethical and what is not. just my opinion. If you do not have a problem purchasing the mugs from ebay, and then taking them on a cruise and getting them filled for free with soda, then go for it.

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

Before I found out about the Dis board, I was in the dark. I was an e-bay junkie, however, I didn't buy anything regarding the DCL, though I wanted to. Since I cruised the DCL, I knew about the navigators and was amazed that someone would actually buy something that you can get for free. Some people that don't know about these boards may purchase things like that to get a better idea of what to expect while you are on the cruise.

I found these boards by accident - lucky for me!! Since then, I have surfed these boards EVERY DAY!! The information on these boards and at Barb's and Dave's sites are invaluable to a person looking for DCL information, or just general WDW information. Thank you for supplying this for FREE.

Thanks again, and maybe someone should shed some light on those people bidding on FREE items on e-bay.

Lisa

 

[wovenwonder]

Oh - the mug debate goes on! (lol). When we cruised on the 7 day in April, a representative of some sort visited our table the last evening. Asked if we had anything we wanted to share - like any dissappointments or suggestions. I immediately mentioned the soda mugs. And said how nice I thought it would be to have soda available on the deck#9 station for no fee. If someone still wanted to order soda at the bar or in the clubs - the could pay for them --- but for those who were willing to go to deck #9 they could have the soda FREE. He said that the cruise industry in general is starting to include soda's on the cruise -- and it is something that has been brought to DCL's attention numerous times and they are considering changing their current system for soda's --- possibly offering free fountain soda somewhere down the road. It is not anything to expect anytime soon -- but at least they are aware of how people feel about it and are considering change.