Profiting off park hoppers on E-Bay

[hockey mom]

Do you think it is right that people are intentionally selling used park hoppers for more than the buyer would pay if they just got the ticket themselves at Disney. I know the ones purchasing should be doing their homework before bidding, but it frustrates me to know end that others have no problem taking the money and not informing them they actually got ripped. I could see if these tickets were hard to get for a sold out event but this is not the case.
I try to help all my co-workers get to Disney on a budget so when I see some poor person being taken for a ride I just want to scream!

 

[MHopkins2]

Doesn't bother me a bit - caveat emptor. It would be one thing if this were a newspaper offering - theoretically, this could scam seniors or other people who aren't internet savvy and therefore don't have easy access to the actual pricing info. (I still think caveat emptor applies, and a quick call to a travel agent would protect the buyer, but I'd have a tiny bit of sympathy.) But I see no excuse for overpaying on eBay other than PT Barnum's theory. Sorry.

 

[DawnCt]

Why is it that so many people think that just because they bought it on ebay that they got the bargain of a life time? They deserve any "bargain" they bid on. Gee, maybe I could put my old movie ticket stub on ebay. It is totally worthless but I would be someone would pay for it.

 

[katerkat]

Ditto what M said. If the bidder can't be bothered to do his or her research, then kudos to the seller. I only wish my eBay stuff sold that far above the asking price!

 

[grinningghost]

I've always felt that buying on eBay is like playing Russian Roulette - if you choose to play the game - live (or die) with the consequences.

 

[MScott1851]

Also, if you notice, quite a few of the auctions are for partially used PHP's.. I don't EVEN want to go into the ethics/dangers/etc. of that, but I think people who only need a couple of days look on Ebay for those tickets...If they don't need four days for $300, then sometimes they can get two days for $100...Of course, this only holds water if this is their only trip to Disney EVER...because you better believe I hold on to my unused days.. I could probably sell my partial passes for an ungodly amount of money, but I'll lose money in the long run.. I have passes from three years ago with days still left on them from my aunt and uncle. If I have to replace those days two years from now, who knows what it will cost me, the way WDW jacks up ticket prices...

 

[seashoreCM]

Disney tickets are not transferable.

That means that technically, after the buyer receives the ticket (assuming it still had the number of days claimed) the ticket is really worthless for admission.

In turn that makes the eBay auction for that item invalid. I believe that even eBay considers that auction contrary to its own rules.

I won't come right out and recommend it but very often, bystanders run up the bidding on items that are "illegal" items such as bootleg videos (Disney's Song of the South, anyone?) to save the second high bidder, a sucker, from being ripped off and then simply fail to pay and buy themselves.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

However old passes may be sold as souvenirs with no admission value claimed even though all the days are not used up.

 

[Lewski709]

First, anyone who purchases these tickets from ebay is taking a big risk by trusting the seller. You don't really know how many days you are getting until you get to the gate. If they say 3 days are left, there may really not be any.

Second, if they get taken by the price they pay (maybe they get involved in the moment of winning and common sense goes out the window) it is their own fault.

When I purchase on ebay, I make sure I have done enough research to know I am saving some money.

 

[Kismetdreams]

I don't think that it should be allowed to sell used passes. I think that they are trying to cheat the system.

The thing that makes me cringe are when they sell free things on eBay.

For instance, the planning videos from WDW, WDW Weddings, etc. You can recieve these absolutely free in the mail from Disney and I have seen them with opening bids of $4. UGH!

And the kicker is that the seller makes it seem like it's something special, not the same video they send out to everyone.

Oh well...I just hate to see people get cheated!

 

[depplyinluv]

I agree with grinningghost, its the buyers risk that they take, and its their fault if they get jipped.



I mean its not like these park hoppers are rare concert tickets or something for sold out shows.....the people should just buy them the right way

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by Kismetdreams
I don't think that it should be allowed to sell used passes. I think that they are trying to cheat the system.

The thing that makes me cringe are when they sell free things on eBay.

For instance, the planning videos from WDW, WDW Weddings, etc. You can recieve these absolutely free in the mail from Disney and I have seen them with opening bids of $4. UGH!

And the kicker is that the seller makes it seem like it's something special, not the same video they send out to everyone.

Oh well...I just hate to see people get cheated!

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Lots of "free" things get sold on eBay every day.. Just because they're "free" doesn't necessarily mean they are readily available to the buyer - or are any longer offered even..

As for the tickets, if people choose to buy them, I don't understand why you have a problem with it.. No one is twisting their arm - no one is typing in the bid for them..

It's the buyers obligation to do their research and then act accordingly.. If they don't, it's certainly not the sellers fault..

 

[Kismetdreams]

C. Ann-

I have a problem with people seeling partially used WDW tickets online because it breaks the rules. When you purchase the tickets and use them, it is part of your agree ment with WDW that they are non-transferrable. That's why I have a problem with it. It's not legal...

As for the videos that I was speaking of, they are most certainly still available.

And not eveyone is computer savvy. A lot of people are still being introduced to the computer and are not aware of all that there is out there on the Internet.

I stand by what I said...

 

[hockey mom]

I guess I am more the "pay it forward" kind of girl.

Maybe it is the buyers fault for not doing the research but on the other hand the seller knows exactly how much these tickets are and where they could be bought and could inform the bidders of this. It would be one thing if you just wanted to recoup the lost money as opposed to making a profit.

I think some people correlate E-bay with a yard sale-you are hoping to find something rare or get a deal on something someone no longer has any use for.

I actually liked the idea of someone outbidding a way to high price and then failing to pay. Hopefully it just saved someone alot of money but then on the other hand they will just bid on the next one.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by Kismetdreams
C. Ann-

I have a problem with people seeling partially used WDW tickets online because it breaks the rules. When you purchase the tickets and use them, it is part of your agree ment with WDW that they are non-transferrable. That's why I have a problem with it. It's not legal...

As for the videos that I was speaking of, they are most certainly still available.

And not eveyone is computer savvy. A lot of people are still being introduced to the computer and are not aware of all that there is out there on the Internet.

I stand by what I said...

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While "technically" selling the tickets may not be "legal", don't you think if Disney saw this as a problem they would be all over eBay about it in a heartbeat? Disney's greatest desire is to get the people down to Florida and into the parks so they can make MUCH more money off of them and I don't think they're particularly fussy about how it's done.. Believe me - if they had a problem with it (and don't kid yourself into thinking that they're not aware of it, those auctions would be pulled faster than you can click your mouse..

As for the "free" items - I'll give you a perfect example.. I have sold hundreds of brochures to different areas (all freebies) in "lots" and people have been not only happy, but EAGER to buy them.. Now they're "free" right? So why would they "buy" them? Because they have neither the time nor the desire to call or write to 100 different places requesting brochures - or in some cases they may be older versions that people collect.. The same could be said for the videos you spoke of.. People either don't want to be bothered calling for them or perhaps they want the one from last year rather than this year as a collectible..

I've also seen the Mickey toiletries sold on eBay that people bring home from the resorts.. Maybe someone thinks they're "cute" and they have a MM decorated bathroom (as my DD does) but has no plans of going to WDW, so they purchase them on eBay instead..

I could go on and on, but "free" does not always mean "readily available" to all..

And as for people not being "computer savvy", that's not an acceptable excuse.. If they don't know what they're doing, then they really shouldn't be looking to buy on ebay in the first place.. I think it's called "personal accountability".. To blame their own lack of knowledge on the seller is totally ridiculous..

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by hockey mom
It would be one thing if you just wanted to recoup the lost money as opposed to making a profit.

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And how would this be done? It's not the sellers that drive the bids up - it's the bidders.. A seller could start an auction for as low as $.01 and the bidders could drive it up to $500 if enough people are interested in the item..

To the best of my knowledge, there is no way that a seller can "cap" the price that a bid can reach.. You just put it out there with a starting price and the bidders run it up from there..

Oh - and don't forget - this isn't a "free yard sale" - there are fees involved that the seller must pay - even if the item doesn't sell.. Fortunately though, if a "buyer" does choose to run a bid up and then not pay, the seller can recoup at least some of the fees - and of course if the buyer makes a practice of this type of behavior, they can be suspended from ebay and it's one less dead beat that the sellers have to concern themselves with..

 

[disneysteve]

I agree completely with C. Ann. I've personally sold many "free" items on ebay - both Disney items and other things.

As for the tickets, there are literally thousands of examples of items on ebay being sold for way more than they are worth. I've had some of my own auctions bring absolutely insane prices, but who am I to complain. Just yesterday, my cousin told me he saw a part for his antique car on ebay last week. The part sells for about $2-3 usually. He bid $5 and was outbid. Then he bid $10 and was outbid so he gave up. Item ended up selling for $46, more than 20 times what it can be gotten for elsewhere. That's just the nature of auctions.

I kind of feel bad when people overpay so drastically, but its their own fault. You shouldn't bid on something if you don't know its value.

Steve

 

[hockey mom]

I have seen auctions for hockey tickets here in Toronto that state they will not be sold for more than the face value of the ticket price.

I just bought 16 meal vouchers from someone off the dis boards who was very specific that she did not want to make a profit just get her money back. Refreshing! I in turn sent a little more to cover all shipping costs.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by hockey mom
I have seen auctions for hockey tickets here in Toronto that state they will not be sold for more than the face value of the ticket price.

This may be done for legal reasons, not out of the goodness of the seller. In many places, it is illegal to scalp tickets - that is, resell them for more than their face value.

Steve

 

[hockey mom]

It is the reason and I only pointed it out in response to C.Ann's comment of not being able to stop buyers from running up the amount.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by hockey mom
I have seen auctions for hockey tickets here in Toronto that state they will not be sold for more than the face value of the ticket price.

I just bought 16 meal vouchers from someone off the dis boards who was very specific that she did not want to make a profit just get her money back. Refreshing! I in turn sent a little more to cover all shipping costs.

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And did you also send enough to cover her listing fee, final value fee, (extra photo fee - assuming she used the ebay photo option and included extra photos so you would be sure to know what you were getting), Paypal fee (if that's the method you used for payment) etc.? If not, it more than likely "cost" her money and she didn't even recoup what she initially paid.. Ebay and Paypal services are not "free" to the seller - like throwing up a yard sale sign on a tree in your yard.. Sure as heck wish that were the case, but it's not..

And I believe Steve may have hit the nail right on the head about those hockey tickets..