Used/eBay wands

[glvsav37]

so at the risk of sounding cheap/yea I guess so...is there any reason NOT to buy a used wand on eBay for WWoHP?
We are not huge HP fans but I want my 2 kids to be able to experience all the great special effects while we are there (1st trip), but I can see these wands not having much value when we get home. We would not display them or anything like that. I cant see spending $50/ea on these for the 2 days we are there.

My only reservation would be if one of my kids got picked for the Ollivander ceremony, I would buy a new one, but I doubt it would happen, let alone for both kids.

Is there any other reason not to? the interactive aspects would still work, right? Normally I am not this tight with vacations, but we just did a major renovation of our house and budget got squeezed more then expected. I don't want my kids to miss out on the HP fun, but not sure 2 brand new wands are a good purchase.

 

[skylock]

I would do it. If the wands do not work, they can be "fixed" at the park.

 

[bumbershoot]

Unless someone had dropped the wand and smashed the tip it should work.

I want my 2 kids to be able to experience all the great special effects while we are there

As an interactive-wand-disliker, I’ll tell ya....you can lean against a wall near the butter beer place in diagon alley and watch other people use their wands, and you see two or three of the “meh” (imo) special effects just as well as the ones doing it.

Actually the one with the fountain (can’t see that from the butterbeer area, but near the booze stand) is BEST viewed from afar, because often the users don’t know it has happened.

Spoiler alert, it sends a spout of water streaming over the wand-wielder’s head (to hit innocent bystanders who haven’t noticed the random puddle of water they are standing in or walking through), and if the wielder doesn’t notice that they mistakenly think it hasn’t worked.

And I know this because I have leaned against a wall for 15 minutes watching person after person do this while now-ex and our son wait in line to make it happen.

And leaning against a wall watching others do it is a great time to have a snack and you don’t have to buy a wand to do it. It’s included with your ticket lol.

 

[bumbershoot]

While I wouldn’t take advantage of them “fixing” it (they are replacing it with a brand new wand!) if I bought it from someone else, they do happily give replacement maps if you ask at a cash register. Useful if you’re a bicoastal Universal fan, because you can buy a wand in one park and cross the country and get the right map for the other park.

 

[skylock]

While I wouldn’t take advantage of them “fixing” it (they are replacing it with a brand new wand!) if I bought it from someone else, they do happily give replacement maps if you ask at a cash register. Useful if you’re a bicoastal Universal fan, because you can buy a wand in one park and cross the country and get the right map for the other park.

I figure with the cost of $50 for a $5 toy that can be delicate and is intended for children, the cost of "fixing" it is built in. No proof of purchase is required for the "fix" only having ownership, which the OP will have.

 

[glvsav37]

thanks for the replies.....do different wands do different things/effects? or are they all the same?

 

[escapeartist]

I just looked on ebay and the interactive wands, after shipping charges are about the cost of new, just a smidge less. Unless u want to try riding out and auction, then after shipping u may save $20 each or less. If u can find them cheaper, I say go for it. But if it's just a few dollars, give the kids cash at Diagon Alley and have them go thru Gringotts bank. Real Goblin bankers (or are they elves?) will change their cash for wizarding money. They talk and interact w the kids...it's pretty amazing! Then they can go to Olivanders and choose thier wand and pay w wizarding money like Harry did. . That is part of the fun!

 

[Lynne G]

All wands do the same effects. Doesn't matter which version of interactive one you have.

 

[glvsav37]

I just looked on ebay and the interactive wands, after shipping charges are about the cost of new, just a smidge less. Unless u want to try riding out and auction, then after shipping u may save $20 each or less. If u can find them cheaper, I say go for it. But if it's just a few dollars, give the kids cash at Diagon Alley and have them go thru Gringotts bank. Real Goblin bankers (or are they elves?) will change their cash for wizarding money. They talk and interact w the kids...it's pretty amazing! Then they can go to Olivanders and choose thier wand and pay w wizarding money like Harry did. . That is part of the fun!

hmmmm interesting. i didn't know about that.

 

[Jen1995]

Just make sure that the one you buy is an interactive wand. There are WWOHP wands that are really beautiful but don't have the interactive feature. You don't want to accidentally buy one of those and end up with a heartbroken kid.

 

[only hope]

The wizarding money can be used anywhere in the wizarding world and at select other locations. If you want the kids to exchange money and still buy wands ahead of time, you can. You can exchange tens and twenties. If you don’t use all the notes, you can exchange them back to muggle money at guest services. Unless your family is splitting up, maybe just buy one wand. Only one person can do each spell at a time anyways.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Just a heads up on the wizarding money, if your kids know about HP, warn them that it's not real "wizarding money.". My DD was very excited to get galleons and knuts (in whatever format Uni would have wanted to create them). She was very disappointed to get a boring old paper gift certificate that returned boring old dollars in change. Maybe JKR said no, but if not it's a huge missed opportunity for Uni. We would have kept half of it as souvenirs if it had been any sort of take on HP money. And probably others would too.

But the goblins are cool and worth a stop to see.