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Demand for holiday-themed merch at Disney parks is soaring, and nowhere is it more evident than at Tokyo Disney Resort.
Some items have proven so popular this Christmas that Pinzuba News claims guests may need to wait until May 2025 to receive their purchases, turning festive finds for 2024 into extremely early buys for the 2025 holiday season.
Why the Delay?
Tokyo Disney Resort, operated by the Oriental Land Company under a licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company, has been inundated with orders for its iconic holiday merchandise.
Credit: Tokyo Disney Resort
The overwhelming demand has led to backorders for certain items, leaving some fans frustrated.
One primary cause of the delays stems from bulk purchases by resellers who capitalize on the scarcity of Disney merchandise, selling items at inflated prices on platforms like Mercari.
For instance, the highly sought-after Lil Ring Ring sweater—featuring a charming Mickey Mouse festive design—is being sold on Mercari for between 13,000 and 17,000 yen ($84 to $110 USD), nearly double its original price of 6,900 yen ($44 USD) at Disney.
Measures to Combat Reselling
Credit: Tokyo Disney Resort
The Oriental Land Company has implemented a series of measures to curb Disney merch reselling and ensure a fairer shopping experience for guests. These include:
- Store Entry Limits: Guests must present their park tickets to enter stores, and their visits are monitored to prevent repeat entries.
- Purchase Limits: Restrictions on the number of items allowed per transaction and the use of purchase tickets to control high-demand products.
- Prohibited Resale Clause: Guests are required to agree to terms prohibiting the purchase of items for resale when buying park tickets.
Additionally, the resort collaborates with Mercari to address reselling.
Since 2010, the company has worked to remove inappropriate listings, including items not yet in stock or those using official Disney images. Mercari also issues warnings to users about inflated pricing trends to promote thoughtful purchasing decisions.
A Broader Issue Across Disney Parks
The reselling phenomenon isn’t unique to Tokyo Disney Resort. At Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort in the United States, limited-edition items like sippers and popcorn buckets frequently sell out within days due to resellers purchasing in bulk.
Credit: othree, Flickr
Despite efforts to crack down on these practices, reselling remains a persistent problem (for proof, just the many images online of guests bearing suspiciously massive hauls), frustrating Disney fans who wish to purchase merchandise at reasonable prices.
Do you think Disney is doing enough to tackle merch resellers?
