Two weeks ago, we wrote about a website that utilizes automated bots to purchase the latest shopDisney merchandise releases. While the story we wrote was in regards to the Joe Rohde ear hat, shopDisney hasn’t had very much success in subsequent releases.
Of course, waiting anxiously for a product to be released only to see the stock sold out the second it goes live for the general public is disheartening at best, but seeing that same item pop up on eBay minutes later has led to a multitude of frustrated and angry shoppers. shopDisney’s latest round of issues with automated bots and eBay flippers was during the immensely popular Star Wars Day sale on May 4th. Frustrated shoppers took to twitter to voice their concerns about merchandise resellers.
More recently, the shopDisney twitter account acknowledged the problem that the site is having with automated bots buying up supply. When a twitter user brought up the fact that automated bots are making it nearly impossible for the average Disney fan to purchase merchandise, shopDisney said that they are “aware of the situation and working internally to address it”.
While it remains to be seen what shopDisney will implement to prevent resellers and automated bots from taking merchandise from actual fans, we have noticed the implementation of a virtual queue of sorts in place to deal with high traffic during the Star Wars Day sale. It remains to be seen if that alone will prevent bots, but it seems highly unlikely given that a waiting screen could simply be another “step” programmed into an automated bot like filling out a credit card form.
Hopefully shopDisney is able to address the issues quickly as there will likely be no shortage of popular merchandise releases in the months to come.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!
Two years ago, during the Mickey Memories, I complained my way up the ladder. The last woman I spoke to emphatically told me there was no one higher than her to speak to and that Disney likes the resellers market because it makes their items more valuable and in higher demand. I sent emails this year from two separate emails and received the same form response on both with different names on the bottom. Right there shows the insincerity on Disney’s part. When I responded as such I received a follow up that was grammatically incorrect and stated that a management employee would be reaching out to me. That was in the last Minnie release. No one has contacted me. I emailed the Disney corporation on Star Wars day. They didn’t even bother to respond. We’re supposed to get married in the Grand Floridian in December. DVC. Disney VISA. D23. Disney+. They know all this and can’t even give me the courtesy of a response. They don’t care.
Please don’t call them “flippers”. Flippers improve something before they resell. Please don’t call them “resellers”. Resellers are suppose to legally have a resale license. They are scalpers and price gougers, so we should refer to them as such.