No one does merchandise quite like Walt Disney World. For every special event or holiday, Disney World always has something new for guests to pick up and enjoy.
Despite Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom having great merchandise, there is nothing quite like what Hollywood Studios does for its Star Wars celebration on May the Fourth.
For the unofficial holiday celebrating Star Wars films and television series, Hollywood Studios rolled out dozens of new items to commemorate the day. The Disney Park had everything from t-shirts and hats to tumblers celebrating Star Wars Day.
But the crown jewel for Star Wars fans was the Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet popcorn bucket selling for $27 at popcorn stands across Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Like most items created for a special occasion, Disney World only had a limited number of Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet popcorn buckets, and by the end of the Star Wars day, they were completely sold out.
But, as is the case with most high-demand Disney World souvenirs, online resellers were the first to acquire the Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet popcorn bucket and resell it on eBay.
anyway here’s a reseller leaving DHS 4 minutes before official open with their eBay ransoms pic.twitter.com/at50QV6fo0
— Bretral Florida Tourism Oversight District (@Schmoofy) May 4, 2024
However, Disney fans came up with a way to call out those who are only at the Disney Parks to resell merchandise: shame them on social media.
X (formerly Twitter) user @Schmoofy snapped a photo of a reseller leaving Hollywood Studios four minutes after the park officially opened with a massive bag full of merchandise.
While some commentators saw the best in people by hoping that they would only drop the items off at his car and return to the park for the day, others blamed Disney for the scarcity of the products, which allowed resellers to jack up the prices online.
Within hours of Disney’s Hollywood Studios opening, there were dozens of the coveted Star Wars popcorn buckets available on eBay with prices ranging from $50-60, twice the price they originally sold for.
Normally against taking picture of strangers in public but these people need to be shamed.
— walkür (@socialistmickey) May 4, 2024
There is always tremendous demand for this limited-edition product that can only be purchased at a Disney Park and not at a Disney store. This creates a market for resellers, especially since not all Disney fans are in the area of the Walt Disney World Resort or the Disneyland Resort.
This is especially true of the Disney popcorn buckets, which have become incredibly popular over the years and are only available in Disney Park.
So, despite the pressure from Disney fans and social media users, this system will continue until Disney starts to either offer these items online or make more available to the general public, which would, in turn, hurt their value. Neither of those seems likely, so the system will continue as is, with the reseller supplying Disney fans with merchandise for a price.
Who do you think is to blame for this resale craze of Disney merchandise?
This post originally appeared on Inside the Magic.
