Has Disney Changed Their Purchase Limit on Limited Edition Merch?

Disney World is frequently releasing limited edition items, and those items are typically VERY popular with guests.

Whether it’s a merch drop for a Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction collection or new Disney Dooney & Bourke bags, limited edition merchandise releases often equal extremely long lines and lots of BIG purchases. But, recently we’ve spotted an important change that’s been made to the process of buying limited edition merch.

Up until now, when Disney World has released limited-edition merchandise like Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction, or in-demand merch such as Splash Mountain merchandise since news of the ride’s re-theme, they have capped purchases to a total of 10 of each item per guest. For some that may sound small — maybe you have 10 best friends and want to get them ALL the new limited edition Haunted Mansion Main Attraction ears (you got some lucky friends).

But, by its very nature, limited edition items are just that — limited. So if Sam, Joe, and Barb each buy 10 of those ears, that’s a whole 30 ears gone in seconds. For those who live far away from Disney World, eBay (where many of these items get re-sold) may be the only way to get certain items, but for those who have waited for hours in person to get just one piece of merch, seeing it sold out because others bought it in extremely large quantities can be disappointing.

It seems Disney may have also picked up on this being a potential issue. Recently, we noticed that Disney has started capping the purchase of some limited edition items at just 3 of the same item per guest. In fact, we saw this policy implemented earlier today when the new Jungle Cruise Main Attraction collection became available in Magic Kingdom.

We also confirmed this limit with a Cast Member. Now, we’re not sure that it will end up being implemented with the release of all limited edition merchandise, but it is something we noticed recently and something we’ll definitely keep an eye out for in the future.

Also, Disney hasn’t specifically made any statement or commented as to why this change was made. It’s possible that the change is related to the large amount of limited edition items that end up selling out in the parks or online, but then appear on eBay.

It also could have something to do with keeping lines moving faster to ensure social distancing and avoid crowding. Both of these things are particularly important in light of the recent announcement that the Walt Disney World theme parks have increased their capacity limits. When we attended the Haunted Mansion Annual Passholder Main Attraction merchandise event in Disney World recently the line wrapped around Fantasyland, Main Street, and even backstage areas. Suffice it to say we waited a LONG time in the Florida heat in that line.

Limiting guests to only being able to purchase 3 of each item could speed up transactions and help lines flow faster.

Whatever the reason, we noticed this change today and we’ll keep an eye out for any further changes in the future. This could be a sign that Disney is moving toward being much more strict in terms of its limited edition purchases; it could simply be a test to see how collectors and fans react; or it could be a limited time thing. We’ll let you know as we find out more.

What is your view on limiting purchases of special merchandise from Disney World? Let us know in the comments.

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