With the rise of the internet, online shopping has become more and more prevalent. Aside from causing many malls and shops to shut their doors, it has also given rise to new and sometimes surprising trends. One of the most striking is the growing wave of resellers who flock to physical stores, not to shop for themselves, but to sell items in real time to followers on their chosen social media platforms. A TikToker known as @ashleytravels715 recently shared her experience visiting the Disney Character Warehouse in Orlando, Florida. What she found wasn’t just a crowded outlet full of families looking for discounted souvenirs. Instead, the majority of people inside appeared to be resellers, many of them pushing carts stacked with merchandise while holding up their phones and cameras to livestream the entire process.
Ashley described walking through aisles crammed with carts full of Disney items that weren’t destined for the Orlando customers who picked them up, but rather for immediate resale to online audiences. She questioned when the store experience shifted from families buying keepsakes for their kids into something that looked more like a “sales event.” She also argued that Disney should ban such practices, pointing out that it makes little sense for resellers to openly conduct business on the store’s floor, flipping items directly to followers as soon as they grab them.
It wasn’t just Ashley who was shocked by the scene in Orlando. Many TikTok users chimed in with outrage, criticizing the trend as greedy and unfair to regular shoppers. “Their greed sickens me,” one user commented. Others expressed hope that Disney would intervene quickly, with one noting, “If I’m not allowed to buy stuff and sell it inside the park, they shouldn’t be able to go live and do it. It’s the same thing. They’ll put an end to it soon. I’m sure they’re just making sure they have all the legal mumbo jumbo in place.”
While the majority of viewers sided with Ashley, calling the reseller takeover chaotic and inconsiderate, there were also defenders of the practice. Unsurprisingly, those voices tended to come from TikTok accounts devoted to reselling, flipping thrift-store finds, or promoting side hustles.
Ashley, however, doubled down on her stance, pointing out not only the unfairness but also the potential dangers of this trend. “There were no less than 15 wagons in this small store,” she wrote. “It’s dangerous. People shouldn’t have to dodge livestreams and wagons just to shop.”
