Austin woman Zelles $100 to Disney personal shopper for shirt. Then the shopper asks for another $100 as a ‘damage fee’: ‘I want my money back’
Disney fans do NOT play about their merch. They also don’t play with their favorite movies, songs, or characters. The buying power of the Disney adult is well-known. But when it comes to collectibles like clothing or figurines, there is no demographic more passionate.
Now, people are going as far as to hire personal shoppers to snag them coveted merch from Disney World. Unfortunately, this setup doesn’t always end well.
Disney personal shopper—or Disney personal scammer?
Ashley Banks (@ashleybanks049) has gone viral on TikTok for sharing her experience with a “scammer” posing as a Disney personal shopper. Since it was initially posted on Jan. 26, Banks’ video has accumulated nearly 400,000 views.
“I got scammed by a Disney personal shopper, and let me tell you what happened,” Banks begins in her video. “So there are people out there who live in Florida or California who go to, like, Disney Springs or the parks, and they buy merchandise that people want. Like, you say, ‘Hey, I really like this pink shirt. Can you get it for me in this size?’ And then they charge, like, 10 bucks or something. And then they mail it to you.”
Banks says she’s hired a personal shopper once before with “no problem” and that it “worked out great.” But this new person, the alleged “scammer,” has left her unsure what to do. They seemed legit, with a couple thousand followers on their account. So Banks hired them to buy a “really pretty” Disney jersey that she really wanted.
The shopper charged Banks $100, which included the service, the shirt, and the shipping costs. Banks Zelled the shopper the $100, but a few days later, things took a turn.
“Six days later, they came to me and said, ‘Hey, you need to pay a damage fee before we ship your product out,'” Banks recounts. “And I was like, ‘OK, like, how much is it?’ $100.”
Banks says she refused to send another $100, which is when the shopper backtracked. They said this new fee would be reimbursed upon receipt of the item. Banks refused again, and the shopper claimed this was a clear “shop policy,” even though no such policy had ever been made transparent.
At this point, Banks says she realized she’d been scammed. After some back-and-forth that didn’t amount to anything, Banks filed a scam complaint with her bank. She fears she “probably won’t see the money back.”
@ashleybanks049 #disneypersonalshopper #scammeralert #tiktokscam #disneyshopper ♬ original sound – Ashley Banks
Disney personal shoppers: What are they exactly, and are they worth it?
Before tackling the question of Disney personal shoppers, it’s important to understand that this phenomenon didn’t start with Disney. Personal shoppers were a thing in the world of fashion first.
Often done for very wealthy clients who are money-rich but “time-poor,” personal shoppers are the norm in haute couture. These fashion experts keep track of fashion trends so their clients don’t have to, and they personally curate and deliver wardrobes to these wealthy fashionistas so they can look their best. Nowadays, there are personal shoppers for folks in lower economic brackets as well.
It makes sense, therefore, that a niche would evolve for Disney-lovers who want to keep up with much-sought-after limited edition merch. According to Disney blog Adventures in Familyhood, Disney personal shoppers are people who live “local to the Disney Parks and can pick up items and ship them to you. They charge customers “a flat fee or a percentage fee for their service.”
These fees can range from 15% to 30% markups, and the price ideally includes deeply personalized customer service—but social media sites are rife with users complaining of scams by Disney personal shoppers. However, for the most fervent Disney aficionados, hiring a Disney personal shopper seems to be the perfect way to meet a very specific need.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Disney via email and Banks via TikTok comment and DM.
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