GD, I don't disagree with you, but I do think that it's a lot cooler to feed off laziness and be up front about it, than to ignorance. Since Disney doesn't have on-line ordering, you have to pick up the phone, call Disney mail-order and spend a few minutes talking to the CM to figure out what items you want. If LP makes it clear that you can save money by going through that "hassle", then all the power to them. By creating a site that's purports to be an authority on Disney theme parks, while conveniently leaving out the fact that DeliverEARS is available, it borders on creepy.
Your win-win situation applies to LP and Disney. The loser is the consumer.
Blah.

Y'know, as I re-read this thread, it occurs to me that Kevy and NA seem to think that LP and MS are providing a service that is otherwise unavailable. Other than showing pictures of the merchandise, that's simply not true. Just pick up the phone and call WDW. They'll send your antenna balls anywhere you want. And they'll be cheaper.

I think LP & MS are banking on people not knowing how to contact the parks.

LP and MP also have the advantage of having websites with detailed pictures where Disney does not. If you don't have access to the parks, it is the only way to see this stuff and the impulse is to buy. So, in a way, they are providing a service that Disney does not provide. When you are shopping, visuals are everything.

They can also do things that Disney might not - Mouse Ears with your screen name for example.

Exactly my point. Disney avoids the overhead of cataloging and advertising, essentially outsourcing it to MP and LP, while still selling the goods. So as long as MP and LP stay on Disney's relative good side, everyone's happy.

Really? I have a hard time imagining Doobie hunched over a Singer, practicing GothMansionLover83 or Buzzhighscor31228 on a napkin.
Actually, I don't have a hard time imagining that, I have a vivid imagination. I just want to know where they get the hats done. :D

This could be wrong, but the way I understand it, they have a CM contact (maybe many) that works in the park and will do it when people aren't looking. If that is true, it pisses me off much more than anything else.

Thanks to mousepod for explaining the problem with DeliverEars, I didn't know much about it...this all makes more sense now and I'm less annoyed with MP/LP.

especially for antenna balls:D

TOOT ZING BAM BOOM:cheers:

The showing of pictures is a HUGE service (as compared to not having that critical part of the service available). People are willing to pay more for better service (I do it all the time!).

To inform the public how to cheat by utilizing the service portion of a web site (at no cost) and then buying the item they like from another source just so they can save a couple of dollars does not sound too ethical to me.

On the flip side (in other words, I do not blindly support either of the two businesses in question), if MS an LPS are getting unfair purchasing advantages (which I know MS has specifically said they don't, but Michael Jaclson says there is a conspiracy against him), then I DO have a problem with that