Latest news with #scalpers
South China Morning Post
14-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
2025 National Games: real-name ticket system may be used, Hong Kong office says
Hong Kong's coordination office for the National Games is studying whether to adopt a real-name system for tickets at prices ranging from a few dozen Hong Kong dollars up to about HK$500 (US$64). Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office, said on Saturday that tickets would be sold from August on a unified platform for events to be held in the city, Macau and Guangdong province in November. 'It is estimated that the ticket prices will range from a few dozen dollars to about HK$500 at most, depending on the event, such as the preliminary or final round, and also the number of seats,' he said on a televised programme. 'We will try our best to set the ticket price to a level that is acceptable to all residents.' Yeung said the local office was discussing ticketing details with authorities from Macau and Guangdong, including whether a real-name system would be used as well as other measures to combat scalpers. 'Whether the tickets could be transferred, whether to use a real-name system and how to crack down on scalpers will all be carefully considered,' he said, adding that more details would be released later.
Gizmodo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
How Theme Park Snack Culture Influenced the Movie Theater Popcorn Bucket Craze
Popcorn buckets are becoming must-have toy collectibles, and this plot twist of trends comes from the unhinged virality of containers that evoke pop culture icons and hold tasty snacks. As a theme park nerd, I saw it unfold as Disney Parks' snack of choice went from the general cylindrical plastic bucket to Mickey Mouse-shaped holiday containers. As is common in the age of social media, the buckets became coveted souvenirs—and like many sought-after collectibles, scalpers soon got into the game to sell them online. The demand was met with more franchise characters; suddenly you could get a Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet or a Jack Skellington head or a Cinderella carriage to fill with buttery popped kernel delights. So it's no surprise that movie theaters, the original purveyors of concession cuisine, got into the popcorn bucket arms race and produced that Dune sandworm container cultural moment. Even years after the pandemic, theater chains have struggled. One-third of the revenue cinemas depend on comes from concessions that have had ever-rising prices. It's really ingenious to combat people rebuffing a paper bucket of popcorn for $12 with the enticement of a limited-edition open mouth Wolverine popcorn bucket for $30. And then with the scalper market still hot as ever, that hilariously marketed Deadpool & Wolverine product is now going for up to $100 on third party re-sellers. Yeah, it got that serious once simple recreations of artifacts from the movie or characters were turned into gimmicks. The theme parks had long crossed over to the bonkers realm, most notably with the Thanos Infinity Gauntlet drink holder and the Iron Man Avengers: Endgame variant. Disney influencers flocked to attain them first and show them off on their platforms. Star Wars fans were similarly courted, and the snack container wars began. Naturally movie theaters have continued to present new popcorn buckets and drink tumblers with each new blockbuster—but so far, nobody has bested the cursed Dune popcorn bucket. That doesn't mean companies won't keep trying. A few weeks ago we attended Disneyland's media preview for its 70th Anniversary and there we met the interactive Mickey popcorn bucket that responds when you speak to it. You fill it with popcorn and say 'Hey Mickey' and it will blink and move its head side to side with one of many responses, while in your mind, the Terminator theme plays rhythmically. The buckets are now robo-toys and it really makes their role in the foodie fandom even more questionable. Are we sacrificing practical and cool containers for just a bulky toy with a hollowed-out area? Don't get me wrong, I've bought my share of buckets but I do try to pick utility over looks. The current waste bin in my family car is the Ghostbusters ghost trap from AMC Theaters; it traps the trash and has a handle that makes it easy to dump the contents into the recycling bin. That's all I need it to do: either hold popcorn or recyclables that accumulate in the car. That's just my personal taste in the matter. Sure, I get the appeal of the campy containers. I'm mightily tempted by the Jaws sipper that just launched at Universal Studios. It's a plastic shark crossbody with the scuba tank in its mouth—a statement-making way to keep your soda handy as you wander the park. It's ridiculous but so tempting. So if you manage to secure the snack goods and get a cool toy from your pop culture fandom, what's really the big deal? AMC is set to release a HERBIE 3-in-1 for Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It's a replica of the Richards family's trusty robot companion, which will feature various compartments for popcorn, candy, and soda (astoundingly the sipper is the head). Who knows how the theme parks will respond in kind—but we're excited to see a whole new level of weirdness as the snack game evolves.
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Switch 2 Resellers Drive Thriving Market in Japan Despite Crackdown
Welcome to Tech In Depth, our daily newsletter with reporting and analysis about the business of tech from Bloomberg's journalists around the world. Today, Mayumi Negishi reports on the backlash against scalpers who are finding ways to obtain and sell the new Switch 2 game console outside the authorized retail outlets. Help us improve Bloomberg's newsletters: Take a quick survey to share your thoughts on your signup experience and what you'd like to see in the future.
Screen Geek
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
Sydney Sweeney Bathwater Hits eBay For Thousands Of Dollars After Selling Out
The announcement that Dr. Squatch would be collaborating with Sydney Sweeney to sell a new scent of soap made with her bathwater just about broke the internet. Following that, after listing the soap for sale – named ' Sydney's Bathwater Bliss ' – the product immediately sold out within seconds. Dr. Squatch put up as many as 5,000 bars of soap for sale. Each bar was priced at $8.00. As shared via NBC New York, they were listed for sale at 12 PM ET, and they were immediately out of stock. Users were said to have an 'estimated wait time to check out […] listed at nearly 250 minutes,' while 'others complained the website crashed.' It seems as though scalpers beat the average consumers to the punch, with listings now appearing on eBay following the sale. Prices on the reseller website range anywhere from $300 to $2,000. It's an unfortunate problem that has plagued similar online drops for the last few years. Of course, soap made from Sydney Sweeney's used bathwater was always destined to be a high seller. After all, Sweeney and Dr. Squatch already got consumers interested with their collaborative marketing campaign, it made sense that selling soap with Sweeney's more direct involvement would be the next step. Now that all 5,000 bars of soap have sold out, however, it remains to be seen what direction Sydney Sweeney and Dr. Squatch will take their collaboration in next, if at all. After all, it's going to be difficult to beat ' Sydney's Bathwater Bliss ' as a legitimate product. Additionally, Sweeney has been enjoying a rather successful boost in her career over the last few years, with several major projects lined up including an adaptation of the hit video game Split Fiction and a remake of the sci-fi cult classic Barbarella . Clearly this new line of soap was just a quick detour while she prepares to move onto even bigger and better things.
WIRED
04-06-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Switch 2 Scalpers Are Auctioning Off Their Preorders to the Highest Bidder
People hoping to score Nintendo's new console this week are finding them on resale websites—at several hundred dollars over the retail price of $450. The Nintendo Switch 2 Courtesy of Nintendo Nintendo's Switch 2 launch is underway worldwide. The console officially releases June 5, meaning buyers in territories in earlier time zones have already gotten their hands on it. As midnight rolls across North America, players here will do the same. Many fans preordered their Switch 2, allowing them to skip the in-person lines planned for midnight sales at retail stores. Others are currently bidding on consoles being sold by scalpers. Sellers on sites like eBay and Mercari have created their own ecosystem of preorder sales, capitalizing on fears that the ongoing tariff drama and possible stock shortages will make the Switch 2 scarce. The console, which retails at $450, is selling for several hundred dollars more on the resale sites. One listing, which promises to ship June 6, is selling for $849 or 'best offer.' Other listings are actively being bid on. On Mercari, consoles are selling in the $600 range and above. There are good reasons for people to be anxious. Nintendo has a history of supply shortages, including with the Switch 2's predecessor; in Japan, the company has already warned customers that demand may exceed supply. Nintendo prepared for the possibility of scalping ahead of the game console's preorder period; buyers who wanted a unit directly from their stores could only purchase one system per account and had to meet specific requirements, including 50 hours of playtime on their Switch account. Buyers who wanted to snatch more than one Switch could still place multiple orders through other retailers, like Amazon or Walmart. According to online message boards, some did; others confessed to buying from scalpers after failing to find their own. 'I have no shame,' wrote a user on the GameFaqs forum. 'Roughly 700.00 [USD]. Including priority air next day shipping…no Mario Kart bundle. I couldn't wait any longer.' Reached by WIRED, Nintendo would not immediately comment. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would be working with Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, Yahoo Fleamarket, and Rakuten Rakuma to remove listings and ban users—but only in Japan. Crackdowns on the resale sites will begin June 5 as part of a probationary period. It's unclear if these measures will be implemented in other regions. The global market may also yet have a part to play. Nintendo made the unprecedented move of temporarily delaying preorders after the console's in-person unveiling, following extreme tariff announcements made by President Donald Trump. Although the price of the console itself hasn't been impacted—for now—many accessories are now more expensive than previously announced. As even older game consoles grow more expensive, it's not impossible that the Switch 2's price will increase after launch. Still, buyers turning to secondhand sellers may be left Switchless after all, due to preorder delays and cancellations. Earlier this week, some retailers were reportedly canceling preorders due to system errors or stock shortages.
