How the New Vinylmation Boba Fetts Sold Out So Quickly

July 4th marked the debut of the new Vinylmation Boba Fetts: one “Empire” and one “Prototype.” They were to be sold online and offline — at Disneyland (Anaheim, California) and Disneyworld (Orlando, Florida).

But, as word got around, this new collectible appeared to be quite a limited edition. The figures sold out in less than half a day online. We also stopped by D-Street in Downtown Disney (just outside Disneyland proper) where the inventory was nearly all gone in the first day as well.

We also touched base with fans via Twitter and heard about the status of D-Street outside Disneyworld (Orlando, Florida). Here are our findings:

• Online
  • July 4 – Present: Sold out at DisneyStore.com
• Disneyland (Anaheim, California)
  • D-Street @ Downtown Disney (outside the park)
    • July 4 11pm: < 100 remain according to our own visit there
    • July 6: “plenty in stock” according to @Marvelou5
  • Star Trader @ Disneyland (inside the park)
    • July 6: “plenty in stock” according to @Marvelou5
• Disneyworld (Orlando, Florida)
  • D-Street @ Disneyworld
    • “plenty” on July 5th, says @Docking_Bay94

So, how did the new Vinylmation Boba Fetts sell out so quickly?

1. We were told at D-Street that the limit was 25 per person. Yes, twenty-five per person. Who buys that many? Boutique toy stores and eBay hustlers looking to scalp the pricetag. When I asked more about this, the employee (who didn’t want us to include her name) said they had to escort some people out of the store after they dropped thousands of dollars. Each toy cost a mere $25 before tax.
2. We were told by D-Street that the inventory behind their counter was all there would be: “No additional shipments — this is it.” So, this was clearly a very limited edition. It was unclear how many Disney stores carried the figure, especially D-Street which doesn’t require a ticket to Disneyland itself.
3. We saw online at DisneyStore.com that you could buy four figures at a time. It was unclear how precise the process was to prevent multiple purchases. Did buyers just need a different credit card each time, or just a separate digital shopping cart? It’s unclear.
4. We’re all aware that the Boba Fett figures aren’t mystery figures. They’re sitting on top of a second figure that’s boxed, but certainly less in demand. Unlike other Vinylmation Boba Fett figures released, which were mystery boxed and therefore much harder to bulk purchase.

With those points alone, you can see how this was ripe for problems. What are your thoughts?