Help with getting items from Tokyo Disneyland

[Vinylmad]

Hi I am looking for someone that can help myself and members of a group I help run get Disney items several times a year from the Tokyo Disneyland park.

Myself and a couple of friends started a group for disabled and out of work (mainly single parents) collectors who don't want to have to give up collecting which is something they enjoy and get a lot out of the social side of things just cos their circumstances have changed or because they are unable to get work due to their disability.

The group and it's members have collected several things over the 3 and a bit years we have been going but haven't collected Disney items until several members got into them at the end of last year... during this time we have managed to get contacts who can help with items from Disneyland China (so far every time we have gone to get something from that park by the time we have things in place the item has been sold out... we have had it suggested that we would have better luck with the Japanese Park due to it's increasing popularity) but there have been several requests from members to get items from Disneyland Tokyo (including items which are expected to be released in the next month or so).

Due to the nature of the group and it's members we need to do all we can to keep costs low but we do make sure we show our appreciation to anyone who helps the group out especially if it is long term and we know our members can call upon them whenever we need to get something from that particular location.

When we get items we usually ask for a list or photographs of the items that are available (in relation to the products the members collect... pins, keyrings, plushes etc) so we can pass that info onto the members and when we place an oder through our contact in whatever location it happens to be we can get everything in one go (this keeps costs down and means we can split shipping etc between all the members that wan't to buy something at that time). We get the items sent to one of 3 main addresses, the items are then sorted and sent on to the individuals that ordered them.

We occasionally have to order a couple of extra pieces if the overall costs are too much for everyone to afford and sell the extras so that we can knock down the price the members have to pay but this is not regular practice and is normally done at times when money is tight like the end of the year or when kids are on holiday/returning to school -(if we do have to sell a couple of items we always price it so it helps out our members but means the buyer is getting it at a very fair price and will be no where near the most asked for that particular item on the likes of ebay etc) this is to allow all members a fair chance at getting what they want and not having to miss out cos money is tight at that point in time. Apart from those occasional times all items we get go into personal collections and mean a great deal to our members, so much so that several members who have suffered with depression and isolation before being part of the collective have said that it got better cos they felt part of something again and kept that link to a life they no longer have due to whatever changed their circumstances.

I hope this has given you a fair idea of what we do and why we are here looking for help with obtaining items from Disneyland Tokyo, if anyone can and is willing to discuss helping out group members will you please message me so we can discuss it further... if possible it would be good to get someone that speaks and writes English well as we have had some issues in the past trying to translate requests into other languages which was very time consuming and didn't really work that well to be honest.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and we look forward to hearing back from anyone that thinks they may be able to help.

Thanks again.

[Roger55]

Re: Help with getting items from Tokyo Disneyland

Sounds interesting.

How does one join your group? What are the criteria? Where are you located and do you ever meet in person or is it a "virtual" group?

[Fukai]

Re: Help with getting items from Tokyo Disneyland

Sounds fishy.

[Vinylmad]

Re: Help with getting items from Tokyo Disneyland

Hi Roger to be honest we have just picked up people along the way, it started with Bad Taste Bears and people were normally introduced to the group by members... (we started with 9 people and now have about 30 odd that we keep into touch with via email and sykpe) friends of friends etc. Members are normally people that can do with that extra support cos of personal issues that make keeping on top of their collections difficult and very time consuming (long term illness/disability or having to be a full time carer for someone in that position... but also people that are in it for the community/group, no 1 persons collection or issues are more important than anyone elses).

I must admit I haven't done as much with the group as I'd have liked to the last couple of months (which is part of the reason I wanted to try and get this link to the Tokyo Disneyland for the members) due to physio and other commitments (we used to have newsletters that went out every month and specific retailers we would deal with that members could turn to if they wanted certain items so they didn't have to hunt around) but I am determined to get things back on track and give members more of an active role in running the group so if I have commitments that mean I need to take some time out it can still function to the same level without me for a few weeks here and there.

Normally the group kept in touch via email but your post has made me think about opening the whole thing up and creating a facebook group where members can interact with each other on a daily basis and ensure that there is that support network and social connection available to all members 24/7 (partly inspired by your post) but it'll take some time to sort out so I think I am going to leave this thread as it is at the moment, sort the group out a home on facebook and then look at what members want (old and new as I think there is probably a lot of genuine people out there that would benefit from this type of group) and how to achieve it.

I am housebound so meeting in person will always be hard for me but that's not to say over time if we have enough members in one location we can't arrange for their to be local get together so members can meet in person... but that will be some time down the road before we could consider that.

If you send me a message and let me know a bit about yourself Roger I will get in touch when we have things set up on facebook and see how you would fit in to the group (assuming you were asking for yourself)... I will get back to you as soon as I can but be aware we need to put a lot of thought into how to keep the concept of the group but open it up via facebook at the same time, and also find the right people to be admins to ensure remains to be as positive for members as it's always been.

Fukai you are entitled to your opinion, I have come across those kind of comments before, your not the first and won't be the last... it seams the way of the world these days that anyone genuinely thinking of others with no hidden agenda are called into question for being "too kind" or must be hiding something or being dishonest somehow. I often wonder what happened to letting your actions speak for themselves but hopefully one day we can get you to change your opinion or at least see it for what it is.

Anyway I have a lot of work to do if we are going to get things moved onto facebook so the group can evolve and you don't have to know a member to be a part of it (plus I need to outline what it means to be a member... for example if someone collects for profit/greed or simply puts themselves above other members they shouldn't have a place in the group as said before it's an all for one, one for all kind of deal and hopefully by incorporating facebook it can continue to grow with all members guiding the direction it goes and that support structure will be there for members regardless if it's to do with their passion (collections etc) or something more personal).

I have bookmarked this thread and will post again when we have got things moved over and can look into inviting more members and will go from there... in the meantime if anyone wants to contact me you can send me a message, I will pick it up and respond when I get the chance.

Cheers

[Vinylmad]

Re: Help with getting items from Tokyo Disneyland

Looks like I will need to put my Facebook plans on hold until early in the New Year at least, with the rate my daughter is progressing I have had to take on additional physiotherapy which is leaving me little time to do anything and certainly not enough time to organise the admins and everything else that needs to be done to move the group and expand via Facebook... I still want to make the move over as well as opening it up to people who want/need this kind of group and support (and social connection) so will make it a priority as soon as I can and will consider anyone from here that wants to be involved as a standard member or as part of the team that will eventually become the admins or first response members (like admins they will help members, be on the lookout for potential new members and generally keep an eye on members, messages/requests for help and the site - the only difference being it will be on a casual basis unlike being an admin meaning anyone with an illness that is changeable/unpredictable can still be involved if they wish to without feeling like they need to be on every day or every week etc).

Anyway I will keep plugging at it when I get a chance (and my pain levels are low enough to concentrate on it) but as I said above I expect the bulk of it will be done in the new year, I will check back from time to time and will repost when I have a better idea of when the group will be ready to make the move to Facebook.