A TikTok reseller has sparked outrage after filming himself buying out limited-edition Toy Story merchandise from Cineworld to resell at a massive profit, leaving children in tears.
Reseller boasts of £400 profit from Buzz Lightyear buckets
In a clip shared on TikTok, a man bragged about making £400 from Buzz Lightyear-themed popcorn buckets, which are given away with any large popcorn and soft drink order costing £39.99. The reseller entered Cineworld's Wakefield multiplex and purchased dozens of drinks and snacks to secure as many of the special gifts as possible.
Behind him in the queue, a child is shown looking devastated as the schemer piled the Toy Story-themed gifts into a sports bag. The reseller then gave away all the popcorn to homeless people before advertising the gifts online for a profit. Another clip appears to show the same man raiding another cinema, where he received a visual demonstration of the Buzz Lightyear container, which comes in three parts with fold-out wings and battery-operated lights.
Toys sold online for up to $222 each
The toys are now being sold on sites including Vinted and eBay for as much as $222 each. Cineworld confirmed its internal teams were looking into the incident after an online user complained that the reseller had been sold so many items.
Viewers expressed disgust at the practice, which prevented genuine fans from getting the items at their original price. One wrote: 'Honestly quite dispicable [sic] still my sister wanted one of them and couldn’t get one because they’re all sold out.' Another commented: 'Buying out kids’ movie merch to flip it is such loser behaviour. Cineworld really watched the villain origin story happen at the till.'
Cineworld investigates after backlash
Cineworld has promoted the new Toy Story 5 movie with specially themed character drinks cups and popcorn containers given away with certain food purchases. The incident has sparked debate about scalping of limited-edition movie merchandise. Metro has contacted Cineworld for comment.
