Disneyana collectibles can be purchased from many sources, and you don't have to be at a Disney Park to get authentic merchandise.
If you prefer to shop online, and are not going to be near a Disney Park, there are many online sources where you can purchase Disneyana.
Here, we will start with the most obvious place to purchase Disney collectibles. Purchasing from a Disney Park. This can be done in person, or over the phone using Disney Delivears. One thing to note about purchasing in the theme parks is that there are different collectibles for sale in each park. Some items are only sold at Walt Disney World, others, only sold at the Disneyland Resort. Aside from Disney pins, the European Disneyland's have become a huge source for unique collectibles.
Of course, getting merchandise from a Disney Park is a great way to start a collection. There are many shops at the parks that cater to collectors. There are several stores I spend a lot of time in when at the Disneyland Resort. Here are some of my favorite places to get collectibles.
Off the Page, in Disney's California Adventure is a great place to get Disney Artwork. Here they have the art displayed on moveable walls, hung, framed and clearly priced. Here is where you will find new artwork, and many limited editions. This shop also has many collectible figurines and other items that can be found no where else at the Disneyland Resort.
Each Disney Park has its own version of a Crystal Shop. This is a great place to get glass or crystal figurines. You can spend just a few dollars, or several hundred at this shop, depending on your tastes.
World of Disney, which is located in Downtown Disney in California, also in Florida at Walt Disney World, and in New York City is a great place for Disney collectibles. These stores have several rooms. One room is dedicated to collectibles, and most items are locked behind glass enclosures. If you are looking for figurines or collectible jewelry, this is a great room to spend some time in perusing the merchandise.
If you have a Disney Store near you, and can't get to a Disney Resort, then it might be worth stopping in to see what type of selection they have. More often than not though, you will have better luck on their website than you will in person.
Using the Internet is an incredible source for collectors. There are many sources online where you can purchase authentic Disney items, including items direct from Disneyland or Disney World.
Disney Auctions, a separate branch of Ebay sells authentic Disney merchandise. Here you can often pick up something beautiful at a great price. Many times Disney Auctions sells items in bulk, or will have more than one of the same item for sale. Depending on what you are looking for, you can get some great deals at Disney Auctions.
Another great online source for Disney collectibles that can be trusted is our site,
DisneyMouseLinks.com, where we now carry merchandise direct from Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Prices here are the same prices you would pay if you went to a Disney Resort. All of the merchandise for sale here is on hand and ready for immediate shipping.
There are other online sites that sell online, and then go to the appropriate Disney Park to fulfill the orders.
www.laughingplace.com is one such store. Since they are fulfilling orders instead of holding the merchandise onsite, there is a large fee added to the price of each item they sell, so they can recoup the costs for them to purchase the items.
If you love to collect Disney books and music, you are lucky. Most items can be purchased anywhere, with some exceptions. (link to our amazon pages here) Sometimes there will be books or music collections that can only be purchased at a Disney Park. For example, for the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, there was a 5 CD Collection that was only sold at Disneyland. This special edition included a golden record. Later, the Disney Store online began selling the same collection, for the same price, without the golden record. There are actually several examples of items that have small changes, enabling them to be sold outside of the Disney Resorts. The good news is that you have options to purchase these items if you want the edition sold only at the Parks. Once again, the Internet becomes your best friend. You can also order over the phone from Disney Delivears to get this Park Only merchandise.
There are many internet sources that can be trusted to purchase Disney collectibles. The websites listed here are well trusted, and I have personally used each to purchase collectibles.
Because this site is my own, of course I recommend purchasing from
DisneyMouseLinks.com. Again, here you will find items sold without handling fees, so the prices are much lower that what you can find on other websites. Here, you will find some merchandise directly from Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Right now, the selection of authentic merchandise is kept small since we do have all items in stock.
A personal favorite site is
www.philsears.com. This is the site to go if you are looking for something very rare. Maybe something signed by Walt Disney is what you're looking for, then you want to visit this site. Phil Sears himself is an expert on Walt Disney's signature, and has an incredible selection of rare merchandise for sale.
Swarovski has created many fine Disney Crystal figurines over the years. They are beautiful but collecting the whole set will set you back some dollars. Amazon has a large selection of Swarovsk collectables:
Disney Swarovsk Amazon
And finally, one of the most well known places for buying and selling is
www.ebay.com. If you are picky you can find great items at good prices. I do recommend that you set a price limit for yourself per item to avoid over spending on what you do wish to purchase.