Disney’s secret lost and found ‘sales’ have diehard fans lining up for hours

Spoiler alert — Disney fans lose tons of sunglasses, and some devotees are willing to make the trek to buy them up in bulk for a bargain.

The US parks, California’s Disneyland and Orlando’s iconic Walt Disney World, welcome thousands of guests a day, but without fail, portable chargers, miniature plushes, and themed souvenir cups make their way into the parks’ bustling lost-and-found centers.

While the parks strive to return all items to their original owners — they even ship identifiable items back to their proper places, free of charge — the volume of missing things is often too much to truly handle. For many park-goers, the headache of submitting a report also isn’t worth the return of their items.

After three months, the parks donate the bulk of the lost-and-found stock to local charities and second-hand shops.

Disneyland, in partnership with the Goodwill of Orange County Marketplace, also hosts an annual sale near the park, and lucky SoCal residents are privy to massive discounts.

Most Disney devotees, like @magicalsoulfoodie on TikTok, scour the Internet for dates and times, line up hours in advance, and rifle through thousands of unclaimed items with one goal in mind: big-ticket items like wagons, strollers and other expensive items.

Spending between $3 to $5 per item is the norm at this sale, which typically happens in August, but premium items like wagons can fetch up to $20.

Many fans also brave the lines — and the packed parking lots — for the sunglass sales. Bargains on branded shades are abound at the event, and a pair of coveted Rayban or Prada glasses only sets shoppers back $1.

While the annual Orange County sale is certainly high-profile — especially on social media pages dedicated to discount Disney goods — California isn’t the only state to benefit from Disneyphiles’ disregard.