Disney Oxford Store Shuts Down After Scalpers Turn Aggressive at Lorcana Drop

A Launch Day Nobody Wanted

The Disney Store on Oxford Street in London had a rough Thursday. The location was supposed to host a launch event for the newest Lorcana drop, the Curator’s Collection: Heroines Edition, a set built around some of the most recognizable names in the Disney canon: Ariel, Anna, Elsa, Jasmine, Mulan, and others. Instead, it ended up closing “until further notice” after the crowd outside became something closer to a crisis.

According to IGN, UK fans posted photos to social media showing lines stretching at least four blocks from the entrance, with some collectors arriving nearly 12 hours before doors opened on July 17. That kind of pre-dawn dedication is not unusual for a high-demand card release. What came next was.

Aggressive Behavior Forces the Cancellation

User DazRollsDice on X described “scalpers and gangs” in attendance engaging in “violent, aggressive behavior,” specifically calling out people “taking over the queue and pushing to the front” of the store. The post was accompanied by a direct message to Ravensburger’s UK and North American accounts, framing it plainly: “Sad day for the hobby. Things must change.”

The store responded by formally canceling the event and keeping the building closed for the foreseeable future. In a statement posted to its own X account, the Oxford Street location said it would share details on how guests can still purchase the collection “as soon as possible” and thanked customers for their “patience and understanding.” As of IGN’s reporting, Disney itself had not issued any broader statement on the matter.

The Problem Is Not Limited to One Store

Oxford Street is not an isolated case. IGN reports that Downtown Disneyland in California was similarly overwhelmed, with footage shared online showing crowds packed throughout the theme park. Disneyland Paris was not spared either, with videos circulating of scalpers sprinting through the park in pursuit of a set. The Heroines Edition seems to have hit a nerve with collectors globally, and the infrastructure at physical retail locations was simply not built to handle that kind of pressure.

This is, unfortunately, a familiar pattern. Lorcana is not the only trading card game wrestling with a scalper problem. IGN notes that One Piece and Pokemon players are dealing with the same market distortions, with resellers pushing prices on limited product to absurd levels. Someone is selling Pokemon-branded Pop Tarts online for more than $25, which says about everything that needs to be said about where things stand.

Some Retailers Are Fighting Back

Not everyone is sitting on their hands. IGN points to Bic Camera’s Tokyo branch as one example of a retailer actively pushing back: the Japanese electronics chain began requiring would-be Pokemon TCG buyers to pass a knowledge quiz before they can complete a purchase, the logic being that genuine fans know the product and resellers often do not. It is an imperfect solution, but it is at least an attempt at one.

The Oxford Street closure puts real pressure on Ravensburger to rethink how high-demand Lorcana products reach the people who actually want to play with them. A physical retail launch that ends with a store shuttering and fans going home empty-handed is not a sustainable model. Right now, the players who lined up in good faith before dawn are the ones paying the price for someone else’s greed.