My wife is a huge Sanrio fan. Specifically, she’s a My Melody stan. It’s the 50th anniversary of Melo, which means Sanrio is slowrolling all sorts of “limited edition” merch.
Just six months ago, buying limited-edition items off the Sanrio site was a nightmare. Japan’s reseller plague, which I’ve documented in detail, is primarily to blame here.
However, over time, Sanrio appears to be learning from its mistakes. Its online queuing system has improved. The retailer seems to have addressed issues with website server capacity, meaning your order is more likely to go through once you do get in.
All of this means that, as an actual fan, it’s now easier to get Sanrio limited edition goods before resellers buy them out.
If only McDonald’s Japan had learned the same lesson.
In May 2025, McDonald’s launched a special promotion with the popular character Chiikawa. The retailer gave away four different Chiikawa-themed toys as part of its Happy Set (Happy Meal) meant for children.
It was a disaster. Resellers ordered Happy Sets en masse, throwing out the food so they could resell the toys for a profit on sites such as Mercari, Rakuten, and other flea market sites across Asia. McDonald’s ended the promotion three days after it started.
You’d have thought the company would have taken some time to reflect on this disaster. Refocus, regroup, and devise a more effective plan for its next promotion.
You would be wrong.
