Why is the magic band selection so random and why is it so hard to find interesting ones? Now that we have to pay for them, the selection is really pretty small and even the expensive ones are meager and . I can understand giving us a few choices if they are free, but why is it hard to find anything I actually want since I have to pay for it?
I have looked at shopdisney and at the ordering section of MyDisneyExperience and while they have some different selections, they don’t have nearly the choices they could have. Star Wars? You can have a Mandolorian Child with tiny cartoon versions. But that’s it. Avengers? A couple. Even “Disney Mom” and “Disney Kid” but they were lacking “Disney Dad” (because we are just there to carry the backpacks, we don’t actually ‘count’).
Before you make helpful suggestions, I found the skins for sale, and will order a cool one with “Metal Superhero Man” (with glow-in-the-dark ‘power source’ aka arc reactor) and possibly a “Gold Droid” one as well. Maybe also “Russian Superhero Spy Woman” for my DW.
But the meager choices on MDE and ShopDisney baffle me.
I agree their are meager selections. I seem to find my best buys in the parks themselves.
I have seen Disney Dad there before so maybe check back later?
They seem to just take the MBs down when they’re out of stock rather than show them and note it’s an out of stock selection.
And yes, I totally agree the selection seems very meagre since they stopped including them.
I was hoping the selection would go up soon. Actually I was hoping some nifty ones would come out for the 50th (even though we aren’t going until Feb). But Nope.
It’s almost like they want you to think “well, this one will do” AND then buy the one you really want too? Hmmm… 
and there are some ppl that color coordinate their whole outfit each day at the park 
So, several MBs is a must.
I have a bright yellow band from 2018 with a Small World “skin” on it. I have yet to find a decorated WDW band that I like better!
We all have our favorites 
Those skins Etsy has are awesome! My original thought had been to skip the two step process and just wait until cool MB’s came out. But, that seems to be impossible. So, we looked last night on etsy. Actually, I pulled it up and then turned the computer over to DD. I heard lots of “Oooooh” and “Oh, No I want this one”.
When I went to bed one with a Porg on it was in the lead. Why can’t Disney have a Porg one?
I’ve always bought skins to put on our plain bands because I honestly don’t love any of the Disney ones. But they aren’t even letting U.K. guests order them in advance at all now, it says we can buy them at the resort. How am I supposed to choose a skin when I don’t know what colour bands they will have?! About 11 months to go, too early for serious planning so this is what I’m stressing about 
Even the solid colors available to Americans aren’t that many. For example, I saw one skin I liked, but it would only look good with one color. I went to Disney and they offered that color, but not right now.
There are SO many new colors too. I always order my most favorite from the selection they provide and then if I see something I like better in the parks I’ll buy that. Hence… too many MBs… or enough to make a MB chain for my christmas tree 
I think the selection has only gotten worse since last summer. 
They never seem to offer more than one solid color band through My Disney Experience, and all of the other options feel random and cost more, of course.
There are only a handful of options on Shop Disney too.
Am I missing something? Is there another source to buy not crazy expensive Magic Bands in advance of our trip? Or do I just have to give in to buying the same solid band for everyone in my family or shelling out more cash so we can tell them apart?
I think eBay is popular.
I see many color choices and some fancy ones for magic bands in the resort gift shops and in the park shops
Can a Magic Band be deactivated by one use and transferred to and reactivated by another? Or are we talking about only brand new bands being sold in eBay?
I wish they’d put those color choices on My Disney Experience!
No. Only buy brand new, unused, unlinked bands.
You do personalise the bands so they’d each say your name on the back. And you can buy skins on Etsy or magicyourband.com.
Or just buy one when you get there.
hmmm, I’ve seen the new colors on ShopDisney and w/ MDE ordering w/ a reservation.