Hi there, Lisa!
The sticking point with
Disney Gift Cards is that they are cash-equivalent.
If a gift card is sold online, Disney would be in the business of exchanging currency, and international banking laws exercise strict controls over how businesses handle these transactions. Disney does not do any type of currency exchanges, so the gift card would not be eligible for purchase.
Even funds in US dollars - from a PayPal account attached to an American banking institution, for instance - are subject to these rules when the address of origination is from outside of the United States.
Your best bet, as you note, is to purchase them yourself in the United States.
Happy shopping!
See you later, celebrator,
-Deborah B.