Pin trading and ebay

[Hezzy04]

I hope this is allowed to ask....if not let me know and I will delete.

I keep thinking that it might be fun for my girls to pin trade (although I don't know much about it). I was considering getting a lot from eBay. However I know that this can be risky bc of getting quality pins vs scrappers.

So my question is....does anyone know of anyone who sells through eBay that is trustworthy and has legit pins?

 

[DisneyMandC]

Not sure about Ebay, though perhaps they have an account there too, but DH and I bought from ToysNGamesEtc on Amazon while on our last Disney trip and actually had the pins shipped to our room. I don't know a huge amount about counterfeit pins, but from the little I do know they all appeared to be legit.

 

[BadPinkTink]

please dont, just buy genuine pins in the park.

 

[kingagdar]

DW stopped at the outlets on the way down and picked up a bunch for less than half the price in the parks. Figured our girls (4&6) were trading them away anyway so it didn't matter if it was their favorite character.

 

[TXStormtrooper]

DW stopped at the outlets on the way down and picked up a bunch for less than half the price in the parks. Figured our girls (4&6) were trading them away anyway so it didn't matter if it was their favorite character.

That was going to be my suggestion, too.

 

[TML2012]

I have purchased many pins from Bizzybee1 on eBay. The cost is $50 for 25 pins. The pins are sold as full sets (4-7 pins per set) in original packaging. They don't appear to be scrappers but I could be wrong.

 

[BadPinkTink]

The only way to to if pins are scrappers or counterfeits is to check them on pin pics. http://www.pinpics.com/index1.php Each pin has a listing where notes about the pin are listed. What happens is the factories make extra pins ie Disney orders 10,000, the factory makes 10500 and then months or years after the Disney order, these pins get put onsale on ebay or other websites. Also factories will make pins but at a lower quality to the Disney order, maybe half the thickness or not the right font or have something wrong with the colour or shape.

If the demand for these cheaper pins went away, then the scammers making money on these scrapper and counterfeit pins would not see a reason to continue. Dont feed the beast and the beast will die

 

[Hezzy04]

I have purchased many pins from Bizzybee1 on eBay. The cost is $50 for 25 pins. The pins are sold as full sets (4-7 pins per set) in original packaging. They don't appear to be scrappers but I could be wrong.

I saw this! I have also been looking for pins that are full sets in original packaging. Assuming that means they are "real" pins. Does anyone have opinions or advice about if they are likely real in that situation? I feel like they are, but maybe you all are more informed than I am!

I guess worse case scenario I could always order from the shop parks app before my trip if I want them beforehand.

 

[wilkeliza]

Most pins sold on line are fakes. While Disney CMs won't usually turn a child away if the pin is an obvious fake then they might. I usually just pixie dusted the kids who were trading obvious scrappers and told them to keep the pin they could have the one off my lanyard, then I would let the parents know off to the side. That way everyone was happy. I didn't take scrappers back to be put back into rotation and the kid go the pin they wanted. Usually the colors are way off.

@Hezzy04 if they are selling fully hidden mickey sets on original packaging then that is a sure fire fake. There is no original packaging to teh hidden mickey pins as those are what CM lanyard pins are now called and you can only get them from trading with CMs. There is no packaging for those pins as they are give to CMs with nothing on them. Some people will put them on the "official trading pin" card stock and claim that makes the fakes real. It is so easy to fake the packaging of single pins that I wouldn't trust anything online.

I usually buy traders by buying a lot of anything that is discounted on the Disney store website.

 

[ariel71]

http://www.disboards.com/threads/good-bad-internet-and-ebay-pin-sellers.2213419/

Please educate yourself about scrappers/fakes and realize that even many of the "green" sellers on that thread may be based on reviews from people who really wouldn't know if they received genuine pins or not. Pinpics is helpful because they often have side-by-side pictures of real vs known scrapper/fakes for individual pins. I first found the dis several years ago because I was looking at buying some pins for my nieces and got burned by a "trusted" seller. It's almost impossible to rely on what Joe Shmoe says about their pins' or a seller's authenticity unless you're confident that person knows what they're talking about.

 

[VillainFavs]

And know that no matter what you buy to start with, 90% of what you trade for in the park will not be "real" pins. So you'll be spending lots of money and getting those same eBay huge lot pins in return.

 

[Hezzy04]

I am rethinking my plans! I might not start my kids on trading. Might just keep with my husband being the only one with pins. He buys the ones he really likes...and never trades since he loves all the ones he buys! I did just buy him a retired pin from eBay....hopefully it is "real", but even if not, we didn't buy it to trade, so no harm done! All his other pins have been purchased in park.

 

[xlsm]

I'm in the "don't buy on ebay" camp. You can get mystery packs in the parks and resorts that have several pins included. Pick a pack with a theme you're not in love with, and use those as traders.

We also had a lot of fun on our last trip - We started with one pin, and just traded over and over again, taking a picture of each pin we traded for as we went along. I think we made 11 trades that day. I started with a Dumbo Soarin' pin and ended up with a Dale.

We like trading, but we like KEEPING them more, so we trade a few, but mostly collect.

Have fun!

 

[Burnedout]

Maybe just pick out 3 or 4 pins and trade them in and out. We did this for our first couple of years finding what we liked and trading for whatever

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I've been a pin hoarder for 15+ years..

I hate scrappers with a passion but I also really really hate new people trading rack pins for scrap which then a scrapper will be traded for that nice pin so to me until you know better pins are pins. Once people know better then yes I expect better but until trading lanyards at the parks are not 99.9% scrappers and odds of anyone pulling real stuff is higher than not I don't expect new people to spend $$$ to trade for $ worth of crap. Buy some cheaper ones, let your kids have a fantastic time interacting with cms and don't worry about scrap/real as it'll make you crazy till you're so familiar its second nature to tell them apart..

 

[Burnedout]

I've been a pin hoarder for 15+ years..

I hate scrappers with a passion but I also really really hate new people trading rack pins for scrap which then a scrapper will be traded for that nice pin so to me until you know better pins are pins. Once people know better then yes I expect better but until trading lanyards at the parks are not 99.9% scrappers and odds of anyone pulling real stuff is higher than not I don't expect new people to spend $$$ to trade for $ worth of crap. Buy some cheaper ones, let your kids have a fantastic time interacting with cms and don't worry about scrap/real as it'll make you crazy till you're so familiar its second nature to tell them apart..

Teach kids to trade and not hoard and then it isn't necessary to contribute to the scrappers on the lanyards.

If a parent looks at the $20 for some real pins as a chance to play for a week and trade around it I stills a love of trading. Mine traded $8 pins for sedesma hyenas. Yes I cringed and I was posted with the cm's who then acted pissy when the kids traded again for whatever the next obsession was. But we didn't contribute to the problem and had a ball.

 

[StuckInKS]

And know that no matter what you buy to start with, 90% of what you trade for in the park will not be "real" pins. So you'll be spending lots of money and getting those same eBay huge lot pins in return.

This is really important to know if your kids are going to trade with CMs. The year my kids got into trading, it just kind of happened so I wasn't prepared. We ended up spending a bunch of money on pins that my kids then traded for what I believe to be scrappers with the CMs. From what I can tell, the CM lanyards are loaded with scrappers that people have bought online from the cheap "grab bag" auctions. My kids want to trade this year, but no way am I doing that again. I'm buying sealed booster and starter packs off eBay for about $10-$15. These might be scrappers and they might not be, but they are sealed, have WDW price stickers, etc. I mostly assume (and hope) these sellers may have got them on clearance at a Disney outlet since most live in places very close to WDW, like Kissimmee, but that might not be the case. They do look like good, quality pins and I am happy with my purchases. Plus, if they get traded for junk, at least I only paid $2 a pin.

I am rethinking my plans! I might not start my kids on trading.

In hindsight, I never imagined spending the amount of money we have on pins and almost wish they'd never started, but my kids love it. They plan on spending all of the souvenir money on pins, even though I've already bought several packs for our trip, so we are hitting the Disney outlet across from DTD on our first day. DD got a wonderful Tink lanyard there last time for only $2, and I hope we can find some pins this time, too.

 

[TML2012]

Most pins sold on line are fakes. While Disney CMs won't usually turn a child away if the pin is an obvious fake then they might. I usually just pixie dusted the kids who were trading obvious scrappers and told them to keep the pin they could have the one off my lanyard, then I would let the parents know off to the side. That way everyone was happy. I didn't take scrappers back to be put back into rotation and the kid go the pin they wanted. Usually the colors are way off.

@Hezzy04 if they are selling fully hidden mickey sets on original packaging then that is a sure fire fake. There is no original packaging to teh hidden mickey pins as those are what CM lanyard pins are now called and you can only get them from trading with CMs. There is no packaging for those pins as they are give to CMs with nothing on them. Some people will put them on the "official trading pin" card stock and claim that makes the fakes real. It is so easy to fake the packaging of single pins that I wouldn't trust anything online.

I usually buy traders by buying a lot of anything that is discounted on the Disney store website.

Bizzybee1 does not sell full "hidden Mickey" sets. They are normal sets you would buy in the parks and tend to be pin set from previous years.

 

[TML2012]

I just checked a Minnie Paris Fashion set I received from Bizzybee1. Here is what I found:

They did not stick to a high powered magnet.
Edges are smooth.
Colouring looks the same as pictures on pinpics.
No bleeding or dimples in paint.
Back stamp waffling looks good.
Backstamp lettering is clear.
They have back prongs.

I am no expert but I have not noticed any signs that these are scrappers. In the end, when you buy anything on eBay you take a risk. I have purchased several times from this seller and do not feel I have been burnt. Also, I don't like to waste money on junk. On our last 2 trips, we have traded our pins without any CM saying they were scrappers. If someone noticed they were scrappers I would hope they would let us know like @wilkeliza does when they see them. OP it is good that you are doing your research so that you will feel comfortable with your final decision.

 

[wilkeliza]

Bizzybee1 does not sell full "hidden Mickey" sets. They normal sets you would buy in the parks and tend to be pin set from previous years.

That's good to know. CMs (and locals) can get those sets for super cheap. I use to be a pin trader and would go back to cast connection and buy a bunch of pins for a dollar or two each and buy sets for little of nothing. The best was when a set ended up at property control for little of nothing because 1 was missing in the set. Man I miss being able to buy stuff from there. I just cautioned against any full hidden mickey sets on card stock because those don't exist and I have seen shading stuff on amazon and ebay when it comes to pins. I'm glad the ones you got @TML2012 are most likely not fake.