# Lets help new pin traders avoid the cheap pins



## EpcotMatt

I was just browsing ebay checking out some pins & came across several that were obvious cheap pins. I then thought of all of the postings on the DIS where new pin traders ended up with the Sedesmas or ProPins or other cheapos that clog up CM lanyards & basically can ruin the hobby. So I thought, why not start a thread for newbies to ask about certain pins. My thought was if anyone was thinking of purchasing some pins on ebay & were unsure as to their legitimacy, they could post the item# here, & the pin veterans could respond as to whether they were legit or not. Hopefully this doesnt violate any DIS regulations. If its cool, then I open the floor to prospective pin collectors.


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## I'mNoPrince

I try to find 10-15 pin lots that someone is trying to liquidate their own collection.

I pay between $2 to $3 dollars unless they have some keepers that I want .I have had great luck and have about 30 more traders under my bed for our trips we give DD 2 pins a day to trade.If she wants anymore she has to pay for them.


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## t-beri

A pin allowance- Brilliant, she says imitating the Guiness Brewmaster.  DH & DS went through some ungodly 25 pins last trip ( a great e-bay buy and some discounted pins from dis shopping w/ free shipping-yay!)  and still on the last day I had to buy a set of 4 for them.  I traded exactly 2 pins the freakin 4 days!!!  But those boys are bound and determined to get every Cast lanyard pin in existence.  They were really ticked when I pointed out 2 they didn't know were CL's because they were pre-hidden mickey.  "how did you know that?" Because I'm the mom and moms know EVERYTHING! I am omniscient.  No, they are probably from the only 2 series I could peg from memory but it keeps them reverent.  I am definitely going to have to figure out an allowance system to keep them in check.  Also, I agree, I do not want a bunch of crappy traders out there either.  I especially feel bad for kids who get to the park and CM"s won't trade with them b/c the pins are bad.  So all and all a great idea Epcotmatt- I would be glad to help out.
...t.


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## samc

I just bought 2 lots of 10 on ebay from pincastle for our upcoming trip...........what do you guys think about them  .....do they usually sell good or cheap pins on ebay???  Thanks for your advice.


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## Goofyluver

I am new to this board and new to pin trading.  We are going in the summer and I would like to find some pins to give my son for Christmas to start a collection for him.  What is the best place to find sets?  I would like inexpensive ones to start because I want him to get into the spirit first.


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## pbnjrockette

I am new to pin trading (but a dear friend is an expert).  I have purchased several lots to trade with CM in December.  ALL the pins I have received are beautiful (no propins or sedesma).  I did do a lot of reading before I bought anything on ebay (here, pinpics, dizpins and several ebay pin trading guides--very excellent).

I would be willing to share the names of excellent pin sellers. I wish there was a way to post---Beware of this or that seller!!


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## solgent

samc said:
			
		

> I just bought 2 lots of 10 on ebay from pincastle for our upcoming trip...........what do you guys think about them  .....do they usually sell good or cheap pins on ebay???  Thanks for your advice.



I bought from them and the pins are nice.

Happy trading!


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## Disney Hot Mama

my DD just got interested in pin trading.  In the past trips we have bought pins in the parks to mark something special every trip - first time on TOT, first time on Rock in Rollercoaster etc.... But now she wants to trade with cast members.  So now I need to purchase some pins for her to trade.  The ones she currently has all have special meaning so she is not wanting to trade those... I have just started looking on Ebay.

Looking for any assistance this thread might have.
Thanks


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## GoofyBaby

samc said:
			
		

> I just bought 2 lots of 10 on ebay from pincastle for our upcoming trip...........what do you guys think about them  .....do they usually sell good or cheap pins on ebay???  Thanks for your advice.




I have purchased from pincastle and have had no problems with the authenticity of pins.  They have even gone to DLR for me to buy pins for me in my absence (a service they used to offer to members of another message board).  I highly recommend them.


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## jobie61

samc said:
			
		

> I just bought 2 lots of 10 on ebay from pincastle for our upcoming trip...........what do you guys think about them  .....do they usually sell good or cheap pins on ebay???  Thanks for your advice.



I buy pins from pincastle on ebay all the time for trading at the park.  Some pins I even keep for my collection.  As a matter of fact, I will only buy my trader pins from pincastle, As i never get any junk pins from them.  All are quality pins I'm proud to trade with CM's.


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## Dancenash

You can find very nice cheap pins on disneyshopping.com or the disney store.
Disney Shopping usually has a coupon and free shipping on monday. Disney Store usually has a set of 3 or 4 pins for 8.50. A little on the small size. But they will trade.


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## samc

hi, just wanted to let you all know.......we just got back from our trip and all our pin-castle pins were traded without question or hesitation by all CMs....

the only thing and this makes no difference to us....some of the CMs did not want the beige pin backs provided with the pin-castle pins and kept their own black mickey head backs instead.

thanks for the advice.....I'd use pin-castle again....both lots of 10 were less than $30 including shipping.........well worth it!!!

also, just FYI cause this was new to us........my DS tried to trade with a CM but she wouldn't take the pin he offered because she already had one like it on her lanyard.  This happened just was we were about to get on the moving side-walk thingy on one of the rides......he wasn't able to get another pin out for her in time and we couldn't go through the whole line again just to trade.  DS was very upset and I thought the CM handled it badly......I know she was busy but she didn't try to apologize or accomodate him in the least.  I thought I had seen CMs in the past with 2 of the same pin but I guess I was wrong.

Thanks again!!


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## t-beri

Yeah, it's a shame that wasn't handled well, but it's nothing new.  Have you checked out disney's pin trading rules? you can see them @www.odpt.com
glad to hear you had a good time trading otherwise.  I had to be reminded more than once last weekend that i could not trade w/ c,'s w/ a green lanyard-duh, i just get a little over zealous
...t.


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## jobie61

t-beri said:
			
		

> I had to be reminded more than once last weekend that i could not trade w/ c,'s w/ a green lanyard-duh, i just get a little over zealous
> ...t.



Bitten by the green lanyard....... I hate that


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## 4EverFigment

Well, to pin trading at least. On this last trip my mom surprised me and my son with a box of pins to trade, and even though he only 'got into it' the last day I sure had a blast with it. (Really, really a lot of fun although my new habit of looking at people's chests was a little odd to adjust to....)

So what is the deal with the green lanyard?? I didn't have any problems trading with CM's but honestly I didn't notice any particular lanyard colors. 

We ended up with a red monorail and a purple monorail; does that mean that out there, ten more colors exist? If so, how can I get my grubby paws upon them?!?   

How do y'all display your pins at home? I bought a yard or so of duck-cloth and a grid of plastic that rug-yarn-hook-whatevers are made with, put the plastic inside the fabric, glued it with fabric glue, and stuck a wooden dowel in one end as the 'hanger'. What have others done (besides leaving them on the lanyard, I do that too). 

I have read, and made my son read, the pin trading rules from Disney. Any other things I should know? Like how does a person trade with another person not a CM? 

glad this thread is here! I am happy with my newest Dis-addiction for sure! 

peace
figgy


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## Mickey Man2

Subscribing to the thread. 

Some good info for beginners to pin trading and collecting


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## MomtoGKC

My 5 year old just decided she wants to start collecting pins.  I told her about them and she wasn't that interested, then a friend came into school with tons of pins for show and tell and now she's interested!   I just looked on disneyshopping.com and couldn't believe how much they cost!  I guess I'll be looking on EBay too so thanks for starting this thread!  Now I have something good for their stockings!  


Thank you!


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## MomtoGKC

Also - I'm new to EBay and can't find the pincastle store - how do I do that? 

Thanks!


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## flying_babyb

so wait cm's are cast members right? I can trade with them?  Im a little confused sorry. Might have to pick me up some pins


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## MomtoGKC

I figured out how to find the different EBay sellers.  I showed my daughter the pictures of all the pins and she loved them!  She's kind of shy so I don't know how she'll like trading, but we're going to try it.

And to answer the last poster - CM's are Cast Members.  I'm not sure if they all trade pins, but some do and yes, you're supposed to trade with them.


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## ptlycloudy

Ok I will post #300058376295  . We have just started to trade and I have just started to educate myself about pins. I was unsure of this seller because they seem to have so many of the same pins.  

Thanks for your help and input. I am trying to be an educated trader/collector.


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## flying_babyb

ptlycloudy said:
			
		

> Ok I will post #300058376295  . We have just started to trade and I have just started to educate myself about pins. I was unsure of this seller because they seem to have so many of the same pins.
> 
> Thanks for your help and input. I am trying to be an educated trader/collector.



HEY!! I was looking at the same one lol.


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## flying_babyb

Ok, Ive noticed a few people asking how to find a spefic selller so I thought I could offer up my help.
Tutorial
1. go to ebays site and locate the advanced search. Its a tiny blue link to the right of the  the SEARCH icon. Click on it
2.  scroll down the page till you see the From Sellers area. 
3. click the second buble which will  have From specific sellers (enter sellers' user IDs). Put the name of the person there. 
4. go to the bottom and click search
5.  this will bring up the action items by that seller. 
6. Good Luck!

Hope this helps at least someone. Let me know if these are good instuctions. If you need me to I can modify them for you. I did it as I went through.  Found a bunch by pincastle when I looked   SCORE


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## EpcotMatt

ptlycloudy said:
			
		

> Ok I will post #300058376295  . We have just started to trade and I have just started to educate myself about pins. I was unsure of this seller because they seem to have so many of the same pins.
> 
> Thanks for your help and input. I am trying to be an educated trader/collector.



The pins in this auction are legit.


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## Caitsmama

Another somewhat newbie question.. What is up with the green lanyards?? I hadn't heard about this yet..

Also - where can i read up more on the "hidden mickey" pins? Are all the newer CM pins hidden mickeys?? I am confused on this.. 

Thanks


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## ptlycloudy

Thanks for the reply EpcotMatt . Since they would be gift I would hate for them to be scrappers or something. 

Many thanks!


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## EpcotMatt

ptlycloudy said:
			
		

> Thanks for the reply EpcotMatt . Since they would be gift I would hate for them to be scrappers or something.
> 
> Many thanks!



No problem ptlycloudy. Also, pinpics.com is a great website with a huge pin database. The pins each have background info on them. Plus, you can keep track of your collection, list which pins you're looking to trade for, offer trades to other members, & have trades offered to you. By the way, for the pins in your specific auction, the pin #s are 44499, 44500, 44501, 44502, & 44504. Have fun.


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## Madi100

300056985803 How about this seller?  

My girls have traded for a few years, but I just started this last trip.  We left them at home, and I missed it, so I bought a set.  By the way, they sell a set of the Cuties for $25, and there are 7 pins.  I didn't think that was too bad.  

I met the VP of something to do with pins, he designed the YOAMD lanyard.  Super nice guy, and he told me trade what I like.  I like Mickey Mouse and that is what I trade for, pretty much.  I also like the Hidden Mickey pins.  We ate at the seafood place in DTD (can't think of the name) and the host/hostess had lanyards.  They had lots that I loved, and boy did I have fun trading with them!


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## Luv2Roam

I don't Ebay, and have not in a looooonnng time.
If you can buy pins through the disneystore.com, I think many will come out better. They are better pins, more desireable (for yourself and others) and often there are shopping codes for disneystore.com.

If I were buying trading pins through Ebay, the issue I would have with many sellers is when buying a Lot of pins, some are nice. Many are not. Some sellers will fill a Lot with EuroDisney pins. (Which to my understanding are not accepted by CMs in DLP.) So they get dumped in the states.

Pins really are often a You Get What You Pay For system. Not always. There is always that lucky, magical bargain moment we all cherish.   

Just be cautious. I try to at least only get traders I would not mind trading from a lanyard.


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## flying_babyb

So for a new trader, what are the sought after pins?


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## Mom2Monkeys

Are the EuroDisney pins ok to trade at WDW? I got a few of them in a lot I purchased from Ebay and they are listed on pinpics. Just want to make sure they are ok before I give them to my kids to use. Thanks!

Edited to add:

While looking around on Pinpics I found a few more pins that I got that I'm not sure if they are ok to use. This is one of them: Pin 46141: Aladdin - Jasmine Sitting on Stool. It does have a Disney copyright on the back but it seems to be lesser quality than the pins my kids bought at WDW last year. I don't want to even give them to my kids if they won't be able to trade them. I will give them away to the kids at the school I work at instead as Thank You gifts for helping out with projects. Thanks again!!


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## mamacatnv

I bought 110 pins for my kids and another 50 for a friend.  It took me 6 months to accumulate them.

I look for sets or lots of 10 or under.  I search the seller and if I see several lots from them that are identical I stay away my theory being that there will be a flood of those pins and they will be harder to trade.  ie the "incredibles" pins that people were saying were everywhere. I also search thru all the auctions, again looking for "multiples" I try to find the different and unusual.

Read the sellers feedback.

I like the CM lanyard pins although they are fairly small.  I have won several lots of them.

I usually pay $3-3.25 per pin, I don't want the cheapest ones out there.  I also look for the LE pins, those are the ones I really like to get.  

Last night I was sorting thru the pins for the kids to wrap for Christmas.  I had no duplicates and a great assortment.  I think they will have a blast with the trading.  They started to get into it on our last trip, so this time I wanted to be prepared.  

While wrapping, I actually pulled out 4 that I want for my lanyard, guess I will have to negotiate a trade with my kids.  

I love the pin trading, it is a great way to meet the CM's.  They come from all over the world and some have some really fascinating stories to tell.


To those questions I read:

Green Lanyards are only traded with kids under 12.
CM's are not supposed to trade for a pin they already have.
If it says Disney on the back, they are obligated to trade it.


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## Luv2Roam

Re: pin types such as 46141 and Sedesma. IF the pin reads (C) Disney on the back, you probably will not have a CM trading issue. Esp with kids. CMs generally are more lenient with kids. There is bound to be someone to prove me wrong.  But that is a rule of thumb.
As a guest, there were a few times a CM would give me hard time about trading a pin onto a lanyard, that was completely valid. Even just last month I had an airport store CM get snippy with me when I tried trading Pin 39013: Cast 50th Anniversary Name Tag Replicas Boxed Set (Donald) onto her lanyard. (For Pete's Sake -- it IS a Cast pin.  )
If one CM won't take it, I am sure another will. Some will act like the lanyard pins are their personal collection. Some could care less if you gave them a bottlecap in return.


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## deezeyener

Hello, all!  I'm fairly new to this pin trading thing.  I picked up a bunch of pins just to collect on my last trip to WDW about 3 years ago (I know - it's been waaay too long!).  I stuck them in some albums and look at them periodically.  Once in awhile I'll run across one from Disney Shopping that I like, and I'll order it.  Recently a friend returned from WDW and told me of her adventures in pin trading, and it rekindled the interest!  I just went crazy on Ebay purchasing pins and have been reading up on the rules of trading, thanks to folks like you and these threads.  All of the pins I've gotten so far are keepers, so I want to get some to trade.  I discovered this one website - pinfinder.  They sell in bulk, and it seems to be quality stuff (I haven't ordered from them yet, so I can't say for sure).  But the reason I even found your forum was that pinfinder says the lots don't include Propins, Sedesma or EuroDisney pins (and I had to look up what that even meant!).  I'm sure some of you more experienced people have checked them out -anyone out there deal with them before?  Is it worth it?  I'm planning to go to WDW next year, and usually when I get into something like this, it's hold your breath, plug your nose and jump in!  I want to trade a lot!!  Are these good bundles for bulk-buying?  Thanks in advance!
Lori


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## flying_babyb

dee- I Wanna know now too. Whats the link for the site?


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## deezeyener

The forum won't let me enter links yet, so you'll have to type it in.  pinfinder DOTty COMfy.  Let me know what you think!


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## flying_babyb

dee- I Wouldnt be the one to ask but i was looking for disconut pins myself to trade on my trip


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## Mom2Monkeys

After not being happy with my ebay purchase I bought from a company called pinsellers. I was VERY happy with my purchase and out of 100 had between 15-20 that went right into my kids collection rather than will be used for trading! The company included some lanyard, cast, and even some free pins! The pins were all shipped in small bags to keep them from rubbing together and the lanyard, cast, free ones were even in a separate bag so I knew exactly which ones they were. I only received 4 pins that were duplicated in the whole order and those were ones my kids wanted to keep so they ended up with 1 keeper and 1 to trade still. I've only ordered from them this one time but will definitely use them again rather than have another unhappy ebay purchase.


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## Madi100

Mom2Monkeys said:
			
		

> After not being happy with my ebay purchase I bought from a company called pinsellers. I was VERY happy with my purchase and out of 100 had between 15-20 that went right into my kids collection rather than will be used for trading! The company included some lanyard, cast, and even some free pins! The pins were all shipped in small bags to keep them from rubbing together and the lanyard, cast, free ones were even in a separate bag so I knew exactly which ones they were. I only received 4 pins that were duplicated in the whole order and those were ones my kids wanted to keep so they ended up with 1 keeper and 1 to trade still. I've only ordered from them this one time but will definitely use them again rather than have another unhappy ebay purchase.



Do you have a link or are they with ebay?


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## Mom2Monkeys

It's just pinseller then dot then com. Sorry I can't put in a link yet.


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## flying_babyb

www.pinsellers.com

Thats the link you need. I posted it for you who cant post.


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## Madi100

flying_babyb said:
			
		

> www.pinsellers.com
> 
> Thats the link you need. I posted it for you who cant post.




Thanks.  It's actually www.pinseller.com


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## Madi100

I appreciate all of the help on the pins, but have an honest question.  What does it really matter if a person trades propin or sedesma or "official" Disney trading pins?  I've got a friend who bought all official Disney pins for her daughter to trade.  She came home with propin, Sedesma, and Disneyland Paris pins.  She's also got pins that just have Disney with the c without pin trading on them.  So, do you suppose that for kids that they trade "down" as much as other people trade "up"?  I know that the serious collectors want to just get the official pins, but there are many, many people out there that just collect a certain pin and don't care who makes it.  So, if it's all for fun, does it matter if the brand is pro pin or Sedesma?


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## flying_babyb

I wanna buy some pins so bad!!! Im going to start collecting soon but I want to pick a theme, DID disney ever do a movie with a monkey?


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## 3DisneyKids

Just joining this thread.  When I first got my kids into trading, I admit that I went on eBay and bought a lot of the cheapos.  I am so sorry!  I did not know any better.  I had research a bit and I knew about no Sedsema, but that was it.  I didn't do enough research.  My bad.

Fortunately, I found out relatively soon into the process, so we didn't do too much damage, and I didn't have the kids trade the rest of the cheap ones.  Now we only trade good pins.


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## 3DisneyKids

flying_babyb said:
			
		

> I wanna buy some pins so bad!!! Im going to start collecting soon but I want to pick a theme, DID disney ever do a movie with a monkey?




Sure, it's called Tarzan      Well, Terk (Turk?) may actually be a gorilla, but he's young and cute.


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## flying_babyb

OHH YA!! Thank you!


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## nephthys43

ok... so i just started pin collecting and have already gotten some sedesma pins off ebay (it's okay, i really wanted the set). but what about these... 300058376295


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## EpcotMatt

nephthys43 said:


> ok... so i just started pin collecting and have already gotten some sedesma pins off ebay (it's okay, i really wanted the set). but what about these... 300058376295



Those pins are legit.


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## nephthys43

cool... thanks


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## EpcotMatt

Did you win them?


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## flying_babyb

can the pins with states on them such as the ones on yahoo actuions be traded?


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## EpcotMatt

flying_babyb said:


> can the pins with states on them such as the ones on yahoo actuions be traded?



I'd have to see them to say for certain. But there were state pins several years back that are fine. Tough to say for certain though without seeing the pins.


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## flying_babyb

EpcotMatt said:


> I'd have to see them to say for certain. But there were state pins several years back that are fine. Tough to say for certain though without seeing the pins.



http://auctions.yahoo.com/i:Disney State Pin New Mexico with Jose Carioca:199125599


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## Miss Jessr!ca

i have 2 of the Epcot Flower & Garden festival pins from 2006.
(the one with minnie and mickey)
its LE of 1500 and DVC exclusive.

is it really as valuable as it seems??
or just hype?


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## Disney Fanatic

Sorry, I don't have a chance to read through this entire post so I am subscribing.  
How can you tell a pin is authentic???
I would hate to trade a CM with a real pin for a fake pin!
Thanks


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## KimEadler

deezeyener said:


> Hello, all!  I'm fairly new to this pin trading thing.  I picked up a bunch of pins just to collect on my last trip to WDW about 3 years ago (I know - it's been waaay too long!).  I stuck them in some albums and look at them periodically.  Once in awhile I'll run across one from Disney Shopping that I like, and I'll order it.  Recently a friend returned from WDW and told me of her adventures in pin trading, and it rekindled the interest!  I just went crazy on Ebay purchasing pins and have been reading up on the rules of trading, thanks to folks like you and these threads.  All of the pins I've gotten so far are keepers, so I want to get some to trade.  I discovered this one website - pinfinder.  They sell in bulk, and it seems to be quality stuff (I haven't ordered from them yet, so I can't say for sure).  But the reason I even found your forum was that pinfinder says the lots don't include Propins, Sedesma or EuroDisney pins (and I had to look up what that even meant!).  I'm sure some of you more experienced people have checked them out -anyone out there deal with them before?  Is it worth it?  I'm planning to go to WDW next year, and usually when I get into something like this, it's hold your breath, plug your nose and jump in!  I want to trade a lot!!  Are these good bundles for bulk-buying?  Thanks in advance!
> Lori




so ... has anyone purchased from pinfinders??  They do seem to have the best prices:  50 pins for $125 including shipping!  Only $2.50 per pin.  But I would like to hear at least one positive review before I purchase from them!

Anyone???  Thanks!


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## EpcotFigmentGirl

what is propins and sedesma? can someone please let me know i have just begun getting interested in the pin trading i bought a starter kit from the laughing place and have been looking up on ebay different pins. thanks so much.


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## rrkman

Anyone ever buy from pinscheap on ebay?  Thought of getting DS2.5 some for our Feb trip...not necessarily to trade but would like tradeable pins just in case.

Thanks.


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## Donald&Tinkerbell

I have a 100 Years of Magic  Passholder pin with motion. It is dated October 2001. But I can't find it on the Disney Pin site, my question is how rare is it I want to make sure I can trade it and not get taken. 

Only
32 days 17 hours 27 mins 
Till Disney Vacation


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## asianway

That 100 yr passholder pin is worth about a buck, Id trade it to a CM


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## deezeyener

Probably a stupid question, but I can't seem to find the answer out there anywhere, so I'm hoping someone here will know.  I've been looking through lots of pins on Pinpics, and I'm seeing quite a few that were from DisneyAuctions.  When I try to go to the DisneyAuctions website, it redirects me to the DisneyShopping site - do they no longer do the auction pins and just do LE ones on their shopping site?  Someone please clue me in.

I still haven't purchased from pinfinder, but I plan to soon...maybe today now that I'm thinking about it!  I'll let you know what the selection / quality is like.


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## megaelch

Disney Auctions is no longer in business .. all pin related activities were transferred to the regular disneyshopping site. The reason was a major lack in customer service, lost pins and poor designs at the end of their business ..
I will send you a PM regarding cheap disney trading pins !!

Stephan


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## deezeyener

Stephan,
Thanks for the info - I honestly thought Disney Auctions just vanished - couldn't find any explanation on it.  

I have placed an order from pinfinder - hopefully I'll have some news soon!


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## mamacatnv

Disney Fanatic said:


> Sorry, I don't have a chance to read through this entire post so I am subscribing.
> How can you tell a pin is authentic???
> I would hate to trade a CM with a real pin for a fake pin!
> Thanks



Having just returned and traded over a 100 pins several times over here is something we found.  The CM's have Sedesma, Propins, name pins and a variety of non "authentic" pins on their lanyards.  We had several "hidden" pin trades from CM's where we got non Disney pins.  We just promptly retraded them.  One CM questioned a pin that my son was trading until I stepped in and said that he had just gotten it in a "hidden" trade from another CM. 

Several times, a CM would question my trade of one of my "really nice pins" for something of not the same size/quality. "You sure you want to trade that?"  I didn't care, I was looking for Eeyore and if the kids needed a trader I always had several on me for them to use when they ran out and were not willing to part with what they had traded for already.  I enjoyed the fact that we added many "good quality" pins to CM lanyards thru out the parks.  

The back of the pin really tells it all.  The newer Disney pins will list pintrader, the older ones don't.  Anything that says "Disney" is tradeable.  You will quickly get a feel for the real pins just by viewing the CM's lanyards.

We had a blast trading - it really gave us a chance to meet many CM's, find out where they were from and learn little details about them, the parks etc...


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## deezeyener

What is a "hidden" trade?


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## Donald&Tinkerbell

Yes what is a hidden trade? 



 Only 28 days 11 hours 13 min and 25 sec till Disney


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## mamacatnv

Donald&Tinkerbell said:


> Yes what is a hidden trade?
> 
> 
> 
> Only 28 days 11 hours 13 min and 25 sec till Disney



The CM will turn the pin over so all you see is the pin back - the trade is a "hidden surprise" and you never know what you are going to get.  We got some good ones and some lousy ones.


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## ohMom

i have a question -- i'm just home from WDW and had some fun adding to my pixar collection.  i'm in for the fun and have two collections (mickey and pixar) and just try to add to those with pins i like 

anyhow -- we are cruising in April -- my question....is there a better time of year to buy lots on ebay?  like i'm wondering if just before peak times of travel (spring break, summer) are the pin lots fewer and go for higher price?  and maybe now a good time, just after the holiday crowds?  or do you find lots readily available year-round?


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## deezeyener

how do you know which cast members are going to do a hidden trade?  Please give more details on this.  thanks!


----------



## solgent

Hidden trade means that a pin is attached wrong way round on the lanyard.  The back is facing out the and the front of the pin is hidden.  You can only find out what the pin is by trading for it.  (You can possibly narrow it down a tiny bit becasue you can see the size and shape, but there are SO MANY pins you really don't know more than whether it's big or small.) 

A CM suggested to my DDs that if there is a hidden pin, they should trade for it first.  Then if they don't want to keep it, they can trade it right back to the same CM, because you are allowed to trade up to 2 pins with each CM.

This CM also said, "If all the pins are facing the wrong way, that just means the lanyard is backwards!"


----------



## mamacatnv

deezeyener said:


> how do you know which cast members are going to do a hidden trade?  Please give more details on this.  thanks!



The CM will have either a pin lanyard or square they wear on their belts.  They will have a bunch of pins that you can see and review for a possible trade.  Every once in awhile a CM will have a pin that you cannot see the front of,  it will be pinned on backwards, all you see is the pin back. 

You can request to trade for the "hidden" pin, you won't know what you are getting until the trade is complete.  If you like it great if not just trade it later for something else.  It is kinda along the idea of a grab bag.


----------



## hsmamato2

HELP!!!!! I am leaving tomorrow,I don't want disappointed kids, what are sedesma and propins? How do we know what to look for? I have a bunch of pins, some I'm not sure will be good for trading, they all say disney on the back, but they differ in appeareance- help!


----------



## deezeyener

Thanks for the info on the "hidden" pins!  There are so many little things like that to learn that I never would have even though of!!  

Anyone know how to find out when they do pin events?  Anyone been to one?  What's it like?


----------



## mamacatnv

hsmamato2 said:


> HELP!!!!! I am leaving tomorrow,I don't want disappointed kids, what are sedesma and propins? How do we know what to look for? I have a bunch of pins, some I'm not sure will be good for trading, they all say disney on the back, but they differ in appeareance- help!



We had no issues, I wouldn't worry, if they say Disney no one should question anything and throughout your stay you will most likely trade for more than one Sedesma or Propin, they say so on the back along with the Disney.  My DS opted to keep a couple of the Sedesma's since they were Goofy and he was collecting Goofy pins.


----------



## TishaMoon

I'm very new to pin trading and trying to read up on this stuff. I'm wondering about a certain "cuties" set of pins on ebay. The item number is 300070678444. I don't see them on pinpics, which makes me suspicious. The (c) Disney stamp also looks different from my Disneyland pins. I think they're cute and would want to keep, rather than trade, most of them. However, I don't want to buy anything that's not legit or good quality. So if anyone can let me know if they're real or not, I'd appreciate it.


----------



## pindecisive

Hi, new member!

I was in disneyland last year and my friend traded for Eurodisney pins, so yes they are tradeable at DL.

As for sedsema, on the same trip I caught one on a CM's lanyard and pointed it out as such...she removed it...many CM's don't seem to take a large interest in the pin trading aspect of their job.

I use Pinpics, if I can't find it, I don't buy it. I just ordered some for the trip coming up in a few days, but I came across so many scrapper and sedsema pins in the process it was crazy.


----------



## deezeyener

Heres the report on the pins from pinfinder.  I ordered the 100 pin pack for $2.40 each.  I received the following:
15 designs I got quadruples of (so this knocked out 60 of my 100 pins).  Of these, 1 design was a Hidden Mickey, 1 design was a LE 5,000, and 3 designs were cast lanyard pins.  I got one triple of a pin and 8 doubles.  Of the doubles, 1 design was a cast lanyard series, 1 design was a Hidden Mickey and 1 design was a Disney Vacation Club pin.  So that left 21 individual unique pins in my lot.  Of those I got 1 cast lanyard pin, 1 All American Festival pin, 3 Hidden Mickeys, 2 Magical Gatherings pins (and these were quite large), 1 LE of unknown edition size, and 1 LE of 250!  Of all these, there are 27 that are staying in my collection - the rest will make good traders.  Of course I dont know what kind of selection you might get if you order, but the price is good and the pins were each sealed in their own bags and in good shape.  I received the package by priority mail 4 days after I paid for it.  It may seem like there are a lot of repeat pins in the lot, but they do tell you that you will get them on their site.  There were no Sedesma or ProPin or EuroDisney pins.  I think it was a fair deal!


----------



## pindecisive

mamacatnv said:


> The CM will turn the pin over so all you see is the pin back - the trade is a "hidden surprise" and you never know what you are going to get.  We got some good ones and some lousy ones.




I hadnt heard about hidden trades, thanks for the tip!


----------



## Donald&Tinkerbell

Thank you.


 only 24 days 18 hours 3 min and 30 sec till WDW


----------



## nephthys43

hi again! can anyone tell me about ebay seller maxheadroom777. his pins look real, but i wanna make sure.


----------



## Mike Bartenhagen

TishaMoon said:


> I'm very new to pin trading and trying to read up on this stuff. I'm wondering about a certain "cuties" set of pins on ebay. The item number is 300070678444. I don't see them on pinpics, which makes me suspicious. The (c) Disney stamp also looks different from my Disneyland pins. I think they're cute and would want to keep, rather than trade, most of them. However, I don't want to buy anything that's not legit or good quality. So if anyone can let me know if they're real or not, I'd appreciate it.



If you are going to purchase the Cuties to keep you should be fine but, in my opinion, I wouldn't purchase Cuties to trade as they were everywhere when we were in WDW in October.

Mike


----------



## mamacatnv

Mike Bartenhagen said:


> If you are going to purchase the Cuties to keep you should be fine but, in my opinion, I wouldn't purchase Cuties to trade as they were everywhere when we were in WDW in October.
> 
> Mike



They were still everywhere as of last week!  My kids both came home with a complete set.


----------



## abookworm

So this looks like a great trading set but she doesn't say they are all "official" though she has lots of + feedback. She gives no info at all. thoughts?
#300070339428


----------



## jobie61

abookworm said:


> So this looks like a great trading set but she doesn't say they are all "official" though she has lots of + feedback. She gives no info at all. thoughts?
> #300070339428



Looks like excellent pins to me..... You'll have no problem trading those pins.


----------



## MOM POPPINS

Please check this auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:11&Item=190073488015 Are these pins tradeable?  Thanks for any thoughts


----------



## Suzflee

Can someone check this auction for me?  many thanks!

260079075323

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=260079075323&rd=1&rd=1 

My sisters and I doing the Happy Dance!


----------



## EpcotMatt

Suzflee said:


> Can someone check this auction for me?  many thanks!
> 
> 260079075323
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=260079075323&rd=1&rd=1
> 
> My sisters and I doing the Happy Dance!



Yes, those pins look fine.


----------



## Suzflee

Matt,
thanks for your help.  I'm determined to be patient and not pay more than $2 a pin since I'm not sure how much my sisters will get into it....

Know anything about seller bmello81 - I've got my eye on several individual pins as well...

Can you check these lots?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180079675542&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=180079721750&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=180079736526&rd=1&rd=1


My sisters and I waving as the parade goes by


----------



## EpcotMatt

Suzflee said:


> Matt,
> thanks for your help.  I'm determined to be patient and not pay more than $2 a pin since I'm not sure how much my sisters will get into it....
> 
> Know anything about seller bmello81 - I've got my eye on several individual pins as well...
> 
> Can you check these lots?
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180079675542&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008
> 
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=180079721750&rd=1&rd=1
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=180079736526&rd=1&rd=1
> 
> 
> My sisters and I waving as the parade goes by



I recognize some of those pins. I'm not familiar with all of them. But looking at the seller's feedback, they look like they can be trusted. And one more thing, you may want to bring your minimum up a bit closer to $3. My experience with pins is that the good pins tend to go for closer to $2.50-$3.00 per pin in lots. The lots that I've seen that come in at $2.00 & under tend to be the cheaper ones. The folks bidding on pins on Ebay seem to know what they're doing & if the price is too low, something's probably up.


----------



## abookworm

abookworm said:


> So this looks like a great trading set but she doesn't say they are all "official" though she has lots of + feedback. She gives no info at all. thoughts?
> #300070339428



I did get these pins plus a few more since it was free shipping for additional ones so I get 14 pins for $38 including shipping. Most were packaged individually in plastic pags and 4 of the 14 had black rubber mickey backs and the rest were the metal backs.
They are all on the pinpics site and look great. Can't wait to trade!
Just wanted to share.
thanks for the help here


----------



## disneypartyof4

Hi, New here,  Going back this summer to Disneyworld and saw these pins on ebay, can you tell me if these are tradable. lot of 23 donald duck in red plane, it says walt disney travel company, states that they are cloisonne style pin, (don't know what that means) the # is 230085015331 and the seller is Toddorama1970. My boys ages 6 and 9 would love to start trading. The auction has 1 day left. Thanks for your help.


----------



## pbnjrockette

disneypartyof4 said:


> Hi, New here,  Going back this summer to Disneyworld and saw these pins on ebay, can you tell me if these are tradable. lot of 23 donald duck in red plane, it says walt disney travel company, states that they are cloisonne style pin, (don't know what that means) the # is 230085015331 and the seller is Toddorama1970. My boys ages 6 and 9 would love to start trading. The auction has 1 day left. Thanks for your help.




Those are not the type of pins I would want to find on a lanyard but everyone has different tastes.  I got a lot of really nice pins from 352eric (averaged about $3.00 per pin).


----------



## Suzflee

disneypartyof4

Looks like they are pin #6089 on pin pics which means they are official.

Not my taste either but if they are just for trading that's what you want so you can trade for the ones you like.  I'd check the seller's feedback and go from there.

You've got lots of time to find some good deals!  Good luck and don't forget to take a picture of the first pin trade!

I also like pincastle as a seller - free shipping and a nice variety.


----------



## Rhiluvsd

We are heading to Disney in Sept and am looking to pin trade (myself and two daughters) Where can I find these pins to buy..can someone flood me with links?
rhiwork@gmail.com


----------



## Suzflee

Rhiluvsd,

I get them on ebay.  Just got a great deal on 10 beautiful Mickey pins from pins1217 that were better than I expected.  paid $29 with shipping.
My goal is to trade also so I'm looking for lots of 10 or so that I really don't like that might go for about $3 a pin.  Trick is not to get attached to them when they arrive!
If you're buying for three, you could go with a bigger lot.  I'd stay away from ones that don't show you exactly what you get.
bmello and gyantzpod and pincastle seem to have a wide variety.

you can check the "officialness" of pins on pinpics.com or post a request here and the very kind EpcotMatt will help you out!
Have fun!

two rookie pin traders after their first trade


----------



## EpcotMatt

Suzflee, you're too kind. I'm just one of many folks here who are more than willing to help out. And all of your suggestions about grabbing lotsof 10 for about $30 are great ones. That's exactly what I do. And I do have to 'struggle" at times when I get keepers in the trade lots I buy. But I look at it this way. If I'd love to find that same pin on a lanyard, then I'm very happy to get it. {Even if it does mean 1 less pin that I get to trade, which is really the fun part, right?}


----------



## Suzflee

Matt,
But how do I keep from buying more?  I'm introducing my two big sisters to pin trading this month...I thought 5 would be a good start since we'll only be in the parks for one day (opening to closing if I have anything to say about it!) but I have such a good time doing it I don't know if that's enough for me!

Thanks again for checking on my previous requests and thanks for pushing me up to $3 - it was definitely worth it!

Suzflee


----------



## aksunshine

Just looking into trading. How about this lot? 300077006158 DISNEY TRADINGPINS4LESS

It's 2.49/pin. They have good feedback.


----------



## EpcotMatt

aksunshine said:


> Just looking into trading. How about this lot? 300077006158 DISNEY TRADINGPINS4LESS
> 
> It's 2.49/pin. They have good feedback.



Generally speaking, if the auction doesn't show the exact pins I get, I tend to stay away. That being said, this auction looks good. He states that 95% have the Disney Pin Trading info on the back & the other 5% are DS pins. And his feedback is very good. I'd feel pretty comfortable getting pins from him.


----------



## aksunshine

Thanks!!


----------



## bar1jp

thanks to everyone I am just starting this thread is really helping me figure out what pins to buy!!!


----------



## hsmamato2

I'm looking at a disney pin, must be put out by AAA as it's marked on it, anyway-has Pinnochio and a vw car, (Dh likes vw's) is it a real trader, or disney pin? he prob. wouldn't trade it, wondering if it's worth it to pay money,or is it a free promo pin of some sort


----------



## EpcotMatt

hsmamato2 said:


> I'm looking at a disney pin, must be put out by AAA as it's marked on it, anyway-has Pinnochio and a vw car, (Dh likes vw's) is it a real trader, or disney pin? he prob. wouldn't trade it, wondering if it's worth it to pay money,or is it a free promo pin of some sort



Is it this pin 18372: AAA Travel Company 2003 Pin - Pinocchio?

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=18372&sid=8936.1170979606.v2


----------



## 2Pirates_1Princess

I have never bought or traded pins before.  I am going to look on ebay and want to buy some for my kids to trade.  We will be at Disney for a week in June.  How many pins should I buy for each kid to start trading with ?


----------



## Suzflee

I'm guessing you have 3 children based on your name?  Ages?  My kids got into it and they were 7, 10.  If you don't get enough, you'll be tempted to buy them at full price while you are there.

the hard part is, when you trade for one you really want, you don't want to give that one up and eventually you'll get all "keepers"  dad usually offered up one of his when DS found another star wars one that he wanted!

Depending on how many days you'll be at the park and how old they are, I might give them 3-4 each day?  definitely don't give them all to them at one time - hold some out as a surprise for later in the trip!

have a great time!


----------



## mamacatnv

Suzflee said:


> I'm guessing you have 3 children based on your name?  Ages?  My kids got into it and they were 7, 10.  If you don't get enough, you'll be tempted to buy them at full price while you are there.
> 
> the hard part is, when you trade for one you really want, you don't want to give that one up and eventually you'll get all "keepers"  dad usually offered up one of his when DS found another star wars one that he wanted!
> 
> Depending on how many days you'll be at the park and how old they are, I might give them 3-4 each day?  definitely don't give them all to them at one time - hold some out as a surprise for later in the trip!
> 
> have a great time!


We went thru 110 between 3 of us with my DD 8 being the most active trader.  At the end of the day we reviewed our lanyards and decided what was a keeper, took it off and added new traders in place.  

We set off every day with between 7-10 traders and even tho we traded once it was not unusual for us to trade a traded pin away until we got a true keeper.


----------



## hastrobb

We went to WDW in May of 2000 and got a few pins then.  Is there a place I can look up the ones I have and see if they are worth anything before we trade them.  I looked at the back of them and did not see any number or anything 2 of them say Disney Fotoball one is pin #67 0f 101 and the other is #42 of 101.  The other ones are the 2000 hand in hand celebration pins.  Thanks for any help.


----------



## Suzflee

Hastrobb,

Check out

pinpics dot com

You don't need a number.  Just type in a description.  You might have to look through a few before you find yours but it's not too hard.

happy trading!


----------



## hastrobb

Thanks!  That is a great help.


----------



## 2Pirates_1Princess

Thanks for the great advice.  I am waiting for my first batch of pins to arrive and am currently bidding on more. I also plan a trip to the disney store this week to check out the pin sale.  I heard someone mention that they got a star wars pin from a cast member.  Is this possible ?  Do you know if they have star wars themed lanyards ?  My 3 kids are DD4, DS7 and DS10.  I think I will start the older two with 7 pins and limit the little one to 4 pins.  Once again thanks for all the great advice.


----------



## AprilLooWho

We are going on our first WDW trip in 8 days and we ave decided to try pin trading.  I know ...last minute idea!    Anyway...we ran over to the mall and picked up Pirates of the Carribean lanyards at Claires's, ( they also have High School Musical, and Cheetah girls).  We went to the Disney store and got a cool light up Peter Pan pin. We also got some Little Mermaid and Peter Pan pins in sets of 3 that are small.  I have heard that these are still tradeable.  I also got my dd's each a set of "the fairies" pins that are small flower shaped pins.  Are these okay to start with???  Will they be able to trade the small ones?  Are the CM's going to even want to trade them for the small ones???   Thanks for the input!


----------



## kristennn

We're going to Disney in June. it will be myself, my husband, my daughter who will turn 4 while we are there and my 7 year old niece.  Aside from my husband none of us have been there before . We are going with make a wish (my dd had a liver transplant) 
 So I am just learning all about disney in general ... and I am wondering if we should do the pin trading. I think it sounds like fun. Is it something we will have time for though?  I am thinking about buying pins in advance for all 4 of us.  What is a good reasonable number to get?  We have three day hopper passes at disney a one day pass to seaworld and a one day hopper pass at universal. Do you only trade at the disney parks? 
 - Also I am not sure what the lanyards look like ... does everyone put their pin on the same sort of thing - or does it vary? 
 I'm just trying to figure out if this is something that will be fun for us to do!


----------



## Suzflee

Kristen,
Not sure if you've had time to read some of the former posts so I might be repeating some stuff but here goes...

Really depends on the kids and their interests.  Mine loved the fun of the hunt for the pins/characters they were interested in.  

You don't really "make time" for it...you just do it as you're walking, waiting in line, waiting for a parade.  Cast members are the safest folks to trade with since you can give them any pin and request any pin they have (just can't give them one they already have)

I found a set of 7 pooh and a set of 10 mickeys for less than $3 each on ebay.  A former poster went thru 110 pins for three or four in her family...we didn't come close to that and it's a little out of my budget but it was definitely worth it.

yes, disney parks only for disney pins...

as far as the lanyards, you can find those on ebay too but we just used ones (non-disney) we had around the house.  my daughter and husb used their hats and I've seen them on backpacks before also.

Keep reading all the threads here and you'll find out all you need to know about how to make your visit the best!


----------



## kristennn

what do you think about these ebay auctions/sellers ...
item # 160087477531
 #160085817175

 Let me know what you think!


----------



## Parkhopper

hastrobb said:


> We went to WDW in May of 2000 and got a few pins then.  Is there a place I can look up the ones I have and see if they are worth anything before we trade them.  I looked at the back of them and did not see any number or anything 2 of them say Disney Fotoball one is pin #67 0f 101 and the other is #42 of 101.  The other ones are the 2000 hand in hand celebration pins.  Thanks for any help.



Are these your pins?

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=424&sid=2665.1172069735

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=649&sid=2665.1172069735

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=5&sid=2682.1172069857

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=1&sid=2682.1172069857

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=2&sid=2682.1172069857

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=3&sid=2682.1172069857

Suzi


----------



## hastrobb

Yes the first 2 and the last 2 are my pins.  Thanks for your help in looking.


----------



## Ragetti

My family is excited to do pintrading for our WDW vacation coming up.  Is there a good place to purchase lanyards and/or starter sets before the trip?  The official disney store site seems to have a very limited selection.


----------



## springandmac

I've recently bought several lots from pincastle on ebay.  But I noticed that instead of having the black mickey shaped backs, these have small gold rubber backs.  Does anyone think this will be a problem trading?


----------



## missj1975

springandmac said:


> I've recently bought several lots from pincastle on ebay.  But I noticed that instead of having the black mickey shaped backs, these have small gold rubber backs.  Does anyone think this will be a problem trading?



The backs don't matter when you trade.  As long as the pin is stamped disney, you are ok.  When I traded in December, I had some pins with metal backs.  Some cm's would exchange the backs when trading the pins.  In otherwords they would keep the nice rubber back and I would keep the metal back.  Other cm's were the complete opposite, they would want me to have the nice rubber back and they kept the metal back.  It kind of drove me crazy because no one was consistent but it doesn't really matter.  Backs are easily replaced.  You can buy packs of just rubber backs at the pin stores. I also bought a packet of small gold rubber backs off of ebay for my personal collection because I don't like the metal backs.


----------



## dec181981

ok so i bought an auction of pins before i found this thread...DOH!  can you tell me if this was a good deal?  the ebay item # 170082908628


----------



## Parkhopper

dec181981 said:


> ok so i bought an auction of pins before i found this thread...DOH!  can you tell me if this was a good deal?  the ebay item # 170082908628



Those are all fine and tradeable pins.

Suzi


----------



## Parkhopper

kristennn said:


> what do you think about these ebay auctions/sellers ...
> item # 160087477531
> #160085817175
> 
> Let me know what you think!



The first seller says that they are all tradeable and no Sedesmas.  He says no pins from Europe so I would hope that it meant no Propins as they are also inferior looking/feeling and sometimes difficult to trade to Cast Members.  If you want to be sure, I would certainly ask the seller BEFORE bidding.

The second seller specifically says no Propins or Sedesmas so I would think that these pins would be okay.  I would ask both sellers if all of the pins have a Disney backstamp before bidding.

Suzi


----------



## 2Pirates_1Princess

What are Sedesmas ?  I am new to pin trading and hope things go okay.  I have seen this word several times in different places, but am clueless .


----------



## EpcotMatt

kristennn said:


> what do you think about these ebay auctions/sellers ...
> item # 160087477531
> #160085817175
> 
> Let me know what you think!



These look ok, based on the sellers' high positive feedback. Personally I normally don't bid on pins when they show a general picture. I want to see exactly what I'm getting. But it looks like both sellers are legit.


----------



## EpcotMatt

dec181981 said:


> ok so i bought an auction of pins before i found this thread...DOH!  can you tell me if this was a good deal?  the ebay item # 170082908628



These are fine. In case you wanted some more info, it looks like their PinPics ids are:

Pin 46537: Pirates of the Caribbean Lanyard/Pin Starter Set (Pirate Mickey Mouse) 

Pin 47098: DLR - Pirates of the Caribbean 'Legend of the Golden Pins' - Starter Set - Captain Jack Sparrow Pin 

Pin 47071: DLR - Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirate with Gold Coins


----------



## Parkhopper

2Pirates_1Princess said:


> What are Sedesmas ?  I am new to pin trading and hope things go okay.  I have seen this word several times in different places, but am clueless .




Sedesma is a company that was licensed to produce Disney pins.  They technically are tradeable because they say "Disney" on the back, but some Cast Members have been unhappy about receiving them because they are really cheap looking.  The pins are very thin and almost feel like plastic because they are so lightweight.  

Suzi


----------



## tammymacb

I'm interested in these pins for an upcoming cruise.  I know nothing about them..  Are they OK?

260087578521
170081888837  

Thanks!


----------



## dvcnewgirl

Can someon tell me if these are OK. ebay 180086948082 Thanks!


----------



## EpcotMatt

tammymacb said:


> I'm interested in these pins for an upcoming cruise.  I know nothing about them..  Are they OK?
> 
> 260087578521
> 170081888837
> 
> Thanks!



260087578521 are legit. But at over $5.00 each {with shipping} as an opening bid, if you're simply planning on trading them, I'd pass. You can find pins in the $3.00 range if you're just looking to trade.

170081888837 is Pin 47851: DisneyShopping.com - The Little Mermaid DVD (GWP). Again, at $4.00 currently, not a great deal.

These 2 auctions are nice if you're looking to collect those specific pins. But if you're simply looking for traders, try searching eBay under "disney pin lot". You'll find plenty of auctions with groups of 5, 10, and more pins at roughly $2.50-$3.00 each. 

Good luck!


----------



## EpcotMatt

dvcnewgirl said:


> Can someon tell me if these are OK. ebay 180086948082 Thanks!



Looks like the auction has ended already, but looks like they were Pin 45834: Booster Collection - Mickey Mouse & Friends (4 Pin Set). However, the auction only had 3 of the 4. I would have sent the seller a question regarding confirm if that was the case, that 1 of the original pins was missing{no big deal if they're traders}. But it looks like they were legit pins.


----------



## dvcnewgirl

EpcotMatt said:


> Looks like the auction has ended already, but looks like they were Pin 45834: Booster Collection - Mickey Mouse & Friends (4 Pin Set). However, the auction only had 3 of the 4. I would have sent the seller a question regarding confirm if that was the case, that 1 of the original pins was missing{no big deal if they're traders}. But it looks like they were legit pins.



Thanks so much I am the one that bought them, I couldn't wait since it was ending. Glad to know they are probably OK. I really appreciate that you started this thread to help newbies like me!!


----------



## EpcotMatt

dvcnewgirl said:


> Thanks so much I am the one that bought them, I couldn't wait since it was ending. Glad to know they are probably OK. I really appreciate that you started this thread to help newbies like me!!



Congrats. Looks like you paid about $3 per pin which is decent. Just a little sidebar, soapbox-ish here, but when I'm looking for pins, I avoid sellers who charge more for shipping then really necessary. With pins, first-class shipping is generally the norm. And I'll go as high as $2.50 or $3.00 with shipping charges. But considering it costs less than a buck generally to ship a pin, when someone is charging in the $4.95 range like your auction for only 1st class shipping, it just rubs me a little the wrong way. More of a principal thing really, not a big deal. In the end you tend to pay the same per pin. And I know they're doing it to pay less in eBay fees. But it's one of those things that just tweaks me. That & the sellers that ship a pin $2.95 & offer a "discount" of only $2.00 shipping for each additional pin. So if I buy 10 pins in 10 separate auctions, instead of $29.50 for shipping{$2.95 x 10} the shipping charge is generously discounted to $20.95{$2.95 + 9 more pins at $2 each}. 

Ok, I'm done. Sorry about that.


----------



## dvcnewgirl

EpcotMatt said:


> Congrats. Looks like you paid about $3 per pin which is decent. Just a little sidebar, soapbox-ish here, but when I'm looking for pins, I avoid sellers who charge more for shipping then really necessary. With pins, first-class shipping is generally the norm. And I'll go as high as $2.50 or $3.00 with shipping charges. But considering it costs less than a buck generally to ship a pin, when someone is charging in the $4.95 range like your auction for only 1st class shipping, it just rubs me a little the wrong way. More of a principal thing really, not a big deal. In the end you tend to pay the same per pin. And I know they're doing it to pay less in eBay fees. But it's one of those things that just tweaks me. That & the sellers that ship a pin $2.95 & offer a "discount" of only $2.00 shipping for each additional pin. So if I buy 10 pins in 10 separate auctions, instead of $29.50 for shipping{$2.95 x 10} the shipping charge is generously discounted to $20.95{$2.95 + 9 more pins at $2 each}.
> 
> Ok, I'm done. Sorry about that.



No problem I knew the shipping was a rip off. I am just trying to get some pins for my 4 year old to trade and not annoy cm's. Any info is great. I have my eye on a 10 lot set but it has 3 days on it. If I get that I am done. I will ask before I bid if it is legit I just do not want to waste your time if the bidding goes higher than I am willing to spend. What does a cast pin mean?? Thanks!


----------



## tammymacb

Thanks again for the info!  What an informative thread.

I'm going on two cruises with my 10 yo daughter and 15 yo son.  I'm not sure if my son will be interested but who knows .  I think it would be fun for them but I don't want to break the bank OR end up with a bunch of "crap" pins to unload on the poor CMs so I'm really trying to do it the right way.


----------



## dvcnewgirl

Can someone tell me about these:

ebay  250083654249
Thanks!!


----------



## tammymacb

How about this one??

150093313743


----------



## EpcotMatt

dvcnewgirl said:


> Can someone tell me about these:
> 
> ebay  250083654249
> Thanks!!




Looks like I got to this one after it ended.


----------



## EpcotMatt

tammymacb said:


> How about this one??
> 
> 150093313743



I'm not as familiar with DL pins as I am WDW pins. I do recognize some of these as legit. My guess is that they're all good. The seller states that they bought them at DL so you should be good to go. You may just want to send the seller a question asking where all of the pins were purchased. She mentions at DL{her listing states that "both" were bought at DL, so this may just be a typo from another auction she had}. But it looks like they're not all from DL, some look to be from the DS, which is fine. I just suggest to be sure of them all. If they're not all from DL, ask where the others are from, just to be sure. But it looks like they're all good.

FYI, it looks like these are some of the pins in the auction:

Pin 15226: DL - Princess Castle Series (Cinderella) 
Pin 15228: DL - Princess Castle Series (Snow White)
Pin 6512: DL - Princess Portrait Series (Snow White) 
Pin 23401: DLR - Tinker Bell Rhinestone Star
Pin 16198: Magical Musical Moments - Follow Your Heart {Disney Store pin}
Pin 6709: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs DVD bonus {Disney Store pin}
Pin 15270: Pin Trading Starter Kit (Princesses) Cinderella & Snow White 
Pin 6086: DS - Seven Dwarfs (DVD Gift) {Disney Store pin}
Pin 28627: DLR - Snow White An Enchanting New Musical 
Pin 16431: Princess Hinged Windows (Ariel) 
Pin 16432: Princess Hinged Windows (Aurora) 
Pin 16433: Princess Hinged Windows (Belle) 
Pin 16434: Princess Hinged Windows (Cinderella) 
Pin 16435: Princess Hinged Windows (Jasmine) 
Pin 16436: Princess Hinged Windows (Snow White) 
Pin 16437: Princess Hinged Windows Series (Tinker Bell) 

These hinged window pins look to be popular according to PinPics. If you win the auction, you may want to keep those & perhaps try to trade them on PinPics. Just an idea.  Good luck!


----------



## EpcotMatt

dvcnewgirl said:


> No problem I knew the shipping was a rip off. I am just trying to get some pins for my 4 year old to trade and not annoy cm's. Any info is great. I have my eye on a 10 lot set but it has 3 days on it. If I get that I am done. I will ask before I bid if it is legit I just do not want to waste your time if the bidding goes higher than I am willing to spend. What does a cast pin mean?? Thanks!



When they say cast pin I'm assuming they mean cast lanyard pin {which are the pins you can't buy & can only get on cm's lanyards via trade}. But they could also mean cast exclusive pin which are the pins that can be purchased, but only by cm's.


----------



## dvcnewgirl

Hopefully I will stop asking too late but if anyone can tell me about ebay#300082702306  

Thanks!!


----------



## EpcotMatt

dvcnewgirl said:


> Hopefully I will stop asking too late but if anyone can tell me about ebay#300082702306
> 
> Thanks!!



Those pins are good. Good luck!


----------



## dvcnewgirl

EpcotMatt said:


> Those pins are good. Good luck!



Thanks again!


----------



## pintrader4life

i love pin trading


----------



## kristennn

I just bougth a lot of cast lanyard pins ... and I was ;looking at the cast lanyard pins that are coming out in 2007 on a pin site. Does anyone know a site that lists which pins are coming out which specific month. 
 Also I am wondering ... will i see a lot of the pins that came out that month on cast lanyards while I am at disney? Are the ones that just came out and came out the prior month or two easy to find? In general  do CM's have a lot of cast lanyard pins to trade? 
  Also another question ... how does it work with cast members and pins ..  i am assuming those pins aren't really theirs but are instead property of disney that they just hold onto  as sort of an all over the park attraction? IS that the case - and if so why do they get mad if they are traded cruddy pins ... is it just because then  no one wants to trade with them?


----------



## pbnjrockette

kristennn said:


> I just bougth a lot of cast lanyard pins ... and I was ;looking at the cast lanyard pins that are coming out in 2007 on a pin site. Does anyone know a site that lists which pins are coming out which specific month.
> 
> *These sites list new pins:
> http://dizpins.com/
> http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/search/results?newPins=true*
> 
> 
> Also I am wondering ... will i see a lot of the pins that came out that month on cast lanyards while I am at disney? Are the ones that just came out and came out the prior month or two easy to find? In general  do CM's have a lot of cast lanyard pins to trade?
> 
> *I hope you do find new cast lanyard pins! In December we saw few cast lanyard pins, but each day and each park is different.*
> 
> Also another question ... how does it work with cast members and pins ..  i am assuming those pins aren't really theirs but are instead property of disney that they just hold onto  as sort of an all over the park attraction? IS that the case - and if so why do they get mad if they are traded cruddy pins ... is it just because then  no one wants to trade with them?



*It is my understanding that each cast member gets a lanyard with pins at the start of the day---not sure how the pins are chosen to be on each lanyard but when we took the backstage tour underground in Magic Kingdom we saw a room where the cast members could "refresh" their lanyards  (really wanted to get into that room!!!)

We never saw any cast member get "mad"---all were amazingly pleasant when politely asked "May I see your pins?"   I'm sure they get frustrated when people give them "junk" (or better termed---'less desirable pins') because guests aren't as apt to be as happy to trade for those.   We saw a lot of "cuties" on lanyards that we weren't at all interested in but someone else would come along and just love those pins!  To each his own!!

Happy trading!!  Wish I were going back to trade soon!*


----------



## iheartdisney

OK....I've officially been bitten. I've been TRYING to get some pins for trading this weekend when we head down...but I keep bidding on pins I LIKE...how do i stop?! 
Do I just need to bid blindly on a large lot, or just pick a character who is not favorite of mine, so I won't want to keep it?
Because I got two lanyard sets, one stitch set (who I love) and one Americana (which I REALLY love *hoo-rah*) and now my OCD is kicking in, that I can't break up the set...
I'm going mad! 
Also, can anyone tell me how much pins go for at the outlets near Disnayland? And do they have a good selection?


----------



## tammymacb

I'm hoping someone will see this- it ends quickly.  

110095689530


----------



## dec181981

so is this auction too good to be true.  I was thinking I could just pick out the pins that we wanted 20-30 and sell the rest on ebay?


----------



## Parkhopper

tammymacb said:


> I'm hoping someone will see this- it ends quickly.
> 
> 110095689530



 6 of those are good tradeable pins, two are buttons (the square/rectangular looking ones on the top left).  Buttons are not tradeable.  Also, the red, white and blue Liberty Bell pin is not tradeable (it *does* say Disney on the back, but it is not really a Disney pin - it was something that the company gave to Cast Members in commemoration of September 11.)

Suzi


----------



## Parkhopper

dec181981 said:


> so is this auction too good to be true.  I was thinking I could just pick out the pins that we wanted 20-30 and sell the rest on ebay?
> 
> [
> I don't know what to tell you about this group.  They are all probably tradeable pins.  Most, if not all, come from Europe.  I have seen an awful lot of some of these pins on my last few trips including the two that look like clocks with Mickey ears, the oval one and the ones that look like stamps.  I cannot say for sure that there is anything wrong with these pins, but it makes me wonder when so many of the same pin show up if they might be scappers (unauthorized pins manufactured illegally by the actual plants that make the real Disney pins).
> 
> I guess I would tell you that I would be leary.  Anyone else want to take a look and offer an opinion?
> 
> Suzi


----------



## missj1975

dec181981 said:


> so is this auction too good to be true.  I was thinking I could just pick out the pins that we wanted 20-30 and sell the rest on ebay?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes this auction is too good to be true.  I bought a smaller lot and hated them.  The are extremely cheap looking and some of them weren't even metal, more like plastic.  I was very embarassed to trade and I had a couple of cm's comment about my cheap pins.  I do believe they are scrapper pins.


----------



## dec181981

thanks for the advice, we decided it was more hassle then it was worth.


----------



## iheartdisney

Anyone have any experience with the seller, dz00? They have 100% feedback, just want to see if anyone has dealt with them before?


----------



## charl

do you know if pin castle ship to the uk?

thanks


----------



## Suzflee

Epcot Matt,

Thanks again for your help!     

Had a wonderful one day trip to the world and my sisters loved their pins.  Even bought more themselves (paid full price in the park - yikes!) since half way thru the day they only had keepers on their lanyards.  I've got a pic of our take home pins on my TR.

Thanks for your guidance!


----------



## EpcotMatt

Suzflee said:


> Epcot Matt,
> 
> Thanks again for your help!
> 
> Had a wonderful one day trip to the world and my sisters loved their pins.  Even bought more themselves (paid full price in the park - yikes!) since half way thru the day they only had keepers on their lanyards.  I've got a pic of our take home pins on my TR.
> 
> Thanks for your guidance!



That's awesome. I'm glad you had a great time. We're heading down in June so I guess I better start finding some traders now.


----------



## missj1975

iheartdisney said:


> Anyone have any experience with the seller, dz00? They have 100% feedback, just want to see if anyone has dealt with them before?
> 
> 
> 
> I have never bought from him but those are good pins at a great price.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My ebay user id is Missj1975.


----------



## Parkhopper_Vince

Please refrain from providing links to specific auctions or promoting your own auctions as this is not permitted. 

Thank you.


----------



## EpcotMatt

Parkhopper_Vince said:


> Please refrain from providing links to specific auctions or promoting your own auctions as this is not permitted.
> 
> Thank you.



Just curious as to who was linking to their own auctions? I assumed all the auctions listed here were auctions folks were looking to bid on. Am I mistaken? Thanks.


----------



## EpcotMatt

Suzflee said:


> Epcot Matt,
> 
> Thanks again for your help!
> 
> Had a wonderful one day trip to the world and my sisters loved their pins.  Even bought more themselves (paid full price in the park - yikes!) since half way thru the day they only had keepers on their lanyards.  I've got a pic of our take home pins on my TR.
> 
> Thanks for your guidance!



I wasn't able to view your pics earlier because my wotk laptop doesn't allow me to view pics in threads sometimes. But, now that I've seen them, I'm psyched. As I posted in your other thread, there's a pin on your lanyard that I got my last trip & can't find it on PinPics. It's on the very left lanyard, 4th pin from the top. It's Mickey wearing a fancy colored shirt with his right hand in the air & his left hand with some sort of color wheel. Does anyone know which pin this is? Thanks.


----------



## my3princes

This is a wonderful thread.  I just started looking for pins that my 3 sons can trade on our 3 week WDW vacation this summer.  I think that I need about 100 pins to keep the 3 of them supplied for our trip.  They have traded before and loved it.  The overall point that I have gotten here it to avoid Lesser quality pins though it seems that they are tradeable?  Are Disneyland Paris Pins less desirable?  Tradeable?  I was looking at a lot of 100 on ebay for what seems a great price, but they are all from Disneyland Paris.  I know that my kids don't trade based on quality, just on whatever character they have chosen to keep on a certain trip or day.  Any info would be appreciated before I make a large investment.

Thanks
Deb


----------



## tammymacb

EpcotMatt said:


> Just curious as to who was linking to their own auctions? I assumed all the auctions listed here were auctions folks were looking to bid on. Am I mistaken? Thanks.




It sure isn't me!  I have appreciated you checking the auctions and telling me if the pins I'm considering are good traders.  Since I know nothing about them, I can't look them up on my own.  I'm disappointed that the questions about specific auctions are no longer allowed.


----------



## Parkhopper_Vince

I think that you have misunderstood my post. I asked for two separate things in my post:

1. Please refrain from linking to specific auctions. This means no clickable hyperlink. I did not say that you couldn't ask about a specific auction number as to whether the pins looked to be of good quality or not. I do understand the purpose of this thread is to try to help people with information.

2.Please refrain from promoting your own auctions. This is not permitted in any way.

If there are any questions please feel free to e-mail me.

Thank you.


----------



## missj1975

Parkhopper_Vince said:


> Please refrain from providing links to specific auctions or promoting your own auctions as this is not permitted.
> 
> Thank you.



Sorry!!!  Thought it was ok since everyone does it on the budget board.  My bad!


----------



## blueroses

I wanted to thank you guys for this thread.  Before my last trip, I bought a lot of 50 pins from pinseller.com/who was recommended o...to so many CMs and got some really cool pins.


----------



## pintrader4life

blueroses said:


> I wanted to thank you guys for this thread.  Before my last trip, I bought a lot of 50 pins from pinseller.com who was recommended on this thread.  The pins were great (except there were maybe *too many* "keepers").  I used to buy more pins than I traded on trips, but this time I actually did more trading.  It was SO fun!  I'd start the morning by filling a lanyard with 10-15 pins and set a goal of trading every pin on there.  I got to talk to so many CMs and got some really cool pins.





I agree im a huge pin trade and i (well im only 13 but my mom) buys from pin sellers but i kind of like that there are "keepers"


----------



## steelcitymom

I would like to accumulate some pins for my little ones to trade on our FIRST disney trip ever.  With three kiddos this may be expensive.
So can you tell me...
How many pins will they each need to start?  I thought maybe 10??
What is the cheapest way possible to do this?
I'm new to the boards, but is there a thread of "donor" pins that traders don't need or want.  Maybe in exchange you look for something for them in WDW.
Finally, I have a set of pooh character pins from late 90's.  I waitressed at TGIFriday's at the time and we wore pins on our suspenders.  I got them from the disney store, I think there are 4-5.   Do you think they are collectible at all?  Maybe I could trade them for a larger quantity of more common pins?
Just thinking out loud I guess.
And what about the Green lanyard?  They don't trade?
Thanks for all your help.  I am so excited about this trip!!!!


----------



## momoftwins

Hi all -

I have 10 yr old twins who love to trade pins (well moms likes them too!)  It has been a while since I have bought any pins. The last time I bought any was from Disneyshopping.  I bought a couple of sets on sale which made them very reasonable.

Well, it's time to plan for our November trip.  Can someone recommend a reputable place to get some - that won't cost me an arm and a leg. 

The price for pins at the parks are just crazy.  We just can't afford them for two kids at full price. 

Thanks and have a great day!


----------



## tammymacb

This isn't a pin I'd buy to trade but I absolutly love it.  Since I would buy it to keep, and I know NOTHING about the pins actual worth....what should be my maximum bid range.  Thanks again for your help, you guys are awesome!  

300086818879


----------



## MomToAp1699

I had a question, I worked with a seller that had TONS of postive feedback on ebay. Had heard good things about them. etc.. Now I Find out that at least 1 style of pin they sent ( they sent 4 of this style) is a fake. I contacted the seller in regards to it and basically got if you dont want them send all 50 pins back. I don't have the time or the money to send 50 pins back at the moment and wait for the paypal back and replace them before I leave. Just wondered if there is any way I can find out if anyone else has had a similar problem. Now I am worried all the pins are not real


----------



## Luv2Roam

What pin(s) did you receive that you do not think are legit?


----------



## Luv2Roam

A pin is worth whatever someone will pay for it. 
You will learn by experience not to over pay for a pin ince you do it. And chances are you will sometime.
A pin may be worth a lot one day. And the next be worth $4. The secondary mrket is very fluid. It could run the opposite -- worth $6 one day and be worth $200 in a week.
If we could predict the value we would all have retired long ago.


----------



## MomToAp1699

Luv2Roam said:


> What pin(s) did you receive that you do not think are legit?



They are Round Jessica Rabbit Pins.. but they are missing the glitter background.  Unfortunatly I can find them listed in a good 10 places as not being an official issue pin but rather a lower quality copy. Thankfully It appears those are the only problem pins in the lot.. so 4 out of 50 I guess I can survive!


----------



## Vickie46

can someone email me and tell me someone good to buy from on ebay>?


----------



## Suzflee

Vickie46 said:


> can someone email me and tell me someone good to buy from on ebay>?



Vickie - Always check the feedback and look at some of the pins that the seller has sold in the past and how much they went for.  The seller is important but I think the explanation of the pins and the quality is more so.

I did have success with three sellers recently - pins1217, bmello81

both had nice lots - some keepers, all tradeable.  One of them, can't remember who, was even going to swap one out for me but didn't have the Dopey I wanted.

Got a single pin from a911mom

If you're looking for trades, I'd definitely focus on the lots where you can actually see the pins you're getting - not the "grab bag" variety...IMO I like to know what I'm getting.

happy bidding !!


----------



## Madi100

I've been trying to go to pinfinder and I can't access the site.  Can anyone else get onto the site?


----------



## Brian_WDW74

Madi100 said:


> I've been trying to go to pinfinder and I can't access the site.  Can anyone else get onto the site?



I can get to it fine. Maybe you just ran into a temporary glitch or something?

*Brian*


----------



## disneypartyof4

Hey Ya, Can someone check out this new ebay person. the id is nllpins only has a 5  Has alot of pins are they good. I am thinking to get some for the boys 10 and 7 to trade at the parks. some are ending in 2 hours. Thanks alot Lisa


----------



## Madi100

Brian_WDW74 said:


> I can get to it fine. Maybe you just ran into a temporary glitch or something?
> 
> *Brian*



Thanks.  I got into it earlier at a different computer, but still can't access it here now.  Can't on my laptop either.


----------



## PinCrazed

When my wife and I first saw the Disney trading pins a few years ago we were at Pin Central at the Marketplace in Downtown Disney.  One of the power traders were outside and we asked him what it was all about.  His response, which I will never forget was "If you don't know what this is, take your kids and run because it is the most addicting hobby you can have"

He was right and I can not tell you how much we enjoy collecting, trading and to be honest just looking at pins that have come out over the years. 

So if you are new to pin trading please do not hesitate to ask any questions about the addiction, er I mean hobby.


----------



## AngieWin

Has anyone bought traders from dizpins.com?  It was recommended to me, but I wanted to see if anyone here has bought from someone there.


----------



## pindecisive

MomToAp1699 said:


> I Just wondered if there is any way I can find out if anyone else has had a similar problem. Now I am worried all the pins are not real



Sometimes it doesnt matter.

You could do a couple things.

Chalk it up to being a brown m&m in a tub of green and just toss it

or 

Try and trade it at the park, if you mention it's a fake sometimes they'll just pocket it and give you a good one.


----------



## pindecisive

steelcitymom said:


> How many pins will they each need to start?  I thought maybe 10??
> What is the cheapest way possible to do this?
> I'm new to the boards, but is there a thread of "donor" pins that traders don't need or want.  Maybe in exchange you look for something for them in WDW.
> Finally, I have a set of pooh character pins from late 90's.  I waitressed at TGIFriday's at the time and we wore pins on our suspenders.  I got them from the disney store, I think there are 4-5.   Do you think they are collectible at all?  Maybe I could trade them for a larger quantity of more common pins?
> Just thinking out loud I guess.
> And what about the Green lanyard?  They don't trade?
> Thanks for all your help.  I am so excited about this trip!!!!



6 would be good actually. It just depends on if you're going to buy any at the park or not.

Ebay is the least expensive round here. Though getting "cheap" pins isnt a good idea, you should try to look for good cast lanyard series pins for a fair price. Buying cheap Euro and such just drives the rest of us crazy when we find that's all thats on the lanyards in the parks.

Cast Members with Green/Teal lanyards can only trade to kids (Though some overlook this and will trade to adults anyway)

Good luck and have fun!


----------



## MomToAp1699

pindecisive said:


> Try and trade it at the park, if you mention it's a fake sometimes they'll just pocket it and give you a good one.



I figure we are ok with what we have.. Its a child trading them so I am pretty sure thats what would happen if he tried to trade them but I think I would rather just let him give them to his buddies or something


----------



## GoofyBaby

AngieWin said:


> Has anyone bought traders from dizpins.com?  It was recommended to me, but I wanted to see if anyone here has bought from someone there.



Yes - I have bought from the dizpins message boards and had no problems.  You can check seller/trader feedback to make sure they are legit.  I also bought 23 traders from pincastle for my trip last week and I traded all but 4 of them (only because I ran out of time) in the parks and at WOD.  They all had the black Mickey backs and had the Disney backstamp and I even got some nice cast lanyards that I kept for myself!  I paid about $3.00 per pin.  I know I could buy pins cheaper than that, but I choose (and this is just me) to stay away from propins & sedesma pins and I love the customer service at pincastle.  

Sorry - that was probably way more information that you wanted!


----------



## disneytraceyl

This hobby started inisently enough.  I bought a few pins to trade to commemerate my daughter's first disney trip (6 months old).  This has became a full blown hobby.  My daughter is 5 years old now and loves to trade.  She is looking forward to our upcoming trip.  We now have 2 books full of pins.  I thought about going through them, so she has more traders.  Would anyone suggest that?


----------



## AngieWin

GoofyBaby said:


> Yes - I have bought from the dizpins message boards and had no problems.  You can check seller/trader feedback to make sure they are legit.  I also bought 23 traders from pincastle for my trip last week and I traded all but 4 of them (only because I ran out of time) in the parks and at WOD.  They all had the black Mickey backs and had the Disney backstamp and I even got some nice cast lanyards that I kept for myself!  I paid about $3.00 per pin.  I know I could buy pins cheaper than that, but I choose (and this is just me) to stay away from propins & sedesma pins and I love the customer service at pincastle.
> 
> Sorry - that was probably way more information that you wanted!



I am new to dizpins, how do you check out feedback?


----------



## lovehoney

I'm super newbie at pin trading and just wanted to make sure I can trade these at WDW since most of these are Disneyland pins.  Does it make a difference?  Where do you find just WDW pins?

Ebay 170095456612


----------



## Melora

As long as it is a Disney pin it does not matter if its from Disneyland, WDW, or any of the other Disney Parks.

These pins that you are looking at are Lanyards and yes they are tradable at any park. 

We are ebay pin sellers (ID jeffmelzucker) and if you like I can direct you to some good pin lots that are inexpensive but contain good quality traders.


----------



## pindecisive

Melora said:


> As long as it is a Disney pin it does not matter if its from Disneyland, WDW, or any of the other Disney Parks.



Though thats true, I don't like to encourage people to buy Euros on Ebay and trade them.
Many traders hate euros and don't like to find the lanyards full of them when they go to WDW or DL.


----------



## disneypartyof4

How do you know if they are euros pins? I just bought some off of ebay, did not get them yet, I hope they are legit.  Do the euros pins still have the disney stamp on the back?


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

We have recently been sucked in by the pin trading addiction.  I have ordered about 150 pins from eBay through about 15 different sellers.  But now I am REALLY second guessing myself.

Some pins we got from eBay that are cast lanyard pins are different sizes than the pins we already had, so now the sets look very odd.  Many of the pins came in plastic bags closed with one staple, which PinPics says is a red flag for them being scrappers.  I guess for the "keepers" as long we are happy with them it doesn't matter, but I would hate to trade fakes or scrappers.  I also bought a bunch of "new" pins that are still on the cards, so I am kind of worried about those, too.  Yes, I got toally gouged on shipping, but not enough to bring those pins up to retail.  Perhaps it is better not to dwell on it.


----------



## pindecisive

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Some pins we got from eBay that are cast lanyard pins are different sizes than the pins we already had, so now the sets look very odd.  Many of the pins came in plastic bags closed with one staple, which PinPics says is a red flag for them being scrappers... but I would hate to trade fakes or scrappers.  I also bought a bunch of "new" pins that are still on the cards, so I am kind of worried about those, too.



I bought some from Ebay and those came in baggies and they were cast lanyard series. So I wouldn't put too much stock in that.

Just check on Pin Pics and see if they have "Known scrapper" or some such on it and just keep that in mind.

I came back from DL with about 3 possible scrappers and I would not have known if I hadn't checked the site.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

PinPics says it is very hard to tell the "scrappers" unless you have an authentic one to compare side by side.  The ones that I got in those little bags look fine to me, but then again, I don't have a definite authentic one to compare with!

DH says he is perfectly happy with all of his pins, even if some of them might be scrappers.  I guess with so many people buying traders from eBay there are bound to be bootlegs and scrappers on CM lanyards no matter what.


----------



## Number1Son

x


----------



## Number1Son

x


----------



## Donald is #1

I noticed a post a about 3 pages back and the poster said that they had good luck with pinseller's website.  Has anyone else used them?  Are these good pins to trade?


----------



## GoofyBaby

AngieWin said:


> I am new to dizpins, how do you check out feedback?



You can do this by going here.    If you are looking for specific members to check feedback on, you can find them in the Dizpins message boards.

Hope this helps and sorry for the delay in responding!


----------



## Brian_WDW74

Donald is #1 said:


> I noticed a post a about 3 pages back and the poster said that they had good luck with pinseller's website.  Has anyone else used them?  Are these good pins to trade?



I've used them. I've come across a couple of possible scrappers in my lot of 100, maybe 5 or so, but all the rest have been perfectly tradeable.

And let me stress that those 5 or so are _possible_ scrappers. For all I know, they might not be. But I've set them aside as non-tradeable just to sure.

*Brian*


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## Donald is #1

Brian_WDW74 said:


> I've used them. I've come across a couple of possible scrappers in my lot of 100, maybe 5 or so, but all the rest have been perfectly tradeable.
> 
> And let me stress that those 5 or so are _possible_ scrappers. For all I know, they might not be. But I've set them aside as non-tradeable just to sure.
> 
> *Brian*



Thanks!  I am bidding on a couple of lots on EBAY.  But the lots that I have been tracking are now selling for about the same per pin as pinseller's website.  So, if I don't get win the couple of lots that I am bidding on, I think that I will buy from pinseller and save the aggravation.


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## taylorsmommy05

Hi
 Can anyone tell me if these are Srappers? He seems to have an awful lot of them.... but they look so legit.... UGH!
 ebay id is...  bksdistribution   
He has a ton in his store CHEAP....
thanks
Jenn


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## MOM POPPINS

His pins all look good.  They are all legit pins.


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## Roxane

I would venture to guess that at least some are scrappers. The DLR Pirate Hidden Mickey pin hasn't been released at DLR yet, so anyone selling it had to get it from the factory.


----------



## taylorsmommy05

Once I get them... since I already ordered them... How will I know?
I got this email from him today.... Wierd too That I did not question him directly about this... only this forum....

"Hi,

I wanted to say thanks for the purchase and also to hopefully ease your mind about the pins you bought. Yes the prices are cheap but I buy the pins is larger lots from reputable people I dont make much on each pin and have to sell in volume in order to make any money.  I know this was a concern of yours but im sure youll be very happy with the pins when you receive them. Im shipping the items today!! Have a great weekend."

so I have been had haven't I? hahahah
Owell its for my daughter who most likely would rather wear the lanyard in disney than Trade any pins as she is still pretty young.

Jenn


----------



## missj1975

taylorsmommy05 said:


> Once I get them... since I already ordered them... How will I know?
> I got this email from him today.... Wierd too That I did not question him directly about this... only this forum....
> 
> "Hi,
> 
> I wanted to say thanks for the purchase and also to hopefully ease your mind about the pins you bought. Yes the prices are cheap but I buy the pins is larger lots from reputable people I dont make much on each pin and have to sell in volume in order to make any money.  I know this was a concern of yours but im sure youll be very happy with the pins when you receive them. Im shipping the items today!! Have a great weekend."
> 
> so I have been had haven't I? hahahah
> Owell its for my daughter who most likely would rather wear the lanyard in disney than Trade any pins as she is still pretty young.
> 
> Jenn



I buy from bksdistribution and they are all authentic disney pins.  I forwarded him this thread yesterday because I thought it was funny that someone was questioning his pins.  Anyway, you haven't been had because his pins aren't scrappers.


----------



## missj1975

Roxane said:


> I would venture to guess that at least some are scrappers. The DLR Pirate Hidden Mickey pin hasn't been released at DLR yet, so anyone selling it had to get it from the factory.



The pins aren't scrappers.  I have a couple of the DLR Pirate Hidden Mickey pins and no I didn't get them from "the factory" or from eBay.  And if anyone is curious, sorry but I won't reveal my source.


----------



## taylorsmommy05

I am glad to hear that! Thanks!! 
So how come he has those pirate pins that the poster above me said were scrappers? 
Just Curious! 
He was very nice.. I can't wait to get the pins regardless!


----------



## taylorsmommy05

hahah you posted my answer/question  before I asked!
thanks!


----------



## Roxane

missj1975 said:


> The pins aren't scrappers.  I have a couple of the DLR Pirate Hidden Mickey pins and no I didn't get them from "the factory" or from eBay.  And if anyone is curious, sorry but I won't reveal my source.



I'm sorry, but the pin reps at DLR say that none of the new hidden Mickey pirate pins have been released. The only way people could have them is either from the factory or stolen from backstage at DLR. I bought some of the Chip and Dale pins from that seller to check them out. The Turkey leg has the wrong backstamp.


----------



## missj1975

Roxane said:


> I'm sorry, but the pin reps at DLR say that none of the new hidden Mickey pirate pins have been released. The only way people could have them is either from the factory or stolen from backstage at DLR. I bought some of the Chip and Dale pins from that seller to check them out. The Turkey leg has the wrong backstamp.



Well, I will have to disagree because I didn't get mine from "the factory" and I didn't steal them either.


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## GhillieGirlBelle1987

Is there anybody here who is really into EPCOT pins, cuz I would really like to find some vintage EPCOT center pins but am having a hard time determining if some of them are legit or not.


----------



## princesssonny

I already bought from this seller, but was curious if her pins are legit.  They all look good to me with some that have cast lanyard series on the back along with most of them have the Official Pin Trader logo.  The item number of an auction similar to mine is 300102123601.


There is a seperate one I purchased that now I am not so sure about and the item number is 120109356804.

Can anyone authenticate a group of 5 cast lanyard series pins from Disneyland.  All are coupons with Mickey and each is devoted to a section of the park.  For example the B coupon pin says Disneyland good for choice of one with Mickey on it.  The two choices are Frontierland Mike Fink Keel Boats and Adventureland Swiss Family Tree House.  The pin is orange.  There are 4 others like this lettered A through E.  I think these pins are really cool and that is why I am asking.  Also, they do have Cast Lanyard Series stamped on the back.


----------



## GoofyBaby

missj1975 said:


> I buy from bksdistribution and they are all authentic disney pins.  I forwarded him this thread yesterday because I thought it was funny that someone was questioning his pins.  Anyway, you haven't been had because his pins aren't scrappers.



I am in no way trying to start an argument - just giving my experience here, but I recently bought a set of Mr. Toad cast lanyard pins from this seller and I found out later from the PinPics website that these particular pins are not even being released until November 2007.  PinPics says that these particular Mr. Toad pins out there right now are from the secondary market and that they are unauthorized.  Here are the PinPics links to the pins I bought - be sure to scroll nearly to the bottom of each page where it says these pins are unauthorized:

Mr. Toad pin
Mole pin
Rat pin
Angus MacBadger pin

I have to agree, because the quality of the pins I received from him were not Disney quality - uneven pin surfaces and some smeared paint.  I have never bought or traded a pin in Disney that looked like these did, as far as quality goes.  So I think I was had, and it was my own fault for not checking PinPics or Dizpins BEFORE I made the impulse purchase, but at least I was only out about $13.  Instead of buying pins from eBay in the future, I will purchase from reputable members on the Dizpins boards, which I have done before and have always been pleased with my purchases.  Dizpins said it best when they said that you really can't verify the authenticity of a pin unless you buy it directly from a Disney park.  It's true. . .some of the scrappers, unauthorized or counterfeit pins look so good that only a true pin expert could tell the difference!

This was just my experience!  Your mileage may vary.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Pins that are up for auction that have not been released yet should really be a red flag, I think.  I bought a TON of pins on eBay from a bunch of different sellers.  Soem were from the individual's own collection.  Some were probably scrappers.  I was looking at a 10-pin lot the other day when I noticed that same seller had an IDENTICAL lot closing a bit later.  Whne I went in to view "completed" auctions that seller has been selling that same identical set over and over.  Where on earth would someone get thousands of identical Cast Lanyard pins legitimately?  

Just looking at the pins that I suspect are scrappers is pointless - there is nothing visibly wrong with them, the back stamps are correct, the paint looks fine.  I really think I should stay away from eBay pins! 

I also think that even getting pins from CMs is an inexact science.  If someone traded a scrapper to the CM 2 minutes ago, then I come along and get the scrapper I would have no way of knowing it wasn't issued to the CM from Disney.  It is frustrating.


----------



## taylorsmommy05

I was the original poster who asked about bksdistribution.  After the first poster said his pins were Legit... I went and spent around 20$ with this seller.  I recieved the pins and YES they are TOTAL SCRAPPERS... the paint jobs HORRIBLE, the pins are not shiny like my disney pins, they don't have the same texture for the outline as my disney pins, etc... They are Junk, they are scrappers, they will not be going to Disney with us... I put them with my DD junk dress up jewlery...
Anyway I should have realized the signs before I even bid. I went and did a search on what he had purchased in the last month. He purchased single pins of pins that HE was now SELLING! Ok First Clue.. why I was such an idiot I have NO IDEA.. but I was and I was HAD!  He probably used the single Legit pins he bought on ebay to post the pictures of his Multiple quantitys of the scrappers!
Then another poster said his Pins were legit and sent him my post of this forum of me questioning his pins. I then get a reply back from BKsdistribution... That I actually posted a few pages back... Promising me he does NOT sell Scrapper, They they are all LEGIT, blah blah, blah.
Which then brings me to the day I recieve the pins... As soon as I opened them I could tell without even examing them very hard that they are scrappers.  How people are not seeing this purchasing from him I do not know.
What I also found funny was he enclosed TWO scripture cards with my order! I was SO discusted by the entire LIE/CON for being had... I didn't even read it. I just dumped the cards and envelope and threw the pins in the dress up box. 
ANYWAY... he is down to only a few pins from the hundreds and hundreds of quantity he had...But DON"T BUY from him unless you are looking for SCRAPPERS... JUNK ... TRASH! 
UNREAL! I won't buy any other pins now till we get to Disney... 
UNREAL is all I can say!
AND YES I HOPE HE READS THIS... SO SEND AWAY AGAIN TO HIM!


----------



## cinderellacm2000

Good heavens!

OK, first of all, no one is an idiot..lol. It has happened to all of us at one time or another. You learn from experiences and this is quite an experience. I too have marked this dude down as someone not to buy from. There is no excuse for selling junk. How do they get away with it? That is something I just do not understand. I hope everyone who has bought from him has left some ultra negative feedback.

Don't let one bad apple, (or even 100) spoil the entire ebay experience for you. For every bad experience there are probably multitudes of good ones there. A good seller even throws in extras from time to time to let people (and traders) know that he/she cares about the hobby and the customer base. Keep your chins up and don't be so hard on yourselves.

If you have questions about auctions, email someone that knows pins, or post on a message board that has people that know this hobby inside and out. We are all here as Disney fans to help you learn!


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## taylorsmommy05

unfortunatly nobody leaves him negative feedback... Because who wants to be the reciever of RETALIATIVE feedback... since sellers nolonger leave feed until the Buyer does... so in essence its a USUELESS system!


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

I am sorry your pins are junk!  That sucks!

I agree about feedback.  I am always BOGGLED when sellers leave feedback for me before I get the items, but my friend told me that's what the sellers are supposed to do!  I bought a 12 pin lot on Friday night and the seller left feedback for me on Saturday morning, then he sent me a note to let me know the pins shipped out that morning.  Very nice man.  I always leave nice feedback once my transaction is complete, but if I was a seller I would probably be very nervous about leaving feedback before I knew the customer was satisfied.  Or if I was a seller selling substandard merchandise I would hold my feedback so I could refute any negatives my buyers left!


----------



## EpcotMatt

As a seller, I always leave feedback as soon as the buyer pays. They fulfilled their end of the agreement. It's irrelevant how the rest of the deal goes. If all sellers did this, there wouldn't be retaliatory negs. And doesn't relatliation feedback not count as neg anymore? I've been away from ebay for awhile.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

EpcotMatt said:


> As a seller, I always leave feedback as soon as the buyer pays. They fulfilled their end of the agreement. It's irrelevant how the rest of the deal goes. If all sellers did this, there wouldn't be retalitory negs. And doesn't relatliation feedback not count as neg anymore? I've been away from ebay for awhile.



I don't know how that works. I have a whopping 22 transactions on eBay, and I just buy.  And after every transaction I swear that it will be my last!  Then I see just a few more pins.  Or just one more lot.  And I am right back in there, bidding and paying and watching the mailbox!


----------



## GoofyBaby

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Pins that are up for auction that have not been released yet should really be a red flag, I think...I also think that even getting pins from CMs is an inexact science.  If someone traded a scrapper to the CM 2 minutes ago, then I come along and get the scrapper I would have no way of knowing it wasn't issued to the CM from Disney.  It is frustrating.



So true.  I just saw the Mr. Toad pins on eBay and just bought them before I even knew that Disney hadn't officially released them yet!  I won't make that mistake again.  And when I go pin trading next month, I'll be looking at the CM's pins very carefully and hope I don't wind up with any scrappers.  I really don't want to circulate those!  My Mr. Toad pins are officially on my "pins not to trade" lanyard!


----------



## cinderellacm2000

GOOD FOR YOU!

I mean it- I totally commend you for your honesty. That is a lot more than many would do about scrappers. Good job!


----------



## GoofyBaby

Aww, thanks!   It's bad enough that people are out there trying to make money from selling scrapper pins that should have been discarded.  Since I was had by the eBay seller who sold me scrappers, I am certainly not going to pass the scrappers off to anyone else!  Just wouldn't be right.  By the way, the seller who sold me the scrappers is closing his/her eBay store - I received an email from him/her saying they are closing due to too many paypal chargebacks.


----------



## taylorsmommy05

whats a paypal chargeback?


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

taylorsmommy05 said:


> whats a paypal chargeback?



When a buyer doesn't receive their merchandise or when they have a complaint they are supposed to contact the seller, then if the seller doesn't fix it they can open a dispute with PayPal.  PayPal looks into it, and if they find in favor of the buyer they refund the buyer's money from the seller's PayPal account.


----------



## djblu883

What are propins and Sedesmas???? ANd are the mini Christmas Pins tradable??? How about Pins that come with Movies? I got a pin from my daughter who just bought Cinderella 111 beacause she doesn't collect...but its got a different kind of pinback and lights up??? DOesn't look like any of my keepers so far....





EpcotMatt said:


> I was just browsing ebay checking out some pins & came across several that were obvious cheap pins. I then thought of all of the postings on the DIS where new pin traders ended up with the Sedesmas or ProPins or other cheapos that clog up CM lanyards & basically can ruin the hobby. So I thought, why not start a thread for newbies to ask about certain pins. My thought was if anyone was thinking of purchasing some pins on ebay & were unsure as to their legitimacy, they could post the item# here, & the pin veterans could respond as to whether they were legit or not. Hopefully this doesnt violate any DIS regulations. If its cool, then I open the floor to prospective pin collectors.


----------



## CAJUNBLAZE

I would really like my two kids to enjoy this on the first trip. I think it would be very special. I went to Disney and the selection of pins and lanyards were awful. I was trying to get them before we go as tokens of good behavior and to get excited about the trip. After reading all the post, I dont want to get conned either (even though I agree with one post, that you could get "conned" on a trade). Is there a website for collectors to trade, sell, and buy? And how about those lanyards?
Thanks


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

CAJUNBLAZE said:


> I would really like my two kids to enjoy this on the first trip. I think it would be very special. I went to Disney and the selection of pins and lanyards were awful. I was trying to get them before we go as tokens of good behavior and to get excited about the trip. After reading all the post, I dont want to get conned either (even though I agree with one post, that you could get "conned" on a trade). Is there a website for collectors to trade, sell, and buy? And how about those lanyards?
> Thanks



You are fine buying lanyards from eBay.  Just know that lanyards (without any pins) in the parks sell for $5.  Don't pay $12 for a plain lanyard.  And the black lanyards with the red Pirates of the Caribbean print are from the Target $1 bin - they are thin and relatively short.  My DS11 has one that he put a few pirate pins on but it is not high quality and will probably shred and/or fray.  There are a ton of them on eBay.

There is a website called PinPics that shows detailed descriptions of the pins, and their sister site Dizpins.  I know you can trade through them, you might be able to buy, too.  Just be very careful if you buy pins from eBay.  There are lots of pitfalls (obviously).


----------



## EpcotMatt

djblu883 said:


> What are propins and Sedesmas???? ANd are the mini Christmas Pins tradable??? How about Pins that come with Movies? I got a pin from my daughter who just bought Cinderella 111 beacause she doesn't collect...but its got a different kind of pinback and lights up??? DOesn't look like any of my keepers so far....



While there are many experts out here{I'm not one of them}, I'll try to give a synapsis. I'm borrowing these descriptions from other sites I've researched:


Sedesma pins are sold throughout Spain...you can find them everywhere, including grocery stores. Disney bounces back and forth in regards to Sedemsa. Some Cast Members will take them in trade; other times they won't. Quite simply, Sedesma pins are cheap. They are badly made and shunned by most pin collectors. Yet, they sell on eBay all them time in bulk.  Although Disney says nothing specific about Sedesma in their official pin trading "rules" (see below), whether you can trade them in the parks or not is a gamble. http://reviews.ebay.com/Hidden-Trut...0001077083?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:1


ProPin Disney pins. They were the official Disney Germany licensee for Disney pins 1995 through 2000, creating over 250 designs including 20 or more 9-pin collections. Their forte' was in using up many many colors on their small pins, making the detail of Propins stunning. ProPins are all tradeable in the Disney parks.http://reviews.ebay.com/Hidden-Trut...0001077083?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:1  {I'm not a fan of the ProPins, although this reviewer was.}


As far as the mini-Christams pins, I'm not quite sure which pins you're referring to. Maybe you could post a few pics. Regarding the Cinderella pin, it's legit since it came with the DVD. Here's a bit more info on that pin from PinPics. http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=53784&sid=9626.1177794759

Hopefully that helps a bit. I'm sure others will be able to add more input on your questions too. Like I said, I'm no expert. Just love collecting pins. I have that collecting gene I think. Used to be into sports collectibles, then my DW converted me & I've been gradually getting rid of those & am strictly a Disney collector now, as my den thoroughly shows. Anyway, have fun with the collecting!


----------



## kdzgon

I had read that review re: pins, so I thought I was good to go. I bought pins from mousepinsonline.com. They say "The pins in our Grab Bags may include Bertoni pins, ProPin pins, Monogram pins, Cast Lanyard pins, as well as pins you would purchase at Disney parks. We do not sell EuroDisney pins, Sedesma pins, or the small Disney pins some call cuties." I haven't checked all of them yet, but those that I have are all listed on pinpics. There were no duplicates (75 pin lot) and the order included a good number of cast lanyard pins. Shipping was quick, also.

It's "after the fact" so it might just be ''live and learn", but does anyone have any experience with them re: pin quality/reliability?

I bought a number of pins for kids, 3,4,4,6 and 10 yrs old to "try" trading. Now, before I dole these pins out, how do I find out which pins are very popular/more valuable and which might be the better park "traders" to start? I know that ultimately it will be "what do they like" but I'd like to have just a *little* idea of what they might be trading away.

Thank you!

edited to add: I have now received both shipments (75 ea). Shipping was fast, and pins were packed well. Each shipment included a decent amount of CL pins, a few hidden mickey pins and each had one large pin (Cinderella). One shipment had 28 ProPins and a lot of duplicates (10 sets, or 20 pins total). The other shipment had no doubles, but had 30 ProPins (of 75). If you don't want ProPins, don't order from mousepinsonline. 

I will say the quality of ProPin pins seems to vary quite a bit, but all are darker overall than the other style pins.


----------



## asianway

My favorite is auctions like 200106043511.  It says no sedesmas or cheap knockoffs, yet in the picture, every pin is either a sedesma or a counterfeit paris pin.  People like this give pin sharks a bad name and prey on newbies.


----------



## Donald is #1

asianway said:


> My favorite is auctions like 200106043511.  It says no sedesmas or cheap knockoffs, yet in the picture, every pin is either a sedesma or a counterfeit paris pin.  People like this give pin sharks a bad name and prey on newbies.



I couldn't even see the pins in the picture.  I don't think that I would buy any pins where I couldn't really see them in the photo.


----------



## asianway

Check out the sellers other auctions for a bigger pic.  Bad pic = shady


----------



## meandtheguys2

Are Bertoni pins and Sedesma pins the same?  They look like it in their pictures on mousepins.  I know that everytime we try to trade BACK one of the Sedesmas one of my kids traded FOR we have been given the evil eye!

I know that pins are so cheap as lots on ebay, I can't see payng $1.80 for a grab bag that includes propins.  They did have some lanyard pins I wanted, though!


----------



## kdzgon

asianway said:


> My favorite is auctions like 200106043511.  It says no sedesmas or cheap knockoffs, yet in the picture, every pin is either a sedesma or a counterfeit paris pin.  People like this give pin sharks a bad name and prey on newbies.



OK. I give up. I'll NEVER be able to tell the difference! Some of those pins pictured look like those listed on PinPics, etc. And forget scrappers - how in the world will I know the difference between those "authorized" and those manufactured "after"? Same goes for those available before the "official" release - what happens once the pins are actually released? Does the value drop for the newly-released pins, or do the pre-releases simply gain value?

I'm just hoping everyone has fun trading, but I think maybe I'll try to "quit" before I start collecting (thus get addicted...)!


----------



## DisneyGirl4188

I think I am finally going to start trading.  I have been collecting pins for about a year now, but I have never traded.  

I am having a hard time figuring out what is a "good" pin on ebay, so I think I'm going to stick with buying from pincastle.  I figure I'll get good pins and I won't unless I really like a pin (then, I don't really care if it's a "good" pin or not).


----------



## Skip to my Lou

So has anyone been to Disney lately and seen the pins on the CM's.  When I went last year there were a bunch of cuties, and a few CL's.

I'm going again next month and would like to prepare the 3 little pin traders in my care fir what they will be in store for.

Any help, greatly appreciated, as I was thinking about buying a small lot from e-bay to get them started, but if there's nothing to trade for.......


----------



## PinGirl

Just want to say this is a great thread. Since DH and I live close to the AMS Character outlet - we have decided to buy our pins for our next couple of trips from there. (These are the outlets that move around from location to location -they have legitimate Disney merchandise but you never know where the stores are going to be - you get on their mailing list and they email you when the store is opening) 

The Pins are running about $3.39 on up to $8.00 for LE 1,000's and $9.99 for Jumbo Pins. Luckily the guy at the cash resgister on Saturday saw how many pins I had  - and gave me a 20% discount  . Needless to say DH was Super Happy!  

We really like to get Good pins for our collection so we decided to save up - pay a little more and make sure the pins we were trading were legit. 

Since we are in CA all the pins are Disneyland pins - but since our next trip is WDW we figured that would be ok. We try to get a variety so we aren't flooding the park with the same pin. I have to say though prices are going up...the first time I shopped at the outlet pins were around $1.98 and they were Star Wars pins. In December of 06 they were $2.98 - now the cheapest ones here are $3.39 to $3.99 - average is about $4.44. I have heard of people finding them cheaper at the outlets but here in CA -no luck! 

Happy trader hunting everyone and if anyone has outlets near you post current prices. I suspect some people probably sell on Ebay but with everyone expecting to pay around $2.00 for pins - I did not really think it would be worth trying to sell any - since I am paying more than $2.00 for each pin.  

Here is the link to AMS - for those of you who live near one you can email them and get on the list. when the outlet pops back up in your area they will send you an email. For some of you this will be a good excuse for a road trip. If any of you have friends going to Vegas - (there is one there) ask them to shop for you!

http://www.ams-liquidation.com/stores.htm

Pingirl


----------



## BONITATIME

asianway said:


> My favorite is auctions like 200106043511.  It says no sedesmas or cheap knockoffs, yet in the picture, every pin is either a sedesma or a counterfeit paris pin.  People like this give pin sharks a bad name and prey on newbies.



I found an answer further down which answered my question.


----------



## LovetheMouse4ever

This thread is amazing.   It goes to show that the Spirit of Mickey continues outside of the Magic Kingdom.   I need some help determining the authenticity of this e-Bay auction: 250115630110.     I think it looks legit, but I have no idea.    Nothing like waiting until the end of auction to find this forum.   Thanks again for the help.


----------



## addicted2dizney

LovetheMouse4ever said:


> This thread is amazing.   It goes to show that the Spirit of Mickey continues outside of the Magic Kingdom.   I need some help determining the authenticity of this e-Bay auction: 250115630110.     I think it looks legit, but I have no idea.    Nothing like waiting until the end of auction to find this forum.   Thanks again for the help.




I just checked it out... Funny  I looked at this same auction this afternoon.  I think he looks legit.  He has good feedback and he also offers a return policy if you are not satisfied.  I won an auction a few months ago that the pins were NOT good.  I still was able to trade several of them so I got my moneys worth but this auction looks like a quality one.  Good Luck


----------



## cinderellacm2000

Hi guys!
I have bought from him many times- his pins are great and I have never had a problem. He also ships them quickly and mounted on cardboard as pictured in the auction. What you see is quite literally what you get. Hope this helps!


----------



## LovetheMouse4ever

Has anyone purchased from dizneypinzzzzzz on eBay?   All the "right" stuff is in the description as far as no sedesmas, no propins, no Europins, etc. - but first hand experience and expertise is appreciated.  Thanks.  Oh, the item number is 200110164471.   Just getting started into this already ultra-addictive hobby!!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

LovetheMouse4ever said:


> Has anyone purchased from dizneypinzzzzzz on eBay?   All the "right" stuff is in the description as far as no sedesmas, no propins, no Europins, etc. - but first hand experience and expertise is appreciated.  Thanks.  Oh, the item number is 200110164471.   Just getting started into this already ultra-addictive hobby!!



2 things:

He does not say "no scrappers" and he does say that you MAY get SOME of the pins in the picture.  I like to know precisely what I am getting.  He has been selling a very large amount of pins, which makes me wonder where he gets them.  Just my two cents.


----------



## LovetheMouse4ever

Anyone have any luck with maxludlow on eBay?   There are quite a few pin listings up for auction listed with this seller.  Mentioned is that all the pins are mint on the original cards from the Disney Store.   It says they are 100% tradeable at any Disney resort.   I didn't know if anyone had an idea.   I'm looking at 150122693626.   Sorry for so many questions.   I appreciate any help.


----------



## my3princes

LovetheMouse4ever said:


> Anyone have any luck with maxludlow on eBay?   There are quite a few pin listings up for auction listed with this seller.  Mentioned is that all the pins are mint on the original cards from the Disney Store.   It says they are 100% tradeable at any Disney resort.   I didn't know if anyone had an idea.   I'm looking at 150122693626.   Sorry for so many questions.   I appreciate any help.



I have bought pins from him.  They appear to be mint and were all on DisneyStore cards.  They were all good quality.  We aren't really pin saavy, but I'm happy with them.  We were just looking for pins to trade and that's what we got.


----------



## EpcotMatt

LovetheMouse4ever said:


> Anyone have any luck with maxludlow on eBay?   There are quite a few pin listings up for auction listed with this seller.  Mentioned is that all the pins are mint on the original cards from the Disney Store.   It says they are 100% tradeable at any Disney resort.   I didn't know if anyone had an idea.   I'm looking at 150122693626.   Sorry for so many questions.   I appreciate any help.



I can't tell you about that seller personally. But those pins are all Disney Store pins & are totally legit for trading.


----------



## addicted2dizney

What's the average you like to pay for pins online?  I feel it's a victory at anything under $5 each with shipping.  For trading.. I like it to be around $4 or less.  I'm just curious to see what others think.  I just got back from Disney last week and have bought a whole BUNCH of pins this week.  Just can't get enough of the mouse!!


----------



## LovetheMouse4ever

I appreciate your help.  I will head over to bid.   Since I am relatively new to this hobby I'd like to spend about $3 a pin or so.   Who doesn't LOVE a bargain?   However, I don't want cheap sedesma, Europins, Propins or scrappers.  Trying to do my homework so I don't accidently get stung or try to trade junk.   With 19 minutes left on the auction, I'll head to eBay to see if I win the auction.    THANK YOU ALL for responding to my questions.   I'm hooked.


----------



## meandtheguys2

I just started selling some of our pins, and they've all gone for less than $3 a pop.  So, I know that there are some great deals out there!  Good luck!


----------



## EpcotMatt

addicted2dizney said:


> What's the average you like to pay for pins online?  I feel it's a victory at anything under $5 each with shipping.  For trading.. I like it to be around $4 or less.  I'm just curious to see what others think.  I just got back from Disney last week and have bought a whole BUNCH of pins this week.  Just can't get enough of the mouse!!



For average trader pins, about $3 each is about right. If they're too much lower than that, there's probably a reason, the reason being that pin veterans are aware of their "cheapiness" & are staying away.

As far as buying keepers{which is what I assume you were talking about when you mentioned $5}, it all depends on the specific pin. It's based on each pin's particular popularity. A good way to gauge a pin's popularity is to check out PinPics & see how many people want it versus how many people are trading it. The higher that ratio, the higher a price you can expect to pay.


----------



## EpcotMatt

meandtheguys2 said:


> I just started selling some of our pins, and they've all gone for less than $3 a pop.  So, I know that there are some great deals out there!  Good luck!



Hey Michelle, I just checked out the pins you sold. You were right, those buyers did get some bargains. I attribute those lower sale prices to 2 things. One, the pins you were selling seem to be in large supply right now & readily available so there wasn't a real big market for those specific pins. Two, I'm guessing your low feedback may have kept some buyers away. But keep plugging along. Your feedback will get higher & higher & so will your sale prices.

As far as selling pins, I don't bother selling average pins like the common cast lanyards. It's not worth the time, effort, & fees to post them. I just keep them for future trips. If I don't find pins I want while on vacation, I try to trade for newer cast lanyards or others that stand out or are different in hopes that others will want them. Then, instead of selling my original pin for $3 or less, perhaps I've upgraded by trading that pin & selling the new one for more.


----------



## meandtheguys2

I would disagree.  I just had two auctions end, with Cast Member pins that went for $2 a piece.  They were absolutely legit.  We collected them ourselves.  
I think you just have to search the listings, and look for the ones that are overlooked. 

While I would personally like to make more on them, I would never pay more than that for them!

If you are going to pay much more than that, I'd search pinpics rather than ebay.  There are many rasonable deals there.


----------



## meandtheguys2

Thanks Matt, I feel better!  I am working on the feedback numbers, and have actually been throwing in a extra pin to thank people willing to take a risk on a newbie.  And we have tons of some of those pins.  Some CM's had the need to tell my boys/husband that the stupid rabbit pins were worth a lot...We came home with 19!!!  They are so stinking obsessive!  We never meant to sell, but we have far too many to enjoy, at this point!  They may come by their obsessiveness naturally!

eta:  For all that, I must admit that on occasion I get the urge to buy a nice "lot" of pins just to see what I get...That is too fun!  And explains why i have so many!


----------



## LovetheMouse4ever

Michelle,
I just added you to my favorite sellers on eBay!    Can't wait until you post another pin auction.   Knowing that they are legit, I'm willing to bid.  I just wish I noticed your other auctions.   Next time I'll be ready!  
Thanks for you help.


----------



## meandtheguys2

Awww, thank you!  It is exciting!  My boys have been doing the photos, and are learning a lot!  I should get some more up in the next day or so.  Good luck, and thanks for making me feel better!


----------



## Lilnickyboy

Can you guys please help me here?​I was looking on Ebay for some trader pins and want to know if these look like valid, tradeable pins.​NOTE: I dont really care if thesepins aren't the greatest, just want to make sure they're tradeable.​Here is the item number: 200109346511​Can you please chek this out for me?​Also, do any of you have a good seller you could recommend to me? I've been looking on Ebay for some deals, but need some advice.​Thanxxxx​


----------



## queenarmadillo

Has anyone previously dealt with "Miami Disney Pins" on ebay? They have good feedback, and Im considering them cos they ship to the UK for a reasonable price, but I am a bit concerned that they seem to sell a lot of the same thing, and I know people have had problems before buying hidden mickey series pins from ebay. Thanks for any help.


----------



## addicted2dizney

Lilnickyboy said:


> Can you guys please help me here?​I was looking on Ebay for some trader pins and want to know if these look like valid, tradeable pins.​NOTE: I dont really care if thesepins aren't the greatest, just want to make sure they're tradeable.​Here is the item number: 200109346511​Can you please chek this out for me?​Also, do any of you have a good seller you could recommend to me? I've been looking on Ebay for some deals, but need some advice.​Thanxxxx​




Hi, I just checked out the auction.  I would stay away from it.  Reading some of the feedback there seems to be some pins in the pin lots that are not official disney pins.  I had a similar experience a few months ago.   Although the pins were cheap enough and most of them I was able to trade. (while holding my breath!).  It was not worth the stress over it.  Usually if the pins are that cheap, there's a catch.  Keep looking.. stay away from pins that are not all enamel or have the shiny enamel coating on them.  It seems like some of them in this lot are like that.  Also stay away from ones from Europe.  (that's where I got my bad batch)   Best of luck to you!


----------



## BONITATIME

As you are in the UK I wouldn't buy them. They will not trade those pins in Disney Paris.


----------



## Lesli54

Does anyone have any experience buying from dispins?  The pics look great, but the description does not mention what is on the back of the pins.  Although his/her feedback looks pretty good.

Looking to stock up for our next trip.


----------



## addicted2dizney

Lesli54 said:


> Does anyone have any experience buying from dispins?  The pics look great, but the description does not mention what is on the back of the pins.  Although his/her feedback looks pretty good.
> 
> Looking to stock up for our next trip.




I have a pin order from dispins due any day now.  As soon as I get them I will let you know.  So far so good with the transaction.  The pins appear to be authentic. Hang tight a day or two if you don't hear from someone else.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

I have purchased from "dispins" and was very pleased. One pin was broken, and I received an immediate response and apology when I e-mailed him.  The seller did not have another one of the same pin, but he sent a really nice replacement.  I just sent the broken one back to him in a padded envelope.  Very, very nice man.


----------



## DisneyJo

Does anyone know any reputable UK ebay pin sellers? TIA


----------



## Worktoplay

DisneyJo said:


> Does anyone know any reputable UK ebay pin sellers? TIA



do you mean from uk or that send to uk?


----------



## addicted2dizney

addicted2dizney said:


> I have a pin order from dispins due any day now.  As soon as I get them I will let you know.  So far so good with the transaction.  The pins appear to be authentic. Hang tight a day or two if you don't hear from someone else.





Just wanted to follow up.  Got my pins from Dispins all were authentic pins some even attached to the original pin card with the price still on it.  All packaged and shipped nicely and promptly!


----------



## DisneyJo

Worktoplay said:


> do you mean from uk or that send to uk?


 I live in the UK and often the postage is huge to ship here so I would like to use a UK ebay seller


----------



## BONITATIME

I buy a lot from Dizpins.com ezboard sellers.
I also buy from andyorangeplanes, welshandproud, thorsteng ,  the-disney-pin-man,  megaelch, a couple of these are european but I have had good experience wth all of them. I have also bought from flameochrist in the US as their postage costs are great.
Pm me if you want to ask anything.


----------



## Donald is #1

Has anyone bought from cfc93?  This person seems to have lots of auctions currently.  But the pictures aren't very clear so I am a bit concerned.


----------



## buffy0214

LovetheMouse4ever said:


> Has anyone purchased from dizneypinzzzzzz on eBay?   All the "right" stuff is in the description as far as no sedesmas, no propins, no Europins, etc. - but first hand experience and expertise is appreciated.  Thanks.  Oh, the item number is 200110164471.   Just getting started into this already ultra-addictive hobby!!



I just got mine yesterday from him and am very pleased. I got 25, no duplicates. All had the black mickey head pin-back. Here's a rough estimate of what I got:

5 Hidden Mickey Pins
3 Limited Edition
4 Lanyard Collection
13 Regular traders

I got a good mix of characters, too. 6 Minnies, 1 Goofy, 1 Donald, 1 Mickey, 3 Princesses, 2 Piratey, 3 movie character, 1 Movie Rewards Pin, 1 Wilderness Lodge Pin. The only ones I personally wasn't thrilled with were alphabet pins that if you have them all spell Disneyland, according to pinpics they are: Pin 43416, Pin 37039, Pin 44969, Pin 44977,  Pin 37035. All the pins have the official pin trading logo on the back so I assume that they are okay to trade....


----------



## ~Kathie

buffy0214 said:


> I just got mine yesterday from him and am very pleased. I got 25, no duplicates. *All had the black mickey head pin-back*.




I know I sound like a broken record here but a  *BLACK Mickey Head back is NO indication that a pin is a legitimate Disney Pin.*   Only pins made after 2001 or 2002 have the Mickey head back.  Some Cast Pins especially those from WDI *STILL *have the metal backs.

Look for the ©Disney  on the back and check the pins on Pin Pics.  The pins pictured look like legit pins but it's best to check Pin Pics.  The letter pins are from a framed set.


----------



## buffy0214

~Kathie said:


> I know I sound like a broken record here but a  *BLACK Mickey Head back is NO indication that a pin is a legitimate Disney Pin.*   Only pins made after 2001 or 2002 have the Mickey head back.  Some Cast Pins especially those from WDI *STILL *have the metal backs.
> 
> Look for the ©Disney  on the back and check the pins on Pin Pics.  The pins pictured look like legit pins but it's best to check Pin Pics.  The letter pins are from a framed set.



Sorry if I was confusing. I understand that the mickey head back was no indication of legitimacy. I included that statement as info to the person interested in this persons pin lots. I just wanted to let them see what I had recieved from this person. All the pins I got have the official pin trading logo and disney copyright. I had already checked pinpics but appreciate the info.


----------



## WDWFigment

I just purchased the following pins not knowing that knock off pins are so prevalent (I know the buttons aren't tradeable). Can anyone tell me about these pins? I'll take better pictures once I get the pins, if this picture isn't clear enough. Thanks!







EDIT: the auction number is 330135223751 since my pictures and link don't seem to be working. Thanks!


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## NHMickey

They look fine.  I would be surprised if those where knock offs.


----------



## Candid

I apologize if this has been covered in a previous post but can someone tell me if you can trade Disneyland pins at WDW?

Thanks


----------



## DisneyJo

Also what about Disneyland Paris? TIA


----------



## NHMickey

Yes you can


----------



## Candid

NHMickey said:


> Yes you can



Thank you NHMickey!


----------



## RobbieLovesLulu

queenarmadillo said:


> Has anyone previously dealt with "Miami Disney Pins" on ebay?





Donald is #1 said:


> Has anyone bought from cfc93?  This person seems to have lots of auctions currently.  But the pictures aren't very clear so I am a bit concerned.



I too am wondering about these two sellers, im watching quite a few pins from both sellers and wonder how they have soo many duplicates


----------



## lovealldisney

Hi I am new to purchasing anything on Ebay. Can you tell me about pay pal and how it works? I really hate using my Credit Card. Can I set it up to have money come out of a bank account? 
Thanks


----------



## Mike Bartenhagen

Yes you can have an instant transfer from your bank account.

Mike


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

There is a thread on Dizpins.com where a member copied a spam e-mail she got offering to sell her pins from a Chinese factory.  She could order them in lots of 100-1000.  There were several dozen pins pictured!  And none of them were pins I had seen listed as scrappers before. 

Now you know where those eBay sellers get their duplicates. 

The thread is on the forum "comparisons" where people show their real pins alongside some fakes to show the differences.  You might take a look to see if the pins in the lots you are bidding on are the pins in the e-mail.  I personally don't want to buy pins from people who KNOW they are selling counterfeits, and I don't want to trade my legitimate pins and come home with a bunch of scrappers.  Buyer beware!


----------



## AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk

Hi! Are the Countdown to the millennium pins tradeable in the parks? I found a bunch on ebay, but i wanted to check here before I bid. They are still in the original package. Thanks a lot


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk said:


> Hi! Are the Countdown to the millennium pins tradeable in the parks? I found a bunch on ebay, but i wanted to check here before I bid. They are still in the original package. Thanks a lot



Yes, they are.  My DS has chosen a couple from CM lanyards - he really likes them.


----------



## Mike0828

buffy0214 said:


> I just got mine yesterday from him and am very pleased. I got 25, no duplicates. All had the black mickey head pin-back. Here's a rough estimate of what I got:
> 
> 5 Hidden Mickey Pins
> 3 Limited Edition
> 4 Lanyard Collection
> 13 Regular traders
> 
> I got a good mix of characters, too. 6 Minnies, 1 Goofy, 1 Donald, 1 Mickey, 3 Princesses, 2 Piratey, 3 movie character, 1 Movie Rewards Pin, 1 Wilderness Lodge Pin. The only ones I personally wasn't thrilled with were alphabet pins that if you have them all spell Disneyland, according to pinpics they are: Pin 43416, Pin 37039, Pin 44969, Pin 44977,  Pin 37035. All the pins have the official pin trading logo on the back so I assume that they are okay to trade....



I was just checking out that ebay seller as well(dizneypinzzzzzzz), glad I stumbled across this website/thread. Going to Disney in 2 weeks and wanted to get some pins so we can trade with the cast members. I guess I'll go through with it and give this seller a shot. I'm looking into the 25 pin lot. 
I'm new to pin trading myself, went to Disney for the first time last summer and got hooked towards the end of the vacation.  Researched what it was all about when I got home, next thing you know I was hooked!  I was looking online/ebay, going to NYC to get pins/bag, keeping eyes open at flea markets/yard sales etc... But I find it hard to buy pins off ebay ....especially big lots from frequent sellers.....amazes me how they can be selling tons of pins(thousands of feedback), yet I am to believe they are all legit!?  I dunno, how can they get ahold of so many legit pins yet make a profit off selling them for a couple dollars per pin!?  Could someone shed light on this for me!?  Thanks!!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Mike0828 said:


> I was just checking out that ebay seller as well(dizneypinzzzzzzz), glad I stumbled across this website/thread. Going to Disney in 2 weeks and wanted to get some pins so we can trade with the cast members. I guess I'll go through with it and give this seller a shot. I'm looking into the 25 pin lot.
> I'm new to pin trading myself, went to Disney for the first time last summer and got hooked towards the end of the vacation.  Researched what it was all about when I got home, next thing you know I was hooked!  I was looking online/ebay, going to NYC to get pins/bag, keeping eyes open at flea markets/yard sales etc... But I find it hard to buy pins off ebay ....especially big lots from frequent sellers.....amazes me how they can be selling tons of pins(thousands of feedback), yet I am to believe they are all legit!?  I dunno, how can they get ahold of so many legit pins yet make a profit off selling them for a couple dollars per pin!?  Could someone shed light on this for me!?  Thanks!!



By and large the feedback is from buyers who aren't familiar enough with the pins to recognize scrappers, and the counterfeits usually look REALLY good so they might not even realize there is such a thing as counterfeit pins.  If you are pretty new to the hobby then you get on eBay, buy a bunch of pins, they show up in the mail and you leave positive feedback.  Been there, done that.  
Then I found PinPics and the Dizpins boards and I realized that we had paid hundreds of dollars for pins that are scrappers and/or counterfeits.  The people selling hundreds and hundreds of pins buy them direct from factories in China and sell them in lots on eBay.  They make a profit because the pins were so cheap to begin with.  CMs or other guests in the parks probably haven't memorized the back stamp info for every pin out there, so of course they are accepting scrappers for trades.  The eBay buyers think it's a fabulous deal to pay $1.50 per pin or whatever and then trade them all for better pins at the parks.  Of course with so many people buying eBay pins the parks are getting overrun with fakes. 
Know what the pins are supposed to look like, know what the back stamp is supposed to say, and only buy from sellers who allow returns.


----------



## Mike0828

Thanks for the reply.  All these scrappers/fakes and such put such a huge damper on a great hobby!  Sorry for the rookie questions here but if they mention no spanish sedesma, german propin and no euro disney....is their still other fakes out there?  Can a pin have the copyright/disney logo and still be fake?


----------



## Mike0828

Ahha...my post count is too low so I can't post links.  

The actual auction I'm looking at on Ebay is #200129202914

Otherwise I found this but don't know if this is a legit site either!?

It's pinsellers . com and they sell a 25 pin lot for $77.


----------



## lovealldisney

Hi,
Has anyone bought anything from a seller VIPBLAST? If so what were your pins like and we're you satisfied? 
Thanks!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Mike0828 said:


> Thanks for the reply.  All these scrappers/fakes and such put such a huge damper on a great hobby!  Sorry for the rookie questions here but if they mention no spanish sedesma, german propin and no euro disney....is their still other fakes out there?  Can a pin have the copyright/disney logo and still be fake?



Sedesma aren't fakes, they are just a lower quality pin.  
ABSOLUTELY there are fakes with the Disney logo on the back - that's the problem.  
"Scrappers" are pins that have defects such as coloring (I have a princess pin where her face is kind of pale green), or other imperfections.  They should have been "scrapped" but instead were sold on the black market.  Counterfeits are pins that were either made from molds that were supposed to be destroyed or pins that the molds were purposely made to counterfeit pins.  I have some Chip & Dale pins that say D SNEY on the back.  I also have a bunch that are the wrong year and/or say Cast Lanyard Series when they ought to say Hidden Mickey Pin, etc.  That's why you have to know what the back stamp on a "real" pin looks like.  It isn't just the logo, it is the words and year being what they should be for each particular design.  Not all of the pins on PinPics have complete back stamps listed, but many of them do.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Mike0828 said:


> Ahha...my post count is too low so I can't post links.
> 
> The actual auction I'm looking at on Ebay is #200129202914
> 
> Otherwise I found this but don't know if this is a legit site either!?
> 
> It's pinsellers . com and they sell a 25 pin lot for $77.



The things that worry me about that auction are that "These are SOME of the pins you MAY receive."  This guy can send you whatever he wants.  He also has no return policy.  If he sends you scrappers you will have to dispute it through payPal and/or eBay.
I see at least 7 pins in the picture that have scrappers floating around.  Not saying his are scrappers, but they could be.  The other thing is by not specifying WHICH pins you get you can't tell if he sends the same pins to everyone, which would be an indication of getting them direct from the factory.  I usually look at a seller's closed auctions to see if all the pins are the same (lots of them are) then I know to stay away.

I have never ordered from Pinsellers, but I have pins from Pincastle.  Unfortunately they are all mixed together now and I don't remember which ones came from them.  We bought TONS of pins from maybe 20 different sellers before we realized the huge scrapper problem.  Not good. 

I would look for auctions that specifically say NO SCRAPPERS.


----------



## Mike0828

Wow, this is worse than I thought.  Thanks for all your help, must say all these fakes out there has really turned me off from pin collecting.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

If you are collecting and trading for fun then it isn't such a big deal.  If you understand that some of the pins in your collection may be fakes and you can get past that then you'll be fine.  BUT if you plan to sell the pins or trade with "serious" collectors then it is imperative that you know the difference.  It is also better NOT to trade a pin you think is a scrapper, just because nobody wants to get a scrapper in return.
We only trade with CMs, but some of them are not pin traders personally so they don't pay that much attention to the pins guests give them.  And we keep coming back to the fact that everybody who buys scrappers from ebay (on purpose or not) is trading them in the parks.
We have about 65 pins each to trade next month.  DH says he is sticking to trading for rack pins since the biggest problems seem to be with "cast lanyard" pins.  But there are fake rack pins, too.  We don't collect with the intention of selling or trading off our pins, so once I manage to get over the hurdle of being angry that I am trading real pins for potential fakes I thik it will be fun again.


----------



## Mike0828

I hear ya, I surely don't want to contribute to the trading of scrappers. Wow...65 each, that's great! Now did you buy them in bulk from somewhere or just from personal collection that you don't want?  I was hoping to have 10or 20, haha...maybe I don't realize I need more than that!  

One more shot here, this seller has two sets I found, #'s:
300130357257
300130358091
Good feedback past year and says no scrappers, but man did they sell alot! Verdict?! Thinking of getting both these sets, keep a couple that I like and go with the rest to WDW. 

And this one draws no interest to me, just wondering if they look fake or not? Just has a weird, perhaps old look to me!? Just trying to learn a little, so......
140138553724


----------



## Dorisk3

For our trip last year we bought from the seller pinscheap on ebay- he says he has no Sedesma, propins, etc. The pins were actually pretty cute- and were easy to trade- he sells them for about 2 each and you can get a big lot- but he runs one auction where you can buy however many you want

try 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pin-Lot-Disney-...131856784QQihZ007QQcategoryZ143QQcmdZViewItem


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Mike0828 said:


> I hear ya, I surely don't want to contribute to the trading of scrappers. Wow...65 each, that's great! Now did you buy them in bulk from somewhere or just from personal collection that you don't want?  I was hoping to have 10or 20, haha...maybe I don't realize I need more than that!
> 
> One more shot here, this seller has two sets I found, #'s:
> 300130357257
> 300130358091
> Good feedback past year and says no scrappers, but man did they sell alot! Verdict?! Thinking of getting both these sets, keep a couple that I like and go with the rest to WDW.
> 
> And this one draws no interest to me, just wondering if they look fake or not? Just has a weird, perhaps old look to me!? Just trying to learn a little, so......
> 140138553724



We bought all of the pins that our Disney Store had when they marked them down to $1.99 each back in February or March.  We also have some from eBay that aren't scrappers, and some that we bought from sellers on the Dizpins sale board.  DH has pulled a few from his "keepers" that he has decided to part with if he sees a pin he likes better.

Those first 2 auctions don't look too bad.  The seller does sell a bunch of pins, but the lots aren't the same 10 identical pins.  And the auction says "no scrappers" so if the pins are scrappers you would be in a good position to dispute the charges!

The third one the pins look funny.  It might just be the quality of the photos.  I know that Minnie in the astronaut suit has been reproduced as a scrapper, so I would probably stay away from those pins.  The seller doesn't list a return policy which is usually not good.


----------



## BigGreen73

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> The things that worry me about that auction are that "These are SOME of the pins you MAY receive."  This guy can send you whatever he wants.  He also has no return policy.  If he sends you scrappers you will have to dispute it through payPal and/or eBay.
> I see at least 7 pins in the picture that have scrappers floating around.  Not saying his are scrappers, but they could be.  The other thing is by not specifying WHICH pins you get you can't tell if he sends the same pins to everyone, which would be an indication of getting them direct from the factory.  I usually look at a seller's closed auctions to see if all the pins are the same (lots of them are) then I know to stay away.
> 
> I have never ordered from Pinsellers, but I have pins from Pincastle.  Unfortunately they are all mixed together now and I don't remember which ones came from them.  We bought TONS of pins from maybe 20 different sellers before we realized the huge scrapper problem.  Not good.
> 
> I would look for auctions that specifically say NO SCRAPPERS.



Great advise. I will not buy any lot that states "These are SOME of the pins you MAY receive" either. This just leaves too much room for disappointment and a rip off.


----------



## DisneyJo

What do you think of these?





TIA


----------



## BONITATIME

They look like some of them are Sedesma and some are Berteloni


----------



## DisneyJo

BONITATIME said:


> They look like some of them are Sedesma and some are Berteloni


Thanks, my DD actually came home from WDW last trip with a sedemsa pin that she traded for  What is a Berteloni? Are they still tradeable?


----------



## BigGreen73

DisneyJo said:


> What do you think of these?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TIA



I do not care for these. As stated above, they look to be Sedesma etc. They are dull inset pins that don't have the shiny flush finish of those that you find at WDW. We only own one that looks like this and that's a Dumbo one for my wife's collection.

Personnally I do not buy these and hate trading them at WDW if I do end up with some.

They are fine for a personnal collection, but that's it.


----------



## CAJUNBLAZE

I could use some help. Is this an official pin? Its ebay item number 320140871542. I cant find it on pinpics.
Also is the fathers day pin with bambi and her feather that came out this year worth 20 bucks?
TIA


----------



## BONITATIME

> I could use some help. Is this an official pin? Its ebay item number 320140871542.



HERE



> What is a Berteloni? Are they still tradeable?


   My fault for not checking the spelling it is Bertoni they are as tradable as any other pin but not terribly attractive.


----------



## BigGreen73

CAJUNBLAZE said:


> I could use some help. Is this an official pin? Its ebay item number 320140871542. I cant find it on pinpics.
> Also is the fathers day pin with bambi and her feather that came out this year worth 20 bucks?
> TIA



Personally, I would not purchse that pin. See previous post as it is a ProPin. As for the Bambi father's day, it is not worth the $20 bucks. Unfortuanately many dealers/ collectors sometimes purchase large quantities of LE or SE pins and try to resell them or trade them at inflated prices. 

If it is something that you really want for a personal collection, then maybe the $20 price tag is worth it. If you can be w/out it, I'd keep looking around for a better price.


----------



## Sonnyeclipse

I know it is probably in this thread somewhere but could someone let me know of a reputable Ebay seller of pins?

I am a new collector and my daughter is as well. We are going down for Mousefest and want to buy some pins to trade.


----------



## BigGreen73

Sonnyeclipse said:


> I know it is probably in this thread somewhere but could someone let me know of a reputable Ebay seller of pins?
> 
> I am a new collector and my daughter is as well. We are going down for Mousefest and want to buy some pins to trade.



Looking on e-bay can be easy. You can search disney pin lot if looking for pins for trade. Just remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If a lot of pins comes out to less than $2 a pin, then they are usually Sedesma or other lower quality pins. Stay away from lots that state you "may" get some of the pins pictured, as it will lead to disappointment. It also helps to read feedback from buyers that have purchased similar items that you are looking to purchase.

Here are a a couple e-bayers that I have bought good pin lot from with no problems:

postcard9 (sells very good pin lots, many are hidden Mickey Lanyard pins)  
rrsmbj ( sells very beautiful pin lots on occasion)


----------



## work2play

I am looking for a lot of 100 pins to hopefully cut down on the shipping costs.  Any recommended auctions or sellers?  How about the seller at auction #160143447496? With shipping they would $187, which is lower than recommended, but the feedback looks great..


----------



## queenarmadillo

Has anyone had any experience with this seller? Feedback seems good, and is all Cast Lanyard pins, so shouldnt be any Sedsma, Propins etc. I dont really want to be trying to sort out returns / disputes etc from the UK though, so any advice anyone can offer would be great.

 Lot no: 290148228181


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

queenarmadillo said:


> Has anyone had any experience with this seller? Feedback seems good, and is all Cast Lanyard pins, so shouldnt be any Sedsma, Propins etc. I dont really want to be trying to sort out returns / disputes etc from the UK though, so any advice anyone can offer would be great.
> 
> Lot no: 290148228181



I wouldn't buy them.  I sent you a PM.


----------



## deezeyener

take a look at pinfinder.com.  The have lots from 10 to 1,000 pins - the price per pin gets better the more you buy.  I bought a lot of 100 from them about 6 months ago, and there was a really nice selection.  I intended for the whole lot to be for trading, but there were such nice ones in there that I ended up keeping about 35 of them!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

work2play said:


> I am looking for a lot of 100 pins to hopefully cut down on the shipping costs.  Any recommended auctions or sellers?  How about the seller at auction #160143447496? With shipping they would $187, which is lower than recommended, but the feedback looks great..



I don't know anything about the seller, but I see 2 problems.  
1) You can't see what you are getting.  You are taking his word that the pins are tradeable, but he says himself that the picture is old and those are NOT the pins he has! 
2) He doesn't have a return policy.  So you are going to buy pins without a picture and then not be able to return them?  

I wouldn't do it, but if you decide to take a chance I hope it works out for you!


----------



## cinderellacm2000

Guys, if you are looking for just traders that are GREAT pins, buy from Nena and Darlene at waltsbasement.com. They sell them direct from DLR for just a bit over $2 a pin.


----------



## TeenaS

I purchased from MUBunny on ebay and they have good pin values and really good shipping IMO.


----------



## BONITATIME

cinderellacm2000 said:


> Guys, if you are looking for just traders that are GREAT pins, buy from Nena and Darlene at waltsbasement.com. They sell them direct from DLR for just a bit over $2 a pin.



I have bought a couple of times from them very happily and reccomended them to friends who were also happy.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

cinderellacm2000 said:


> Guys, if you are looking for just traders that are GREAT pins, buy from Nena and Darlene at waltsbasement.com. They sell them direct from DLR for just a bit over $2 a pin.



I have purchased from them twice and I have been very pleased!  2 of my friends have also purchased from them and were happy with the pins they received.


----------



## Worktoplay

work2play said:


> I am looking for a lot of 100 pins to hopefully cut down on the shipping costs.  Any recommended auctions or sellers?  How about the seller at auction #160143447496? With shipping they would $187, which is lower than recommended, but the feedback looks great..



I guess great minds think alike....I am worktoplay!  Hmmm...I hope it doesn't get confusing on the boards.


----------



## beci596

I just received some Disney pins that I ordered from Ebay.  I had a couple of questions.  On the back of the pins, it says made in China, can I trade these when we go to Disney?  Also, one some of them, it says Hidden Mickey 7 of 8 or another one says 1 of 4, does this mean that I can't trade it unless I have all of the numbers?  Any help would be great, I am new to this pin trading and want to make sure that my son has pins he can actually trade.  The person from Ebay said that if there was a problem to email them.  Should I?


----------



## Donald is #1

beci596 said:


> I just received some Disney pins that I ordered from Ebay.  I had a couple of questions.  On the back of the pins, it says made in China, can I trade these when we go to Disney?  Also, one some of them, it says Hidden Mickey 7 of 8 or another one says 1 of 4, does this mean that I can't trade it unless I have all of the numbers?  Any help would be great, I am new to this pin trading and want to make sure that my son has pins he can actually trade.  The person from Ebay said that if there was a problem to email them.  Should I?



There are many people on this thread that are much better experts than I am.  But I will give my opinion.

Made in China: As long as the pin has a Disney copyright, you will be fine.  I have seen pins that say made in China with a Disney copyright and I didn't have any problem trading them.

Hidden Mickey:  Don't worry about the numbers on the back.  They are just telling you how many pins in the set and which one the pin is.  You do not need the entire set to trade.  All you need is 1 pin.

Emailing the seller:  From your description, your pins sound good to me.  So I wouldn't contact the seller.

Have a great trip!


----------



## cjhinch

What about the pins this seller is selling:

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Official-Disn...4066770QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38005QQcmdZViewItem

Are they going to be good to trade or not?


----------



## BigGreen73

cjhinch said:


> What about the pins this seller is selling:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Official-Disn...4066770QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38005QQcmdZViewItem
> 
> Are they going to be good to trade or not?



Yes, those are pretty good pins that would be good for trading or keeping for a collection.


----------



## BigGreen73

Donald is #1 said:


> There are many people on this thread that are much better experts than I am.  But I will give my opinion.
> 
> Made in China: As long as the pin has a Disney copyright, you will be fine.  I have seen pins that say made in China with a Disney copyright and I didn't have any problem trading them.
> 
> Hidden Mickey:  Don't worry about the numbers on the back.  They are just telling you how many pins in the set and which one the pin is.  You do not need the entire set to trade.  All you need is 1 pin.
> 
> Emailing the seller:  From your description, your pins sound good to me.  So I wouldn't contact the seller.
> 
> Have a great trip!




Well stated. I Couldn't have said it better myself.


----------



## my3princes

Hello All

We just came back from a wonderful 23 day trip to WDW.  It was awesome.  I had bought each of my 3 boys 50 disneystore pins to trade.  They had a blast.  The only problems that we encountered were at the big pin selling stand near Spaceship Earth in Epcot.  The CM there told my boys that DisneyStore pins were no longer accepted as Disney is no longer affiliated with the DisneyStore.  No other CM anywhere gave them any problems.  I don't know if that is "official" policy or if it was just that particular CM


----------



## TeenaS

my3princes said:


> Hello All
> 
> We just came back from a wonderful 23 day trip to WDW.  It was awesome.  I had bought each of my 3 boys 50 disneystore pins to trade.  They had a blast.  The only problems that we encountered were at the big pin selling stand near Spaceship Earth in Epcot.  The CM there told my boys that DisneyStore pins were no longer accepted as Disney is no longer affiliated with the DisneyStore.  No other CM anywhere gave them any problems.  I don't know if that is "official" policy or if it was just that particular CM




I work at WDW and part of my job is pin trading with guests and no one has told me I can't accept DisneyStore pins.  I have been told to accept any pin as long as Disney is printed on the back ... even those little ones that you can hardly tell what they are ... as long as "Disney" is on the back, then I was told to accept them as a trade.


----------



## Who'syourMickey

You all know so much about pin trading. I doubt we will do it but it is fun to know some of the rules so if we see it happening we will know what is going on.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

my3princes said:


> Hello All
> 
> We just came back from a wonderful 23 day trip to WDW.  It was awesome.  I had bought each of my 3 boys 50 disneystore pins to trade.  They had a blast.  The only problems that we encountered were at the big pin selling stand near Spaceship Earth in Epcot.  The CM there told my boys that DisneyStore pins were no longer accepted as Disney is no longer affiliated with the DisneyStore.  No other CM anywhere gave them any problems.  I don't know if that is "official" policy or if it was just that particular CM



Thanks for the heads up, Deb!

Note to self - bring something other than Disney Store pins to trade at Epcot.


----------



## socomtwiggy

Like the ones that come in a 3 pack. Can you trade these with CMs? Thanks


----------



## TeenaS

socomtwiggy said:


> Like the ones that come in a 3 pack. Can you trade these with CMs? Thanks



Absolutely yes.  If they are metal and have Disney on the back of them, we are instructed to take them.  Doesn't matter if they say Disney Store or anything else on them.  Size or lack thereof is immaterial as long as it says Disney on the back of it even if you need a magnifying glass to see it.


----------



## Candid

That's good to know cause I bought DS some pins at the disney store last week for him to trade.


----------



## thelittlemermaid83

I want to start collecting and trading pins but it sounds confusing, Whats wrong with pins from disney land paris? 
I really want to start doing this so i can pass it on to my daugther etc so any tips would help, ive read the rules on pin trading but im just confused.


----------



## kjbrown

Hello all.  I just skimmed through all 18 pages.  I don't think this was asked here, but if it was I apologize.

I assume Disney outlet stores are okay places to purchase pins?  I bought a couple from the Disney Premium outlet when I was there last.  I got Snow White, but her face does look a little funny.  I just ask because a PP was mentioning scrappers and how they look poorly done.

What do you think?  If I bought it at a Disney outlet store, am I safe?


----------



## BONITATIME

Disney outlet store is fine. There are some odd pins around. This is why they are in the outlet, they didn't sell at full price.


----------



## kjbrown

BONITATIME said:


> Disney outlet store is fine. There are some odd pins around. This is why they are in the outlet, they didn't sell at full price.



Thanks for the quick reply!  I also read that you can get Disney pins at the Target in Orlando.  Are those legit and good for trading, too?

Lastly, what do you all think of this auction on Ebay?  170148271958

The feedback looks good, but I am a total newbie.

Thanks!!


----------



## kdzgon

cjhinch said:


> What about the pins this seller is selling:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Official-Disn...4066770QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38005QQcmdZViewItem
> 
> Are they going to be good to trade or not?



I don't know about the pins the OP purchased, but right now this seller has 3 auctions: 100,100 and 50 pins, respectively. The thing is, all 250 pins are the _exact same pin._ Am I mistaken, or is this something of concern (current auctions, not OP's purchase)?


----------



## MOM POPPINS

kjbrown said:


> Thanks for the quick reply!  I also read that you can get Disney pins at the Target in Orlando.  Are those legit and good for trading, too?
> 
> Lastly, what do you all think of this auction on Ebay?  170148271958
> 
> The feedback looks good, but I am a total newbie.
> 
> Thanks!!



The pins look fine to me.  Anyone else want to "chime in"


----------



## kjbrown

MOM POPPINS said:


> The pins look fine to me.  Anyone else want to "chime in"



Thanks for your response.  I went ahead and did the minimum bid, and it looks like I might win (24 minutes left!).  I figured it was worth a shot.  I'll let you know if I win, when I get them!  Thanks for everyone's help on this board!!!!


----------



## mickeylove2

My DD's want to do pin trading during our trip next month, so I am trying to get some pins for them and some lanyards too. Anyway I came across a website called mousepinsonline.coma dn I was wondering if anyone knows anything about them!?!? Also, what are the good pins to buy? I know about the Sedesma but any others I should stear clear of? I haven't had a chance to read everything here yet, so sorry if this has already been covered!!!


----------



## kdzgon

mickeylove2 said:


> My DD's want to do pin trading during our trip next month, so I am trying to get some pins for them and some lanyards too. Anyway I came across a website called mousepinsonline.coma dn I was wondering if anyone knows anything about them!?!? Also, what are the good pins to buy? I know about the Sedesma but any others I should stear clear of? I haven't had a chance to read everything here yet, so sorry if this has already been covered!!!



Someone recommended them to me, so I placed an order (actually, two in a short time) in May. They were just OK overall. There were many nice pins, but in an order of 75 pins, I received 30 ProPins (some love them, but many people dislike them at a minimum. They ARE tradeable, though). I also received a number of duplicate and even some triplicate pins. I had ordered a second set of 75 before I actually received the first set - the second set had a similar number of ProPins, but very few duplicates. I wrote to the company about the pin orders. While he politely apologized for the duplicates, he did nothing about it, not even an offer to exchange them. (BTW, I did send the requested links.) Shipping was pretty fast as well. I have not ordered more pins from here since these orders.

Here's the response I received:
Info@MousePinsOnline" <Info@MousePinsOnline.com> wrote:

    Hi Laurie,

    Thank you for your orders. Your last order has been shipped.

    Let me start by saying currently we have over 100 different pins so you
    should not have received any duplicate pins in a 75 pin grab bag. If you
    received any duplicate pin that was an over site on our part and I
    apologize. We pre-fill our grab bags and try to put a mixture of the pins
    we have in stock in each grab bag. As far as ProPin pins, or any other pin
    from any Disney licensee; all pins we sell are copyrighted Disney pins and
    are tradable anywhere Disney pins are traded. I have recently talked with a  pin manager at Disney about pin trading and was told there were no issues
    regarding the trading any copyrighted Disney pin, even Sedesma. If you have been told otherwise, whoever gave you this information is incorrect. I was also told that the pins on CM lanyards are the property of Disney, not the
    CM, and if a CM says anything negative about trading pins they should be
    reported. While I think Disney does a great job training a CM it's my
    understanding they are aware that sometimes, some CM's try to exercise more authority, or want a guest to think they have more authority than they
    really have. Would you please send me the link about CM's not wanting to
    trade for ProPin pins. I would appreciate it very much.

    Again, thank you for ordering from us. Have a good evening.

    Gary


----------



## Hedy

How's this auction look?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130152867548&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT&ih=003


----------



## EpcotMatt2

Hedy said:


> How's this auction look?
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130152867548&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT&ih=003



Yup, that's a legit pin. I actually have one myself being a Sox fan.


----------



## Hedy

EpcotMatt2 said:


> Yup, that's a legit pin. I actually have one myself being a Sox fan.



Thanks!  I've been kicking myself for not getting it when I was down last year.


----------



## EpcotMatt2

Hedy said:


> Thanks!  I've been kicking myself for not getting it when I was down last year.



Well if you don't win that auction & feel like discussing a trade, just let me know. My PinPics user is "istolemykidspins".


----------



## cgcw

It seems like many here are looking for pin trading lots that are authentic.  I just listed one with 64 pins on ebay tonight.  ebay id: letscleanitup 

These were all purchased or gifts by Disney for my family.  They are all authentic Disney Trading pins. 

I'm not sure how we ended up with some many, but this is the end of what I have and we're not buying anymore.


----------



## mrsg00fy

We just received our order of 100 grab bag pins from mousepinsonline. They are having a sale of $1.75 per pin. 

Of the 100 pins, 56 are propins, 4 are regular pins (like what you can buy at the park) and the other 40 pins are either hidden mickeys or cast lanyard pins. 

We took a chance. I'm not too pleased and just hope that we can successfully trade the propins with little hassle. 

Hope this helps someone else.


----------



## Donald is #1

mrsg00fy said:


> We just received our order of 100 grab bag pins from mousepinsonline. They are having a sale of $1.75 per pin.
> 
> Of the 100 pins, 56 are propins, 4 are regular pins (like what you can buy at the park) and the other 40 pins are either hidden mickeys or cast lanyard pins.
> 
> We took a chance. I'm not too pleased and just hope that we can successfully trade the propins with little hassle.
> 
> Hope this helps someone else.



Thanks for posting your results.  I was looking at mousepinsonline but I haven't placed an order yet.


----------



## moretigger

Hi - I am just starting to check out all of this pin information.  I found a lot on ebay - I found some of them on pin pincs, but not all of them.  Would someone be so kind as to look at this auction and give me their opinion.  All but the monorail pin would be for trading.
Thanks

Item number: 280158281771


----------



## meandtheguys2

They look good.  I hope you enjoy trading!  We love the monorails, and my boys really like the busses too!


----------



## moretigger

meandtheguys2 said:


> They look good.  I hope you enjoy trading!  We love the monorails, and my boys really like the busses too!



Thanks for your help!  I think I am going to take the plunge...


----------



## TeenaS

A few weeks ago I purchased a lot of hidden mickey pins from MUBUNNY on Ebay.  The seller gave me a super price for shipping since I purchased so many and they were excellent pins and I got them very very cheap per pin.  I think that seller has more listed now too.


----------



## angelfallenhere

Hi!! Im trying to get ready for our first trip to Disney World in Jan. I am starting to get pins. There are 6 of us me, DH, DD 13, DS 11, DS 2, DD almost 1. I am trying to get 200 we are Park Hopping for 7 Days is this too many pins?? Also I am trying to keep it under $1.50 a pin shipped. I guess from reading this thread thats too low. I have already bought two lots the pins look good to me. Can anyone look and see if they think they are good trading pins??  Heres the auction numbers:

320162057894

and

250169167812

Thanks Alot for any help. Also how much should I go to per pin shipped?? I still need ALOT more!!

Thanks,
Melanie

DD 04/25/94
DS 02/27/96
DS 02/27/05
DD 10/19/06

ONLY 99 Days Till DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## work2play

I looked at the two auctions and those pins look good.  You will have no trouble using them as traders at the parks.  I purchased 100 pins for our trip to WDW in September, we were there for 5 days, DH, DS16 and DS14.  I wish we would have had more, but we re-traded many of the pins we got on the first day for pins we liked better on later days, so it worked out OK.  Anytime you can pick up trader pins for under $2.00 each when you include shipping is a good deal as far as I am concerned!


----------



## uncw89

How about these?  250172573257 and 250172582618.  these are frome dclfan007.  Has anyone bought from this seller.  The feedback is positive.
Thanks!


----------



## EpcotMatt2

uncw89 said:


> How about these?  250172573257 and 250172582618.  these are frome dclfan007.  Has anyone bought from this seller.  The feedback is positive.
> Thanks!




Looking at the pics, those pins are good to go. And with a 100% feedback, you should be fine.


----------



## angelfallenhere

Hi!! Thanks how about these:

320164709526

Thanks,
Melanie

DD 04/25/94
DS 02/27/96
DS 02/28/05
DD 10/19/06

ONLY 98 DAYS TILL DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## EpcotMatt2

angelfallenhere said:


> Hi!! Thanks how about these:
> 
> 320164709526
> 
> Thanks,
> Melanie
> 
> DD 04/25/94
> DS 02/27/96
> DS 02/28/05
> DD 10/19/06
> 
> ONLY 98 DAYS TILL DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I'd stay away from those monorail name pins. As far as I know, CMs are not supposed to accept pins with names on them. You may have trouble trading those away.


----------



## angelfallenhere

Thanks I wont get them.

Thanks,
Melanie

DD 04/25/94
DS 02/27/96
DS 02/28/05
DD 10/19/06

ONLY 98 DAYS TILL DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## uncw89

Thanks EpcotMatt2!


----------



## actionvaughn

So I got quite lucky today. I was eating at Wine Country in DLR and organizing my pins while I was waiting for my food to come and the waiter noticed and gave me two pixie dust pins- one to keep and one to pass on to another person. I was uber excited but imagine how psyched I was while in World of Disney, another CM gave me two more pins while I was looking for a pin folder.  They all say "Exclusive Pixie Dust Pin" but I can't find it on pinpics, so I thought you guys would be of help. These are the two pins, sorry for the blurriness: (They both say "Where dreams come true..." 









Are they worth anything at all?


----------



## oakmanner

For all those looking for cheap traders run don't walk, run to your local Disney Store.  A couple weeks ago they released 30 or 40 different pins.  Prices range from $ 5.50 to $ 14.50.  The $ 14.50 pin sets are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 8 pins for $ 14.50 less than $ 2.00 a pin.  There are also Fab Five pin sets, Pooh Christmas, and Princess Multi Pin sets, all nice quality and tradable!

Also if you pre order Ratatuille you get 15% off coupon that will make the pins even cheaper.


----------



## EpcotMatt2

actionvaughn said:


> So I got quite lucky today. I was eating at Wine Country in DLR and organizing my pins while I was waiting for my food to come and the waiter noticed and gave me two pixie dust pins- one to keep and one to pass on to another person. I was uber excited but imagine how psyched I was while in World of Disney, another CM gave me two more pins while I was looking for a pin folder.  They all say "Exclusive Pixie Dust Pin" but I can't find it on pinpics, so I thought you guys would be of help. These are the two pins, sorry for the blurriness: (They both say "Where dreams come true..."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are they worth anything at all?



Here are your pins:

Pin 54034: Where Dreams Come True - Pixie Dust Pin - 2 Pin Set - Version 3 (One Pin Only) 
http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=54034&sid=4412.1192188165.v2

Pin 52755: Where Dreams Come True - Pixie Dust Pin - 2 Pin Set - Version 2 (One Pin Only) 
http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=52755&sid=4412.1192188165.v2

As far as "worth", their personal value is up to you & how much you like them & value the instances in which you received them. As far as trade value, there are many more people wanting to trade them than requesting them, so it's not super high. Regarding monetary value, you can just do a search on ebay & look at the completed auctions for these pins to get an idea what the market is currently bearing.


----------



## actionvaughn

Thaks Epcot. I should've known when I got two pins in a day. :lol:


----------



## t-beri

As far as people trading the pixie dust pins... I think it's sad that those pins people were trying to trade them rather than following Disney's request to "spread the magic" w/ another park goer.  When I got my pin  ( I had offered some advice about another pin to a CM) it was our last 15 minutes on property (having our farewell lunch at the Kona Cafe) I couldn't wait for a little boy to hold a door open for me or something so I could give the pin to some deserving vacationer!!!  I ended up sending it to another trader who sent me extra traders for my kids when we swapped a couple of pins, I thought that was a nice gesture so I would return the favor.  I won't ever trade my pixie dust pin and if I get one this time I go to the parks I will give them both away to deserving recipients. To me it's a reminder that Disney is only as magical as we make it and I want to be one of the people spreading it around.

All of these pins have a monetary value of whatever WDW assigns them, after that it is up to you. 

...t.


----------



## BONITATIME

EpcotMatt2 said:


> As far as "worth", their personal value is up to you & how much you like them & value the instances in which you received them. As far as trade value, there are many more people wanting to trade them than requesting them, so it's not super high. Regarding monetary value, you can just do a search on ebay & look at the completed auctions for these pins to get an idea what the market is currently bearing.





I have a set but wouldn't trade of sell them for the world. I was given them by a cast member for giving a little girl a pin as a gift she saw on my lanyard. The idea of them is to further trading. I had to trade one off a lanyard to give away to follow the tradition of the set.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Just a little bump as I have seen a couple of people asking about buying on eBay.

As always, be familiar with what you are trying to buy.  Know what the pins are supposed to look like, buy from sellers with a written, money-back return policy, pay with PayPal or a credit card so you have some recourse if you need to dispute a transaction.  Buy pins from auctions where you can SEE the exact pins you will receive.  Look at the sellers closed auctions.  Have they sold hundereds and hundreds of identical pins in the past 2 weeks?  WHERE do you think they got all those pins?

Feedback can be VERY MISLEADING!  People who do not know about scrappers and counterfeits buy from eBay every day, and they leave positive feedback.  Once it is there it can not be retracted or changed.  I have purchased scrappers from a seller with over 10,000 positive feedbacks, so it is not a guarantee of authentic pins.  Look for auctions that say "NO SCRAPPERS".  Scrappers and counterfeits CAN and DO have the pin trading logo back stamp on them, so that doesn't mean anything.  The pins I have gotten that have caused the biggest problems are cast lanyard pins, and I refuse to purchase them in lots now.  To each his own, but really, buyer beware.

Ask for advice here if you are confused or have questions about pins you see on eBay.  Better to not bid than to get stuck with fakes!


----------



## GrillMouster

I've noticed that some sellers on ebay are using images from pinpics in their auctions.  This is very misleading, because it's not a picture of the actual pin up for sale.  The image from pinpics is likely that of an authentic pin, whereas the one up for bid could be a scrapper.


----------



## staylor

I'm looking at some pins on ebay for my children to trade on our next vacation to WDW.  I do not want scrappers or any other bad pin for that matter.  Has anyone used the sellers PINSCHEAP or DISNEYPINMAD or PINSTANTGRATIFICATION or ALLABOUTME35?
You can leave me a private message if you don't want to reply publicly on the forums. 

Thanks
Staci


----------



## Starseeker1221

staylor said:


> I'm looking at some pins on ebay for my children to trade on our next vacation to WDW.  I do not want scrappers or any other bad pin for that matter.  Has anyone used the sellers PINSCHEAP or DISNEYPINMAD or PINSTANTGRATIFICATION or ALLABOUTME35?
> You can leave me a private message if you don't want to reply publicly on the forums.
> 
> Thanks
> Staci



We've gotten pins from PINSCHEAP before and definitely received a few scrappers.


----------



## theantibride

Can I just offer a word of advice on bidding on pebay (no tjust pins) NEVER ever bid on an auction that uses someone else's picture: be it from another website (i.e. pinpics) or a catalog. First of all, 9 times out of 10 that in and of itself is a copyright violation. Secondly, legitimate sellers always take their own pictures. My fiance and I sell disney pins on ebay all the time (duplicates, ones we no longer want, etc) but we always take our own photos (or scans of the pins). Sure it would be easier to use a pinpics picture but that isn't right. We tried taking pictures of the Disney logos on the back but often it doesn't come out very well so if there is ever anything unique on the back we describe it. If you find one of those auctions ask the person to send youa photo of the actual iitem they are selling. If they won't --- turn and run! A good seller will send you a picture of anything you ask for. Even when the backs don't photograph welll we still send pics when requested and I think that let's people know we're legit. We also start our bids at a couple of dollars so people know that we aren't just selling junk pins. The ones that start at 1 cent always make me nervous. I know some legitimate sellers start their auctions that cheap but in general I try to avoid those. Also, if you do buy a pin from a seller and are happy with the results add them to your favorite seller's list. Then when they list new stuff you'll get notified and you can look and see if there's anything else you want. That's how we buy most of our pins on ebay -- from people we've bought from before and in those cases not once have we ever gotten a bad pin! Hope this helps someone out.


----------



## staylor

Thank you so much for the help.  I was thinking, why don't these people use their own pictures.  I actually found someone at dizpins selling at a reasonable cost so I think I'll just go with them.  At least I know I'll be getting good pins.


----------



## TishaMoon

Hi, I haven't been here in a while. I am still pretty new to pin trading. I haven't been taking my pins to the parks lately. I'm always afraid of them falling off my lanyard or something. And I had pretty much reached the point where the few pins I had I liked enough not to trade. So I just ordered a grab bag set off ebay to trade. I had done that before and it worked out really well, getting some I liked enough to keep and some I traded. This time however I don't think I was so lucky. I just got my pins today, and after inspecting them carefully I believe many if not all of them are fakes. I searched for them all on pinpics and probably 60-70% of them have warnings that unauthorized versions of the pin are out there. Two have scratches. The other thing that tipped me off is that on many of them the enamel seems kind of dull and scratched, and they have a kind of turpentine-like smell. It is very frustrating when this seller has good feedback.

The seller is disneypinmad and the auction number was 110184870966. I ordered 15 from him.


----------



## BONITATIME

> The other thing that tipped me off is that on many of them the enamel seems kind of dull and scratched, and they have a kind of turpentine-like smell.



Scrappers are made in the same place  as normal pins, they are just extras that Disney didn't ask for so I doubt they would smell.This sounds much more like the seller has picked them up in the park and has tried to clean them up.



> We also start our bids at a couple of dollars so people know that we aren't just selling junk pins. The ones that start at 1 cent always make me nervous.



One of the best sellers I know lists nearly all their pins at 1 cent so I don't think you can judge from that.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

Scrapper pins DO HAVE A SMELL!  They do, they do, they do!

I am not the only one who has noticed it, and I am getting frustrated by people not recognizing that this is a legitimate claim.  There is a VERY distinctive odor to the fakes we have received.  Perhaps the terminology is incorrect - the pins that have the weird smell might be better defined as "counterfeit".  On PinPics buyers are cautioned about pins in plastic bags with a single staple.  The odor is most noticable on those, but the smell lingers after the pins are out of the bags.  I have opened packages from eBay sellers where a "puff" of that smell comes out and I know we are in for fakes.

The folks on the DizPins boards fall over themselves laughing when the topic comes up, but the thing is, if the pins smell funny you should inspect them VERY carefully.  When we looked at all of ours with a magnifying glass it wasn't good. 

TishaMoon, you are 100% right about the smell - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.


----------



## TishaMoon

Thanks. It's not just the smell that bothered me either. Looking at them closely I've seen several flaws. Not only things that can be regular wear, like scratches, but unusual things like dips in the enamel and paint where it shouldn't be.  Also, one pin I got is described on pin pics as a fake because chip and dale's eyes are silver and not black like they should be.

All of the pins I bought came in individual bags. Most of them were in small zip lock type backs, but a few were in bags with one staple as you mentioned.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

TishaMoon said:


> Thanks. It's not just the smell that bothered me either. Looking at them closely I've seen several flaws. Not only things that can be regular wear, like scratches, but unusual things like dips in the enamel and paint where it shouldn't be.  Also, one pin I got is described on pin pics as a fake because chip and dale's eyes are silver and not black like they should be.
> 
> All of the pins I bought came in individual bags. Most of them were in small zip lock type backs, but a few were in bags with one staple as you mentioned.



Well, I'm not sure how you want to handle it.  You can contact the seller IF they have a return policy.  You can threaten negative feedback, but then they will post something ugly about you.  The new "ratings" on eBay give you the opportunity to report counterfeits.  When you go to do the "stars" if you click one star for "accuracy of description" it will ask you WHAT was inaccurate, and counterfeit is one of the choices.

We have a bunch of Chip & Dale cast lanyard pins that are fakes.


----------



## Caitsmama

I am leaving in 2 weeks for WDW, and i wanted to get some pins to bring to trade..i was looking on ebay tonight, but now, i am nervous.. after reading about the scrappers and such. 
Does anyone have a reputable seller that they could pm me about?


----------



## actionvaughn

Can anyone vouch for the eBay seller hppydiztrader?


----------



## curlyq7171

I was looking at buying pins on ebay but after reading some of these if am not sure.  Can someone tell me if this Item number, 260176562059, looks okay.  Or anything on the seller, travelinwynns.  Thanks a bunch!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

curlyq7171 said:


> I was looking at buying pins on ebay but after reading some of these if am not sure.  Can someone tell me if this Item number, 260176562059, looks okay.  Or anything on the seller, travelinwynns.  Thanks a bunch!



In general it is better to buy from auctions that show you the EXACT pins you will be getting.  This seller does have a return policy but only if the item is "grossly misrepresented" and they state flat out that the pins are not new.  They say they go to the parks to trade on Saturdays.  OK.  So what if the pins they trade for happen to be fakes?  They turn around and sell them to you.  You receive the pins and see that they are scrappers or counterfeits and you ask for a refund.  They will argue that they traded for those pins so they ARE tradeable, no refund for you.

I would look for auctions that specifically say "No scrappers" and show you the EXACT pins you will receive.  Good luck!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

actionvaughn said:


> Can anyone vouch for the eBay seller hppydiztrader?



Never dealt with them, but this is what I noticed.  The "completed listings"  shows the sale of over 1000 pins in the past 2 weeks.  How does someone in Ohio come to have that many pins, plus all the pins currently up for bid?  They also sell grab bags in addition to the single pins still on the cards.  Those single pins are recently released designs, too.  If this seller was at WDW and bought pins for $6.95 or more why are they selling them on eBay starting at $2.50 each? 

I am just curious where the pins came from.


----------



## mommapoppins

Do you think these pins are authentic? Ebay Auction 200168530252

or these?

Item 280168817156


----------



## EpcotMatt2

mommapoppins said:


> Do you think these pins are authentic? Ebay Auction 200168530252
> 
> or these?
> 
> Item 280168817156




These auctions look good to me. The first one I recognize just about all of the pins. The second one I recognize about half, but I think that's just because they're newer pins or a newer lanyard series or something that I'm personally not quite familiar with.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

mommapoppins said:


> Do you think these pins are authentic? Ebay Auction 200168530252
> 
> or these?
> 
> Item 280168817156



The first auction looks OK - they are mostly rack pins so they are probably fine.  The seller also appears to be local to WDW.

I wouldn't bid on the second one because most of those pins have scrappers floating around.  The chances of all of them being authentic are very slim.


----------



## EpcotMatt2

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> The first auction looks OK - they are mostly rack pins so they are probably fine.  The seller also appears to be local to WDW.
> 
> I wouldn't bid on the second one because most of those pins have scrappers floating around.  The chances of all of them being authentic are very slim.



Thanks for following up jackskellingtonsgirl. That's why I love this thread because there are so many different folks in-the-know out here to help out.


----------



## Eeyore's Mom

I just want to say thanks for providing this thread and the great advice. I did make a purchase last week on ebay for my first set of trading pins (after reading this tread  ). I was a little nervous but followed the rules here and did pretty well. I just got off of pinpics to check each of the pins I received and am feeling good about it  . I did get one scrapper in a lot of 12 put the others are all good with the mickey rubber back and I got them for $24 with shipping.  I bought them for my oldest son to trade but I just might have to keep them for my own trading  , I can see how this gets pretty crazy


----------



## meandtheguys2

Eeyore's Mom said:


> I just want to say thanks for providing this thread and the great advice. I did make a purchase last week on ebay for my first set of trading pins (after reading this tread  ). I was a little nervous but followed the rules here and did pretty well. I just got off of pinpics to check each of the pins I received and am feeling good about it  . I did get one scrapper in a lot of 12 put the others are all good with the mickey rubber back and I got them for $24 with shipping.  I bought them for my oldest son to trade but I just might have to keep them for my own trading  , I can see how this gets pretty crazy



Mickey backs aren't really here nor there.  All older pins have different backs, so if you are judging one to be a scrapper because of the back, it may very well still be a good pin!


----------



## PattiPB

Can anyone comment on lots from retiredreadingspecialist?  This person has several 40 pin lots for about $100 buy it now.

We are casual traders---we trade for what we like, not for future trades or profit.  IE---I only trade for villains, my DS9 only wants Pooh, etc.

Any advice/opinions on larger lots appreciated!  Thanks


----------



## GoofyBaby

I doubt I will buy pins from eBay again after getting burned with an entire order of scrappers from a seller with 100% positive feedback.  I didn't realize until after I had bought the cast lanyard pins that they were not going to be officially released until a few months later.  Sure enough, my pins were scrappers - uneven paint, paint smears on a couple of the pins and misspelled words on the back.  Very frustrating!   

For those looking for a trustworthy source of trader pins, I would like to HIGHLY recommend buying pins from Darlene & Nina at Walt's Basement.  They are in the parks often because they live close by.  They sell authentic pins for $2.30 apiece and always include cast pins and at least one limited edition pin in your order.  Another plus (at least for me) is that all pins have the black rubber mickey backs.  The email communication is wonderful (and fast) and they work very hard to make sure their customers are happy.  I only buy my traders from them for my Disney trips and I am always pleased.  They require a minimum order of 20 pins, but give you free shipping.   They even have a message board for any questions you might have.  Here is the link to their pin sale page:


----------



## EpcotMatt2

GoofyBaby said:


> I doubt I will buy pins from eBay again after getting burned with an entire order of scrappers from a seller with 100% positive feedback.  I didn't realize until after I had bought the cast lanyard pins that they were not going to be officially released until a few months later.  Sure enough, my pins were scrappers - uneven paint, paint smears on a couple of the pins and misspelled words on the back.  Very frustrating!
> 
> For those looking for a trustworthy source of trader pins, I would like to HIGHLY recommend buying pins from Darlene & Nina at Walt's Basement.  They are in the parks often because they live close by.  They sell authentic pins for $2.30 apiece and always include cast pins and at least one limited edition pin in your order.  Another plus (at least for me) is that all pins have the black rubber mickey backs.  The email communication is wonderful (and fast) and they work very hard to make sure their customers are happy.  I only buy my traders from them for my Disney trips and I am always pleased.  They require a minimum order of 20 pins, but give you free shipping.   They even have a message board for any questions you might have.  Here is the link to their pin sale page:
> 
> 
> 
> Did your seller show the specific pins for sale? I never buy unless the auction is showing the specific pins in the picture.


----------



## GoofyBaby

EpcotMatt2 said:


> Did your seller show the specific pins for sale? I never buy unless the auction is showing the specific pins in the picture.




He showed the 4 pins in a picture, but they were not the same pins I received.  And it was my fault not not asking him if the pins in the picture he posted would be the exact pins I'd be getting.  I learned my lesson!  It is very frustrating that we have to deal with scrapper pins.  I am just happy I found a reputable seller now and I'll stick with her from now on.


----------



## EpcotMatt2

GoofyBaby said:


> He showed the 4 pins in a picture, but they were not the same pins I received.  And it was my fault not not asking him if the pins in the picture he posted would be the exact pins I'd be getting.  I learned my lesson!  It is very frustrating that we have to deal with scrapper pins.  I am just happy I found a reputable seller now and I'll stick with her from now on.



Hold the bus. Did he say in the listing that the pins pictured were what you were to receive? If so, and they were different, you have a case for refund here.


----------



## TeenaS

The seller that I deal with all the time just put some great pins up for sale on ebay.  The seller is MUBUNNY.  The pins I've received from him have all been perfect.  He has some good trading lots up now that are a great deal for trading and also some singles of hard to find cast lanyard, hidden mickey, limited edition, cast exclusive, etc.  He seems to only list pins maybe once a month or so ... I guess after a trip to the parks maybe.  Hope this helps someone.


----------



## GoofyBaby

EpcotMatt2 said:


> Hold the bus. Did he say in the listing that the pins pictured were what you were to receive? If so, and they were different, you have a case for refund here.




He did not state this in the auction, though I wish he had!  At least it was only 4 pins, so it was not an expensive lesson learned.  If I ever do decide to buy pins from eBay again (not likely), I know what to do now.  Thanks for checking with me though. . .I appreciate it!


----------



## buffy0214

I just wanted to say thanks for the help in getting some good pins on ebay. I had no problem trading any of the pins and we all had so much fun doing it. Definately a new tradition for us 

On the way home, however, I saw that my son (4 year old) traded for a Pooh pin. I noticed right away that it wasn't the same quality. I looked on the back and sure enough it said "sedsma" on the back. We only traded with CMs but he still got a sedsma pin (mainly because we didn't have an opportunity to trade with anyone else). Oh well, at least I know what to look out for now.

I also bought a bunch of those locking backs. I put them on our "keepers". A couple of pins came off our lanyard and we were able to get them back but I didn't want to loose any of our favorites.


----------



## Astro Orbiter

Can anyone tell me about bizzybee1 and/or this auction?  260150990697  

I've been burned by procrastination - in Sept this pin was in WDW, and now it's gone.

They're selling for less than retail, plus free shipping, and have pages and pages of pins.

Thanks -


----------



## BONITATIME

Astro Orbiter said:


> Can anyone tell me about bizzybee1 and/or this auction?  260150990697
> QUOTE]
> 
> 
> 
> It looks ok. I would guess they picked them up in an outlet or the have a discount to buy but their feedback is good and the pins they are selling are mostly different.


----------



## jziggy

Can anyone tell me if ebay seller fab5pins sells authentic disney trading pins?   I am a newbie.  DH and I are taking DD(7) and DD(4) on our first trip to WDW in a few weeks.   Are there any other sellers or websites anyone could recommend for buying Disney trading pins? 

Thank you,

jziggy


----------



## TeenaS

jziggy said:


> Can anyone tell me if ebay seller fab5pins sells authentic disney trading pins?   I am a newbie.  DH and I are taking DD(7) and DD(4) on our first trip to WDW in a few weeks.   Are there any other sellers or websites anyone could recommend for buying Disney trading pins?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> jziggy



Check out MUBUNNY and if he doesn't have any up now or is just selling singles at the moment, email him and ask him if he is going to list any "lots".  Last week he had one lot of 13, one lot of 7 and some 5's and 4's and the ones I've purchased from him have all been aboslutely authentic.  He sometimes has lots of 5 or 6 or 7 cuties which are fantastic for trading since they are smaller pins and less to carry around to trade.


----------



## jziggy

Thank you for your help!  I will definitely check out this seller.

jziggy


----------



## harvardx

How do I search eBay for MUBUNNY? I tried sellers search.  Thanks in advance, Robin


----------



## TeenaS

harvardx said:


> How do I search eBay for MUBUNNY? I tried sellers search.  Thanks in advance, Robin



Go to www.ebay.com.
Then click on "advanced search" over to the right.
Then over on the left hand side of the page, you'll see:
    Search
       Items
          Find Items
Click on "Items by Seller"
Then go to "Enter Seller's User ID" and type in:  mubunny
Click on "include completed listings"
Then click on "search"

When the items come up, you can click on "view items with pictures" over in the upper right hand corner to get a better idea of what he is or did sell.

Unfortunately he had a good amount of pin lots that the auctions finished yesterday (11/30).  Hopefully he will list more this weekend.  If not, send him an email.  Click on his name and then on the left it will say

Items for Sale
Add to Favorite Sellers
Contact member

just click on "contact member" and send him an email asking him when he will be listing more "lots" of trading pins.


----------



## cyiland

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Scrapper pins DO HAVE A SMELL!  They do, they do, they do!
> 
> I am not the only one who has noticed it, and I am getting frustrated by people not recognizing that this is a legitimate claim.  There is a VERY distinctive odor to the fakes we have received.
> 
> <snip>
> 
> The folks on the DizPins boards fall over themselves laughing when the topic comes up, but the thing is, if the pins smell funny you should inspect them VERY carefully.  When we looked at all of ours with a magnifying glass it wasn't good.
> 
> TishaMoon, you are 100% right about the smell - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.



Yes, yes, yes.  I had not read this thread, but got a 50 pin lot from "*cfc93*" a couple of weeks ago.  While there were pins that I'm sure were "good", there were also many scrapper pins.  And the smell was really bad.  I apologized to my wife, and wondered if this trader worked at a gas station!  

Regarding this trader, many of the pins were in the super-thin plastic bags (stapled shut), others in small cheapy ziploc bags.  I BELIEVE that the DL-Paris pins were good for the most part, but I selected 16 or 17 and returned them to the seller for a swap, per his suggestion.  Though he said he does NOT deal with scrappers, he had no real explanation for those cheap plastic bags - he said HE puts the pins in those to protect them.  I told him that if that was the case, he could convince me of that by including a few of those bags (unused, no staples) along with the replacements. That way, I could see that he really had "new" bags.  I assumed that he was getting these scrapper pins in already-stapled bags, so he if he was indeed a scrapper "importer", he wouldn't have empty bags to provide.  

So what did I get for my replacement set?  About 22 "guaranteed non-scrapper" pins.  None were in bags this time (obviously, they'd been removed).  No new, empty bags, either.  And when I received this second shipment, I still found at least some that I'm convinced were in FACT scrappers.  In short, the seller is polite, and went to effort to avoid negative feedback, but I can't recommend him.  He's another case of (what appears to me to be) an obvious scrapper with great feedback due probably to just the lack of knowledgeable buyers.  

So if you have a gas/turpentine smell, I think it's safe to assume you're dealing with (a) a scrapper, (b) a gas station.


----------



## GrumpyIsMe

Just became a new member of the DISboards and this is my first post. Took the family to WDW for the first time in March 2006 and we were hooked on trading ever since. Had bought a few pins on eBay and fortunately all were legit pins. Thanks for the great info.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

cyiland said:


> Yes, yes, yes.  I had not read this thread, but got a 50 pin lot from "*cfc93*" a couple of weeks ago.  While there were pins that I'm sure were "good", there were also many scrapper pins.  And the smell was really bad.  I apologized to my wife, and wondered if this trader worked at a gas station!
> 
> Regarding this trader, many of the pins were in the super-thin plastic bags (stapled shut), others in small cheapy ziploc bags.  I BELIEVE that the DL-Paris pins were good for the most part, but I selected 16 or 17 and returned them to the seller for a swap, per his suggestion.  Though he said he does NOT deal with scrappers, he had no real explanation for those cheap plastic bags - he said HE puts the pins in those to protect them.  I told him that if that was the case, he could convince me of that by including a few of those bags (unused, no staples) along with the replacements. That way, I could see that he really had "new" bags.  I assumed that he was getting these scrapper pins in already-stapled bags, so he if he was indeed a scrapper "importer", he wouldn't have empty bags to provide.
> 
> So what did I get for my replacement set?  About 22 "guaranteed non-scrapper" pins.  None were in bags this time (obviously, they'd been removed).  No new, empty bags, either.  And when I received this second shipment, I still found at least some that I'm convinced were in FACT scrappers.  In short, the seller is polite, and went to effort to avoid negative feedback, but I can't recommend him.  He's another case of (what appears to me to be) an obvious scrapper with great feedback due probably to just the lack of knowledgeable buyers.
> 
> So if you have a gas/turpentine smell, I think it's safe to assume you're dealing with (a) a scrapper, (b) a gas station.



I am sorry this happened to you.  We have gotten scrappers from that seller, too.  But if I recall correctly it was only 3 or 4 pins and I didn't realize they were scrappers until WAY after the fact.  I am pretty sure they were pins we intended to keep (DL pirate cast lanyard pins, maybe?) so I never got into it with the seller.

PinPics specifically says the pins in those bags with one staple are suspect, and if they have that smell I would bet money that they are scrappers.


----------



## tinkerbee

actionvaughn said:


> Can anyone vouch for the eBay seller hppydiztrader?



I have purchased pins off this person before and had no problems. They are great pins. They are all official trading pins.Just like bizzybee1 I have bought from them too and they are great too.  I have also bid against them when they bid on large lots so maybe that is how they can sell them for the price they do. I have seen many people on Ebay do that. Buy large lots then resell them or they might get a discount from someone. How can anyone on ebay sell pins for less than $9.00 and make a profit if they don't have someone else they buy pins from?


----------



## actionvaughn

Thanks tinkerbee! I actually went ahead and ordered from *hppydiztrader* and got some great results. I got 250 pins, all official WDW and on cards with price tags and everything. Was very happy with them.  

I've actually ordered from *bizzybee1 *about three times before too. All official DLR and on cards too. Both are recommended by myself.


----------



## justkeepswimmin

anyone ever buy from *maxheadroom777*





?

I just bought 3 pins and feedback was good but after researching here and other places I am now nervous about scrappers.

I also made an offer on a LE Mickeys Not SO Scary Halloween Party Pin from 2006 (We attended this party but dd was not into pin trading at the time) butthe seller lists no number on the back. Are all limited editions numbered and if so should I ask her to provide this information?


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

justkeepswimmin said:


> anyone ever buy from *maxheadroom777*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?
> 
> I just bought 3 pins and feedback was good but after researching here and other places I am now nervous about scrappers.
> 
> I also made an offer on a LE Mickeys Not SO Scary Halloween Party Pin from 2006 (We attended this party but dd was not into pin trading at the time) butthe seller lists no number on the back. Are all limited editions numbered and if so should I ask her to provide this information?



They are not all numbered, they simply say LE 2000 or whatever the edition size is.

If the pins from eBay are scrappers you should definitely take it up with the seller, and if you don't get resolution there then take it up with eBay.


----------



## iu97alum

This thread has been great for me     Anyone know where i can find extra pinbacks (cause I hear it's easy to lose them!) and lockable ones (for those pins that you just don't want to trade?

I searched ebay and found one seller that does extra pinbacks but no hits on lockable ones.  

thanks!!


----------



## Donald is #1

iu97alum said:


> This thread has been great for me     Anyone know where i can find extra pinbacks (cause I hear it's easy to lose them!) and lockable ones (for those pins that you just don't want to trade?
> 
> I searched ebay and found one seller that does extra pinbacks but no hits on lockable ones.
> 
> thanks!!



I know that you can get them at WDW because I bought them there.

Also, I looked on their website and it looks like pinseller has both.  pinseller accessories


----------



## 2xlechemom

New pin collector here, subbing to the thread.

Thanks for all the advice!


----------



## EpcotMatt2

2xlechemom said:


> New pin collector here, subbing to the thread.
> 
> Thanks for all the advice!



Welcome!


----------



## 2xlechemom

Actually, I can't say totally new.  Apparently I started a long time ago.  I had picked up a tin set of classic pooh, tigger, piglet, and eyore back in 97, and I happened to be in the disney store one day when they got in the countdown to the millennium pooh and tigger.  My daughter had been so into pooh, I just got them to put away for her.

She doesn't like pooh anymore tho, so they are mine


----------



## pbnjrockette

Check out "disneypatriot" for locking pin backs. He/she sells them in packs of 10 and 50. They are great! Don't need a locking pin --- and they don't fall off!


----------



## 3DisneyKids

Ok, I have always thought that I was "in the know" when it came to real pins vs. scrappers, etc.  I am well aware of Sedsma and ProPins, etc.  I have puchased a number of lots from various sellers on eBay and believe that I have asked them the right questions, etc.

Now, though, I wonder....

Every pin that I have received from an eBay auction has the "official pin trading" stamp on the back (the mouse head).  Many of these are also cast member/hidden Mickey pins, etc.  I assumed that this automatically meant that they are real.

Are there scrappers out there that have also falsified the Mickey head stamp on the back?

Thanks!


----------



## chcmama

We have our first trip to WDW in April and I thought my dd's would have a fun time pin trading.  So I have been looking on ebay and was just about to buy some when I came across this board and you saved me from buying some bad pins.  So I wanted to thank you all for your advice.  I bought some from one of the sellers recommened on here.
Thank you, thank you,


----------



## chcmama

sorry double post


----------



## EpcotMatt2

chcmama said:


> We have our first trip to WDW in April and I thought my dd's would have a fun time pin trading.  So I have been looking on ebay and was just about to buy some when I came across this board and you saved me from buying some bad pins.  So I wanted to thank you all for your advice.  I bought some from one of the sellers recommened on here.
> Thank you, thank you,



We're glad we could help.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

3DisneyKids said:


> Ok, I have always thought that I was "in the know" when it came to real pins vs. scrappers, etc.  I am well aware of Sedsma and ProPins, etc.  I have puchased a number of lots from various sellers on eBay and believe that I have asked them the right questions, etc.
> 
> Now, though, I wonder....
> 
> Every pin that I have received from an eBay auction has the "official pin trading" stamp on the back (the mouse head).  Many of these are also cast member/hidden Mickey pins, etc.  I assumed that this automatically meant that they are real.
> 
> Are there scrappers out there that have also falsified the Mickey head stamp on the back?
> 
> Thanks!



ABSOLUTELY there are scrappers and/or counterfeits with the "official" pin trading stamp on the back!
Think of a scrapper as a factory reject - there is something about it that just isn't quite up to par.  Instead of being melted back down it finds it's way to the secondary market (aka eBay) and people buy them.
Counterfeits are blatant copyright infringment.  The factories make them as close to the originals as they can, but the backstamp will be a little different.  Sometimes the font is different, or there are letters missing (like mine that say D SNEY), or the numbering "1 of 4" is wrong.  I recently saw some on the DizPins comparison board where the info on the back stamp was side by side instead of one on top of the other.  The manufacturers market them in lots of hundreds or thousands and people sell them on eBay.  
We are finished buying from eBay because we have gotten SO many fakes.  We came home from WDW last month with fakes that we traded for.  It really is a problem.


----------



## TeenaS

Just wanted to give you a heads-up on the buyer I buy from on ebay ... MUBUNNY.  He has some listed now.  He doesn't list often but when he does, they are really good deals and I've purchased lots from him and they have always been authentic Disney pins and in great condition.  Just wanted to give you guys a heads-up.  I'm stocked pretty good right now so I don't need anymore.  Good Luck!!


----------



## MarcyIn Florida

tinkerbee said:


> How can anyone on ebay sell pins for less than $9.00 and make a profit if they don't have someone else they buy pins from?




Although we don't sell our pins on ebay, we've bought some ridiculously inexpensive pins from the Character Premiere outlet in Orlando.  They don't have pin deals like they used to, but a few years ago they were selling the state pins for 99 cents each, as well as some other random pins.  I think we got 30 pins for $30 at the time -- now that we've gone through our stash of traders, I'm kicking myself for not buying them out!


----------



## mickeysaver

Well, I just bought about 100 pins off of eBay for the kiddos going on the Bert's Big Adventure charity trip to WDW in about 6 weeks.  Hopefully, they are all legit, but if not, there are going to be a lot of really sweet kids with some really cute "fake" pins.   

All I can say is that I tried!  The whole counterfeit thing just drives me bonkers.     Maggie


----------



## JenH1969

I hope I haven't found this thread too late- 

In the last few days I have bid on many pins from Thinkerbelle102 (store- THINK PINK) on ebay- I have won 29-  

They are


 Tinker Bell Mood Subject to Change Disney   Pin
 Cinderella Bride Married Heart Paris DLRP Disney Pin
Tigger & Eeyore Starter Lanyard Set Pooh Disney Pin
Sleepy Dwarf Snow White Film Feature Disney Pin
Tinker Bell on a Thimble TINK TUESDAYS Pin
 Disney Cast Pin Trading Traditions Gift Award Disney Pin 
Buzz Holiday DLR Mystery Tin Random LE 1500 Disney Pin
Peter Pan Hook's Pointe Never Sold DLR Promo Disney Pin
Cast Lanyard Scrooge Found Them Never Sold Disney 
DLR Mickey with Arms Stretched Out Disney Pin
LR Mickey Pirate Parrot on Shoulder Disney Pin
Stitch Cannon & Spyglass Pirate Legend Disney Pin
Princess Florida Set Snow Cinderella Aurora Disney 
PIRATES CARIBBEAN BARBOSSA & DAVY JONES AWE Disney Pin
LR Dale Dressed as a Pirate Mystery Tin Disney Pin
Peter Pan 's Flight DLR Peter & Wendy Disney Pin
Peter Pan DLR Crock Clock Never Sold GWP Disney Pin 
Minnie Daisy DLR Happy Easter 2007 Disney Pin
Jungle Book DS Snowglobe GWP LE 500 Disney Pin
DS Tigger Face Cuties Spinner Disney Pin
 The Book of Pooh Tigger 12 Months Magic Disney Pin
Cast Lanyard Ariel Mermaid WDW 4 Never Sold Disney Pin
Fireman Mickey 's Fire Dept. Red Badge WDW Disney Pin
Pirates PIRATE COMPASS Cast Lanyard HM Disney Pin
Pirates PIRATE PRINCESS Cast Lanyard HM Disney Pin
Princess Aurora Beauty Castle Never Sold GWP Disney Pin
Cast Lanyard Pirates Yo Ho Ho Never Sold Disney Pin 

Plus I am currently bidding on
Princess Starter Cinderelle Snow White Pin
DLR Tinkerbell Sandal Flip Flop Right Side
WDE Bambi Rabbit Thumper Laughing Disney Pin
Goofy VMK Pirates of Caribbean Overboard Disney Pin
Cast Lanyard HMC Jasmine Series 4 Never Sold Disney Pin

I hope, hope, hope I have done ok- but I would rather know now then when I arrive at WDW and my kids and I can't trade-

THanks so much if you have the time to give me feedback- Jen


----------



## 2xlechemom

I just want to add, on recommendations from this thread, I made a purchase from pinfinder.com and it was great! I choose to pay by money order.  I emailed last Wed afternoon, mailed the MO Thurs afternoon, and got my pins today.  Wrapped well in bubble wrap so they didn't rub.


----------



## dreamin in pa

DD11 really wants to try pin trading this year and after seeing the thread on the welcome board about the collections board, I thought I would check all this out.  I've done pretty much reading on here about scrapper pins and buying from ebay.  I wrote down the suggestions on the sellers who sell good pins and I am looking at their auctions.  

I noticed a couple of pages someone posted about the ebay seller dzneypins and a couple of specific auctions they had.  Could someone look at their auctions for individual pins.  The prices are really cheap but is it a case of too good to be true?


----------



## actionvaughn

dreamin in pa said:


> I noticed a couple of pages someone posted about the ebay seller dzneypins and a couple of specific auctions they had.  Could someone look at their auctions for individual pins.  The prices are really cheap but is it a case of too good to be true?



I personally wouldn't recommend them. I'm not sure if it was a single incident, but I won an auction that was supposed authentic with no duplicates. I received about six sets of duplicates and about 10 were fakes... She/he was nice about refunding me, but I definitely won't be ordering from them again. 

I've had great experience with hppydiztrader. She has traders for $2.25 up right now, and I'm planning on buying some soon too. Last time I ordered, I got some great pins all brand new on cards. 

And welcome to pin trading! Remember to not let your DD have all the fun!


----------



## dreamin in pa

Thanks for the advice and recommendation.  I already have the seller you recommended on my favorite sellers list from seeing them mentioned here before.  Good to see another recommendation for her.  

Thanks again.


----------



## KatInHat

Has anyone ever purchased pins from ebay seller TRADINGPINS4LESS ? 
Should I ?  
He says that all of his pins are official disney pins no cheap knockoffs.  
what do you think?  thanks


----------



## Donald is #1

KatInHat said:


> Has anyone ever purchased pins from ebay seller TRADINGPINS4LESS ?
> Should I ?
> He says that all of his pins are official disney pins no cheap knockoffs.
> what do you think?  thanks



Can you confirm the seller id?  I did a search for the one you listed and the search came back with an invalid seller id error.


----------



## KatInHat

Donald is #1 said:


> Can you confirm the seller id?  I did a search for the one you listed and the search came back with an invalid seller id error.



Yeah, I'm sorry.  Apparently the online store name is disneypins4less but the sellers id is *allaboutme35* I really appreciate your time. thanks


----------



## Donald is #1

KatInHat said:


> Yeah, I'm sorry.  Apparently the online store name is disneypins4less but the sellers id is *allaboutme35* I really appreciate your time. thanks



I don't think that I have bought from this seller before.  But my concern is that you can't see the actual pins that you are buying.  I try to stay to auctions where I can see the actual pins.  It may mean nothing but I just feel more comfortable with an auction when I see the actual item I am bidding on.


----------



## abirdd

Alright, I just read through various threads... and did a search to boot.  Nothing on *pinderellas_castle* - anyone have experience buying from them?

TIA


----------



## unknownname

How can you tell when there "fake" pins?


----------



## linskypens

I have purchased three sets from PINDERELLA"S CASTLE in the past month.
All were excellent, and looked exactly as described in the auction.
I think if you follow some basic guidelines, you will be fine  no matter who you buy from.Ive purchsed at least seven sets of traders from ebay.
The guidelines I use.....

1. As with all Ebay purchases, check the feedback.......97% or higher for me
2.Don't buy "grab bag" pin sets.you have no idea what you are getting.
3.Look for auctions that specify"no propins or sedesma"
4.Try to find auctions where the pinsets are actually depicted in the auction.I always buy pins only when they are the ones actually shown in the photograph
5.You can get much better deals by buying sets as opposed to individual pins.Do a search for "disney pin lot" and you will get better results .


I hope this all helps .My DD11 got into it last year big time. I had bought her a set of traders on Ebay before we left, and she spent pretty much the entirety of her day at DHS doing nothing but pin trading.She had a cold and felt lousy that day, and really didn't want to ride anything, but pin trading kept  her busy and her mind off how awful she felt, and that day ended up being one of her favorite days ever in Disney.I have already purchased two sets of traders for our trip in April, and actually the pins were so good from Pinderella's castle, that she is going to keep five of them for herself, and trade the rest.
Another tip......
LOCKING BACKS!!!! 
Use the black Mickey heads if you can't find locking backs, but we've lost several pins along the way because of cheap backs that fall off.The Mickey heads are better than the usual metal backs.


----------



## mopandj

i've been enjoying this thread.  we are going to wdw next month and i wanted to get the kids some pins ahead of time so they are set to trade when we get there.  i purchased 40 pins from hppydiztrader on ebay at 2.25 each.  i got them today and they are all on wdw cards w/ wdw price tag on back.  i got:

4 pins priced at 10.95
18 pins priced at 8.95
18 pins priced at 6.95

i put in a request for pluto, pirates, and star wars, and she was very good at meeting my requests.  i got 8 pirate pins, 5 star wars pins and 5 pluto pins.  

also, there were 3 bobble pins, 5 dangle pins, and 1 spinner.

no doubles in the lot and her shipping was FAST!  i can't wait to start doling(sp?) them out and for my(our) first trip to wdw.  thanks for starting this thread, op!  martha.


----------



## astrodrummergirl

JenH1969 said:


> I hope I haven't found this thread too late-
> 
> In the last few days I have bid on many pins from Thinkerbelle102 (store- THINK PINK) on ebay- I have won 29-



Hi, I won 14 pins from this seller last week and although I've paid for them (and have the paypal receipt, which was received on the 25th) she sent me payment reminders for them all and after 4 long emails to her, I have had no contact from her and don't know what to do.


----------



## DearDaisyinDurham

astrodrummergirl said:


> Hi, I won 14 pins from this seller last week and although I've paid for them (and have the paypal receipt, which was received on the 25th) she sent me payment reminders for them all and after 4 long emails to her, I have had no contact from her and don't know what to do.



Wow there's a lot of info here! 

I think that's why (post above) I'm afraid to do e bay  . I think I'll stick to Disney for now. I'm a pin weenie.


----------



## TeenaS

You guys are missing out on some fantastic deals from MUBUNNY ... he's got some good ones right now listed.  They have always been 100% authentic Disney trading pins ... I've purchased loads from him!


----------



## actionvaughn

Teena, it seems like every post I read about you is a post promoting Mubunny...


----------



## kimsuenew

On our 2007 trip our son traded (one of his very first trades ever) one of his pins for a Nemo pin (he was with dad) from a CM at the SSR giftshop/eatery counter. As he handed it to me, showing it off proudly, I looked at it and thought "ugh" as it just appeared a little bit off. Sure enough, I turned it over, and it was not an official Disney pin. We quickly went back to the counter, to the next CM, and traded it (we barely looked at her pins, I just wanted an official pin to trade off later). 

I absolutely HATE when people pass off their junk, and am disappointed CM's don't check it first! 

We were new to pin trading in 2007, and before going, I read EVERYTHING that I could, so I new what to do and what to buy and what not to buy! 

We bought a starter amount of pins from ebay (like about 40), all from a highly ranked seller, with official Disney pins, most still on their backing. I ended up with only a couple  from him that were not Cast Exclusive or Hidden Mickey (they were still Disney). These were individual listings, not lots, and in the end they averaged about $2.00 each, including S&H (some went for more, some less, but the envelope averaged that). I also ended up spending an extra $200.00+ unplanned, to buy more in the parks to trade. It is very expensive, I see why people ebay (other than to get a "starter stock" for when you go)! I did buy from three sellers total, but most were from that seller and that was all he sold!

On ebay, if you are careful and ask LOTS of questions, you CAN get great pins, far cheaper than in the parks!  I even ask a seller (one I only bought a few from, not the bulk) to send me pics of the backs of the pins, before I would even bid! I figured that an honest seller would gladly do so, and they did!

Don't count out Disneyshopping (online).  Before Christmas there was a posting on the Dis Budget Board about cheap Crocs there, with stackable codes, and free (if a Disney Visa holder) or reduced (if not, $5.00 total per order) S&H! When I went there (I wanted to try Crocs, and they ended up being less than $15.00 a pair), I checked the pins section. They had several (like 7 or 8 different) LE (only 1,000 per each was made) pins marked down, and with my discounts, and free shipping, I ended up with a little over 80 pins to trade for our 2008 trip, for less than $2.50 each! These are brand new, official LE Disney pins, still on their cards and bubble wrapped... just waiting to be packed! This was the first time I checked for discounted pins there, but you can bet it won't be the last!  Peek there every so often and check, you can't beat it! They were not listed in a seperate section, you had to look at every pin area, to find the discounted ones. We got Pooh, Cheshire, Buzz, Jack & Sally. Evil Queen, and two or three others (I can't remember and they are packed in one of our two Disney huge tubs)!


----------



## TeenaS

actionvaughn said:


> Teena, it seems like every post I read about you is a post promoting Mubunny...



Just trying to help out buyers ... I got stuck with some lousy pins when I started buying on ebay and now that I found a good seller, I like to pass it on.  My only complaint about MUBUNNY is he doesn't list pins very often.  

As far as other posts, I post loads under DINING and DISNEY RESORTS (especially since I work at WDW) and never mention MUBUNNY.


----------



## PalMickey55

I suggest you go to discount disney pins.com, you can get pins for the cheapest of 98 cents and they will arrive within the week. each month the come out with new ones, so i check every week or so


----------



## kimsuenew

PalMickey55 said:


> I suggest you go to discount disney pins.com, you can get pins for the cheapest of 98 cents and they will arrive within the week. each month the come out with new ones, so i check every week or so



Do they have sales? The only reason I ask is your post got me excited about cheap Disney pins so I went. I did find a few pins under (but pretty close to) $3.00, but most were above $4.00 and clear up to about $8.00 each. Is there perhaps a section I missed, or do they hold sales at the cheap price at times? At .98 cents a pin I would lOVE to buy a bunch for our upcoming trip (we are hoping our two neices get to go with us ~ they will if free dining is offered to all ~ so I could use even more pins for them)!  I had never heard of them until your post, thanks for the heads up and your help!


----------



## audrey13

Can someone check eBay auction # 220197550841 from seller stitchsglitch?  

I'm looking for a few pins for my DS to trade.  I don't know if he'll get into it that much so I'm looking for a small lot (this is a lot of 5) and I don't really care what pins we get as long as they are authentic and tradeable.

Thanks!


----------



## abirdd

kimsuenew said:


> Don't count out Disneyshopping (online).



I wholeheartedly agree with this comment.  Over the weekend, DisneyShopping offered 30% off everything in the regular and outlet stores... and if you were looking for pin sets, some great deals were had.  I suggest to those who want to avoid eBay - check your local Disney Store during clearance sales and also take a peek at DisneyShopping.com.  You never know what just might turn up!


----------



## kimsuenew

abirdd said:


> I wholeheartedly agree with this comment.  Over the weekend, DisneyShopping offered 30% off everything in the regular and outlet stores... and if you were looking for pin sets, some great deals were had.  I suggest to those who want to avoid eBay - check your local Disney Store during clearance sales and also take a peek at DisneyShopping.com.  You never know what just might turn up!



 We don't have a Disney store around us, its probably a good thing or I might just be broke (well even "more broke" than usual)!  I do love the DisneyShopping (online), the codes they give are just amazing at times! 

I also have to say... that picture is adorable!


----------



## MagicAllison

I am looking at these sets for my kids to take on their first trip to DW this month.  Neither has ever done pin trading so it seems like a nice first set. ??? Will this enable them to participate?

http://stores.ebay.com/Fab5Discounts

It comes with lanyard and pouch which seem to be something they sell at the park?  As well as 6 pins.


----------



## agnes!

For everyone who is thinking of buying from Disneyshopping.Com/DisneyOutlet.Com/DisneyStore.Com... 
Be very aware of their shipping charges!  They can be incredibly high.  If you get one of the shipping deals - $5 shipping for $50 purchased, Free Shipping on Selected pins on Mondays, etc. - then you can save quite a bit, especially if you stack your purchase with some additional discount codes. 

*However*, I _*always*_ price out my 'deals' different ways, keeping an eye of the various Disney merchandising strategies (for instance, Disney is notorious for changing their prices around).  There can be a big SALE but the shipping eats up the savings, they'll have a % off code the next day but raise the price back to the regular price and so on.  

Think of buying from Disney as if you were renting a car in Orlando - check early, check often and watch for those sales and discount codes.

I have gotten some incredible deals from DisneyShopping - free shipping on personalized pinbags for as little as $20 (instead of $35+shipping), pins(some LE) for less than $3 each, etc.

agnes!


----------



## kimsuenew

agnes! said:


> For everyone who is thinking of buying from Disneyshopping.Com/DisneyOutlet.Com/DisneyStore.Com...
> Be very aware of their shipping charges!  They can be incredibly high.  If you get one of the shipping deals - $5 shipping for $50 purchased, Free Shipping on Selected pins on Mondays, etc. - then you can save quite a bit, especially if you stack your purchase with some additional discount codes.
> 
> *However*, I _*always*_ price out my 'deals' different ways, keeping an eye of the various Disney merchandising strategies (for instance, Disney is notorious for changing their prices around).  There can be a big SALE but the shipping eats up the savings, they'll have a % off code the next day but raise the price back to the regular price and so on.
> 
> Think of buying from Disney as if you were renting a car in Orlando - check early, check often and watch for those sales and discount codes.
> 
> I have gotten some incredible deals from DisneyShopping - free shipping on personalized pinbags for as little as $20 (instead of $35+shipping), pins(some LE) for less than $3 each, etc.
> 
> agnes!



Well yes, I agree. As with any purchase, from anywhere, shipping and handling has to be taken into account and factored into the price of the object(s) you are buying. 

Still... Disneyshopping online has incredible deals _at times, _ and generally... when a great deal comes up someone will post it under the "Budget" area of the Dis!  I know that when the post was put there (before Christmas) announcing the Crocs under $15.00, I added to the post when I found the pins, all LE, for under $2.50 each. 

Watch the budget boards... we all LOVE a good deal AND we love to share them with our Dis friends!  

Disneyshopping online is the only place so far that I have found stackable codes... I think that is awesome!  

Disneyshopping online also will, at times, give Disney Visa card holders free shipping as well!  

On another note, not related to the post I replied on, but related to pins is about Ebay! Ebay... well there are some good pins/sellers, and some bad is all I can say!  You have to use caution!

I just won (yesterday) a set of 9 "license plate" pins, all different, they are Hidden Mickey's, and with shipping it came to right at $20.00! The seller had perfect feedback, his shipping price was fair (about $4.00), and no one bid it up higher than $15.99! That makes (including S&H) each pin about $2.25 each and that is a great price for trading pins! BUT... with Ebay... you just have to ask questions, ask for pictures of the pin backs, check feedback carefully, and take shipping into account before bidding!

Whatever route you go to buy pins to trade... shop around, have fun, and enjoy!  Pin trading is so much fun... for kids and adults!


----------



## MagicAllison

I thought this thread was for new pin traders.  Where should I ask my question?  On the main page?


----------



## kimsuenew

MagicAllison said:


> I thought this thread was for new pin traders.  Where should I ask my question?  On the main page?



Hi! What is/are your question(s) MagicAllison? It started as a page to help new traders avoid the cheap pins (like the knock-off pins and such, that are not tradeable or at least shouldn't be traded). I would say any question you might have in regards to pins is fair game and someone on here can surely help. Do you need to know where to get pins? What type to get? We will try to either answer your question or send you to the right place... we just have to know what you need!


----------



## tnmomof4

I have a couple questions.  I read through lots of pages, but figured I would just ask.  So sorry if these have already been answered.  

My DS's ages 11 and 9 are really getting into trading pins.  One of them has over 50 Hidden Mickey pins.   Together they have a couple hundred or so.

I just want to become a more informed mom when it comes to pins so they don't make bad trades.

What are Sedesma pins?  I know from reading here to avoid those, but what are they and how do I tell them apart from good pins?

Also, is mousepins online good to order from?  I have never bought pins on ebay or anywhere online, but thought about giving it a try.

Someone also said that it is good to know what the pins are supposed to look like and know what the back stamp is supposed to say.   What is the back supposed to say?  Are all pins stamped with something on the back?


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

tnmomof4 said:


> I have a couple questions.  I read through lots of pages, but figured I would just ask.  So sorry if these have already been answered.
> 
> My DS's ages 11 and 9 are really getting into trading pins.  One of them has over 50 Hidden Mickey pins.   Together they have a couple hundred or so.
> 
> I just want to become a more informed mom when it comes to pins so they don't make bad trades.
> 
> What are Sedesma pins?  I know from reading here to avoid those, but what are they and how do I tell them apart from good pins?
> 
> Also, is mousepins online good to order from?  I have never bought pins on ebay or anywhere online, but thought about giving it a try.
> 
> Someone also said that it is good to know what the pins are supposed to look like and know what the back stamp is supposed to say.   What is the back supposed to say?  Are all pins stamped with something on the back?



Sedesma is a manufacturer.  The pins are tradeable, but they are not as nice as "regular" Disney pins.  The metal is very thin and feels more like plastic.  On the other hand, some of them are very cute and if your children like them then there is nothing wrong with having a few in your collection.  

I have never ordered from that site.

If you go to the PinPics website there are photos of the front of the pins and usually a description of the back stamp.  Counterfeit pins typically have something wrong on the back - the year is wrong, or there are letters missing from the words, or the font is different.  Trying to sort out which pins are real and which are fake will drive you to the brink of insanity, so know that before you start.


----------



## actionvaughn

Disney Shopping is holding it's semi-annual pin sale! There's pins as low as $2.99, and some of the newer pins are at $5.99! Use *3899* for 15% off your total and *SHIP60 *for free shipping over $60. If you aren't ordering pin sets, shipping is free today anyway.


----------



## nikistick

If a pin I bought off of ebay says "Limited Edition of 1000", without a number before "of", does that mean it is a fake?

This board has been very helpful.  Thanks!


----------



## tnmomof4

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Sedesma is a manufacturer.  The pins are tradeable, but they are not as nice as "regular" Disney pins.  The metal is very thin and feels more like plastic.  On the other hand, some of them are very cute and if your children like them then there is nothing wrong with having a few in your collection.
> 
> I have never ordered from that site.
> 
> If you go to the PinPics website there are photos of the front of the pins and usually a description of the back stamp.  Counterfeit pins typically have something wrong on the back - the year is wrong, or there are letters missing from the words, or the font is different.  Trying to sort out which pins are real and which are fake will drive you to the brink of insanity, so know that before you start.




Thanks so much for the info.  You have been very helpful!!


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## TeenaS

nikistick said:


> If a pin I bought off of ebay says "Limited Edition of 1000", without a number before "of", does that mean it is a fake?
> 
> This board has been very helpful.  Thanks!



No, that doesn't mean it's a fake.  It means there were only 1,000 of those exact pins made and then the mold was destroyed.  Very very very few limited editions have a pin number like "limited edition, #786 of 1000".  Most limited editions just say stuff like "limited edition of 5000", "limited edition of 250", etc.


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## 2xlechemom

Yes, all my LE just have the total pin release number, not ___ of ____


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## BONITATIME

nikistick said:


> If a pin I bought off of ebay says "Limited Edition of 1000", without a number before "of", does that mean it is a fake?
> 
> This board has been very helpful.  Thanks!



Paris limited editions tend to be numbered but some missed that step so it may be one of those. What does it look like? Can you find it on pinpics.com


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## PinCrazed

You mean you actually saw a CM not trade a pin with someone with a sedesma pin?  Wow!  That really is sad.


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## Plantlady

I just bought a lot of "you pick how many" pins from the seller *mikebiteme*. I was VERY satisfied. They were 1.80 each, and $6 for shipping. There were no duplicates and MANY cast lanyard pins. No bad pins at all.

I would definitely buy from him again.


----------



## PinCrazed

I know this thread is going to generate quite a bit of outrage.  When reading through posts of folks saying, or hinting that you should avoid "cheap" pins because it is contradictory to what pin trading is all about or you are passing off an inferior pin I can not help but bring up a few points.

1.  Pin trading started off very small, with very limited pins, reasonable prices (for the most part) and a small group of people trading and buying thepins.  Pins are the most successful merchandising gambit Disney has ever done and THEY made it into a huge business with literally a limitless number of pins available.

2.  Disney is overcharging for the pins.  Now granted they have the right tocharge whatever they want for their product, but...   A pin costs less than .50 cents to manufacture in the quantity that Disney purchases, or less.  In a free market society, it only stands to reason that people will seek more inexpensive alternatives.  In the old days of the Magic Kingdom milk was .05 cents for kids because Walt had preached that he wanted the kids to drink healthy. (true story)  So how is it reasonable for Disney to think that if on a ten day vacation, trading 10 pins a day, the average American family is expected to pay around $900.00 for the purchase of pins? Yeah right!  Its not much fun to only trade 10 pins your whole vacation, once you have the pin bug, and i think anyone who has ever traded a pin can tell you that.

3.  Buying pins from reputable dealers.  Hmm how do you think they can sell you a pin for $2.00?  Ever wonder how?  Because in most cases they are buying pins from disreputable sources for less than $1.00 (Hello China) then trading for cast lanyards in the park or worse they are stolen or were stolen when they bought them.  So if you think that you are not contributing to the influx of cheap pins in the parks by buying cast lanyards...you are wrong. Of course sellers offering personal collections are the exception, but do you really think an individual goes into an online business paying $8.95 for a product then selling it for $2.00?  Well at least they do not do it for long. Anyone who thinks they are standing on some kind of Disney morale highground here should ask themselves that question.

4.  What is pin trading all about?  My kids love pins, cheap pins limited edition 50 pins, they do not care...they like Donald and Mickey and any pin that has ears.  Pin trading is about finding pins you like, that suit you and putting them in your collection.  Who is hurt if someone gets pins off the internet and trades them in the park.  Disney is not hurting on profit (they know we will still all buy that certain pin that catches our eye at the pin trading kiosk) The more pins you have to trade the more enjoyable it is (in my opinion).  Whatever is enjoyable for you in pin trading is acceptable, as long as it does not hurt someone else.  And no one really gets hurt in pin trading.

Everyone wins.  The only real losers here are the old guard professional pin traders who sit around downtown disney telling you how Disney has ruined the pin trading business.  What that means is that the average Joe pin trader can be on the same level as the pros who make their money buying and selling pins.  Ebay and the internet have evened that playing field so people of moderate incomes can trade pins in large amounts while in Disney parks.

Well that's it for me.

I am sure I am going to hear about this post.


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## EpcotMatt2

Welcome aboard PinCrazed.


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## kimsuenew

PinCrazed said:


> I know this thread is going to generate quite a bit of outrage.  When reading through posts of folks saying, or hinting that you should avoid "cheap" pins because it is contradictory to what pin trading is all about or you are passing off an inferior pin I can not help but bring up a few points.
> 
> 1.  Pin trading started off very small, with very limited pins, reasonable prices (for the most part) and a small group of people trading and buying thepins.  Pins are the most successful merchandising gambit Disney has ever done and THEY made it into a huge business with literally a limitless number of pins available.
> 
> 2.  Disney is overcharging for the pins.  Now granted they have the right tocharge whatever they want for their product, but...   A pin costs less than .50 cents to manufacture in the quantity that Disney purchases, or less.  In a free market society, it only stands to reason that people will seek more inexpensive alternatives.  In the old days of the Magic Kingdom milk was .05 cents for kids because Walt had preached that he wanted the kids to drink healthy. (true story)  So how is it reasonable for Disney to think that if on a ten day vacation, trading 10 pins a day, the average American family is expected to pay around $900.00 for the purchase of pins? Yeah right!  Its not much fun to only trade 10 pins your whole vacation, once you have the pin bug, and i think anyone who has ever traded a pin can tell you that.
> 
> 3.  Buying pins from reputable dealers.  Hmm how do you think they can sell you a pin for $2.00?  Ever wonder how?  Because in most cases they are buying pins from disreputable sources for less than $1.00 (Hello China) then trading for cast lanyards in the park or worse they are stolen or were stolen when they bought them.  So if you think that you are not contributing to the influx of cheap pins in the parks by buying cast lanyards...you are wrong. Of course sellers offering personal collections are the exception, but do you really think an individual goes into an online business paying $8.95 for a product then selling it for $2.00?  Well at least they do not do it for long. Anyone who thinks they are standing on some kind of Disney morale highground here should ask themselves that question.
> 
> 4.  What is pin trading all about?  My kids love pins, cheap pins limited edition 50 pins, they do not care...they like Donald and Mickey and any pin that has ears.  Pin trading is about finding pins you like, that suit you and putting them in your collection.  Who is hurt if someone gets pins off the internet and trades them in the park.  Disney is not hurting on profit (they know we will still all buy that certain pin that catches our eye at the pin trading kiosk) The more pins you have to trade the more enjoyable it is (in my opinion).  Whatever is enjoyable for you in pin trading is acceptable, as long as it does not hurt someone else.  And no one really gets hurt in pin trading.
> 
> Everyone wins.  The only real losers here are the old guard professional pin traders who sit around downtown disney telling you how Disney has ruined the pin trading business.  What that means is that the average Joe pin trader can be on the same level as the pros who make their money buying and selling pins.  Ebay and the internet have evened that playing field so people of moderate incomes can trade pins in large amounts while in Disney parks.
> 
> Well that's it for me.
> 
> I am sure I am going to hear about this post.



While I agree on some points, I have a problem with this statement in your post "Who is hurt if someone gets pins off the internet and trades them in the park."

Those of us that buy pins in the park to trade (me, over $200.00 for the 2007 trip alone) and also buy pins from places like Disneyshopping.com to trade (I recently  bought over 80 LE Disney pins from there to trade in 2008), do not want the junk that others seem to feel it is OK to pass on. 

We (my family) trade pins because we enjoy trading AND we follow the Disney trading guidelines... as should others (a guide can be downloaded on their official site)! Following rules is one of the very best things a child can be taught!

There are some valid auctions for Disney pins on Ebay, if you look carefully, scrutinize, ask oodles of questions and for additional pictures. There are some people who sell off small personal collections that they have traded for in the parks. Not all ebay auctions are bad or have bootleg, inferior, or non-Disney pins... but many do and many have "red flags" that need to be noticed.

I guess my point is... if anyone wants their kids to trade pins, or even adults want to trade pins... wonderful!  Just follow the rules, and both buy, and trade, authentic pins! 

Pin trading is fun!  It is also VERY expensive so if you can't afford to do it correctly, then don't do it at all because it DOES punish those of us that invest a lot of time and money... we DO NOT want junk!


----------



## PinCrazed

kimsuenew said:


> While I agree on some points, I have a problem with this statement in your post "Who is hurt if someone gets pins off the internet and trades them in the park."
> 
> Those of us that buy pins in the park to trade (me, over $200.00 for the 2007 trip alone) and also buy pins from places like Disneyshopping.com to trade (I recently  bought over 80 LE Disney pins from there to trade in 2008), do not want the junk that others seem to feel it is OK to pass on.
> 
> We (my family) trade pins because we enjoy trading AND we follow the Disney trading guidelines... as should others (a guide can be downloaded on their official site)! Following rules is one of the very best things a child can be taught!
> 
> There are some valid auctions for Disney pins on Ebay, if you look carefully, scrutinize, ask oodles of questions and for additional pictures. There are some people who sell off small personal collections that they have traded for in the parks. Not all ebay auctions are bad or have bootleg, inferior, or non-Disney pins... but many do and many have "red flags" that need to be noticed.
> 
> I guess my point is... if anyone wants their kids to trade pins, or even adults want to trade pins... wonderful!  Just follow the rules, and both buy, and trade, authentic pins!
> 
> Pin trading is fun!  It is also VERY expensive so if you can't afford to do it correctly, then don't do it at all because it DOES punish those of us that invest a lot of time and money... we DO NOT want junk!



I understand where you are coming from completely.  My question is " What is Junk?"  Would someone tell their child not to trade for a Sedesma pin off a lanyard because they thought it was junk?  My oldest son loves Donald and he has gotten a lot of what I would call "junk" pins (some do not even have a Disney backstamp from CM's) ,but he loves those pins because they are special to him.  He would not qualify any those pins as junk.  

So what have we made of pin trading?  Did not Walt Disney say himself " Disneyland was a labor of love without the first concern being how we could make money"   Is it really fair to tell the majority of Disney fans if you can't afford X hundreds of dollars you can not experience pin trading?  That is why Disney made the value resorts.  They realized they were leaving the bread and butter of their Guest's out inthe cold because they could not afford the contemporary resort.

I do not advocate buying home manufactured pins or knock off's of any sort, but Disney has really given the average American Disney fan few options.  
Ebay is the logical choice for most folks looking to trade pins.  Maybe Disney should look at reducing the prices of their base line open edition pins?
(As a side note I have made over 150 purchases on ebay for pins and pin lots and NEVER had a problem.  I definately agree that you have to scrutinize every auction " LET THE BUYER BEWARE is one ofthe basic economic principles in which our country was founded)

You only get hurt when someone misrepresents pins.  Saying you are getting an authentic pin when really it is not.  You purchased or traded a pin under a false pretense.  That is completely and absolutely wrong.  Yeah it sucks when you go up to a cast member and he/she has all Eurodisney pins, but fortunately their are over 55k Disney employees.  Turn the corner, go into a different shop and you will find a different lanyard.  Ultimately if you do not want "junk pins" you simply do not trade for them.  I have never had anyone hold me down and say "trade that LE 500 for this Sedesma pin or the Mouse get's it"


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

PinCrazed - 
Your first post does come across as sounding somewhat like you are advocating the purchase of counterfeit pins from eBay to trade in the parks.  Sedesma pins are legal for trade, counterfeits are not.
Like Kimsuenew, we purchase pins from Disney Shopping to trade and it isn't fun (or fair) for us to come home with a lanyard full of scrappers and counterfeits because other people want to get into the hobby cheaper than it really is.
Pin trading is fun, but it rapidly becomes much LESS fun for me when the CM lanyards are full of nothing but knock-off garbage that people bought from eBay for pennies on the dollar.   
I would encourage everyone to trade pins you would like to receive, not just pins you can get away with trading off.


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## PinCrazed

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> PinCrazed -
> Your first post does come across as sounding somewhat like you are advocating the purchase of counterfeit pins from eBay to trade in the parks.  Sedesma pins are legal for trade, counterfeits are not.
> Like Kimsuenew, we purchase pins from Disney Shopping to trade and it isn't fun (or fair) for us to come home with a lanyard full of scrappers and counterfeits because other people want to get into the hobby cheaper than it really is.
> Pin trading is fun, but it rapidly becomes much LESS fun for me when the CM lanyards are full of nothing but knock-off garbage that people bought from eBay for pennies on the dollar.
> I would encourage everyone to trade pins you would like to receive, not just pins you can get away with trading off.



I agree 100% with what you are both saying.  However, please focus on the real point of my posts:  Disney has made pin trading so expensive that the average person has to buy "cheap" pins from ebay. This fuels an entire sub-industry of Disney pins from internet merchants if they wish to pin trade.  (that is the morale of my post, I do not advocate anything, but bring to light the reasons why and some of the hypocracy of those who say "I buy cast lanyards offline so I am a more morally sound pin trader than those who buy scrapper, knock-off, manufactured, Eurodisney or whatever kind of pin.)  

People keep defending a broken system.  I do not believe Disney really cares as long as they keep making money.  Just like so many other hobbies and collectibles, pin trading has become a business whether we like it or not.  All the rest of us are now stuck in the middle trying to keep things fun.

I can not agree with you enough about that feeling when you see all the Eurodisney pins on a lanyard that you have no desire to trade for.  Once again, you do not take home a bunch of those pins unless YOU trade for them.  There are too many CM's with lanyards for that to truly be a reality every single time you approach a CM to trade.  I think everyone is smart enough to say I'm not going to spend $12.95 on a LE 1000 pin then trade it for a hidden mickey pin.   The brand new pin trader makes these kinds of mistakes, but fortunately they have access to forums such as these as well as nice trading people in the park to steer them clear.  If anyone does exclusively trade LE's for hidden  mickeys and cast lanyards, please let me know.  I would like to trade with you.


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## astrodrummergirl

Can I just ask what you mean by Eurodisney pins. I hope you mean the pins from the earlier years before pin trading started. Since when pin trading began many of the pins that you can buy at Disneyland Resort Paris are extremely good. They all carry the (c) Disney and so what that they say Disneyland Resort Paris on the back. I've now noticed that newer pins now have the Official Pin Trading logo and the year just like any american pin.

Sorry, thought someone should defend the nice DLRP pins just in case they were thought of like the cheap nasty eurodisney ones.

And although that previous statement may sound contradictory, its not, as many of the older pins from Paris are bit cheap and of lesser quality. I must say I do have some of these and although they are not great pins, I love them, but I do also love all things DLRP. When EuroDisney changed name to Disneyland Resort Paris, quality just got better, including the pins released since the beginning of PT and the pins to come for many years.


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## tnmomof4

PinCrazed said:


> I think everyone is smart enough to say I'm not going to spend $12.95 on a LE 1000 pin then trade it for a hidden mickey pin.   The brand new pin trader makes these kinds of mistakes, but fortunately they have access to forums such as these as well as nice trading people in the park to steer them clear.  If anyone does exclusively trade LE's for hidden  mickeys and cast lanyards, please let me know.  I would like to trade with you.




I guess I am just not smart enough.  I feel pretty stupid.  I guess I have been making these kind of mistakes without even knowing it.  I have bought my kids pins at Disney for years and then let them trade with CMs.  I have never bought pins on E-bay because I just always figured that if I am spending $8-$10 on a pin at Disney then these pins on E-bay must be fake if they can sell them for $2.   I thought the same about buying them from a couple of different websites too.  Like the one right now that is selling them for $1.75.   I just figured that these pins must be bad in some way for them to be sold for so cheap.

I only found out about the Dis board last year, and even then I didn't know there was information about pins on here.  I do remember last year about the time I was planning my trip to Disney, and I was reading a thread about pin trading.  Most the people said that they buy these cheap pins on purpose and then trade up.  Lots of them said they knew these pins were not as good as the pins bought at Disney, but they saved money by buying cheap pins.  Their point was that they knew they were buying cheap, bad pins knowing they would be trading for better pins. 

I actually just read a thread about pin trading a couple days ago, and this was the attitude of a lot of people.  They get cheap pins to trade knowing they will get better pins and they don't care about 
the fact that some other person might get their bad pin.

I didn't feel right about doing this, so I didn't.  I read the trading guidelines and have always followed them.  Now I feel like this is what most people do.  I know that pins are expensive, but it is something my kids like to do.  I just looked at their collections. My one son has 91 pins and the other one has 85. Some of them don't have anything on the back.  Some look like Sedesma pins.  Some of them are not that good quality, now that I have taken a good look at them. 

I feel like they got ripped off, but I feel like it is my fault because I didn't look out for the bad pins.  The CMs that got these bad pins obviously didn't care because they had them on their lanyards to trade, and didn't stop us.  I guess they want to get rid of them too.  I just didn't realize that they allowed people to trade them bad pins.  I didn't think I had to worry about getting scrappers or pins of bad quality.  I feel dumb because I thought that those guidelines about trading pins were kept. 

When we go in November I will supervise every trade they make.  If my kids want to trade a pin that I look at and determine is junk, I will tell them that it is junk.  I feel like if they save their money for over a year just to trade pins, that I as their mom should tell them if a pin is junk.  I at least want these trades to be even.  I know now that there will be junk pins out there.  At least now I will keep a watch out when my kids trade pins.  Especially since they are so diligent about saving money just for pins.

I also have a question.  What is so bad about Hidden Mickey pins? My kids saved their money for a year before we went to Disney.  They had a lot of money.  My DS 10 spent $500 last year on pins.  I know that is a lot, but he saved and saved. He did extra chores. He saved birthday money and money relatives gave him for Christmas.  He didn't spend any money the whole year.  He just saved.  This is the thing though.... he traded every one of those pins he bought for Hidden Mickey pins.  He has 50 Hidden Mickey pins. That means that if the average cost of a pin is $10, he bought 50 nice, Disney pins to get those 50 Hidden Mickey pins.   Are these Hidden Mickey pins fake, or bad in some way?


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## astrodrummergirl

Hidden Mickey pins are not bad, they're good. Hidden mickey pins are mainly CM only pins of which are only available when you trade it with a CM. There are some open release hidden mickeys which although are not bad, are easier to get. I think it was the case that it would be a bit silly to trade a Limited Edition pin for a hidden mickey pin as it is of less value.

I pretty sure if this is wrong, someone else will correct me.

I will also point out, that even if "junk" got on a lanyard, it wouldn't be there for long as the people in charge of distibuting the lanyards to the CMs in the costuming department will most likely trade them out with official pins since disney probably have the largest trading collection for all, enough to allow thousands of cast members to trade every day because where do you think those Cast Member only pins come from?

I'm also going to add that in the UK it is actually pretty difficult to find good quality pins for trading as the disney store here no longer sells pins and the main ways I can get pins is to buy off ebay, pay horendous shipping charges from disneyshopping or wait until a friend visits Disneyland and is happy to get some for me. I must admit, I have received some junk through ebay, and I won't buy ones like that anymore. I was lucky that a bunch of 46 came on to ebay from the UK and was inexpensive, it might be a while longer until that happens again.


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## GrillMouster

It's certainly true that there are a lot of sellers on ebay and other sites that deal in counterfeit or scrapper pins.  However, there are some sellers that sell legitimate Disney pins for around $2.  How do they to this?  Where do they get their pins?  I vaguely remember reading somewhere that they may be buying leftover pins wholesale from Disney.  I wonder if some of these people buy the counterfeit pins from China, then trade them at the parks for legitimate pins, which they sell online.


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## PinCrazed

tnmomof4 said:


> I guess I am just not smart enough.  I feel pretty stupid.  I guess I have been making these kind of mistakes without even knowing it.  I have bought my kids pins at Disney for years and then let them trade with CMs.  I have never bought pins on E-bay because I just always figured that if I am spending $8-$10 on a pin at Disney then these pins on E-bay must be fake if they can sell them for $2.   I thought the same about buying them from a couple of different websites too.  Like the one right now that is selling them for $1.75.   I just figured that these pins must be bad in some way for them to be sold for so cheap.
> 
> I only found out about the Dis board last year, and even then I didn't know there was information about pins on here.  I do remember last year about the time I was planning my trip to Disney, and I was reading a thread about pin trading.  Most the people said that they buy these cheap pins on purpose and then trade up.  Lots of them said they knew these pins were not as good as the pins bought at Disney, but they saved money by buying cheap pins.  Their point was that they knew they were buying cheap, bad pins knowing they would be trading for better pins.
> 
> I actually just read a thread about pin trading a couple days ago, and this was the attitude of a lot of people.  They get cheap pins to trade knowing they will get better pins and they don't care about
> the fact that some other person might get their bad pin.
> 
> I didn't feel right about doing this, so I didn't.  I read the trading guidelines and have always followed them.  Now I feel like this is what most people do.  I know that pins are expensive, but it is something my kids like to do.  I just looked at their collections. My one son has 91 pins and the other one has 85. Some of them don't have anything on the back.  Some look like Sedesma pins.  Some of them are not that good quality, now that I have taken a good look at them.
> 
> I feel like they got ripped off, but I feel like it is my fault because I didn't look out for the bad pins.  The CMs that got these bad pins obviously didn't care because they had them on their lanyards to trade, and didn't stop us.  I guess they want to get rid of them too.  I just didn't realize that they allowed people to trade them bad pins.  I didn't think I had to worry about getting scrappers or pins of bad quality.  I feel dumb because I thought that those guidelines about trading pins were kept.
> 
> When we go in November I will supervise every trade they make.  If my kids want to trade a pin that I look at and determine is junk, I will tell them that it is junk.  I feel like if they save their money for over a year just to trade pins, that I as their mom should tell them if a pin is junk.  I at least want these trades to be even.  I know now that there will be junk pins out there.  At least now I will keep a watch out when my kids trade pins.  Especially since they are so diligent about saving money just for pins.
> 
> I also have a question.  What is so bad about Hidden Mickey pins? My kids saved their money for a year before we went to Disney.  They had a lot of money.  My DS 10 spent $500 last year on pins.  I know that is a lot, but he saved and saved. He did extra chores. He saved birthday money and money relatives gave him for Christmas.  He didn't spend any money the whole year.  He just saved.  This is the thing though.... he traded every one of those pins he bought for Hidden Mickey pins.  He has 50 Hidden Mickey pins. That means that if the average cost of a pin is $10, he bought 50 nice, Disney pins to get those 50 Hidden Mickey pins.   Are these Hidden Mickey pins fake, or bad in some way?




I like the Hidden mickey pins and the cast lanyards.  As a matter of fact I am desperately trying to complete a set of each.  But I just do not think the value of the HM's or CL's pins are worth a LE pin which would cost around $10+.  I think you would probably follow some of the other folks advice about buying discount pins from the Disney store online rather than spend $10 a pin to trade for the cast pins.  Sometimes you will see a brand new CM or HM pin go for a crazy price on ebay, but they never seem to maintain the same value.  (Darn supply and demand) 
I am not sure, but it always seems to me that the CM's do not know about pins.  A few do and will say oh that's a good pin go for that one, but most of the time they just look at the back of your pin and say thank you.  Occasionally you get someone who is very knowledgeable (probably collects themselves) and will give you great advice.  Maybe it's just me, but I have always had better luck, knowledge wise, with Downtown Disney and Epcot CM's.


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## PinCrazed

astrodrummergirl said:


> Can I just ask what you mean by Eurodisney pins. I hope you mean the pins from the earlier years before pin trading started. Since when pin trading began many of the pins that you can buy at Disneyland Resort Paris are extremely good. They all carry the (c) Disney and so what that they say Disneyland Resort Paris on the back. I've now noticed that newer pins now have the Official Pin Trading logo and the year just like any american pin.
> 
> Sorry, thought someone should defend the nice DLRP pins just in case they were thought of like the cheap nasty eurodisney ones.
> 
> And although that previous statement may sound contradictory, its not, as many of the older pins from Paris are bit cheap and of lesser quality. I must say I do have some of these and although they are not great pins, I love them, but I do also love all things DLRP. When EuroDisney changed name to Disneyland Resort Paris, quality just got better, including the pins released since the beginning of PT and the pins to come for many years.



Disneyland resort pins from Paris are really nice, however when most people refer to Eurodisney pins they are talking about the ones you buy in bulk from Ebay.  There is a guy from Jerusalem who sells Eurodisney pins (look at them on ebay and you will know what I'm talking about) by the 100's.  I actually bought 50 from him several years ago, when we were new to trading, and quickly realized that they were really not up to par.

You really have to see them to know what I am talking about.  Do a search on ebay for "pin lots 300".  I can not remember his name, but I always see his posts.  If you are looking for DLP pins that is definately not the way to go.


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## PinCrazed

GrillMouster said:


> It's certainly true that there are a lot of sellers on ebay and other sites that deal in counterfeit or scrapper pins.  However, there are some sellers that sell legitimate Disney pins for around $2.  How do they to this?  Where do they get their pins?  I vaguely remember reading somewhere that they may be buying leftover pins wholesale from Disney.  I wonder if some of these people buy the counterfeit pins from China, then trade them at the parks for legitimate pins, which they sell online.



Lots of ways.  First you have your legitimate folks who are just trying to get rid of their collection, or sell of some extras.  Those are the best people to buy from, in my opinion.

Second, people buy pins from china or other manufacturers. They buy 1000 pins, trade them for CL or HM pins and then sell them.  They also sell the pins directly to you in lots as well.  The chinese manufacturers are supposed to break the molds, but I do not think they do or they run off an extra couple of thousand extra pins.  Most of your "pin sharks" (Some of those professional pin traders that sit in front of the pin trading station in downtown Disney specialize in doing stuff like this.)  

Third, buying excess inventory?  I would like to know where, Disney does not advertise this.  I have seen pins as low as a dollar in the disney outlet store in Orlando, but that was years ago.  They usually sell for $2.99.  If anyone knows how to get Disney excess inventory pins from Disney please share.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

The pitfall of Hidden Mickey pins is this:

The counterfeits are largely Hidden Mickey pins.  Because Disney does not SELL the Hidden Mickey pins they are not very aggressive in pursuing the counterfeiters.  Disney doesn't lose money on Hidden Mickey pins.  They lose money on bootleg DVDs, and that is where they concentrate their efforts.

The pitfall of trading for Hidden Mickeys is that they may very well be fake, and unless you bring your laptop to the parks and check each pin against PinPics at the time of the trade you won't know it is fake until you get home.  Cast members aren't necessarily pin traders themselves, so they may not know (or care) if pins are fakes.  Trader A comes up and trades a fake pin to a cast member, and then Trader B comes along and chooses the fake pin from the cast member's lanyard.  Trader B is stuck with a fake pin.  Trader B will either take it home or trade it back off, which leaves Trader C to come along and choose it.  It is a vicious circle, but it isn't something we should endorse!  I don't want fake pins!  I don't want to trade them and I don't want to add them to my collection!  

I am absolutely certain many of the pins on eBay are scrappers, counterfeits, or stolen.  I have purchased from multiple sellers and I know this to be the case in pins I have received.  There are too many Hidden Mickeys, too many different designs (new releases - not old discontinued pins), too many sellers who live WAAAAYY far away from the parks yet they have an endless supply of pins.  There might be people buying fakes and trading them off for legitimate pins, but then the sellers who say "I traded for these pins in the parks" are likely selling fakes that they pulled from cast member lanyards!


----------



## kimsuenew

I just want to weigh in on the LE pins. Before Christmas I bought over 80 LE (all LE 1,000) pins from Disneyshopping online. 

I paid a smidge under $2.50 each, as they were discounted, and then I added the stackable codes for an extra % off and free shipping. 

These LE Disney pins are awesome!  Someone will be thrilled to get a brand new LE Disney pin from the CM we trade with I am sure! 

I will be trading ALL of these pins (well we will be) during our 2008 trip, for whatever pin catches my/our attention... it doesn't matter if it is a CE, HM, or plain Disney pin (if it is catchy AND authentic), so some people trade to trade, not because of value. 

I tend to trade for Tink and Lilo/Stitch the most, as they are my personal favorites, whereas our son likes Jack Skellington/NBC and Pirate themed pins. 

These 80+pins were ONLY bought for this purpose, to trade! 

I know others on here did the same (we posted our bargains, it began as a Croc deal thread with other goodies thrown in )... so yes, some people do trade LE or special pins, without hesitation!

Disneyshopping online does have clearanced pins at times and it is worth peeking there at least one time weekly I think to check. If you can get brand new pins, on their cards, arriving bubble wrapped and ready to pack  for $2.00 - $3.00 each... you can't go wrong! Don't count it out as a potential place to get great deals... at least you are certain theirs are tradeable and authentic!


----------



## PinCrazed

kimsuenew said:


> I just want to weigh in on the LE pins. Before Christmas I bought over 80 LE (all LE 1,000) pins from Disneyshopping online.
> 
> I paid a smidge under $2.50 each, as they were discounted, and then I added the stackable codes for an extra % off and free shipping.
> 
> These LE Disney pins are awesome!  Someone will be thrilled to get a brand new LE Disney pin from the CM we trade with I am sure!
> 
> I will be trading ALL of these pins (well we will be) during our 2008 trip, for whatever pin catches my/our attention... it doesn't matter if it is a CE, HM, or plain Disney pin (if it is catchy AND authentic), so some people trade to trade, not because of value.
> 
> I tend to trade for Tink and Lilo/Stitch the most, as they are my personal favorites, whereas our son likes Jack Skellington/NBC and Pirate themed pins.
> 
> These 80+pins were ONLY bought for this purpose, to trade!
> 
> I know others on here did the same (we posted our bargains, it began as a Croc deal thread with other goodies thrown in )... so yes, some people do trade LE or special pins, without hesitation!
> 
> Disneyshopping online does have clearanced pins at times and it is worth peeking there at least one time weekly I think to check. If you can get brand new pins, on their cards, arriving bubble wrapped and ready to pack  for $2.00 - $3.00 each... you can't go wrong! Don't count it out as a potential place to get great deals... at least you are certain theirs are tradeable and authentic!



They also offer FREE SHIPPING on pins on Mondays.  This cuts down on your expense tremendously.  One thing I have noticed about Disney online pin shopping for the discounted pins is that you have to order early.  Alot of the smaller edition LE pins (250 or less) are gone by late afternoon.  Not always, but most of the time.  

If you are not a member of Disney Online Shopping sign up today and sign up to get special offers.  They will often give discount coupon codes which can further reduce your cost.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

I just read in another thread that Disney Store has 25% off pins right now, and if you have a 15% coupon you can use that, too!


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## PinCrazed

If you like the jumbo pins, they have a lot for lest than $10 before any additional coupons.


----------



## tnmomof4

Thanks for all the info and advice.  Thanks for helping a new pin trader like me.  I just feel that if my kids are investing so much money in this that I need to know everything I can.  Thanks for answering my questions and explaining things to me.  You all have been great!!   

I feel like I know a lot more now.  I guess there is no way to stop others from trading fake pins or bad pins, but I feel that after all of the advice and tips given here I can help my kids make better trades.   

I am pretty sure that at least a couple of the bad pins my kids have were traded at DTD in front of the big pin store.  A couple of them were saying that if you bought one of those tins of pins that he would trade you five pins for those four.  It sounded like a good deal.  I'll just have to watch that too.

I checked my DS Hidden Mickey pins and they all have some kind of stamp on the back and they will say 3 of 4 or 2 of 6 etc....

Does this mean they are real?   

So as long as a pin has some kind of stamp or Disney copyright on the back then the pin is ok.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

tnmomof4 said:


> Thanks for all the info and advice.  Thanks for helping a new pin trader like me.  I just feel that if my kids are investing so much money in this that I need to know everything I can.  Thanks for answering my questions and explaining things to me.  You all have been great!!
> 
> I feel like I know a lot more now.  I guess there is no way to stop others from trading fake pins or bad pins, but I feel that after all of the advice and tips given here I can help my kids make better trades.
> 
> I am pretty sure that at least a couple of the bad pins my kids have were traded at DTD in front of the big pin store.  A couple of them were saying that if you bought one of those tins of pins that he would trade you five pins for those four.  It sounded like a good deal.  I'll just have to watch that too.
> 
> I checked my DS Hidden Mickey pins and they all have some kind of stamp on the back and they will say 3 of 4 or 2 of 6 etc....
> 
> Does this mean they are real?
> 
> So as long as a pin has some kind of stamp or Disney copyright on the back then the pin is ok.



I don't let my DS trade with the "pros" at DTD because some of them are simply not very nice people.  They are notorious for telling you to go in the store and BUY pins, then they will allow you to trade with them for stuff out of their books.  Eh, not my cup of tea.  Some of those tins have LE pins in them.  I bought some pirate ones last summer, and some ornament ones at Christmas.  If your child innocently gave them an LE 200 pin from a tin and took a "rack" (common, open edition) pin in trade then of course the pro came out WAAAYY ahead in that deal. 

The back stamps are tricky.  ALL pins will tend to have a back stamp, so the stamp in and of itself means nothing.  It is the information you are looking at.  The year, the font, the wording etc.  Counterfeit pins are exactly like anything else counterfeit - they are made to fool the casual observer.  Like counterfeit money or purses you almost have to have an authentic one to compare side by side before you can see the difference.

On Dizpins there is a forum called "comparisons" where people post a fake and a real pin side by side and point out the differences.  Subtle color differences, thicker or thinner lines, images that aren't quite as "sharp", etc.  Again, if you are only looking at a fake it would be very hard to tell.  We have several of the same Chip & Dale pin where it says D SNEY on the back.  We have others that are numbered wrong, like it says 4 of 4 and it should actually be 2 of 4.  We have a purple monorail like that.

This is where you kind of have to decide HOW important it is to keep your collection "pure".  If you (or your kids) have a pin that finishes a set and it looks fine to you, then don't worry about it being counterfeit.  You can't do anything about the counterfeit one anyway.  You can always keep your eyes open for another one and hope that it might be real, but like with our Chip & Dale pin we have 4 or 5 and they are ALL fake.  We have a baggie labeled "scrappers" and we just toss them in there.  I keep saying I am going to take them to Guest Relations one day, but I haven't yet.


----------



## PinCrazed

I have a great distaste for the people who stand in front of the pin trading station at the Disney Marketplace DTD.  The pro-traders have gotten so desperate to make money that they are really sinking to all time lows.  I have seen it all.  I would suppose that most people have gotten suckered by these people at some point when they are new to trading.

I really wish Disney would do something about these folks.  Scrapper pins, fake pins and all that other stuff really pales in comparison to what these guys and gals are doing to pin trading.  At least online they are not ripping you off right to your face.

It is private property so they could ask them to leave.


----------



## arielchickenofthesea

dvcnewgirl said:


> No problem I knew the shipping was a rip off. I am just trying to get some pins for my 4 year old to trade and not annoy cm's. Any info is great. I have my eye on a 10 lot set but it has 3 days on it. If I get that I am done. I will ask before I bid if it is legit I just do not want to waste your time if the bidding goes higher than I am willing to spend. What does a cast pin mean?? Thanks!




Shipping is NOT always a ripoff. Postal rates go up, shipping rates from sellers HAVE to go up. Listing fees are astronomical and are being raised yet again. Do you expect the seller to give away the merchandise or pay for the shipping for you? If they have high listing fees and other fees you don't know about, that must be added to a final price along with shipping to have the seller make ANY kind of profit. A lot of these people are not in it just for fun. Some need the extra income to survive. 

If you are looking at pins, ALWAYS check the shipping costs. They will include HANDLING which in some cases is outrageous and in some cases fair. Every seller is getting dinged on shipping costs and shipping time. They have ZERO control over the USPS and if they ship out something fast, it could still get there late.  There are great sellers who keep the shipping prices fair and there are some not so great sellers who overcharge. There is recourse for this. Feedback and NOT buying from them again will work everytime. 

Find sellers you trust and stick with them. Loyal customers often get breaks on shipping if you buy from someone long enough. I have 4-5 sellers that I buy from who know me well and I am loyal to them. I do not get charged outrageous shipping because I researched these sellers and found they were fair and I have stuck by them and always get my pins from them. If I see a pin I like from a seller who has high shipping, I will email my sellers and ask them to find the pin for me, and they have, EVERY time. These are knowledgable and expert pin collectors and sellers. I buy from no on else.

And, remember this: There is a NEW postal rate increase coming up yet again. You cannot blame the new increase on the sellers! Be fair. They are going to have have to raise their rates again, because they have to pay it to ship it. Do you think they should eat the shipping cost and pay it for you? That is unreasonable. Some do and they are making nothing on their sales. Not everyone can do that. 

I just want everyone to remember that shipping fees and time are NOT always the fault of the seller and you have to be responsible as a buyer to check what those charges are BEFORE you bid or buy. Most sellers will offer combined shipping on their pins as well.

NO I am NOT a seller, I am a buyer/collector and have only been ripped off on shipping about 3 times. I now email and ask if I have questions and I will always look at the auction to see what the shipping is listed as. Protect yourselves, but do NOT give low marks for shipping if it is just that YOU don't LIKE the cost. It may have cost the seller MORE to ship than you know. And the seller does not like that cost either. It makes his selling harder to do.

Have fun buying and collecting, but remember many of the sellers are just like you and make very little after ebay takes their cut and the shipping is not their fault all the time. You will know by checking many auctions and doing comparisons on shipping. See who offers combined and see who makes you pay an arm and a leg for just one pin. Go with who you think is fair. And no, they are not going to ship it for less than they pay or they lose money. 

There are some sellers that do charge less and some give you free shipping. These sellers are not going to be there for very long, once the new policies at ebay come into  being. They will NOT be able to do what they are doing anymore.
They will not survive financially and they will either have to start charging shipping or stop selling.

I have NEVER sold and will NEVER sell there, because ebay is taking too much in fees and one cannot survive there just selling a small amount of pins anymore. My sellers do larger inventory and we shall see if they can make it there. Time will tell.
ACOTS


----------



## arielchickenofthesea

justkeepswimmin said:


> anyone ever buy from *maxheadroom777*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?
> 
> I just bought 3 pins and feedback was good but after researching here and other places I am now nervous about scrappers.
> 
> I also made an offer on a LE Mickeys Not SO Scary Halloween Party Pin from 2006 (We attended this party but dd was not into pin trading at the time) butthe seller lists no number on the back. Are all limited editions numbered and if so should I ask her to provide this information?


This is a very honest and stand-up seller. I have bought from him a number of times. He is fair. Remember, some of the sellers are not collectors and don't always know if what they are getting is real or a scrapper. Scrappers end up on cast lanyards all the time so you cannot be positive that you are NOT getting one trading with just cast members. And sometimes these pins on ebay come form cast lanyards, other traders, bought by the seller themselves... There are scrappers everywhere and only a trained eye will be able to detect some of them.
I have never seen a scrapper from this seller.
ACOTS


----------



## angiepangie8

sorry I haven't read through the posts yet, but if someone could guide me to best yet value conscious site that sells pins I would greatly appreciate it.  It will be DS~8 and DD~5 first WDW trip and I just want them to get a few to trade if they wanna try it.  

Don't want to get junk (not that i know what these would even look like) pins.  

Thank you


----------



## burberryplaid

Just wanted to thank you all for your knowledge. I'm interested in starting pin trading beginning with our next trip in April/May and I want to buy pins on e-bay to begin with. I'm also checking out the Disney store online, but I didn't see any great deals there at the moment. 

I found some that look great from some of the dealers you all mentioned previously and I'm looking at some from the dealer ajbarr and maxludlow. Here are the auctions I was specifically looking at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209577923&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209580128&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209574829&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150218357040&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

Do these all seem ok to you?

Also, how many pins do you think I should start out with?

Thanks for any help you can provide!


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## Plantlady

angiepangie8 said:


> sorry I haven't read through the posts yet, but if someone could guide me to best yet value conscious site that sells pins I would greatly appreciate it.  It will be DS~8 and DD~5 first WDW trip and I just want them to get a few to trade if they wanna try it.
> 
> Don't want to get junk or Lanyard (not that i know what these would even look like) pins.
> 
> Thank you



I bought from ebay seller mikebiteme. I bought 50 pins for 1.80 each, and $6 shipping... the package actually cost him over $7 to ship, and he sent me 51 pins. I was happy with the quality of all of the pins. We will have a hard time trading away some of them, we like them so much. Now, I'm not a pin trading expert by any means... just a mom, wanting to keep the boys and DH happy.. but, I was very happy with the quality and price.


----------



## my3princes

burberryplaid said:


> Just wanted to thank you all for your knowledge. I'm interested in starting pin trading beginning with our next trip in April/May and I want to buy pins on e-bay to begin with. I'm also checking out the Disney store online, but I didn't see any great deals there at the moment.
> 
> I found some that look great from some of the dealers you all mentioned previously and I'm looking at some from the dealer ajbarr and maxludlow. Here are the auctions I was specifically looking at:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209577923&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209580128&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209574829&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150218357040&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005
> 
> Do these all seem ok to you?
> 
> Also, how many pins do you think I should start out with?
> 
> Thanks for any help you can provide!



I've bought from maxludlow before and was very happy with the pins and the transaction in general.


----------



## PinCrazed

burberryplaid said:


> Just wanted to thank you all for your knowledge. I'm interested in starting pin trading beginning with our next trip in April/May and I want to buy pins on e-bay to begin with. I'm also checking out the Disney store online, but I didn't see any great deals there at the moment.
> 
> I found some that look great from some of the dealers you all mentioned previously and I'm looking at some from the dealer ajbarr and maxludlow. Here are the auctions I was specifically looking at:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209577923&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209580128&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140209574829&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150218357040&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005
> 
> Do these all seem ok to you?
> 
> Also, how many pins do you think I should start out with?
> 
> Thanks for any help you can provide!




It is virtually impossible to deal with anyone online who does not have any scrapper pins in them.  There are several scrapper pins, or at least some of the common scrapper pins, that you find going around.  However, it looks like these folks mix and match scrapper pins with pins they have traded in the parks.   If you ask them they will always deny it.  

Overall it looks like all of those pins will be tradeable and they are not the blatantly "fake" looking pins.


----------



## GrillMouster

Plantlady said:


> I bought from ebay seller mikebiteme... Now, I'm not a pin trading expert by any means... just a mom, wanting to keep the boys and DH happy.. but, I was very happy with the quality and price.



After reading a positive previous post about mikebiteme, I ordered a lot of 20 pins from him. Among the group I've identified some counterfeit/scrappers, and I suspect that they all are scrappers/counterfeit.


----------



## angiepangie8

GrillMouster said:


> After reading a previous post about this seller, I ordered a lot of 20 pins from him. Among the group I've identified some counterfeit/scrappers, and I suspect that they all are scrappers/counterfeit.



yipes!


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

I have purchased from maxludlow before.  All of the pins I have seen from that seller are the Disney Store pins from last year, and to the best of my knowledge there aren't any "fakes" of those.  They are small compared to pins from Disney Shopping or the new Disney Store pins, but they are cute pins and fairly nice quality.


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## burberryplaid

my3princes said:


> I've bought from maxludlow before and was very happy with the pins and the transaction in general.





PinCrazed said:


> It is virtually impossible to deal with anyone online who does not have any scrapper pins in them.  There are several scrapper pins, or at least some of the common scrapper pins, that you find going around.  However, it looks like these folks mix and match scrapper pins with pins they have traded in the parks.   If you ask them they will always deny it.
> 
> Overall it looks like all of those pins will be tradeable and they are not the blatantly "fake" looking pins.





jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> I have purchased from maxludlow before.  All of the pins I have seen from that seller are the Disney Store pins from last year, and to the best of my knowledge there aren't any "fakes" of those.  They are small compared to pins from Disney Shopping or the new Disney Store pins, but they are cute pins and fairly nice quality.



Thanks for all your help. I may just have to bite the bullet and pay for nicer/genuine pins. I'll keep my eyes out on Disneyshopping.com


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## 2xlechemom

GrillMouster said:


> After reading a previous post about this seller, I ordered a lot of 20 pins from him. Among the group I've identified some counterfeit/scrappers, and I suspect that they all are scrappers/counterfeit.



Yes, I got a pin from him.  I'd compared the pic with pin pics and was pretty sure it was good.  Pin I got was not the one in the pictures.


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

2xlechemom said:


> Yes, I got a pin from him.  I'd compared the pic with pin pics and was pretty sure it was good.  Pin I got was not the one in the pictures.



I am sorry that happened!  But you brought up a VERY good point.  Some sellers will use photos from PinPics or the Disney pin site instead of photographing the ACTUAL pin they are selling.  Watch out for that!


----------



## Tomh

While the intention of this thread is great, ultimately, it winds up being useless.  I have three kids, and will be taking them all to Disney this summer.  For two it will be their first time.  The third lived in Florida for many years before moving to New York to be with us.  While she lived there, she visited the parks many times, and had a pin collection, but unfortunately, it didn't come to New York with her.

She had such fond memories of pin trading that I decided I would get pins for all three kids to trade.  We will be there for 7 days, and I wanted to at least be able to give them 2 pins each per day to trade.  When I did the math, and realized that at $6+ each per pin, that was going to cost me more than $250, I started looking for a better deal.

I read this entire thread, from the first post to the last, and finally settled on an online seller who was recommended several times in this thread.  I made my purchase with a fair amount of confidence since I had gotten the recommendation here, and hadn't seen anything bad posted about the seller.

I received my pins today, and started going through pin pics.  The first package of pins all seemed to check out, no noticeable defects, no mistakes on the information in the back stamp.

Then I opened up the second package of pins, and was immediately concerned since they were all packaged in those little plastic zip lock bags.  Sure enough, the first two had warnings that there were unauthorized versions sold directly from China, and there was no way to verify the authenticity of any pin.  Then, pin #3 from that package is certainly a fake.  It should be a "1 of 3" and is instead labeled "3 of 3."

My point being if you are actually going to trade pins, as opposed to just buying them and keeping the ones you buy, then you are going to get fakes, and unless you take every pin, and scrutinized it before allowing your kids to trade it, there is a pretty good chance that you are going to pass off fakes as well, whether you intend to or not, that is just the way it is.  Ultimately, to the kids it doesn't matter, as long as they like the way the pin looks, they couldn't care less if it is legitimate or not.  If Disney isn't stopping this from happening, there is no way that the casual trader, the parent of kids who want to trade, can be expected to know 100% whether every pin their kids trade is the real deal.


----------



## astrodrummergirl

Tomh said:


> While the intention of this thread is great, ultimately, it winds up being useless.  I have three kids, and will be taking them all to Disney this summer.  For two it will be their first time.  The third lived in Florida for many years before moving to New York to be with us.  While she lived there, she visited the parks many times, and had a pin collection, but unfortunately, it didn't come to New York with her.
> 
> She had such fond memories of pin trading that I decided I would get pins for all three kids to trade.  We will be there for 7 days, and I wanted to at least be able to give them 2 pins each per day to trade.  When I did the math, and realized that at $6+ each per pin, that was going to cost me more than $250, I started looking for a better deal.
> 
> I read this entire thread, from the first post to the last, and finally settled on an online seller who was recommended several times in this thread.  I made my purchase with a fair amount of confidence since I had gotten the recommendation here, and hadn't seen anything bad posted about the seller.
> 
> I received my pins today, and started going through pin pics.  The first package of pins all seemed to check out, no noticeable defects, no mistakes on the information in the back stamp.
> 
> Then I opened up the second package of pins, and was immediately concerned since they were all packaged in those little plastic zip lock bags.  Sure enough, the first two had warnings that there were unauthorized versions sold directly from China, and there was no way to verify the authenticity of any pin.  Then, pin #3 from that package is certainly a fake.  It should be a "1 of 3" and is instead labeled "3 of 3."
> 
> My point being if you are actually going to trade pins, as opposed to just buying them and keeping the ones you buy, then you are going to get fakes, and unless you take every pin, and scrutinized it before allowing your kids to trade it, there is a pretty good chance that you are going to pass off fakes as well, whether you intend to or not, that is just the way it is.  Ultimately, to the kids it doesn't matter, as long as they like the way the pin looks, they couldn't care less if it is legitimate or not.  If Disney isn't stopping this from happening, there is no way that the casual trader, the parent of kids who want to trade, can be expected to know 100% whether every pin their kids trade is the real deal.



That makes complete sense, and I totally agree with it. I must say, I don't think Disney is completly bothered by the fact of fake pins, as I may have said before, they can just switch them out whenever they want. Maybe Disney should use more trustworthy manufacturers or produce them themselves.


----------



## tnmomof4

Thanks to those of you who posted about the pin sale, with free shipping and 15% off  on the disney web site.  I just got my pins, and they are really nice.  Most of the pins I ordered were $4.  I got a couple $3 and $5 ones too.  I got 25 pins.  I was surprised at how big they are.  Some of them take two pins.  I got four jumbo pins, and they are even bigger.  

Anyway.... Thanks for all the advice.  I love the pins, and my kids really do too.  I hope they have other sales, because this is going to be so nice taking these pins to trade.  I am glad I don't have to worry about trading fake pins since I am new to this.


----------



## PinGirl

tnmomof4 said:


> Thanks to those of you who posted about the pin sale, with free shipping and 15% off  on the disney web site.  I just got my pins, and they are really nice.  Most of the pins I ordered were $4.  I got a couple $3 and $5 ones too.  I got 25 pins.  I was surprised at how big they are.  Some of them take two pins.  I got four jumbo pins, and they are even bigger.
> 
> Anyway.... Thanks for all the advice.  I love the pins, and my kids really do too.  I hope they have other sales, because this is going to be so nice taking these pins to trade.  I am glad I don't have to worry about trading fake pins since I am new to this.



Hey everyone - I posted this before but another source of authentic pins is the Disney Character Warehouse - it moves from time to time - but here is the link.

http://www.ams-liquidation.com/stores.htm

Pin prices range from 3.49- 4.00 on up with a discount card you can sign up for on your first trip. The one near us carries only Disneyland pins which we find are always popular at WDW.  Even though these are more expensive than some pins we can get on ebay - we save up and buy at various times when the outlet is close and when Disney shopping has has sales so we are trading authentic Disney pins.

We are moving away from collecting Cast Lanyards at all as this seems to be where most of the faking/scrappers are....We realised we had traded for a few and did not even know it - like others posting here.... 

Does anyone think taking a bag of scrappers to guest relations would help?

Anyway - hope this helps someone   - I know the ones in CA (Northern Cal) tend to be more expensive but I have heard the ones in Oregon and other locals being cheaper. I plan to go   in the next few weeks and will post current prices here.


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## GrillMouster

Y'know, Disney could profit from all of the couterfeit/scrappers by offering an authentication service.  I'm sure there are some people out there who would be willing to send a bag of pins just for piece of mind.  I'm sure some third party could try offering such a service, but I think that only Disney is in a position to say definitively whether a pin is authentic.

Also, can anyone give insight into how Disney "scrubs" or "refreshes" the cast lanyards each night? I've heard that cast members turn in their lanyards each night, and someone goes through them to remove obvious counterfeits/scrappers, non-Disney pins, Sedesmas, etc, and replace them with authentic pins.  If this is true, that would mean that the best time to trade pins with Cast Members is first thing in the morning, so you can avoid getting scrappers that would have been traded with the CMs.  Even if this were the case, I imagine that the overwhelming number of pins they'd have to go through each night would limit their ability to scrutinize for scrappers.  Most of the counterfiets/scrappers I see are very, VERY difficult to spot; they're virtually identical to authentic pins.


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## Tomh

That is indeed one of the problems, it is just very difficult to know.  For example, I have one pin that looks right, feels right (it's not light, or flimsy, paint isn't soft, it's crisp and clear etc.) however according to pin pics, the back should say "made in china," but the pin just says china on it.  I wonder about the pin, but I also wonder if the info on pin pics is accurate.  How do I know if the person who submitted that info had the real pin, or if they actually had a scrapper?  None of the pins I have say "made in china" on them, they all just say "china" and a couple of them matched up to the pictures and descriptions on pin pics exactly, including every bit of the text on the back stamp.

How about the cast lanyard series, where the info on pin pics just says "Please be advised that there are unauthorized versions of these pins being sold from China directly to individuals not associated with Disney. No one can guarantee the authenticity of this pin."  What about those?  I'd bet that cast members are still trading them.  If no one can tell if they are fake or not, well then the only way to be sure is to not trade them at all any more, but that really wouldn't be fair to those people who have the real ones now would it?

It really just seems too big a mess to bother sorting out.  I certainly don't want to pawn of junk on anyone else unknowingly, but to be honest, I'm just not certain that there is any way that I can tell for sure what ones are good, and what ones aren't.  I think that ultimately, I'm just going to give my kids the pins I bought, and let them try to trade in the parks.  If a CM tells them that one of their pins is no good, then we will keep that pin, and not try to trade it again.  If the CM's accept the pins for trade, and they are fakes, well I'm sorry, but if Disney's own employees can't tell the difference between the real thing and the fake, then how the heck am I supposed to be able to?

On a final note, perhaps if Disney hadn't decided to have their pins manufactured in China to save some money, they would have tighter control over the process, and might be able to keep so many fakes from flooding the market!


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## PinGirl

GrillMouster said:


> Y'know, Disney could profit from all of the couterfeit/scrappers by offering an authentication service.  I'm sure there are some people out there who would be willing to send a bag of pins just for piece of mind.  I'm sure some third party could try offering such a service, but I think that only Disney is in a position to say definitively whether a pin is authentic.
> 
> Also, can anyone give insight into how Disney "scrubs" or "refreshes" the cast lanyards each night? I've heard that cast members turn in their lanyards each night, and someone goes through them to remove obvious counterfeits/scrappers, non-Disney pins, Sedesmas, etc, and replace them with authentic pins.  If this is true, that would mean that the best time to trade pins with Cast Members is first thing in the morning, so you can avoid getting scrappers that would have been traded with the CMs.  Even if this were the case, I imagine that the overwhelming number of pins they'd have to go through each night would limit their ability to scrutinize for scrappers.  Most of the counterfiets/scrappers I see are very, VERY difficult to spot; they're virtually identical to authentic pins.



I agree with you! I am just wondering if there is anything we can do.   Anyone we can write to?? Anyone we can show the pins to...to put pressure on them to change as I am tired of seeing that an older pin of mine has been faked and is no longer worth what I may have invested in it. Or a Lanyard I traded for may not be as good as the pin I traded for it. I still love the hobby - but I am looking at cutting back a lot on buying pins and trading them due to the scrapper situation.  

I am suppose to meet friends in September for the Pin trading event and for one friend it will be her first time at a pin event - I want it to be fun for her not a downer due to the scrappers.....


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

Disney employees are encouraged to wear pin lanyards, they are not mandated to be able to spot a counterfeit.

The lanyards are NOT always refreshed at the end of a shift.  It depends on the supervisor for each area - some are more diligent than others.  Some CMs will put new pins on during breaks, others don't.  I would bet money that there is NOT a person who sits and pulls the pins off each CM lanyard, verifies authenticity, etc.  I would also bet money that some CMs begin their shifts with the pins they ended with the day before, fakes and all.

I am REALLY offended that there are people willing to toss their hands up and say it is too hard and too expensive to trade authentic pins so they are just going to trade what they have and be done with it.  Nice attitude.    NO WONDER the eBay sellers are making enormous profits. If nobody was going to get those fake pins in the end then fine.  But somebody WILL get them, so it is NOT fine.  If people can't be bothered to participate properly then don't participate.  Simple enough.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

PinGirl said:


> I agree with you! I am just wondering if there is anything we can do.   Anyone we can write to?? Anyone we can show the pins to...to put pressure on them to change as I am tired of seeing that an older pin of mine has been faked and is no longer worth what I may have invested in it. Or a Lanyard I traded for may not be as good as the pin I traded for it. I still love the hobby - but I am looking at cutting back a lot on buying pins and trading them due to the scrapper situation.
> 
> I am suppose to meet friends in September for the Pin trading event and for one friend it will be her first time at a pin event - I want it to be fun for her not a downer due to the scrappers.....



I showed one of my fakes to a manager at Epcot and he just sort of blew it off.  BUT in the grand scheme of things I am sure he has bigger fish to fry - he isn't the pin police.  I don't even know what his job description was because we were talking to him out in the middle of the park.  
I have a bag of scrappers that I thought about bringing to Guest Relations, but some of them came from eBay.  So they will tell me it is my own fault for being stupid enough to buy from eBay. Which it is.

I guess if I keep track of the fakes I pull from CM lanyards this summer and take THOSE to Guest Relations I might have a better complaint, but what are they supposed to do?  Give me a Fast Pass and send me on my way? It wasn't Disney's intention for people to buy thousands of fake pins from eBay and flood the parks with them.  And now it is completely out of hand.  

The thing to remember is that part of the responsibility is with us as traders.  If we aren't part of the solution (trading ONLY authentic pins) then we are part of the PROBLEM.  If nobody bought and traded the fakes there wouldn't BE a problem, now would there?


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## tnmomof4

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> I showed one of my fakes to a manager at Epcot and he just sort of blew it off.  BUT in the grand scheme of things I am sure he has bigger fish to fry - he isn't the pin police.  I don't even know what his job description was because we were talking to him out in the middle of the park.
> I have a bag of scrappers that I thought about bringing to Guest Relations, but some of them came from eBay.  So they will tell me it is my own fault for being stupid enough to buy from eBay. Which it is.
> 
> I guess if I keep track of the fakes I pull from CM lanyards this summer and take THOSE to Guest Relations I might have a better complaint, but what are they supposed to do?  Give me a Fast Pass and send me on my way? It wasn't Disney's intention for people to buy thousands of fake pins from eBay and flood the parks with them.  And now it is completely out of hand.
> 
> The thing to remember is that part of the responsibility is with us as traders.  If we aren't part of the solution (trading ONLY authentic pins) then we are part of the PROBLEM.  If nobody bought and traded the fakes there wouldn't BE a problem, now would there?



That's why I decided not to buy pins off e-bay.  I wanted to when I read of others getting such cheap pins.  I came here, asked advice, and realized that it is really a good chance that the pins you buy off e-bay and some of these other on-line places are going to be fake/scrappers.  I just don't feel right about letting my kids trade fake pins or even pins that might be scrappers.

I know that lots of people don't care.  When I asked about pins (not on this thread) most people say they buy the cheap pins and don't care about the quality or even if they are fake because they plan on trading up.  They claim it is just for fun. They say it is just for fun so why does it matter if they are trading fake pins.  They even say they don't care if they are getting fake pins in return since it is just for fun.  Lots of people say that it is just too expensive to buy real pins at WDW so they get the cheap pins to trade.  

I guess for me it loses that fun feeling when you end up getting a fake or cheap pin.  I know that we have a couple fake pins that we traded for a good, bought at Disney pin.   For me, I wouldn't feel right knowing my kids were trading cheap fake/scrapper pins that someone else will most likely end up with.   

I also asked a CM at the pin store at DTD about her pins.  She said that she and the other CMs start every day with the pins they end up with from the day before.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

Tnmomof4, thank you for doing the right thing!  

I guess I just don't get how people can BLATANTLY endorse buying and trading fakes.  Would those people use counterfeit money if it looked really good, almost just like real money?  

If they were buying fakes to KEEP, then fine.  But buying fakes because one can't be bothered to buy REAL pins is wrong.  Morally and ethically it is wrong.  And the sellers are even worse.  At the absolute bottom of the scum barrel are the producers - they are doing something ILLEGAL.


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## PinGirl

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> The thing to remember is that part of the responsibility is with us as traders.  If we aren't part of the solution (trading ONLY authentic pins) then we are part of the PROBLEM.  If nobody bought and traded the fakes there wouldn't BE a problem, now would there?



I agree! That is why Since last year I only buy from *official* Disney sources. Yes it costs a little more but at least I know I am not flooding the park with bad pins. To me this is part of the official Disney Spirit. I would hate for someone to think they got a good trade from me only to find out the pin is bad. I have looked through some Lanyard pins from old trips and realised some were good others fake.

I also wanted to mention in the past I purchased from Pinseller.com and on the first few pages of this post - it is mentioned as a good place to purchase. 

when I received the pins they looked great.  In retrospect I believe all these pins are scrappers   as when I went in to look at the site the other day - every single pin for sale individually is also on the knock off list on Dizpins.  Can someone else look at these and tell me what you think? 

PinGirl


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## PinGirl

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Tnmomof4, thank you for doing the right thing!
> 
> I guess I just don't get how people can BLATANTLY endorse buying and trading fakes.  Would those people use counterfeit money if it looked really good, almost just like real money?
> 
> If they were buying fakes to KEEP, then fine.  But buying fakes because one can't be bothered to buy REAL pins is wrong.  Morally and ethically it is wrong.  And the sellers are even worse.  At the absolute bottom of the scum barrel are the producers - they are doing something ILLEGAL.



Because of how Corporate America is - we may be facing a situation where the Scrappers are part of a back room deal where they are actually "allowed" to make runs over and above what Disney authorises - otherwise I do not know why they would let this go on - I can't believe Walt would have allowed it in his day.

DH and I will really be watching our trades in the future and I agree it does take some of the fun out of it as we have been trading since 2000 when it was not an issue - so suddenly asking to look at the back of every pin -  ..but I guess that's where we are now......

My sister just came back from WDW she said they looked at the back of every pin they traded for - if it looked weird/Fake -they handed it back.........


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## astrodrummergirl

So I guess the main tips to pin traders new and old would be:


Buy pins from:
-    Disneyshopping during sales and deals to get inexpensive pins direct from Disney
-    The Disney Store during Sales
-    Disney Outlet Stores
If you have to buy from eBay, always find a reputable seller who has a high feedback percentage (98% and up) and scrutenize photos and details or ask for detailed photos, eg. the backs of pins
If really bothered, check the backs of pins as you receive them, if it doesn't look right to you, don't trade for it.

I guess most people would probably want to avoid eBay but those who can't readily buy pins from those other sources if you live outside the US and such.

And just to add, on eBay, it does help to read through the members feedback, if they have a mass of negative feedback, they obviously aren't as trustworthy as those with less, no matter how many they have total. That's my general rule for eBay, and has worked quite well.


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## meandtheguys2

What a hassle.  I traded for every pin I have.  If there are scrappers in the bunch, I got them from a CM.  (Not that I have noticed any that look funky)  If I decide to sell any on ebay, I would do so with minimal feedback, because I only have sold stuff, a dozen or so times.

But in the book of people on this thread, I shouldn't be trusted.  That is rather sad.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

PinGirl said:


> Because of how Corporate America is - we may be facing a situation where the Scrappers are part of a back room deal where they are actually "allowed" to make runs over and above what Disney authorises - otherwise I do not know why they would let this go on - I can't believe Walt would have allowed it in his day.
> 
> DH and I will really be watching our trades in the future and I agree it does take some of the fun out of it as we have been trading since 2000 when it was not an issue - so suddenly asking to look at the back of every pin -  ..but I guess that's where we are now......
> 
> My sister just came back from WDW she said they looked at the back of every pin they traded for - if it looked weird/Fake -they handed it back.........



I don't know much about the inner workings of Chinese pin factories.  It seems that someone in China has found an extremely lucrative sideline - sell the "scrappers" instead of scrapping them, and while they are at it, might as well make some counterfeits, too!  But we are missing a lot of info.  

Is there only ONE factory that produces Disney pins?  Are the people selling the scrappers also the counterfeiters, or are they separate groups?  Does Disney try to stop them?  If Disney hasn't tried to stop them as of yet then what is the turning point?  We have discussed before that Disney doesn't SELL cast lanyard and Hidden Mickey pins, so they are not exactly losing revenue there.  They ARE losing revenue, though.  People are buying fake pins on eBay instead of buying in the parks or from Disney Shopping.  

I spent $230 on pins in the Disney Store last week, and about $300 on pins from Disney Shopping the week before.  Could I have gotten more pins for my money on eBay?  Yep.  BUT my pins are authentic and I know the people who trade with CMs for my pins will get really nice pins.


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## GrillMouster

astrodrummergirl said:


> If you have to buy from eBay, always find a reputable seller who has a high feedback percentage (98% and up) and scrutenize photos and details or ask for detailed photos, eg. the backs of pins...And just to add, on eBay, it does help to read through the members feedback, if they have a mass of negative feedback, they obviously aren't as trustworthy as those with less, no matter how many they have total.



Unfortunatley, most of the people selling lots of counterfiets and scrappers on ebay have almost 100% positive feedback.  Most of the buyers are clueless about scrappers and counterfeits, so they leave fanstastic feedback, because the pins look okay.  So, yes, if a seller has negative feedback you avoid him/her.  However, the fact that a seller has purely positive feedback does not mean that he/she is selling authentic pins.


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## GrillMouster

People keep saying that the best thing we pin traders can do to fight against the distributors of counterfeit/scrapper pins is to make sure that we only buy authentic pins from Disney, Disney Store, disneyshopping.com, etc..  Even if were were able to get every pin trader on the disboards to follow this advice, there would still be tens of thousands of fake pins being sold daily on ebay, making their way onto lanyards at the parks.  Most buyers are not on the disboards.  The end result would be that we'd spend more of our money on authentic pins, and we'd be trading them away for counterfeits at the parks.  And, even though Disney is not making money on the fake pins being sold on ebay, it's making PLENTY of profit on the pins it sells at the parks, Disney Store, and disneyshopping.com.  You can say all you want about feeling morally justified and having a good conscious because you purchased and traded a legitimate pin, but the fact is that you're getting SUCKERED, and that SUCKS.

So how about this...how about everybody stops buying pins from Disney, and starts buying counterfeits/scrappers and trading them at the parks?  I'm willing to bet that Disney would REALLY start to care when their pin sales drop and the Hidden Mickey/Cast Lanyard pins that cost them money to manufacture are being traded for fakes that were purchased elsewhere.  Sure, it would suck for the few people who buy pins at the parks and trade them, but that's already happening now.  Besides, the misfortune would be short-lived, for Disney would QUICKLY go after the counterfeiters with the wrath of God and would do more to eliminate counterfeits/scrappers from Cast Members' lanyards.

I'm not saying that this is what we should do...I'm just playing devil's advocate.


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

GrillMouster said:


> Unfortunatley, most of the people selling lots of counterfiets and scrappers on ebay have almost 100% positive feedback.  Most of the buyers are clueless about scrappers and counterfeits, so they leave fanstastic feedback, because the pins look okay.  So, yes, if a seller has negative feedback you avoid him/her.  However, the fact that a seller has purely positive feedback does not mean that he/she is selling authentic pins.



Very, very true.  We left positive feedback for sellers before we knew they sold us fakes.  Later on we realized the pins were scrappers but you can't edit feedback! 

I think the ONLY reason we are still trading is because there are still SOME authentic pins out there.  I'm willing to look for them.  If I was going to go trade fakes for fakes I wouldn't waste my time or money. 

Eventually the bottom will fall out of pin trading the way it falls out of ALL collectibles.  The scrapper issue is just hastening the end.


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## Macca1111

kimsuenew said:


> Disneyshopping online does have clearanced pins at times and it is worth peeking there at least one time weekly I think to check. If you can get brand new pins, on their cards, arriving bubble wrapped and ready to pack  for $2.00 - $3.00 each... you can't go wrong! Don't count it out as a potential place to get great deals... at least you are certain theirs are tradeable and authentic!



Where do you check for the sales?  I have the hardest time navigating the Disney websites...


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## Donald is #1

Macca1111 said:


> Where do you check for the sales?  I have the hardest time navigating the Disney websites...



I watch the emails from Disney Shopping and once in a while go over a spot check the prices on the pins to see if they have been marked down.


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## kimsuenew

Macca1111 said:


> Where do you check for the sales?  I have the hardest time navigating the Disney websites...



I signed up for email notifications of sales, so every week or so I get an email with some special deal or code (site-wide, not just for pins).

I also make a point, about once a week, to go the site (even without notification) and just look around!

Cheaper pins are not easy to find, as they are just intertwined inside the pin catagories. This means you have to open up every pin catagory and then look through all pins within each catagory (the different pages). It takes a little time, but when you find them... it's worth it!  

When I found my "bargain 80+ pins" to trade in 2008, it was during a big sale that was posted in here, sometime before Christmas (2007). It was to get Croc's for under $15.00 a pair. While on, getting my three pairs of Crocs, I peeked at pins and quickly added them to my cart! They cost me a little less than $2.50 per pin, and they are all Limited Edition (1,000 each), on the black Disney cards, even wrapped in bubble wrap. I simply put the box they came in, with my bubble wrapped bundles, in my WDW suitcase to take in 2008!  

As soon as I found my bargain pins, I quickly added a post on the same post I found the Crocs on, and others went on to buy them as well (and several posted their deals) so keep an eye on the budget board!  Disneyshopping online lets you stack codes (use more than one) and people are so good on the Disboards Budget Board, about posting codes!  

I feel much better, knowing that I have genuine Disney pins to trade while we are down again in 2008! 

The cost was minimal, at less that $2.50 each, including S&H costs (free). People pay that on Ebay often, where they run the chance of getting fakes or scrappers. I know there is no guarantee that I will receive genuine pins while trading them BUT it will ensure I do not pass "junk" on to others!

Pin trading is so awesome, but I agree that if all of this continues (fakes/scrappers/ect...)  it may be discontinued, which is sad for those of us that are honest and enjoy it!


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## meandtheguys2

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Very, very true.  We left positive feedback for sellers before we knew they sold us fakes.  Later on we realized the pins were scrappers but you can't edit feedback!
> 
> I think the ONLY reason we are still trading is because there are still SOME authentic pins out there.  I'm willing to look for them.  If I was going to go trade fakes for fakes I wouldn't waste my time or money.
> 
> Eventually the bottom will fall out of pin trading the way it falls out of ALL collectibles.  The scrapper issue is just hastening the end.



I couldn't trade pins if it was all about what is collectible, and what isn't.  At that point, I would have had to start telling my kids they couldn't trade for what they liked (sedesma hyenas, one year!!!! )  Maybe I got some scrappers on this trip, but I love every pin I collected.  We had a lovely time, without being paranoid about the experience.

This isn't to justify buying nasty pins (and I think many are, and I don't/won't buy them).  It is just to say that if the joy is lost in the worries of being ripped off, there is no way we would still do it.  Lord knows my husband would be thrilled to walk thru the parks and not have to stop a dozen times to look at lanyards!


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## Tomh

I can't help but feel that some rather hot words in this thread are aimed at me, so I'd like to point a few things out.  First off, I would never purposely purchase a counterfeit, or otherwise illegitimate pin, and then knowing try to pass it off in the park, I'm not that desperate to save money, and I'm not a thief.  I DID pass off fake money, just about a year ago, because I had NO idea it was fake.

When I first decided that I wanted to buy pins for my kids to trade, I came here and did as much research as I could, in hopes of finding a reputable dealer where I could get a decent price.  Like PinGirl, I read through this thread, and saw a couple of recommendations for PinSeller.com.  I didn't see a single person in this thread anywhere mention any problems with the pins from PinSeller, and so I purchased from them, believing that I had good information.

There is one pin that I am CERTAIN is not good, and I am not going to let my kids trade it.  There are quite a few that I am certain are just fine.  The problem comes with all the Cast Lanyard Series pins, which Pin Pics says could be fake, but no one can tell for certain.  What do you do with that?  Do I scrap all of them because there is a CHANCE that they might be fake?  Should I stick to buying $6 pins, and trading them for pins off CM lanyards when there is no way that I can tell if the pins I'm getting in return are worth $6, or $.06?

For every honest person that has a pile of scrappers set aside in a bag, there are 1000 others who either don't know, or don't care, and are passing them off in the parks.  If it is THAT easy for you to tell the difference between the real things, and the fakes, then it shouldn't be a problem for you, because you will just make certain that you don't trade for any fakes.

I don't mind admitting that after spending hours looking at pins, and pictures, I don't have a clue whether half of them are fake or real, and I certainly won't be able to tell if the pins my kids are trading for in the parks are fake or real, and to tell you the god's honest truth, I don't care if they get fake pins or real pins when they trade with CM's, as long as they get pins that they like that is all that matters.

It would seem that some are angry at me because I've come to the realization that I can't tell the difference between the fakes, and the real ones, and so I am going to count on the Disney employees to know the difference (at least they work for Disney, one would think they might have better information available to them about the Disney made pins than I do) and let me know if my kids are trying to trade a pin that is fake.  Yet, by being angry over the possibility of getting a fake pin in trade with a CM, those same people are admitting that they can't tell the difference either, or else they wouldn't care if CM's have fakes.

If, as many here have suggested, there is a very real probability that my kids will wind up getting at least a few fakes from the CM's that they trade with, then I don't feel too bad knowing that there is a chance that some of the pins that they are going to trade away might be fake too.

As I said, any pin I KNOW is bogus, I won't let them trade, but if I can't tell for sure, well I'm just going to count on the CM's to tell the difference, and I'll figure that if they accept it for trade it should be good.


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## meandtheguys2

Tomh, I figure we all do the best we can!  And then our job is to enjoy our vacation! 

I'm right there with you.  We'd never buy crappy pins to trade.  Sorry you got some that are a concern!  And I keep those that are icky (like the sedesmas the kids have traded FOR) for bulletin boards actually!

I hope that you and yours have a lovely time, enjoy your trades (none can be worse than the sedesma hyenas!) and don't let people get to you.


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## PinGirl

Tomh, After much fretting this week I realise I can't care more than Disney does!  

I am going to do my best - but that's all I can do - I agree with meandtheboys - have a great vacation - let the kids trade and enjoy. I will do the best I can do - but all I can do is my best! I am not the big corporation that can stop it at the factory.  

I will trade Legit Disney pins as that's how I have always done it.   I may not be aware that others are not legit - but I won't knowingly pass a bad pin to someone. Since there are so many people who are unaware of the problem and don't follow these boards - seems like that's all we can do - until Disney decides to put a stop to it! *(If they even care)*


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## labdogs42

Does anyone know if this site sells legitimate Disney pins?

I'm new to pin trading, so I'm still kind of clueless!


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## Kycha

Sorry.  Wrong thread.


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## Tomh

Thanks for the kind words of support!


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## PinCrazed

GrillMouster said:


> People keep saying that the best thing we pin traders can do to fight against the distributors of counterfeit/scrapper pins is to make sure that we only buy authentic pins from Disney, Disney Store, disneyshopping.com, etc..  Even if were were able to get every pin trader on the disboards to follow this advice, there would still be tens of thousands of fake pins being sold daily on ebay, making their way onto lanyards at the parks.  Most buyers are not on the disboards.  The end result would be that we'd spend more of our money on authentic pins, and we'd be trading them away for counterfeits at the parks.  And, even though Disney is not making money on the fake pins being sold on ebay, it's making PLENTY of profit on the pins it sells at the parks, Disney Store, and disneyshopping.com.  You can say all you want about feeling morally justified and having a good conscious because you purchased and traded a legitimate pin, but the fact is that you're getting SUCKERED, and that SUCKS.
> 
> So how about this...how about everybody stops buying pins from Disney, and starts buying counterfeits/scrappers and trading them at the parks?  I'm willing to bet that Disney would REALLY start to care when their pin sales drop and the Hidden Mickey/Cast Lanyard pins that cost them money to manufacture are being traded for fakes that were purchased elsewhere.  Sure, it would suck for the few people who buy pins at the parks and trade them, but that's already happening now.  Besides, the misfortune would be short-lived, for Disney would QUICKLY go after the counterfeiters with the wrath of God and would do more to eliminate counterfeits/scrappers from Cast Members' lanyards.
> 
> I'm not saying that this is what we should do...I'm just playing devil's advocate.



This is the wisest thing I have heard on this thread.  Read my earlier posts about basically the same thing.  Disney, by the over-pricing and lack of concern of pin trading, has created the scrapper problem themselves.


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## PinCrazed

Tomh said:


> While the intention of this thread is great, ultimately, it winds up being useless.  I have three kids, and will be taking them all to Disney this summer.  For two it will be their first time.  The third lived in Florida for many years before moving to New York to be with us.  While she lived there, she visited the parks many times, and had a pin collection, but unfortunately, it didn't come to New York with her.
> 
> She had such fond memories of pin trading that I decided I would get pins for all three kids to trade.  We will be there for 7 days, and I wanted to at least be able to give them 2 pins each per day to trade.  When I did the math, and realized that at $6+ each per pin, that was going to cost me more than $250, I started looking for a better deal.
> 
> I read this entire thread, from the first post to the last, and finally settled on an online seller who was recommended several times in this thread.  I made my purchase with a fair amount of confidence since I had gotten the recommendation here, and hadn't seen anything bad posted about the seller.
> 
> I received my pins today, and started going through pin pics.  The first package of pins all seemed to check out, no noticeable defects, no mistakes on the information in the back stamp.
> 
> Then I opened up the second package of pins, and was immediately concerned since they were all packaged in those little plastic zip lock bags.  Sure enough, the first two had warnings that there were unauthorized versions sold directly from China, and there was no way to verify the authenticity of any pin.  Then, pin #3 from that package is certainly a fake.  It should be a "1 of 3" and is instead labeled "3 of 3."
> 
> My point being if you are actually going to trade pins, as opposed to just buying them and keeping the ones you buy, then you are going to get fakes, and unless you take every pin, and scrutinized it before allowing your kids to trade it, there is a pretty good chance that you are going to pass off fakes as well, whether you intend to or not, that is just the way it is.  Ultimately, to the kids it doesn't matter, as long as they like the way the pin looks, they couldn't care less if it is legitimate or not.  If Disney isn't stopping this from happening, there is no way that the casual trader, the parent of kids who want to trade, can be expected to know 100% whether every pin their kids trade is the real deal.



Tomh, I could not agree with you more.  People get very upset when you bring the truth to light.  I feel the same way. Pin collecting and pin trading almost ned to be compeltely different entities.  They can not be one and the same when you have counterfeit pins the majority of pins out there.


----------



## EpcotMatt2

PinCrazed said:


> Tomh, I could not agree with you more.  People get very upset when you bring the truth to light.  I feel the same way. Pin collecting and pin trading almost ned to be compeltely different entities.  They can not be one and the same when you have counterfeit pins the majority of pins out there.



Wow, 2 people in a row who think this thread is entirely useless? I disagree. But if you think it's useless, that's unfortunate. And luckily, everyone has the right to not read useless threads. And those who find a use for the thread can continue to read. I know I'll continue to try & give my opinion & help in whatever way I can.


----------



## KatInHat

Hey, I'm not sure if I'm asking this question in the correct place because this is not a question about avoiding cheap pins but a general question about pin trading.  You guys seem to know a bit about pin trading and have been very helpful in the past.  So here's my question:  
My DS7 just got into pin trading on our last trip.  We bought several pins to trade but he also purchased some of the larger pins that he does not want to trade.  Is it ok to put locking clips on the keeper pins and wear them on the same lanyard as pins for trading?  I hope this makes sense.  
He also suggested wearing 2 lanyards one to display his special "keeper" pins and one lanyard only for trading pins.  
What do you think ??
TIA


----------



## EpcotMatt2

KatInHat said:


> Hey, I'm not sure if I'm asking this question in the correct place because this is not a question about avoiding cheap pins but a general question about pin trading.  You guys seem to know a bit about pin trading and have been very helpful in the past.  So here's my question:
> My DS7 just got into pin trading on our last trip.  We bought several pins to trade but he also purchased some of the larger pins that he does not want to trade.  Is it ok to put locking clips on the keeper pins and wear them on the same lanyard as pins for trading?  I hope this makes sense.
> He also suggested wearing 2 lanyards one to display his special "keeper" pins and one lanyard only for trading pins.
> What do you think ??
> TIA



Are you asking if he has to wear only "tradable" pins on his lanyard? If so, absolutely not. He could wear an entire lanyard of pins that he never wants to trade, if he so chooses. CMs don't get to choose what pins to get in return for their pins. Is that what you were getting at?


----------



## KatInHat

EpcotMatt2 said:


> Are you asking if he has to wear only "tradable" pins on his lanyard? If so, absolutely not. He could wear an entire lanyard of pins that he never wants to trade, if he so chooses. CMs don't get to choose what pins to get in return for their pins. Is that what you were getting at?



Yes, exactly!  Thank you.  I was not sure if he had to wear only tradable pins on his lanyard. I didn't know if it was proper "pin trading etiqutte" Thank you so much for clearing that up for me.


----------



## EpcotMatt2

KatInHat said:


> Yes, exactly!  Thank you.  I was not sure if he had to wear only tradable pins on his lanyard. I didn't know if it was proper "pin trading etiqutte" Thank you so much for clearing that up for me.



No problem. That's what this thread is about, helping folks.


----------



## PinCrazed

EpcotMatt2 said:


> Wow, 2 people in a row who think this thread is entirely useless? I disagree. But if you think it's useless, that's unfortunate. And luckily, everyone has the right to not read useless threads. And those who find a use for the thread can continue to read. I know I'll continue to try & give my opinion & help in whatever way I can.



I think this a great thread and NO ONE has ever said anything to the contrary.  I think the greatest compliment to this thread (started by you) is the ability to evolve and reach a number of different variables and aspects of trading.  

This allows people to make educated well rounded decisions about pins and pin trading.  Understanding the "why" behind all of the myriad of pins that folks new to pin trading are exposed to, especially when they look at Dizpins, ebay or the disney store can be nothing, but beneficial.  

Look back and see how many posts have folks saying "thanks for the info, I am going to make sure I buy only pins that I would want to trade for."  So, by exposing multiple points people can come to their own conclusion, which in most cases had been to avoid the cheap pins.

At points in every thread people are going to do some ranting, but the point of the thread remains the same.


----------



## Tomh

I didn't mean to imply that the entire thread was useless, and I'm sorry if it sounded that way.  I have gleaned much useful information from this thread.  I just find it unfortunate that I also took away from this thread the name of a "reputable" pin seller who I ultimately wound up buying questionable (at best) pins from.  I think that one of the main points of this thread was to help people avoid having that happen.

Of course, it is always possible that the people who originally gave that vendor a thumbs up didn't get bad pins.  Perhaps this is something that just started happening recently with that vendor.  It is also possible that the pins that are "questionable" are indeed legitimate, and that I've only got perhaps one or two pins that are really bad.  At any rate, ultimately that is my problem, no one else's.

I thank everyone who has contributed here for the information they have supplied, much of it has been really helpful to me.  And, to the plethora of valuable tidbits, I add my warning to be careful with PinSeller.com.


----------



## labdogs42

labdogs42 said:


> Does anyone know if this site sells legitimate Disney pins?
> 
> I'm new to pin trading, so I'm still kind of clueless!



Anyone have an answer for my question?  I think I got lost in the shuffle.  Thanks!


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## Luv2Roam

labdogs42 (Had to answer as I have a few myself.  )
I have not bought nor traded from anything other than Disney for years.
As long as the seller follow through, looks fine. I would have to say $2 for a cast lanyard pin is pretty cheap, and as cheap as you will see.  
I would stick with the cast lanyard pins, and stay away from Propins, Bertoni, etc. They are just that -- cheap pins. You will be disappointed, esp when you see the real deal.


----------



## astrodrummergirl

labdogs42

Although I have not bought from them, I am keeping their website bookmarked incase I want more pins before I go away in june to DLRP. It depends on how many I need to get, as if I only want 10 or less, I'm better buying the pins they have on sale in the shops in the Disney Village rather than getting them shipped from the states.


Just out of interest, has anyone bought pins from Disney Shopping who live in Europe, would interesting how much you paid for in shipping although, every time I try to get to the website, it redirects me to the UK disney store, which sadly no longer sells pins


----------



## jackskellingtonsgirl

The thing about this thread is that it is very long.  Here is what I think sometimes happens on eBay:

People have some pins they want to sell.  Authentic pins.  They sell them.  It goes well.  They think "Hey!  How cool was that?"  They then begin to buy pins from other sellers with the intent to REsell those same pins.  They get scrappers, they don't realize (or don't care), they resell them.  Now you have a seller who started out with good pins but no longer has good pins.

I bought pins from a guy and they were wonderful.  Later on I saw him bidding on pins from a seller who I KNOW sells scrappers, so going forward I wouldn't buy from him again.  Too risky.

Obviously people are going to continue to buy from eBay.  eBay sellers are going to continue importing thousands of fakes from China.  I am going to continue to be very angry about it.  

Everybody has to make their own decisions.  I have posted my opinions on the subject, and I will continue to respond to folks who ask.  I am strongly opposed to buying pins from eBay.  I have never puchased from Mouse Pins or Pinseller or any of those other places, but I tend to think that overall there isn't a legitimate source for pins at less than $2 each.


----------



## tnmomof4

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the info, help, and advice.   I know it might sound corny, but I have learned a lot from you all. 

I learned that it is really better to not buy pins off e-bay or other various sellers. Even though these places are cheaper, the pins are usually not good pins.  I now know NOT to buy a tin of pins to trade with the people sitting at DTD.  I hope I will be a little bit better at spotting bad pins.  I still need to write down what I should be looking for on the back.  I think I will be able to spot cheap pins.   I am really happy about the pins I bought from the Disney website because I got them on sale. 

You guys have been great.


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## JKMJ441724

Wow.  You guys have really scared me.  But I'm sure the knowledge will be worth it.

I have only bought one pin - ever.  I only got it because it was a Boston Red Sox pin - and no other reason.

I have never traded a pin in my life but want to get some cheap, yet authentic, pins to trade for our vacation in October. I will check out disneyshopping.com and see if I can catch some on sale before we go.

Unless, any of you have a lot of 10 to 25 authentic pins you are willing to sell????


----------



## Minnie M6

labdogs42 said:


> Anyone have an answer for my question?  I think I got lost in the shuffle.  Thanks!



I am WAY new to this, so I am not sure what the answer is.

What I can tell you is that based on a thread I saw on another board, I ordered a grab bag from this site. I was happy with what we received, but I did notice that about half of them were Propins. Not sure if that's a bad thing or not. My kids liked them, I just hope they're able to trade them if they decide that's what they want to do. 

Hopefully someone with more knowledge can weigh in on this?


----------



## Tomh

Minnie M6, I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than I will chip in with a more detailed answer, but I'll give a shot at it.  From what I've read here, I believe that the deal is this:  Propins can be traded, however the more serious traders here frown on them because they are of lesser quality than the Disney pins sold in the US.


----------



## PinCrazed

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> The thing about this thread is that it is very long.  Here is what I think sometimes happens on eBay:
> 
> People have some pins they want to sell.  Authentic pins.  They sell them.  It goes well.  They think "Hey!  How cool was that?"  They then begin to buy pins from other sellers with the intent to REsell those same pins.  They get scrappers, they don't realize (or don't care), they resell them.  Now you have a seller who started out with good pins but no longer has good pins.
> 
> I bought pins from a guy and they were wonderful.  Later on I saw him bidding on pins from a seller who I KNOW sells scrappers, so going forward I wouldn't buy from him again.  Too risky.
> 
> Obviously people are going to continue to buy from eBay.  eBay sellers are going to continue importing thousands of fakes from China.  I am going to continue to be very angry about it.
> 
> Everybody has to make their own decisions.  I have posted my opinions on the subject, and I will continue to respond to folks who ask.  I am strongly opposed to buying pins from eBay.  I have never puchased from Mouse Pins or Pinseller or any of those other places, but I tend to think that overall there isn't a legitimate source for pins at less than $2 each.



I absolutely agree!  That is the fact that no one really wants to face when they list off sites where people sell pin for around two dollars.  They are all scrappers (imports) or they bought scrappers then traded them in the parks and are combining them with their china imports.

I have said it before, you can not buy pins from ebay (unless you run across the ultra-rare person who is selling their collection) who is not in some way using counterfeit pins.

If you want truly Disney collectible pins, stick to buying them from Disney online when they are having sales or go to Prime Outlets Disney Store in Orlando where they have discounted pins.


----------



## angelofmusic

staylor said:


> I'm looking at some pins on ebay for my children to trade on our next vacation to WDW.  I do not want scrappers or any other bad pin for that matter.  Has anyone used the sellers PINSCHEAP or DISNEYPINMAD or PINSTANTGRATIFICATION or ALLABOUTME35?
> You can leave me a private message if you don't want to reply publicly on the forums.
> 
> Thanks
> Staci



*I just bought from ALLABOUTME35. I do not recommend buying from this seller. *Two of my pins had chipping paint and another had big chunks of paint missing. Out of 30 pins I bought, all were listed on PinPics as possible counterfeit/scrapper pins.  Granted, I paid less than $2.00 per pin, but is that worth the possibility of a scrapper...nope, no way.
One thing - I am a teacher, so I'm using those pins at school as prizes for good grades. I've done this before and the kids (high school age) LOVE them. They don't care that they are not official Disney pins and I get at least some good use out of the pins I can't or in this case, don't feel comfortable, trading. (Despite this "good" use, I still won't buy from ALLABOUTME35 again.)
Hope this helps you out!


----------



## astrodrummergirl

Just a thought, that you can dismiss if you want, but since this thread is getting rather long to read, we should start a new one, summerising the information on sellers that has been given here. 

It means that people who want to ask questions can read through the useful information rather than the discussion we held which may just confuse them (no offence)

Just an opinion, tell me what you think


----------



## PinCrazed

astrodrummergirl said:


> Just a thought, that you can dismiss if you want, but since this thread is getting rather long to read, we should start a new one, summerising the information on sellers that has been given here.
> 
> It means that people who want to ask questions can read through the useful information rather than the discussion we held which may just confuse them (no offence)
> 
> Just an opinion, tell me what you think



Since this thread has branched off in a couple of different direction I think maybe it is time.  I am going to start a couple of threads later with vendors (who to avoid and who to buy from) and a general thread on pin trading in general.


----------



## Vala

astrodrummergirl said:


> Just out of interest, has anyone bought pins from Disney Shopping who live in Europe, would interesting how much you paid for in shipping although, every time I try to get to the website, it redirects me to the UK disney store, which sadly no longer sells pins



That's odd. I'm in Germany and it works fine for me. Which URL are you trying to access? Disneyshopping.com automatically redirects me to the store.

I tried ordering from them directly once and they were trying to charge me $ 25 for shipping of a single pin. That wasn't exactly an option. 
Thankfully a friend of mine in the US has allowed me to have the pins I order sent to her address, and she's sending me monthly packages. That still works out cheaper.


----------



## angelofmusic

angelofmusic said:


> *I just bought from ALLABOUTME35. I do not recommend buying from this seller. *Two of my pins had chipping paint and another had big chunks of paint missing. Out of 30 pins I bought, all were listed on PinPics as possible counterfeit/scrapper pins.  Granted, I paid less than $2.00 per pin, but is that worth the possibility of a scrapper...nope, no way.
> One thing - I am a teacher, so I'm using those pins at school as prizes for good grades. I've done this before and the kids (high school age) LOVE them. They don't care that they are not official Disney pins and I get at least some good use out of the pins I can't or in this case, don't feel comfortable, trading. (Despite this "good" use, I still won't buy from ALLABOUTME35 again.)
> Hope this helps you out!


As an addition to my post:  When I say I do not recommend buying from ALLABOUTME35, I mean for serious collectors/pin traders in the parks. (Although I do not promote buying from KNOWN scrapper sellers, some of the pins I received do look authentic and could well be! This seller is only listed once in feedback as selling scrappers, so it's up to you to decide.)
I have contacted the seller about the pins that were missing chunks of paint and chipping - she has asked for photos and said she would exchange those pins. I also asked if she purchases her pins from the parks or directly from China. My email reply from her states the following: "The pins come within the USA, I do also a lot of trading at the parks.  I spend nearly 12 weeks out of the year trading in orlando.  I also get from a licensed manufactuer in orlando who has a disney license they sell pins to all the local walmarts etc.  Otherwise, I don't give exact details due to adding more competition etc.  Their is also many very deep discounted pins to purchase from stores in the orlando area."
So, if you are just looking for some cute pins to display or give away as prizes to non-serious collectors/students, she is good to buy from. However, please remember that unless you personally *purchase *your pins from the park, or if someone you trust does so for you, you are never guaranteed that your pins are authentic. Just a thought. And a bit of followup.


----------



## kimsuenew

angelofmusic said:


> As an addition to my post:  When I say I do not recommend buying from ALLABOUTME35, I mean for serious collectors/pin traders in the parks. (Although I do not promote buying from KNOWN scrapper sellers, some of the pins I received do look authentic and could well be! This seller is only listed once in feedback as selling scrappers, so it's up to you to decide.)
> I have contacted the seller about the pins that were missing chunks of paint and chipping - she has asked for photos and said she would exchange those pins. I also asked if she purchases her pins from the parks or directly from China. My email reply from her states the following: "The pins come within the USA, I do also a lot of trading at the parks.  I spend nearly 12 weeks out of the year trading in orlando.  I also get from a licensed manufactuer in orlando who has a disney license they sell pins to all the local walmarts etc.  Otherwise, I don't give exact details due to adding more competition etc.  Their is also many very deep discounted pins to purchase from stores in the orlando area."
> So, if you are just looking for some cute pins to display or give away as prizes to non-serious collectors/students, she is good to buy from. However, please remember that unless you personally *purchase *your pins from the park, or if someone you trust does so for you, you are never guaranteed that your pins are authentic. Just a thought. And a bit of followup.



Just an FYI - Pins from Disneyshopping online are authentic Disney pins and are marked as such. I have never been to one, but pins bought from the Disney Stores are also official Disney pins!


----------



## angelofmusic

kimsuenew said:


> Just an FYI - Pins from Disneyshopping online are authentic Disney pins and are marked as such. I have never been to one, but pins bought from the Disney Stores are also official Disney pins!



Thanks for pointing that out. That was my idea when I typed that last part of my message, I just put parks - perhaps I should have said buying from an authorized Disney merchant!   Thanks for clarifying my post for others!


----------



## angelofmusic

PinCrazed said:


> Since this thread has branched off in a couple of different direction I think maybe it is time.  I am going to start a couple of threads later with vendors (who to avoid and who to buy from) and a general thread on pin trading in general.



When you create your new posts, would you mind posting the links here? That will give us all the chance to easily find and check out the new boards.  Thanks!


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## tnmomof4

PinCrazed said:


> Since this thread has branched off in a couple of different direction I think maybe it is time.  I am going to start a couple of threads later with vendors (who to avoid and who to buy from) and a general thread on pin trading in general.



That would be great.  I would love to have all that info in one place.


----------



## meandtheguys2

PinCrazed said:


> I absolutely agree!  That is the fact that no one really wants to face when they list off sites where people sell pin for around two dollars.  They are all scrappers (imports) or they bought scrappers then traded them in the parks and are combining them with their china imports.



I've sold pins on ebay on a handful of occasions, and never bought a sedesma, propin or scrapper or any of the other junk pins.  I resent your implication.  And If I've done it, so have others.  Disney themselves have sold pins for next to nothing on several occasions.  And, many of us were smart enough to buy them at a buck or two a piece.

I guess you can go around assuming the worst of people, or assume the best, until you are proved otherwise.


----------



## PinCrazed

meandtheguys2 said:


> I've sold pins on ebay on a handful of occasions, and never bought a sedesma, propin or scrapper or any of the other junk pins.  I resent your implication.  And If I've done it, so have others.  Disney themselves have sold pins for next to nothing on several occasions.  And, many of us were smart enough to buy them at a buck or two a piece.
> 
> I guess you can go around assuming the worst of people, or assume the best, until you are proved otherwise.



First of all, read the entire post before getting bent out of shape.  I said "sites" because the bottom line is if you find a site where people are selling pins for $2.00 or less 24/7 365 I WILL GUARANTEE THEY ARE NOT DOING IT LEGITIMATELY.  Please list a legitimate site.  I feel confident I can prove you wrong. 

Now on previous posts I have said that occassionally you run into a person like you who happen to be selling their pins from their own collection.  But  you are one in a thousand.  It's economics plain and simple.  You would have to buy a pin for less than a dollar then sell it for at least two dollars to make it worth while. 

And just by chance you think you are paying less than two dollars a pin from someone on ebay or a pin sales site and you do not recieve a scrapper type pin...guess what? they live near a Disney park and go there every day trading their scrappers for the pins they sell to you.

Disney on the rarest of occassions sell pins ultra cheap, but not consistantly enough to keep all of these people in business.  Your best source for pins is going to be a Disney outlet or store or watching Disneyshopping.com closely for when they have their blowout sales. A few times a year you can get a really good deal.


----------



## meandtheguys2

read your post. 

MY point is that by making blanket statements and generalizations, you potentially affect the reputations of people NOT scrapping.  (Or selling their collection.)

No need to be huffy.


----------



## PinCrazed

meandtheguys2 said:


> read your post.
> 
> MY point is that by making blanket statements and generalizations, you potentially affect the reputations of people NOT scrapping.  (Or selling their collection.)
> 
> No need to be huffy.



The entire point of this thread is help new pin traders avoid "cheap pins".  I am sure we can all agree on that.  If you will please go to ebay and search for "disney pin lots" then try searching "disney pins" Once you do this, I think it would be to accurate to say buying pins for less that $2.00 is going to get you cheap/scrapper pins.  Yes it is a generalization, but guess what?  In general most of the folks selling pins in lots are selling scrappers or the by-product of scrapper pins.  _(Make sure you read the rest of the post meandtheguys)_

(Again) Yes there are a few legitimate people selling pins from their personal collections on ebay, but in general  that's not the case.  It is important for new traders to know that and not to labor under the delusion that they will be getting authentic pins from the ebay sellers when in fact the chances of that happening border the astronomical.  

That really sucks for pin trading as a whole, but the facts are undeniable.


----------



## Tomh

What is equally undeniable, and perhaps more troubling is that those very same ebay purveyors are selling lots of 10, 25, 50, and as many as 200 pins on a regular basis.  All of those pins (perhaps thousands a week) are entering the market, and I'd be willing to bet that most of them will eventually find their way back to the parks and CM's there.


----------



## PinCrazed

Tomh said:


> What is equally undeniable, and perhaps more troubling is that those very same ebay purveyors are selling lots of 10, 25, 50, and as many as 200 pins on a regular basis.  All of those pins (perhaps thousands a week) are entering the market, and I'd be willing to bet that most of them will eventually find their way back to the parks and CM's there.



There is a lady selling pins in lots of 100 for $1200.  I asked her where she got all the pins from and she said that same thing as a few posts ago, that she lives in Florida, goes to the parks on a regular basis and last, but not least, has wholesalers in Florida.....hmmmm. 

I would really like to meet all there Florida Disney pin wholesalers.  I am sure that they speak Chinese fluently


----------



## astrodrummergirl

Well, this tip is less about avoiding cheap pins, but to avoid a bad eBay seller. This seller is thinkerbell102. I'm only saying this as I bought 14 pins from her between the 18th January and the 24th January. Once I payed for them all, they disappeared from contact for a matter of weeks, and a dispute was filed through paypal. They then suddenly appeared again and the pins were apparently sent on the 11th February with the cheapest option of international shipping with no insurance. Now, I payed about $16 for the total postage, which would have been enough to upgrade to a faster shipping but I'm still here, waiting for my pins to arrive. 

Although it maybe easier for you guys in the states to buy from her, I've had contact with another Dis'er who wasn't pleased with them either.


----------



## lori1969

hi there i am also new to the pin trading, i just bought my first pins from  sunpins on ebay  do you know anything about them? i should be getting them with in the next couple of days.
and where do i find more info on  people  i can purchase pins from as well as who do you trust? 

i collect pirates of the Caribbean ( original  from the ride as well as  haunted mansion and retro pins of Disney rides as well as 50th  anniversary) I have a total of 20 pins  
thanks
 lori1969


----------



## PinCrazed

Tomh said:


> Minnie M6, I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than I will chip in with a more detailed answer, but I'll give a shot at it.  From what I've read here, I believe that the deal is this:  Propins can be traded, however the more serious traders here frown on them because they are of lesser quality than the Disney pins sold in the US.



Tomh is exactly right.  To be perfectly honest, I like pro-pins and have seveal in my collection.  Some of the pins are really nice and are of great quality, but like Tomh said a lot of people frown upon them because you can buy them in bulk from Europe for a discounted price.


----------



## silverarrowknits

I just want to thank everyone for this thread. It has been extremely helpful for me. I must admit that I am less inclined to purchase pins through ebay now, but I do feel more informed about the whole process.


----------



## lovedizpins

I don't want to trash ebay as a source for pins.  This is my first post, but I hate fake pins too.  

When I first started collecting pins, I bought a lot of Sedesma & EuroDisney pins on ebay that even had some that were not in pinpics as an actual pin or a counterfeit pin.  I have seen a couple of them nowhere.  

I also got 30 Sedesma 101 Dalmations pins new on a one large card (30 pins on one card) for $30 plus shipping on ebay.  Sedesma are lower quality, but legal to trade.  The pins were very cute since they were of the 101 Dalmations puppies in various poses.  They were absolutely new on card in plastic packaging.  I didn't know at the time that they were less desirable, but have traded some of them through pinpics to 101 Dalmations pin collectors.  However, I have not traded them at a park.  I would have no problem doing so because I know they are legal to trade and some people actually do want them.

However, I have bought pins from two collectors who were getting out of collecting on ebay.  The pins were new on their original cards with the correct SKU's.  I also bought a lot of Disney Store pins that were still in their original packaging for less than $2 a pin through one of those "ISOLDIT" franchises on ebay.  You have too look carefully, but there are legitimate sellers on ebay.  Sometimes the lots just don't get bid up to a high price.  I paid $2.54 a pin and $2.65 a pin (including shipping) from one collector getting out of collecting.  I also bought a lot of 25 pins for a "Buy it now" price of $105 with shipping/insurance of $10.  There were six of the California Park LE pins from 2001 that were signed by the designing artist in that $105 lot.  Just be careful when buying on ebay.

I have recently bought a lot of pins from maxludlow on ebay.  They are on their original cards in original packaging.  I checked pinpics for what is supposed to be on the back of each pin and they are correct.  I am going to trade them with a clear conscience.  I got them for $1.59 each including shipping.  Just be careful, but good pin lots CAN be bought on ebay.  I have bought bad lots and good lots and now steer towards the individual selling off a collection or an "ISoldIt" sort of place.  "sellandship" on ebay has some sort of connection to get merchandise from WDW and often sells pin lots or LE pins individually.  I bought a Disney watch from "sellandship".


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## carolinadj

I'm new to pin collecting and only want pins of the Doc character from Snow White.  Are there many out there?  Does anyone have a list, preferably with photos?  That would provide a nice "check sheet" while I hunt for all the ones on the list.


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## Alaska Annie

We were there for St. Patrick's Day a few years ago, and for Valentine's Day another time and picked up 10 extra pins because they were special holidays.  Are these worth more than regular pins, or should we just trade them with  CM like usual?  The only trading my kids have ever done is with CM's.  We're headed down in May and sorting through what are "keepers" and what are "traders".  Any help would be appreciated.


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## Alaska Annie

We bought two of the Animal Kingdom 1998 Framed pin sets (0010969115 - limited edition of 700) and (00109414133) Limited Edition enamel pin set commemorates the inauguration of Disney's Animal Kingdom, opened in the spring of 1998.

Haven't been able to find out how much they're worth now.  Any ideas of where to look for that info?  

Many, many thanks in advance!


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## GrillMouster

carolinadj said:


> I'm new to pin collecting and only want pins of the Doc character from Snow White.  Are there many out there?  Does anyone have a list, preferably with photos?  That would provide a nice "check sheet" while I hunt for all the ones on the list.



Try going to pinpics and enter "doc" in the search box.

If you're also interested in pins that INCLUDE doc, you might also want to search using the word "dwarves".  I did this and found some pins that contained all the dwarves and another pin that Snow White and all the dwarves.


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## Leger13

just subscribing


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## tami82

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...et&_trksid=p284.m184&_trkparms=its=S%2BI%2BSS

has anyone dealt with this seller on eb-ay (kather99), she seems to have good feedback and when i asked her if the pins were tradeable she said yes and had no problems with them.


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## MsStinkerBelle

tami82 said:


> has anyone dealt with this seller on eb-ay (kather99), she seems to have good feedback and when i asked her if the pins were tradeable she said yes and had no problems with them.



I've bought from her before and was able to trade her pins at WDW with no problems.


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## tami82

thanks very much!


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## BrierRose

Will people trade Jerry Leigh pins? I just ordered a new one from ebay.  Being new to this, I didn't know that some pins are better than others?  The pin is really cute and it says it's brand new . . . seems tradeable to me? Help!


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## JenH1969

astrodrummergirl said:


> Well, this tip is less about avoiding cheap pins, but to avoid a bad eBay seller. This seller is thinkerbell102. I'm only saying this as I bought 14 pins from her between the 18th January and the 24th January. Once I payed for them all, they disappeared from contact for a matter of weeks, and a dispute was filed through paypal. They then suddenly appeared again and the pins were apparently sent on the 11th February with the cheapest option of international shipping with no insurance. Now, I payed about $16 for the total postage, which would have been enough to upgrade to a faster shipping but I'm still here, waiting for my pins to arrive.
> 
> 
> Although it maybe easier for you guys in the states to buy from her, I've had contact with another Dis'er who wasn't pleased with them either.



I absolutely second this post- it was not at all a positive experience for me and in the end paypal dealt with her- I didn't leave any feedback on her though because people said if I left negative on her - she would leave negative on me- I am pretty new to this so didn't relaly know what to do-Jen


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## DisneyFun08

Just finished reading all the pages in this thread! Lots of great tips and info! Thanks everyone!


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## Horse

Thanks to everyone for all the info given regarding pins on posts back.

I am wondering if anyone has used have-a-magical-day for any pin purchases on ebay.
I'm looking at a pin item number:360057356615

I know great feedback is not a perfect indicator. Other buyers may not have realized they didn't get a genuine pin, and any returns and refunds for those who did notice the pin was a knock-off are not included in feedback since once the item is returned and refund given, you can't leave feedback.

I went to the pinpics site and found it listed as 43584. The description says: Backstamped with the 2005 Official Pin Trading stamp - no edition size noted.
It stated this pin was handed out at WDW and Disneyland when turning in a tour card. 

My concern was this was mentioned by pinpics:
Note: Dizpins lists this pin as one sold
on Scrapper lists from China. Authentic
pins can only be determined when they are
known to have come directly from Disney

If the backstamp is there can it still be a scrapper or are most scrappers missing a backstamp?


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

Horse - Scrappers will still have a backstamp.  The backstamp is usually not "right", but it will have one.  You can always ask the seller for a detailed photo of the back of the pin.


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## Horse

jackskellingtonsgirl said:


> Horse - Scrappers will still have a backstamp.  The backstamp is usually not "right", but it will have one.  You can always ask the seller for a detailed photo of the back of the pin.



Thanks so much for a quick reply 

The problem is that I have nothing to compare a pic of the back of the pin to. I have no idea of how many of this particular pin were released. It's a different pin than the Limited Edition of 300 pins. I saw he sold/has for sale 6 of this style pin as far as I can look back in completed and pending sales or feedback. If this pin was handed out in tremendous amounts at the two parks, then him having 6 pins is nothing. 

I guess it will be cross my fingers and wish for the best. Maybe I can try and find on the internet what the 2005 Official Pin Trading Stamp looks like. I don't like being taken and nor do I like to help keep dishonest sellers in business. I do want to keep the good ones on ebay by giving them my business. Who would think this could be so complicated?


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## astrodrummergirl

Having looked at the pin and realising its a VMK pin, is it worth going over to the VMK board and asking if anyone has this pin and would kindly take a picture of the back of it, and then ask the ebay seller to do the same, then you can compare the two. It might work.

Ooops! The items already finished, I guess that isn't much help now.


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## Horse

I was going to ask their help next. I went on the web last night and couldn't find a pic of what a 2005 Pin Trading stamp looks like. Hopefully, I can find somebody who has the pin and is able to pm me a pic of the back.

I came here first because of the knowledge of Disney pins that the posters have. It seems many of you know who the reputable sellers are and can tell if a seller seems to be selling real or fake pins just by looking at their listings. Thanks again for good advice!


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## surfergirl602

samc said:


> hi, just wanted to let you all know.......we just got back from our trip and all our pin-castle pins were traded without question or hesitation by all CMs....
> 
> the only thing and this makes no difference to us....some of the CMs did not want the beige pin backs provided with the pin-castle pins and kept their own black mickey head backs instead.
> 
> thanks for the advice.....I'd use pin-castle again....both lots of 10 were less than $30 including shipping.........well worth it!!!
> 
> also, just FYI cause this was new to us........my DS tried to trade with a CM but she wouldn't take the pin he offered because she already had one like it on her lanyard.  This happened just was we were about to get on the moving side-walk thingy on one of the rides......he wasn't able to get another pin out for her in time and we couldn't go through the whole line again just to trade.  DS was very upset and I thought the CM handled it badly......I know she was busy but she didn't try to apologize or accomodate him in the least.  I thought I had seen CMs in the past with 2 of the same pin but I guess I was wrong.
> 
> Thanks again!!


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## MAKHayes-DisneyDiva

I just bid on a lot of 10 pins on e-bay. Could someone take a look at Item number: 260325271214?	  It said no sedesma, propins, or europins.


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## Donald is #1

MAKHayes-DisneyDiva said:


> I just bid on a lot of 10 pins on e-bay. Could someone take a look at Item number: 260325271214?	  It said no sedesma, propins, or europins.



I've never used that seller before but the pins look good to me.


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## Macca1111

MAKHayes-DisneyDiva said:


> I just bid on a lot of 10 pins on e-bay. Could someone take a look at Item number: 260325271214?	  It said no sedesma, propins, or europins.



The only one I recognized was the stage pin, but that's a cast member hidden mickey pin, so that one's good.


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## MAKHayes-DisneyDiva

Donald is #1 said:


> I've never used that seller before but the pins look good to me.



Thanks for checking it out!


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## KayKyle'sMOM

can someone please let me kow what you think of this item 
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=Disney+16+4-Pin+BOOSTER+Starter+Sets+64+in+total+%2B1+set

THanks


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## jackskellingtonsgirl

KayKyle'sMOM said:


> can someone please let me kow what you think of this item
> http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=Disney+16+4-Pin+BOOSTER+Starter+Sets+64+in+total+%2B1+set
> 
> THanks



That photo is terrible.  If you want to bid on them I would ask them to post better pics of the pins.


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## Macca1111

You can tell tho from the picture that it's the cheap trader sets from Disney, so it depends on how much those are going for at the parks now, and how much trading you want to be doing.  Seems like a lot to me, but I'm not huge on spending the time trading.


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## KayKyle'sMOM

Macca1111 said:


> You can tell tho from the picture that it's the cheap trader sets from Disney, so it depends on how much those are going for at the parks now, and how much trading you want to be doing.  Seems like a lot to me, but I'm not huge on spending the time trading.



They are for the kids who will spend a lot of time trading.



> That photo is terrible. If you want to bid on them I would ask them to post better pics of the pins.



I did get better pictures and they look like the ones you can buy at the parks


Thanks to whomever responded.


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## MAKHayes-DisneyDiva

KayKyle'sMOM said:


> They are for the kids who will spend a lot of time trading.
> 
> 
> 
> I did get better pictures and they look like the ones you can buy at the parks
> 
> 
> Thanks to whomever responded.




I always look for "no Sedesma, Propins or Euro Disney" and I didn't see that.


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## KayKyle'sMOM

Here are a couple of the pictures:


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## Donald is #1

They look like the normal pin trading packs sold at WDW to me.  According to the post, there are 16 packages of 4 pins each.  So that would be 64 pins total.  $2 per pin would be $128.  So this would be in the range that I would look to pay for trading pins.


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## Bauta

hi everyone! i was wondering if it is acceptable to trade Disney Store Exclusive pins? i have this one:






?

also, i don't have a lanyard to wear - should i just pin it to my shirt i'm wearing that day and see if someone will trade with me? is there any designated place to trade [i've heard the monorail is popular]? is there a proper way to ask about someone's pin if it is for trade?

thank you


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## Donald is #1

Bauta said:


> hi everyone! i was wondering if it is acceptable to trade Disney Store Exclusive pins? i have this one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?
> 
> also, i don't have a lanyard to wear - should i just pin it to my shirt i'm wearing that day and see if someone will trade with me? is there any designated place to trade [i've heard the monorail is popular]? is there a proper way to ask about someone's pin if it is for trade?
> 
> thank you



Yes you can trade Disney Store pins.

You don't need to wear the pin if you don't want to.  I carry my pins in a bag instead of wearing them.  I only trade with CMs, so I look for CMs with trading lanyards that aren't green.   CMs with green lanyards only trade with kids.   To trade with a CM, just find a CM with a lanyard and ask to see their pins.  If you see a pin that you want, then you can trade your pin for it as long as the CM doesn't have that pin on their lanyard.


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## TeenaS

Bauta said:


> hi everyone! i was wondering if it is acceptable to trade Disney Store Exclusive pins? i have this one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?
> 
> also, i don't have a lanyard to wear - should i just pin it to my shirt i'm wearing that day and see if someone will trade with me? is there any designated place to trade [i've heard the monorail is popular]? is there a proper way to ask about someone's pin if it is for trade?
> 
> thank you



That pin is definitely tradeable.  My job at WDW is pin trading and answering questions - I'm a greeter.  You don't have to wear the pins you want to trade.  Lots of traders have them in their backpacks.  You should just approach any cast member that has pins (as long as it is not a green lanyard or green pin pad - these are just for children).  If a cast member has pins on (lanyard or pin pad), then we expect to trade pins - it's our job.  You just approach us and ask "may I please see your pins".  Then if there is a pin you would like to trade, you tell us.  We will then give you the pin and you in turn give us whatever pin you would like to trade.  We don't get to pick what we want from your pins.  As long as it is a Disney pin and we don't already have that pin on our lanyard or pin pad, then we take your pin.  You can trade with the same cast member for two pins every day.  And we are everywhere.  I work at the Beach Club.  You will find cast members that trade pins at the resorts and at the parks and at Downtown Disney ... where there are cast members, there will be cast members that have pins to trade!


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## addicted2dizney

gosh.. reading your response make me wish I was pin trading!  We are booking a trip for Hilton Head Resort this summer and one of the trip highlights will be pin trading!


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## MOM POPPINS

As stated we have rarely traded with anyone but a CM.  I did not know they pin traded at Hilton Head.  We have pin traded at Vero but never thought about it for Hilton head.


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## Bauta

*Donald is #1* and *TeenaS*, thank you so very much for your help! Ursula will be packed for Monday


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## Donald is #1

Bauta said:


> *Donald is #1* and *TeenaS*, thank you so very much for your help! Ursula will be packed for Monday



You're very welcome!  Have an awesome trip!


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## erin327

Any insight into this ebay auction as a first set of trading pins?  

Ebay auction #400025850597.

Should I go for these or a mixed lot from pinfinder?


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## Macca1111

erin327 said:


> Any insight into this ebay auction as a first set of trading pins?
> 
> Ebay auction #400025850597.
> 
> Should I go for these or a mixed lot from pinfinder?



For a $1.85 a piece, yes I would.  These look (at least from the picture) like they are all cast member hidden mickey pins, so they would be great to trade.  I didn't look at the site carefully tho, are the pins pictured what you're getting or just an example?  I'll go back and look.
ETA: Looks good to me


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## erin327

Thanks for the quick feedback!  

Pinfinder is running a sale right now and I can get a lot there for $1.45 per pin.  Is that a better deal?  Same idea?  Pinfinder doesn't show the exact pins you will get, but does say no propins, no sedesma, and no eurodisney pins.


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## Macca1111

Is it 1.45 with or without the shipping?  I haven't dealt with either company, so I'd say go with whoever you feel better about.  I'd probably do the one where I could see some of the pins, but if they both have good ratings either should be good.


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## erin327

It is $1.45 including free shipping.  

I am having trouble finding "reviews" of pinfinder.  Everything I see my searching here is good though.  The ebay seller has positive feedback.  I am not sure which I feel better about.  I want to get nice pins that we can trade and trade fairly.


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## aamob

Has anyone dealt with tooninterior on ebay?  They have 100% feedback but I just wondered if anyone here has bought from them?


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## disneybound08

Well I purchased my first set of pins off ebay from a seller listing no propins, no sedsma, no euro. Make your own lot size. I figured I should start with 5 just in case. It cost me 12.75 USD including shipping to Canada. They arrived within a week and a half from California. I've located their numbers on pinpics and the pins seem in great shape, no dents, scratches, etc.. all have official disney stamp on back and other info listed on back according to pinpics. Here are the numbers of pins I got 
31131 Patriotic Stitch, 
62722 Hidden mickey completer pin singin bust, 
64972WDW Name tags mystery tin -pluto, 
66612WDW hidden mickey colourful mickey green series III, 
66618 wdw hidden mickey charater outlines woody series III
As stated I'm a newbie, do you think I got a good deal? Or should I look to buy somewhere else next time


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## Donald is #1

disneybound08 said:


> Well I purchased my first set of pins off ebay from a seller listing no propins, no sedsma, no euro. Make your own lot size. I figured I should start with 5 just in case. It cost me 12.75 USD including shipping to Canada. They arrived within a week and a half from California. I've located their numbers on pinpics and the pins seem in great shape, no dents, scratches, etc.. all have official disney stamp on back and other info listed on back according to pinpics. Here are the numbers of pins I got
> 31131 Patriotic Stitch,
> 62722 Hidden mickey completer pin singin bust,
> 64972WDW Name tags mystery tin -pluto,
> 66612WDW hidden mickey colourful mickey green series III,
> 66618 wdw hidden mickey charater outlines woody series III
> As stated I'm a newbie, do you think I got a good deal? Or should I look to buy somewhere else next time




They look good to me and at less than $3 per pin with shipping I think that you got a great price.  I tend to pay between $2 and $3 per pin but lately, it has been $3 per pin more often than not.


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## daileyad

disneybound08 said:


> Well I purchased my first set of pins off ebay from a seller listing no propins, no sedsma, no euro. Make your own lot size. I figured I should start with 5 just in case. It cost me 12.75 USD including shipping to Canada. They arrived within a week and a half from California. I've located their numbers on pinpics and the pins seem in great shape, no dents, scratches, etc.. all have official disney stamp on back and other info listed on back according to pinpics. Here are the numbers of pins I got
> 31131 Patriotic Stitch,
> 62722 Hidden mickey completer pin singin bust,
> 64972WDW Name tags mystery tin -pluto,
> 66612WDW hidden mickey colourful mickey green series III,
> 66618 wdw hidden mickey charater outlines woody series III
> As stated I'm a newbie, do you think I got a good deal? Or should I look to buy somewhere else next time




Can you let us know who the seller is?


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## disneybound08

daileyad said:


> Can you let us know who the seller is?



vipblast


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## toocherie

erin327 said:


> It is $1.45 including free shipping.
> 
> I am having trouble finding "reviews" of pinfinder.  Everything I see my searching here is good though.  The ebay seller has positive feedback.  I am not sure which I feel better about.  I want to get nice pins that we can trade and trade fairly.



I have bought pins from pinfinder before and was very happy with them.

Now I need advice--I bought a lot of 50 pins from another seller who a friend had bought from.  I went through all of them this weekend checking them on pinpics.  There were several that said on pinpics could not be verified because of fakes circulating.  I am willing to take a chance on those provided that they appear to be legit.

However, there were four that definitely appear to be fake.  For example, pinpics said the back would be gold and if it was silver it was fake (and mine was silver).  Should I just chalk it  up or contact the seller and ask for them to exchange these four pins?  What is the correct etiquette for something like this?


----------



## toocherie

erin327 said:


> Thanks for the quick feedback!
> 
> Pinfinder is running a sale right now and I can get a lot there for $1.45 per pin.  Is that a better deal?  Same idea?  Pinfinder doesn't show the exact pins you will get, but does say no propins, no sedesma, and no eurodisney pins.



also, just curious--where are you seeing this sale?  I just looked on their site and the price was much more . . . . .


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## Friendly Frog

toocherie said:


> ...
> Now I need advice--I bought a lot of 50 pins from another seller who a friend had bought from.  I went through all of them this weekend checking them on pinpics.  There were several that said on pinpics could not be verified because of fakes circulating.  I am willing to take a chance on those provided that they appear to be legit.
> 
> However, there were four that definitely appear to be fake.  For example, pinpics said the back would be gold and if it was silver it was fake (and mine was silver).  Should I just chalk it  up or contact the seller and ask for them to exchange these four pins?  What is the correct etiquette for something like this?



Good question. I just purchased my first set of pins off ebay from a seller listing no propins, no sedsma, no euro, only quality pins.  After checking pinpics it appears that 9 out of the 10 are probably fakes due the quality look/dipping in the enamel.  (Three are definitely fakes due to color or other issue.)

My seller said you must return all of the pins or none of the pins. I would return them all but by the time I sent them back insured...it is probably not worth my dealing with it.


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## DaveStroem

You should report them to both Ebay and to tips@disneyantipiracy.com . I too got burned from an Ebay seller. I have filed a claim and am trying to get my $$$ back. I told her that I will not return the counterfeit pins for her to stick someone else with.


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## Tammy296

toocherie said:


> I have bought pins from pinfinder before and was very happy with them.
> 
> Now I need advice--I bought a lot of 50 pins from another seller who a friend had bought from.  I went through all of them this weekend checking them on pinpics.  There were several that said on pinpics could not be verified because of fakes circulating.  I am willing to take a chance on those provided that they appear to be legit.
> 
> However, there were four that definitely appear to be fake.  For example, pinpics said the back would be gold and if it was silver it was fake (and mine was silver).  Should I just chalk it  up or contact the seller and ask for them to exchange these four pins?  What is the correct etiquette for something like this?




I've bought from pinfinder as well. One time I got a propin and contacted the seller about it. He gladly sent me another pin in the mail within days.

I'd contact the seller about your pins. I check all of mine on the web too for authenticity before going to the parks. Good Luck!   I won't purchase pins from ebay. I don't dare to.  

-T


----------



## toocherie

Tammy296 said:


> I've bought from pinfinder as well. One time I got a propin and contacted the seller about it. He gladly sent me another pin in the mail within days.
> 
> I'd contact the seller about your pins. I check all of mine on the web too for authenticity before going to the parks. Good Luck!   I won't purchase pins from ebay. I don't dare to.
> 
> -T



thanks--I think I'm going to stick with pinfinder from now on.  He may be a little more expensive than the other guy but I just feel like he's on the up and up.


----------

