Good/Bad Internet and eBay Pin Sellers

[kahikaiwa]

I am a new pin trader/collector. I also just bought a lot from 423disneypinfreak
and I believe they are mostly all scrappers. They have rough edges, dimples in the paint or enamel, some I can see either scratches or paint brush stokes when I shift them in the light, some a very light weight, the colors are off on almost all of them, and 99.9 percent of them are very dull not shinny like the pins I purchased at Disney. I am sending them back. I am so thankful for this site because if I had not found it and pinpics I would have traded these pins at Disney this fall.

[SupernaturalMommy]

Update on my Dizneymandoug purchase. After promptly returning all my pins because so many were scrappers, they didn't refund my money. I contacted them a couple times with no response. After 5 days I opened a case. After 8 more days of no response I escalated the case, and eBay found in my favor and refunded me. I was out over $8.00 in return postage. I was concerned because the address they asked me to ship to was in a different state than their Paypal/eBay address.

They have had many cases opened against them in the last year. I thought there was a limit to how many you can have...

Prior to this I would have put them on green list for pins because I loved their stuff. Now I put them in red.

[RCEliot]

Originally Posted by SupernaturalMommy

And, the princess shoe pins are being sold as scrappers. I wound up with a set and in comparing them to my purchased from Disney set, it is obvious... borders on back that are not on the 3 booster packs I bought and horrible brush marks in the paint, so watch out for loose ones.

THIS^

I got the Snow White one in a lot I bought and it looked completely real until I noticed on one of the edges there's a splash of red paint where it was clearly painted over the edge from the design at the top of the shoe.

Not long after that I found a seller that puts up two to three auctions A DAY for the shoes individually. They sell every single one of those, too.

If it wasn't in such bad taste, I'd say it was a good way to make money :/


Oh, also, I got some pins in that I bought from yoruthewulf: pleased as punch. From what I can tell, they're real, and I mean I went over them with a fine tooth comb, I had some cast members at Downtown Disney look at them, I compared them to the real ones in the store... Absolutely thrilled.

On the other hand I got my purchase in from disneyatmidnight1
I figured they would be scrappers (I got the teacups) because she sells the same ones every single day and ALWAYS sells them, but I didn't expect them to be such BAD scrappers. They looked TERRIBLE. They were the factory seconds of the factory seconds. I mean they were just disgusting.

I'm not one to throw away scrapper pins, because I do love disney and I don't trade (and I keep my real pins separate from the scrappers anyways) but I had to throw these away. Absolutely terrible.

[CT Disney]

Does anybody have any experience with this seller: thetreasurewithinfl

Didn't see them on the list and wanted to check with all of you smart people here!

Thanks!!

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

Originally Posted by SupernaturalMommy

Update on my Dizneymandoug purchase. After promptly returning all my pins because so many were scrappers, they didn't refund my money. I contacted them a couple times with no response. After 5 days I opened a case. After 8 more days of no response I escalated the case, and eBay found in my favor and refunded me. I was out over $8.00 in return postage. I was concerned because the address they asked me to ship to was in a different state than their Paypal/eBay address.

They have had many cases opened against them in the last year. I thought there was a limit to how many you can have...

Prior to this I would have put them on green list for pins because I loved their stuff. Now I put them in red.

I hate to hear this about him. I've bought from him several times in the past, too and have always gotten new on card pins at great prices. He was always wiling to work with me to get to the number I wanted/needed and never charged extra shipping for them either. I just went to look at his stuff tonight and read his negative feedback (sounds like one of them was yours) and was disappointed that he's gone downhill....... which is why I came here to see if anyone had reported on him. Thanks for the info..... I'll have to look somewhere else now.

[SupernaturalMommy]

Originally Posted by CT Disney

Does anybody have any experience with this seller: thetreasurewithinfl

Didn't see them on the list and wanted to check with all of you smart people here!

Thanks!!

This is a seller I looked at a while back when I was looking for the Princess shoe pins. I have not bought from them so this is just personal opinion, but the two photos they have up - 1 for the princess shoe pins, and the other for a lot of 25 pins - are the only auctions they seem to sell, over and over and over. They have sold more sets of the princess shoe pins than I can count, and they are not new on card, they just use a photo of them on card. You have to read the description. My guess is you will get scrappers since they have no variety, just the same two auctions repeatedly and simultaneously.

[SupernaturalMommy]

Originally Posted by myAAbatteries&aTD

I hate to hear this about him. I've bought from him several times in the past, too and have always gotten new on card pins at great prices. He was always wiling to work with me to get to the number I wanted/needed and never charged extra shipping for them either. I just went to look at his stuff tonight and read his negative feedback (sounds like one of them was yours) and was disappointed that he's gone downhill....... which is why I came here to see if anyone had reported on him. Thanks for the info..... I'll have to look somewhere else now.

This was my 6th purchase from him (her actually I think) and in the past I bought anywhere from 25 to 100 (usually the latter) pins at a time. They were always new on card or in booster packs/mystery pouches. I have made some great trades with those pins, both with cast members and at my local monthly pin meet. I noticed they started raising their prices three purchases back in $2 intervals. Not a significant increase. But, their shipping was always overcharged. My first purchase I questioned it and they knocked it down to only $5.50 (it cost them $4.99 at the time), but after that they wouldn't budge and I usually paid $11.50 for them to cram them into a flat rate bag with no protection at all. They took longer and longer to ship. I used to get my pins in a few days, and then they started taking over a week to ship making it closer to 2 weeks before I got them. Then the last batch was horrid. I had bought 4 lots and got almost half scrappers. I wanted to keep two lots, but they wouldn't let me. They said I had to return them all. They said if they were going to only send new pins they would charge me significantly more. I told them I would gladly pay more to have the new pins because they were still good prices and I really wanted the pins that were not scrappers. But, they said no. I was willing to come to some other equitable solution. But, they would not budge on anything. It was all or nothing. I think they were trying to get me to keep them as is, but it was the principal, and although I was willing to pay a little more for them, I was not willing to pay double when there are other sellers I can get the same pins from. So, I sent them all back day after I got them and once I told them I was sending them back the communication from them stopped. I got 5 or 6 messages in one day trying to get me to keep them, but when I said I would send them back, then I heard nothing. They tried convincing me that a hidden Mickey is not a scrapper. I told them that some of the pins I was complaining about were not even Hidden Mickey pins and I knew Hidden Mickey pin does not always equal scrapper. But, dips in paint, bad brush strokes, rusty pins, wrong colors and rough edges do.

So, eBay forced the refund because even though they got the pins back, they refused to refund me, despite them telling me they would give me a full refund and providing me the info of where to send the pins.

[CT Disney]

Originally Posted by CT Disney

Does anybody have any experience with this seller: thetreasurewithinfl

Didn't see them on the list and wanted to check with all of you smart people here!

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by SupernaturalMommy

This is a seller I looked at a while back when I was looking for the Princess shoe pins. I have not bought from them so this is just personal opinion, but the two photos they have up - 1 for the princess shoe pins, and the other for a lot of 25 pins - are the only auctions they seem to sell, over and over and over. They have sold more sets of the princess shoe pins than I can count, and they are not new on card, they just use a photo of them on card. You have to read the description. My guess is you will get scrappers since they have no variety, just the same two auctions repeatedly and simultaneously.

Thank you so much for the quick reply!!

I didn't end up purchasing from this seller. I did, however, buy a small lot (25 pins) from the following seller: ffc

I am not holding out much hope that they won't be scrappers, but the price was right so I figured it wasn't a big loss if I have to toss them all. I will report back and let you all know since I didn't see this seller on the current list. They did have 100% feedback (I know, I know that doesn't mean they're legit) But, nonetheless, I decided to throw a bit of caution to the wind. Fingers crossed!

On a side note...it is amazing how many pin lots there are on ebay. And, they all sell! Even the sellers on the red list seem to do a healthy business. Really makes you realize just HOW MANY scrappers there must be floating around Disney!

[CT Disney]

Originally Posted by CT Disney

Thank you so much for the quick reply!!

I didn't end up purchasing from this seller. I did, however, buy a small lot (25 pins) from the following seller: ffc

I am not holding out much hope that they won't be scrappers, but the price was right so I figured it wasn't a big loss if I have to toss them all. I will report back and let you all know since I didn't see this seller on the current list. They did have 100% feedback (I know, I know that doesn't mean they're legit) But, nonetheless, I decided to throw a bit of caution to the wind. Fingers crossed!

On a side note...it is amazing how many pin lots there are on ebay. And, they all sell! Even the sellers on the red list seem to do a healthy business. Really makes you realize just HOW MANY scrappers there must be floating around Disney!

UUGGHHH!!! I just read back a number of pages on this thread and it seems that ffc is a suspected scrapper seller! Oh well, there goes my money.. Glad I didn't buy a bigger lot.

I will still post though when I get the pins to confirm with you all...

Live & learn.

[hclifford]

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything about seller thepinconnection came across him and the pins they have up look decent.

[Monny2AE]

Wish I would have found this thread a week ago!!!! My kids want to get into the whole pin trading world and I bought a lot of 50 pins from a seller on the red list- disney.crazy. They are due to arrive in the mail today. Guess I'll find out if I wasted my money or not.




UPDATE: Pins arrived. I know NOTHING about pins but even to me there are quite a few in there that look fake. At least my kids are excited. They sat at the kitchen table taking turns picking the ones they wanted. They don't know the difference but I'm certainly not going to take the ones that look fake to me with us to trade at the parks. We'll just keep them for the fun of it. I really wish I had done my research first.

I would love it if any of you wonderful pin experts spot obvious fake ones in these pics to let me know so I know to keep them home.

Definitely keep disney.crazy on the red list.

.

[SupernaturalMommy]

Originally Posted by Monny2AE

Wish I would have found this thread a week ago!!!! My kids want to get into the whole pin trading world and I bought a lot of 50 pins from a seller on the red list- disney.crazy. They are due to arrive in the mail today. Guess I'll find out if I wasted my money or not.




UPDATE: Pins arrived. I know NOTHING about pins but even to me there are quite a few in there that look fake. At least my kids are excited. They sat at the kitchen table taking turns picking the ones they wanted. They don't know the difference but I'm certainly not going to take the ones that look fake to me with us to trade at the parks. We'll just keep them for the fun of it. I really wish I had done my research first.

I would love it if any of you wonderful pin experts spot obvious fake ones in these pics to let me know so I know to keep them home.

Definitely keep disney.crazy on the red list.

.

Anything with a hidden Mickey on it has a chance of being a scrapper as they are the most copied.

Known scrappers picture 1 on left from top, 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 on right, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11. This does not mean yours are scrappers, just that there are many scrappers of those out. Most obvious problem in those pins are brush strokes, but the character signatures are not made that way so feel for sharp edges and look for obvious discoloration to the metal. Some of those are from booster packs, so they may very well be safe.

Picture 2 from top left, 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 on right 2, 4, 6, 7, 12. Same info as above.

Picture 3 on left all 3 as already mentioned. Looks for the clues given. The ones with letters and a character whose name starts with that letter (like the C and P) are a huge scrapper problem. They come on 2 different sizes and have brush strokes in them. I don't remember which set is the correct one, larger or smaller. I have a mix of both in my personal collection.

[Monny2AE]

Originally Posted by SupernaturalMommy

Anything with a hidden Mickey on it has a chance of being a scrapper as they are the most copied.

Known scrappers picture 1 on left from top, 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 on right, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11. This does not mean yours are scrappers, just that there are many scrappers of those out. Most obvious problem in those pins are brush strokes, but the character signatures are not made that way so feel for sharp edges and look for obvious discoloration to the metal. Some of those are from booster packs, so they may very well be safe.

Picture 2 from top left, 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 on right 2, 4, 6, 7, 12. Same info as above.

Picture 3 on left all 3 as already mentioned. Looks for the clues given. The ones with letters and a character whose name starts with that letter (like the C and P) are a huge scrapper problem. They come on 2 different sizes and have brush strokes in them. I don't remember which set is the correct one, larger or smaller. I have a mix of both in my personal collection.

WOW! Thanks so much!!! Now that I know what to look for I can definitely tell the difference. About half of the pins have rough edges, brush strokes or they just have that "cheap" feel to them.

I thought the pins on ebay were from cast members that trade. I had no idea there was such a fraudulent black market for pins.

Oh well at least my kids like them.

[SupernaturalMommy]

Originally Posted by Monny2AE

WOW! Thanks so much!!! Now that I know what to look for I can definitely tell the difference. About half of the pins have rough edges, brush strokes or they just have that "cheap" feel to them.

I thought the pins on ebay were from cast members that trade. I had no idea there was such a fraudulent black market for pins.

Oh well at least my kids like them.

There are a lot of cast members selling on eBay to supplement their income but they don't exactly advertise that and of the few I've met, they wouldn't give up their eBay names.

Scrappers suck but I think we all have some. As long as you aren't willingly adding them to cast member lanyards or knowingly selling them for profit, I don't think you'll have a problem with anyone complaining. Make your kids happy, but try to avoid the bad sellers. There are plenty of good ones selling legit pins.

[SupernaturalMommy]

The pre-liminary updated list is up. You can find it here:CURRENT Good/Bad Internet and eBay Pin Sellers

I still have over 40 pages to go and I still have to cross-check with eBay to make sure people are still selling. But, it is a start. I am trying to get it completed this morning... no promises.

When I know a person buys under one name to re-sell under another, I have listed it because if you want to go to the trouble or the advanced search, you can go direct to the source instead of paying the additional mark-up, but I leave that in your hands. There are only 2 people listed that way. If someone objects to it, let me know and I will remove it.