DTD Pin trader ? Is this just a rumor?

[lovethattink]

We were at WDW this weekend and heard from another guest that DTD Pin traders will be closing with in a year, and pins would be sold and traded at WOD. Also that surprise pins will be LE 750 instead of 1000. And that as many pins won't be ordered at a time anymore. This is supposedly in response to pins not selling as well as they had the past few years. Is there any truth to this? Or is this just a rumor running amok?

 

[Buzz2001]

That wouldn't surprise me. Overkill. Can you say beanie babies? Thanks Disney Auctions!

 

[BeautyLLM]

I don't know if the rumor is true or not, but I agree with Mario..they have flooded the market with pins that all look the same (can you say "Stitch"?). In the past, I have had a separate pin bag for each year's pins. Last year's bag is only half full, and of all the pins that have been released at the parks since the beginning of this year, there is only one that I really want.. . Who ever thought that would happen?

And only one pin event leading up to the September event?

No, closing Pin Traders wouldn't surprise me at all...

 

[Goofy4Pluto]

I heard the same thing on 2 other boards...
that pin traders is closing...

Mario! I agree... Disney Auctions has ruined things
a bit! DA PINS were fun at first because they
were original designs for the most part...
AND the more random auctions of fewer than
10 pins per auction were also better...
A few reasons that PINS has ruined things?...
1. They have allowed Stitch to take over...
anyone ever notice that each release day
there are usually atleast 2 Stitch pins?
2. Between that and allowing CMs to be able to
purchase PINS on property at an enormous
discount is really killing the PINS market.
OR putting PINS up on auction starting at .99cents.
Everytime I buy a pin on line now, I wait until
it only has like 25 or less pins left - I don't
want to buy something that the next day
will go on sale (at Target they have a policy
that they will refund you the difference if that
happens withing 2 weeks of your purchase -
unfortunately, DA doesn't have the same thing!)

Whom ever is in charge of PINS designs
and marketing needs to realize that now that
Stitch pins are not selling out in mere
seconds that they aren't popular anymore
and they need to go! AND, whom ever said
that they should be sold for cheaper than
their intended values (either on auction for
a discounted price OR to CMs for less than
1/3 their original values) should run and hide in
a hole so I don't ever find them!

 

[Offkilter]

It is obvious that pins have peaked. Just to many to collect now. I have been collecting Cast Lanyard Pins for awhile and there are more available on EBAY than on CM Lanyards. That has taken a lot of fun out of it. There will always be pin collectors but nowhere near the activity of a few years ago. I am down to only two themes now, Cast Lanyard and Patriotic pins. I am thru with the rest, including characters that I don't know. How's that for dating myself.
Happy Pin Trading.

 

[Dizneypins.com]

This rumor could be true, but with DPT selling over 1/3 of all pins sold at WDW it is highly unlikely they would close a location which only has lights and employees to pay. Low overhead and high profits dont equal closing.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I would not be surprised either.
Notice the new MYW packages don't even supply pins/lanyards any longer? The current golden child promotion (besides Stitch ) appears to be Photo Pass.

LE1000 park pins are not hard to buy, generally.
I still buy a lot. But not as many as I use to.

I was at Pop Thursday evening for the Minnie surprise pin. NO ONE was trading outside where there was a trading night "promotion". I didn't even bring my bag. But I do not attend WDW PTNs.

 

[Fire14]

I'm not saying this is always true as I know it's not but when MY DH and I went to a PTN at Cont. last OCT. I felt like I was NEMO in a pool of Sharks. I know I don't have greatest pins in world but I did have some nice LE pins. I wanted to trade for an event pin that I saw in another traders book and they about bit my head off!!!!!
I also have felt this way anytime I've hung out around trading tables at DTDPT. I am on Vacation but choose to take some time to trade or look/admire others pins.
I'd say very few vactioners take time to go to ptn's as it takes away from park time. and do that many truly have that many pins?

 

[Luv2Roam]

I saw Ed had some photos of a Pop PTN on Dizpins. We did not go inside. So cpould be that was where everyone was.
I just don't have any desire to trade in WDW, and never really have.

 

[NHMickey]

It is not just the amount of pins released it is athe amount they charge for them now as well... I have a bag full of pins that don't trade anymore (well some do but most don't) and refuse to buy more to trade for ones I want. It has come down to the fact that if I can't trade for a pin I want with what I have in my book.. Then I will just watch ebay till I can get it cheap or I foget about it... I still have my pins from 2000 and 2001 that I find to be nicer and more unique (I like unique pins) than almost any released today.

 

[Mainepinpal]

Nat,
I couldn't agree with you more. I still have good LE's I haven't been able to trade from my last 2 WDW trips. I am going again in April, and guess what? I am not planning on buying any pins to trade, unless they are really, really great. I may buy a few for my collection, but if I can't trade them, what's the point? Disney is going to lose big time in the long run by putting an over supply of pins on the market. Why do they want to corner the whole market?? Let us have some fun exchanging pins. We will buy more, and there will be more demand, and more happy people. If not, bye bye pin trading!!

PS I hope the Disney people read these boards!
Penny

 

[Dizneypins.com]

PS I hope the Disney people read these boards!
Penny

They read them problem is they dont care or take suggestions well..
What they do well is run a good thing to death and into the ground

 

[TinkerKat]

Wow! I haven't posted here in a long time, but i had to jump right into this one!
I was just in WDW last week. My boys still like trading pins.
I found the following very disappointing.

A) At WOD of the 20 + Castmembers working, only 4 yes 4! had lanyards on.
It was a slow evening, and the boys had pins itching to trade with! And
not a lanyard in sight.

B) I found that everything from pins to souvies are all just repetative.
The pins have gone up in price and Down in Quality! The only pin I saw
that made me think WOW! Was the new Passholder Mickey with the key.
It was the only one I bought!

C) Now the inexpensive lanyards have a "cardboard" tag at the end. What's
that about? And the huge Medals for trading? Hey! Put two pin back on
them, call them jumbo pins, and you've got a deal! Really!

Overkill is an understatement and sadly, I can't get through to my kids that their precious pin collections are nothing but mere little grains of sand in that great big ocean of sharks.
It's like putting a caveman in the middle of NYC and expecting him to know how to get to Penn Station and get a train to L.I.!
I try to keep it fun for them, but even kids their ages 7 & 11 are trained sharks in kids clothing. I feel fortunate though that Pin Trading has allowed me to meet many "Wonderful & Compassionate people" Unfortunately not a whole lot are actaully residents of the most magical place in the world! (Except you Larry! & Scoop Sanderson)
Rant over. Kat

 

[Poohnatic]

Wonder if any of it might have to do with the sharking that goes on?

"Go inside and buy four pins and I'll let you have this one..." Can't tell you how many people I've heard stories like this from over the past couple of years.

Suzanne

 

[dizneyusa]

The pins are still nice revenue for Disney. I do not think it is over
yet. Have they flooded the market, YES, that is a understatement,
BUT, all of us have tried and tried and tried to tell the right people
and for some reason it just never mattered (I do not think we are
getting to the right people myself). There is a VERY LARGE buffer
zone to the people who listen and the middle group that for some
reason just do not get it.

This has been mentioned before over and over again on the boards
and the more of us that do it the more the word should get to the
right people. I know ED has posted numerous address's on the
boards for everyone to write. It will not count in email or by phone
to customer service. BUT, if everyone would WRITE to Lee himself
and let those offices see a very large number of us do care and want
to see the LE size controlled and the surprise pins controlled it just
might happen and we will hopefully get a response that we are all
looking for.

Now, DTD, I have posted alot about this. I do think they need to
make it more weather friendly (heat, cold & RAIN) they do need
tables and chairs, even picnic style would be nice. It does need a
nice over hang for the hot or rain days that should have nice LIGHTS
for night trading, especially when the parks close down.

Very curious to see how this works out. Disney hopefully still has a
nice thing going, it would be a shame to see them blow it!!!!! Maybe
they will listen, BUT it is up to us to write the letters.............

Dana
dizneyusa
beanie-babies@att.net

 

[Luv2Roam]

From my experience, this is my opinion (for what little it is worth). What is really looked at is the bottom line. The higher ups generally only know what those below them want them to know.
And many people (not just anyone at Disney) are so busy patting themselves on the back, they don't stop to ask or think how things can be improved.
They can hand over figures showing they made a pile of money. That's good. We all can appreciate necessary revenue.
But the higher ups hear all the postitive. Rarely anything negative or constructive.
Would you say to your boss, "Hey, we made a pile of money. But many are unhappy, and we coulda/shoulda made a lot more had we just thought it through. Basically we met minimum requirements, and rarely if ever exceed expectations. But that is good enough as long as no one goes direct to you to complain."
I just see it as a reactionary management, rather than proactive. On the other hand you do what you can in the amount of time you have.
Too bad they don't actually have pin collectors taking part in the decisions. My guess is very few know much about pins except what their reports show. It would be like me deciding what Nascar fans want and expect.
I think there are many factors in the mix. It is truly the people who have made pin collectinmg what it is, in spite of bad decisions. If everyone was perfect, like myself , everything would be MUCH better. Off my soapbox now.

 

[dizneyusa]

We have so many time suggested a pin trader type forum. They do
need to know and if the middle is not telling the top and the figures
without a doubt are going to start to show a difference if they already
have not shown for this quarter.

They are banking also on the 50th celebration, etc etc etc.......

Trust me, if there were some cast members that really did care or at
least the right people were in the right positions, it WOULD MATTER
that the main guests making those numbers rise are the ones that
are not happy. The idea is to let them know there is a MAJOR CRACK
in their system and hopefully fix it and I really do feel we have time
to fix it. There are alot of new pin traders and if the excitement is there
and some of the old traders feel some type of value, it would generate
an excitement they have never seen before (maybe not as big as the
old days !!!) We did love our tailgate pin parties But it would
spark the hobby a bit.

WRITE, WRITE, WRITE - I think it will help......... I love the pin friends
I have met thru this great hobby and I love my pixie dust parks I
do not want to see it end or change........

Dana
dizneyusa

 

[doombuggy]

I know I don't come around the DIS as much as I used to, and that is mostly b/c since moving to orlando, i work 7 days a week. I saw this thread, however, and had to say something.

My big collecting thing is dolls. Barbie dolls. Most of the dolls I have in my collection (about 100) cost more than $100. Mattel went thru some issues with the LTD # of some of their dolls. They have restructured and hopefully, it works better. I don't spend much time on the Barbie collector boards (this reminds me that I did not renew my membership last week), so I am not sure how people think they are doing. But people do listen. I think Mattel is a good example. The only problem is that the Barbie collector's board is run by them - the DIS is not. I don't know what to say about that~

I work at DTD and have not heard about that shop closing. They are moving the candy co. to where the home store used to be, so maybe the pin store will move into the candy co? Just a thought.

Someone made a comment about CM buying pins at huge discounts. I have been working in retail since 1985, and it is typical to give an employee a discount to your store. It encourages the employee to shop there, try your products, etc.