Buying Disney pins on ebay

[Claire&TheBoys]

We love pin trading. Before I knew about "scrappers" I bought them on Ebay and we traded them and had a blast. Now I've found the seller I bought from on the "bad list" on the Collectors board so I won't be buying from him anymore. I'll for sure be looking for the best deal I can get on real Disney pins (outlet store, maybe) but I won't be micro-managing my kids' pin-trading to make sure they're getting a pin of equal or greater value. That takes all the fun out of it. Pins are not an investment to me. They're an enjoyable way to showcase our love for all things Disney!

 

[budmonster]

"not letting your kid trade pins" is sad.

Talk about taking away the magic! Pin trading is supposed to be FUN. Being at Disney is supposed to be FUN. You're taking away fun from your kid because you want to be a pin snob?

I am by no means a snob in fact I'm quite the opposite. I work hard for the money I make and because I choose to follow the rules and only trade with real disney pins does not make me a snob.

And as for my DD I'm not taking anything away from her in fact I'm teaching her a lesson ....it's not ok to bend and twist the rules to fit them to your needs and wants.

And if going to Disney several times a month, buying pins and not trading (for fear of getting "authentic" ones) them is taking away the magic well then I guess I'm just a bad mom!

So please come down off your high horse and don't judge me for living my life to higher standards then you obviously do.

It is sad we have to be called "pin snobs" by those knowingly doing the wrong thing. Then again it's most likely the same type that thinks the mug thing is ok, or pool hopping, or parking at the resort etc, as long as THEIR family benefits from it it's all good.
For those not caring about real vs. fake, I have an authentic limited edition Dooney and Burke (reproduction) I'd love to sell you. I mean, it's the same thing right?

Thank you... I so agree with this.

 

[draybook]

Real quick, can somebody link me to the "rules" about pin trading? I just bought a lot of 26 pins for $19. The seller had around 99% rating with thousands of transactions, so I feel good about it. I didn't know about "scrappers" until I was reading up on pin trading.


Paying $7 a pin isn't doing things the "right way", it's lining Disney's pockets for something that you can get somewhere else for cheaper.

 

[asianway]

Real quick, can somebody link me to the "rules" about pin trading? I just bought a lot of 26 pins for $19. The seller had around 99% rating with thousands of transactions, so I feel good about it. I didn't know about "scrappers" until I was reading up on pin trading.


Paying $7 a pin isn't doing things the "right way", it's lining Disney's pockets for something that you can get somewhere else for cheaper.

When cheaper equates to purchasing counterfeited goods, I dont know that is "the right way". For some people maybe....

 

[draybook]

When cheaper equates to purchasing counterfeited goods, I dont know that is "the right way". For some people maybe....

And how is the person buying supposed to know that the pins are legit or not? Do you think the Ebay seller will say "hey, these pins are knock offs"? Once again, cheaper doesn't always equal knock off, so please people, come down off of your high horses.

Guess what, if the pins I bought happen to be scrappers, I'll still let my kids trade them, and I won't feel bad about it at all. And before some wise guy asks me, yes, I'll also teach them that it's ok to steal cars and shoot people.....

 

[asianway]

And how is the person buying supposed to know that the pins are legit or not? Do you think the Ebay seller will say "hey, these pins are knock offs"? Once again, cheaper doesn't always equal knock off, so please people, come down off of your high horses.

Guess what, if the pins I bought happen to be scrappers, I'll still let my kids trade them, and I won't feel bad about it at all. And before some wise guy asks me, yes, I'll also teach them that it's ok to steal cars and shoot people.....

Its ok only if you knock off a few puppies while youre at it.

 

[skater]

Its ok only if you knock off a few puppies while youre at it.

and polar bears .

 

[GinnyEmma]

And how is the person buying supposed to know that the pins are legit or not? Do you think the Ebay seller will say "hey, these pins are knock offs"? Once again, cheaper doesn't always equal knock off, so please people, come down off of your high horses.

Guess what, if the pins I bought happen to be scrappers, I'll still let my kids trade them, and I won't feel bad about it at all. And before some wise guy asks me, yes, I'll also teach them that it's ok to steal cars and shoot people.....

Sad. Supporting illicit practices is wrong. Rationalize until you are blue in the face but it is wrong. Stealing off the pin rack is no less so. But I bet you won't tell the kiddies mommy/daddy don't care that they were stolen.

 

[aznshents]

Its ok only if you knock off a few puppies while youre at it.

+1 to both of you.

 

[amberdburke]

I'm at such a loss now....I was planning on buying a lot before I found out about the scrappers. We are going to DW with our 3 year old DD, and I thought she might enjoy pin trading. I am a huge rule follower, so I will not knowingly buy/trade scrappers.

I guess I'll just buy pins that I know she'll like and give her to them there and not teach her about trading just yet.

 

[cinabug]

I'm not sure that buying pins off ebay that could be fake is the same as stealing or knowingly purchasing pirated music. While the price point may be enough to make some people suspicious, it's a stretch to insist that it is absolute proof that the pins are fake. The pins state that they are authentic and they sure look real to me. If anyone is knowingly breaking a rule, it isn't the buyer of the pin. The seller, who has the pins in hand, says they are real. You say they are fake, based on your belief that the price proves you suspicion. Why are you more believable?

I wouldn't call those of you who worry about authenticity snobs, but I do wonder if you are putting too high a value on your goods. The actual value of the pin only matters if you will eventually sell it. Most of us will keep the pins as a memento, and the only value for a memento is emotional value.

All that being said, I certainly hope that I never trade a knockoff to someone who is a serious collector. It sounds like I am just as likely to do that if I buy pins in the park and then go through a few rounds of trading, since I won't be able to tell if I have traded my park-purchased pins for scrappers. It sounds like the only way I can be safe from knockoffs is to refrain from trading or become an expert on what makes a pin authentic. Since I am only likely to trade once every few years, I'm hardly going to become an expert. I would have to say that the burden will necessarily fall on the serious collectors to examine pins carefully before trading, since they are the only ones likely to recognize the pins quality. I would submit that the rest of us should only be expected to take reasonable precautions. Buying pins for sellers with good feedback that are advertised as authentic, seems like reasonable precaution to me.

 

[shalom]

I'm at such a loss now....I was planning on buying a lot before I found out about the scrappers. We are going to DW with our 3 year old DD, and I thought she might enjoy pin trading. I am a huge rule follower, so I will not knowingly buy/trade scrappers.

If you're worried about it, just get your pins from Character Warehouse or the other discount Disney store in Orlando. You can usually find pins there for a buck, and I would guess always for two or three and on up. Only trade with Disney employees and you're not actively encouraging scrapping. Although I wonder if a 3 yo is a little young to really enjoy trading, but maybe your 3 yo is more precocious than mine were.

Personally, I am not convinced scrappers are as common as many people think, although I admit I've never gone the buying in bulk route, either. But most mass market items plunge rapidly in price, and Disney pins sell to a massive mass market. The number of pins Disney labels as scrappers is tiny; the number of pins collectors label as scrappers is huge, and when you track down the source, it's often on the grounds that the pin is selling more cheaply than the collector thinks it should.

I've seen claims that this or that pin "must" be a scrapper, "because it was a limited edition, and so it should have retained value" but every pin I bought in the Disney discount stores this year (in excess of 30 different pins) was a limited edition. Disney releases hundreds of pins every year, and it doesn't matter how limited the edition is if it's a larger number than the people who find that particular pin interesting. I ran across one person who said a pin they found for sale on a rack in Disneyland was a scrapper, because it wasn't colored the way their older pin is. The whole scrapper thing gets way, way overblown sometimes.

I wouldn't call those of you who worry about authenticity snobs, but I do wonder if you are putting too high a value on your goods. The actual value of the pin only matters if you will eventually sell it. Most of us will keep the pins as a memento, and the only value for a memento is emotional value.

This. Exactly. If Disney says something is a scrapper then of course I'm not going to buy or sell or trade it. Otherwise I'm just going to make sure it's not scraped or chipped or broken or funny feeling before passing it on, and then not worry about it.

 

[Dopey4Life]

We bought a lot of 100 for our 10 day trip with our 2 year old last November. We bought another lot of 100 for this year's trip. We can't wait - we all love the pin trading. Plus it is fun and low-cost when you buy a lot of 100!

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

Kay, seriously guys, all it takes is effort.

You don't want to buy scrappers? There is a list of ebay sellers on the collector's board on this very forum who are verified to be legitimate. Just click over there and buy only from those sellers. No, you're not going to get pins in lots of 100 for $60, but you will get them cheaper than rack rate, which will save you money: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2213419

Don't know how to spot a scrapper. Here's an extensive link that will help you: http://www.dizpins.com/pinventory/scrappers.htm
And another from these boards: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2497475

Like anything involving planning your Disney vacation, all it takes is a little research. It's not impossible to figure out how to buy from legitimate resellers and make sure you're only trading real pins.

If you don't want to make the effort, however, or you continue to buy fake pins to trade, even though you know they're fake, then, I'm sorry, but you're wrong. You can try to justify it to yourself any way you want, but at the end of the day, you're still wrong. And you can't blow it off by pretending you aren't hurting anyone, because you are hurting those of us who do play by the rules. Every time you knowingly trade a scrapper pin, you're taking money out of our pockets.

Oh, and those of us who refuse to buy and trade scrapper pins are not "snobs." The word you're looking for is "honest."

 

[pigletto]

Kay, seriously guys, all it takes is effort.

You don't want to buy scrappers? There is a list of ebay sellers on the collector's board on this very forum who are verified to be legitimate. Just click over there and buy only from those sellers. No, you're not going to get pins in lots of 100 for $60, but you will get them cheaper than rack rate, which will save you money: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2213419

Don't know how to spot a scrapper. Here's an extensive link that will help you: http://www.dizpins.com/pinventory/scrappers.htm
And another from these boards: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2497475

Like anything involving planning your Disney vacation, all it takes is a little research. It's not impossible to figure out how to buy from legitimate resellers and make sure you're only trading real pins.

If you don't want to make the effort, however, or you continue to buy fake pins to trade, even though you know they're fake, then, I'm sorry, but you're wrong. You can try to justify it to yourself any way you want, but at the end of the day, you're still wrong. And you can't blow it off by pretending you aren't hurting anyone, because you are hurting those of us who do play by the rules. Every time you knowingly trade a scrapper pin, you're taking money out of our pockets.

Oh, and those of us who refuse to buy and trade scrapper pins are not "snobs." The word you're looking for is "honest."

This is great advice and exactly what we did before our last trip. I can't for the life of me remember offhand who I ended up buying from. But I went throught that list, researched on Ebay, and then asked the seller some questions. We didn't buy any "lots" but we did get maybe 5 individual pins and then a few of the starter packs at a decent discount. They were still wrapped and on the card and the seller was great to work with and didn't mind asking questions. The starter packs were great for trading!

I was able to talk to some serious collectors as well as a few cast members and they aren't too excited about fakes themselves. I mean think about it.. if this was another hobby.. say baseball cards or stamps or coins nobody would call you a "snob" because you didn't want fakes or junk. Why is it ok to do with the pins to save a buck? Why should saving a few bucks for your family ruin it for someone else?

There are ways to save a bit if you do your homework and still have fun and be honest about it.

 

[GinnyEmma]

Using the ignorance of the disney castmembers as a justification is sad really. It is like saying if a store takes a fake $20 it is their own fault. Personal responsibility and honesty be darned.

 

[ElizabethBowman]

Another cheap way to get pins (the way I buy my traders) is to go to one of the Character Outlets. I can almost always find some deal that works out to $1-2.50 a pin, and I know they're real and I'm not adding scrappers to the lanyards.

This is what I am looking for for my next trip to Disney. I'll be flying in and using the magical express to get to the resort. Could you recommend a close Characters outlet where i could find pins for arounf $1-2.5? Thanks!!! I want some for trading but would probably keep some too!

 

[ElizabethBowman]

If you're worried about it, just get your pins from Character Warehouse or the other discount Disney store in Orlando. You can usually find pins there for a buck, and I would guess always for two or three and on up.

I'll be flying in and magical express to the resort. I want to take a cab to a character warehouse to buy some pins. some for trading and some to keep. do you know which is the best character warehouse near WDW that I can cab it to? thx. Liz

 

[supersnoop]

I'll be flying in and magical express to the resort. I want to take a cab to a character warehouse to buy some pins. some for trading and some to keep. do you know which is the best character warehouse near WDW that I can cab it to? thx. Liz

I'm pretty sure the cost of a cab is going to negate any savings, unless you're planning to buy 100 pins.