Disney Pins from EBAY What would u do?

[Mike2023]

Yea I wrote the seller. I told them I'm not comfortable in their word these are official but also don't just want them going to another buyer so I am kinda at an impass but positive feedback just wont happen and I may turn them in.
Unless they can give me more info on where these are from. They are listed here http://www.ebay.com/itm/140597362991?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
posting says 100% official Disney trading pins which they are not. Pinpics says scrappers are not legal and won't be traded for in the parks So you are saying they are ok? so confused
The way I can tell is the mickey stamped back doesn't run off the edges but has a border, they say that is the way to tell the scrappers. That makes this lot I just got 90% scrappers. Which means I paid 90.00 for something they paid maybe 5.00 for from some Chinese factory. My kids both trade too so yea it would suck to be "called out" on something like that.

For the price you paid there most likely not official.

You will have no problem trading them. As long as they say disney on the back.

If you want to be 100% sure you are buying real disney pins then I suggest you buy direct from disney. No other way to be sure.

 

[shalom]

but after reading a couple of sellers feedback, and complaints of scrappers, I decided against it.

I am always so sad to hear this. I don't trade the pins (although I do collect them), but my younger girls get such joy out of trading them I hate to hear someone drop it "because of all the scrappers."

The truth is, the only scrappers Disney has ever officially mentioned are the ones that Disney never sold. That's not to say that there aren't scrappers -- but most scrappers are over runs of the same quality as the ones Disney sells. Ninety percent of the time, when people say a pin is a scrapper or that a lot of copies of it are scrappers, they also admit that there is no way to tell the difference between a legit pin and the scrapper. The only way to be sure you're buying a Disney pin is to buy it from Disney and never trade -- which defeats the whole purpose.

Disney is still selling some of the pins that sent me into my initial panic over scrappers; I saw them when I was at WDW this past spring. Those pins have been selling, some of them, for years. They're "suspected scrappers" because they're so easy to find for a dollar -- but a dollar is not an unusual secondhand price for that sort of product that's been on the market that long. Anyone else know someone who planned to send their kids to college by selling their beanie babies?

The whole scrapper thing has been way overblown, and Disney has had plenty of chances to identify scrappers or to plead with people not to buy scrappers -- but aside from identifying the obvious forgeries that Disney has never sold, they has done nothing of the kind. Disney is perfectly capable of dealing with scrappers in other ways, if so inclined. But they also know that most people who buy in with pins from E-bay, end up buying direct from Disney, because they'll see a pin they don't want to wait for or are afraid they can't find later. So buying and trading used pins off of e-bay ends up being a win-win for everybody.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I bought a lot of "official Disney trading" pins from a seller previous to our trip. When one of our kiddos went to trade with a CM, they looked at the back and said "sorry, this isn't a real Disney pin, I can't accept it". I was sooo embarassed. Never again will I run the risk of pre-buying discounted pins.

Don't completely give up on pre-buying discounted pins. You just have to be careful. There are reputable sellers and sellers that provide almost all scrappers. There's a thread on the collectibles board that lists good and bad ebay sellers.

Also check out the Disney Outlet store online. I've purchased pins from there. They aren't as cheap as some ebay sellers, but you know they are real pins. And it's still a lot less expensive than purchasing pins in the parks.

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

This may be a dumb question...but what is a scrapper? Just a cheap knockoff?

 

[kmk1180]

Before our first ever trip to WDW with the kids (about 7 years ago I guess) I bought some pins from Ebay for the kids. I have no idea if they were real or not but the kids only ever trade with a CM and the CMs never said a word about any of them. Now I can see if we were trying to trade with "regular" people but the CMs will trade with any child - no questions asked. What's the big deal?

 

[mwmom]

So if CM's don't usually look closely at the pins, how do we know when we trade a pin with them that they are giving us an authentic pin? Do you stop and look closely at it? Is that considered rude to not trust the CM if we are to assume that Disney would never allow them to give the scrappers away? I have traded pins before and never knew any of this so I just naively traded with them what I had, but if people are buying these scrappers left and right, I'm sure CM's end up with them. Anyone know if they are trained to look carefully at them at any point?

 

[lookame]

I bought two lots separetly from 2 different sellers. They were small lots so I thought I'd be alright...plus the sellers have close if not 100% feedback. Well the funny thing is I got one "rare pin" (a hidden mickey 6 of 6) and then from the other seller I got the SAME pin with the SAME number on the back...yup that is definatly a fake. I labelled both lots fakes told my fiance to choose his favs to not be traded and we will give them to friends(who we know won't go to Disney) as gifts from our trip. ah well...live and learn and move on

 

[vicki_c]

So if CM's don't usually look closely at the pins, how do we know when we trade a pin with them that they are giving us an authentic pin? Do you stop and look closely at it? Is that considered rude to not trust the CM if we are to assume that Disney would never allow them to give the scrappers away? I have traded pins before and never knew any of this so I just naively traded with them what I had, but if people are buying these scrappers left and right, I'm sure CM's end up with them. Anyone know if they are trained to look carefully at them at any point?

As has been stated, you cannot always tell easily at all. So it's very likely that CMs trade back non-obvious scrappers to guests. Your thought of "Disney would never allow that" is just not realistic. There are some CMs that are serious traders - most likely one of the ones a PP ran into who wouldn't take their pins. They have an entire set of CM rules on trading pins and if I recall right, they are basically supposed to take anything if it has a Disney trademark on the back (I'm paraphrasing, but I'm too lazy to search for the document right now). But many CMs that trade pins wouldn't be so savvy about what is a scrapper and what is not.

Unless you are trying to build a collection of only Disney pins (verified), it really doesn't matter. And if you are trying to do that, you should only be buying from Disney. That is the only way to ever know for sure.

 

[TRICKY_TINK]

ok I've done tons of research on the matter and feel I likely jumped the gun on my feeling of being cheated. I was told by the seller these pins are from cm's at Disney parks so if Disney isn't taking scrappers out of the mix they must not care that much. I don't know if I believe that or just want too but the likely hood of my getting 100% money back is not good since since I'd be out the shipping. I'll just stick to trading with cm's and see how it goes. All the pins do have Disney trademark logo on the back and mickey rubber backs. If what I'm reading that the back mickey head stamps aren't a sure way to tell fakes then maybe this wasn't a horrible deal. I don't want this to turn into a huge moral issue between Dis'ers so lets kill this thread by neglecting to post.

 

[goNsoon2WDW]

By no means am I an expert at telling real vs. scrapper pins. I can tell you that we have never had any problems trading pins with CMs. We buy a lot online (not eBay) before each trip.

As a matter of fact, on one of the first trips that we were trading pins my son had a pin that was obviously not Disney (I think it was shaped like the space shuttle or something) and he went to trade with a CM. I was the one who was trying to stop him. The CM simply chuckled, traded him a pin, and then stuck the non-Disney pin in his pocket.

I don't know if he was supposed to do that or if he was just humoring my little guy, but he didn't make a big deal about it at all.

 

[shalom]

So if CM's don't usually look closely at the pins, how do we know when we trade a pin with them that they are giving us an authentic pin?

You don't. The only way to know you have an authentic Disney pin it so buy it yourself from an authorized Disney store. The only pins Disney has made any noise about are not scrappers (over runs or copies of Disney pins), but rather out right counterfeits. Some CMs who collect pins themselves may recognize some of the most common counterfeits, although even then most of them will take the trade and then just set the pins aside instead of trading them back out.

If you're buying pins from anyone but Disney, or if you trade pins, you're at risk for getting a scrapper. But if the scrappers are of good quality, the same quality that Disney sells, and if Disney is not announcing which pins have been scrapped and asking people to watch for them, then it is not your job to watch for scrappers. Of course you don't want to pass on poorly made or defective pins, but you can buy one of those jewel gowned princess pins direct from Disney and end up with a pin that's missing some of the jewels -- the fact that it's an authentic pin doesn't mean you should trade with it.

Disney wants you to have fun trading pins and to be fair to others by not trading a pin you know is damaged. Disney is not asking you to be the scrapper police; if they wanted you to worry about scrappers, they'd be telling you what to look for, and what pins to avoid. Trading pins is supposed to be fun, not a source of worry. You're free to examine the pin yourself and make sure it's physically okay before trading, but there is no way for you, or usually for anyone, to be sure an authentic Disney design pin was originally sold by Disney or not when you trade for it.

Well the funny thing is I got one "rare pin" (a hidden mickey 6 of 6) and then from the other seller I got the SAME pin with the SAME number on the back...yup that is definitely a fake.

If the fact that you got 2 "hidden mickey 6 of 6" pins from two different sellers is your only evidence that they're scrappers, then that is not sufficient evidence. I bought a bunch of pins that said the exact same thing last year from the outlet stores for less than a dollar apiece. Hidden Mickeys are not limited edition pins, and they're not hard to get, either by trading with cast members or by buying one of the mystery bags.

 

[jdyer09]

I too was douped by sellers of scrappers on ebay. I only bought a lot of 26 from "real.cool.stuff" and discovered upon receiving these yesterday that the majority are scrappers. I bought them like you did thinking I was stealing a deal and had only read about the positive pin trading experinces here on the DISboards, before I found the threads about all the scrappers.

I filed a fake item case with ebay and paypal, since luckily I was protected by the PayPal buyer protection thing. After communication between the seller and I and then I escalated the case through ebay, I received a full refund and kept the pins. I will not be trading these pins and will obviously be disposing of them but I refused to return them to have another familiy douped.

We might decorate around our photo album or scrapbook with them as a pp mentioned, but the scrappers wont make their way to the park!

You might try this and see if it works for you. Good luck!

 

[Goofy's_Gal]

So if CM's don't usually look closely at the pins, how do we know when we trade a pin with them that they are giving us an authentic pin? Do you stop and look closely at it? Is that considered rude to not trust the CM if we are to assume that Disney would never allow them to give the scrappers away? I have traded pins before and never knew any of this so I just naively traded with them what I had, but if people are buying these scrappers left and right, I'm sure CM's end up with them. Anyone know if they are trained to look carefully at them at any point?

I have received a few crappy pins from CM's - be it an obvious scrapper, to a broken stem. Unless you get to the CM's first thing in the morning, I seriously doubt that any of the pins they have later in the day are what they started out with or for that matter, the pins they start out with could have been from the previous day (just a viscous cycle). I've also seen many times the handing off of the lanyard to another CM..I see it as just something they do and not something most really care about. You most likely are trading a CM a pin that they got from someone else - a good chance it was from ebay. I don't trade pins I buy from Disney (at upwards of $12-$14 I am not going to trade for an ebay pin, that's for sure) with anyone when I can get traders for $1. Just saying is all. I'm not a serious collector but I definitely know the ones I buy to keep and the ones I traded for.

 

[CatelynnMarie]

i wouldn't trade them. my best friend buys pin lots off ebay ALL the time. in fact, she JUST bought like, maybe ten pins that were fraud. instead of complaining, she made rings out of them. i'm sure you can make the most of it, even if it isn't what you wanted exactly

 

[Amerangel89]

Aw, that's frustrating! I've never encountered any scrappers, myself (that I know of). =/

 

[mickeyonasticky]

I know I personally don't inspect pins that are traded to me. If Guests are serious traders, they might know what to look for. They might not. Most Guests I trade with are either looking for pins of a series or simply pins they like.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

I found a great seller, in the states. I have bought now two lots from them. The prices fluctuate, I found that bidding on the sale that closes at midnight got me a better price. LOL ! real.cool.stuff is the seller that I have bought from. Very happy.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

I too was douped by sellers of scrappers on ebay. I only bought a lot of 26 from "real.cool.stuff" and discovered upon receiving these yesterday that the majority are scrappers. I bought them like you did thinking I was stealing a deal and had only read about the positive pin trading experinces here on the DISboards, before I found the threads about all the scrappers.

I filed a fake item case with ebay and paypal, since luckily I was protected by the PayPal buyer protection thing. After communication between the seller and I and then I escalated the case through ebay, I received a full refund and kept the pins. I will not be trading these pins and will obviously be disposing of them but I refused to return them to have another familiy douped.

We might decorate around our photo album or scrapbook with them as a pp mentioned, but the scrappers wont make their way to the park!

You might try this and see if it works for you. Good luck!

I just posted about that same seller. I had a good experience with them? From what I could tell the ones received were real Disney pins. Got two sets for the kids. Bought 1, the second set is on its way.

What did you get in your assortment that was fake?


edited to add: my kiddlets just trade and trade and trade, and give pins away too. They each gave away a handful to other kids on busses etc last time we went. (thought other kids would want to trade too. :O) )

 

[tmarquez]

I filed a fake item case with ebay and paypal, since luckily I was protected by the PayPal buyer protection thing. After communication between the seller and I and then I escalated the case through ebay, I received a full refund and kept the pins. I will not be trading these pins and will obviously be disposing of them but I refused to return them to have another familiy douped.

We might decorate around our photo album or scrapbook with them as a pp mentioned, but the scrappers wont make their way to the park!

You might try this and see if it works for you. Good luck!

Well that surely doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

 

[smalltowngirl504]

I just purchased off ebay, but the pins were in the packaging and never opened... So I would imagine they werent fake.. the tags still say Disney parks on them and the seller, only had negative feed back for shipping... I am happy with my ebay expereince, but would hate to trade my genuine pins for a fake one Its discouraging