Good/Bad Internet and eBay Pin Sellers

[Tampa Mousekeeter]

[/QUOTE]

Anyone selling trader pins for under $2 is either selling scrappers, or is laundering scrappers for legit traders. If having someone else do the dirty work makes the folks here sleep better, great, but lets not kid ourselves on what is actually happening.[/QUOTE]

Thank you....I thought I was the only one that sees this....hurry let's check Ebay this week...looks like all the legitimate sellers are selling their 100 pin lots for $1.67 per pin....gee they are giving them away...I wonder why????? Oh, how nice they are sending them to me in little plastic bags....they couldn't be getting them from China that way could they?????

 

[asianway]

There simply are not roving bands of benevolent power sellers wanting to sell you cheap trader pins. I got a 1799 that was horribly listed for $2 once on ebay, the poorly listed pin with no minimum bid that flies under the radar is not at issue. It is that the people who list hundreds or thousands of trader pins, if legit, obtained them through dumping scrapper pins on cast lanyards.

This hobby has an ugly underbelly, which is quickly leading to its demise, the support of any of these sellers is just exacerbating the downward spiral.

 

[Anjelica]

Anyone selling trader pins for under $2 is either selling scrappers, or is laundering scrappers for legit traders. If having someone else do the dirty work makes the folks here sleep better, great, but lets not kid ourselves on what is actually happening.[/QUOTE]

Thank you....I thought I was the only one that sees this....hurry let's check Ebay this week...looks like all the legitimate sellers are selling their 100 pin lots for $1.67 per pin....gee they are giving them away...I wonder why????? Oh, how nice they are sending them to me in little plastic bags....they couldn't be getting them from China that way could they????? [/QUOTE]

There simply are not roving bands of benevolent power sellers wanting to sell you cheap trader pins. I got a 1799 that was horribly listed for $2 once on ebay, the poorly listed pin with no minimum bid that flies under the radar is not at issue. It is that the people who list hundreds or thousands of trader pins, if legit, obtained them through dumping scrapper pins on cast lanyards.

This hobby has an ugly underbelly, which is quickly leading to its demise, the support of any of these sellers is just exacerbating the downward spiral.

 

[pixiewings71]

Anyone selling trader pins for under $2 is either selling scrappers, or is laundering scrappers for legit traders. If having someone else do the dirty work makes the folks here sleep better, great, but lets not kid ourselves on what is actually happening.

Thank you....I thought I was the only one that sees this....hurry let's check Ebay this week...looks like all the legitimate sellers are selling their 100 pin lots for $1.67 per pin....gee they are giving them away...I wonder why????? Oh, how nice they are sending them to me in little plastic bags....they couldn't be getting them from China that way could they?????

This is the guideline most of us on this thread use......I'm not sure why you feel the need to post it again or to post it in such a way. Again, I only buy the "cheap" pins when I'm testing a seller to see what I get, so I can post it here. I usually win about 10 pins and they are pins we will keep no matter what. For my traders I'm buying from sellers who list for more, or who I've been buying from for years. Or I'm buying them from parks, yes we do that too.
And just an FYI, I do use the little plastic baggies to carry traders around and to store them, I will use the little plastic baggies when I start to sell off what we don't want to hold onto. Why? Because the little plastic baggies help protect the pins and they are convenient. I don't like my pins getting all scratched up so this helps to protect them. I do have a ton of little baggies left over from my days of not knowing any better and ordering the lot of 100 scrappers for $1.89 each, but now I just reuse them. I have also been known to ask my sellers to please package the pins in baggies if they have them.

There simply are not roving bands of benevolent power sellers wanting to sell you cheap trader pins. I got a 1799 that was horribly listed for $2 once on ebay, the poorly listed pin with no minimum bid that flies under the radar is not at issue. It is that the people who list hundreds or thousands of trader pins, if legit, obtained them through dumping scrapper pins on cast lanyards.

This hobby has an ugly underbelly, which is quickly leading to its demise, the support of any of these sellers is just exacerbating the downward spiral.

I'm not exactly sure what the highlighted sentence says, it's a bit confusing. And yes, it's the sellers who offer hundreds or thousands of the same pin for trade that knowledgeable buyers avoid, this thread is meant to help those who simply don't know about scrappers, not to discuss the underbelly of this hobby. It's meant to be helpful and educational to those who are aware that eBay sellers could be selling them scrappers.

Please, let's try to avoid the sarcasm and belittling tones, we are trying to help newbies to the hobby, not scare them away. They get enough of that from the professional traders at the parks.

 

[Anjelica]

Please, let's try to avoid the sarcasm and belittling tones, we are trying to help newbies to the hobby, not scare them away. They get enough of that from the professional traders at the parks.

Pixie - I didn't see their posts as necessarily belittling but rather with an undertone of frustration.

I think all of us know if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck its a duck. But one thing I have personally run into with some "casual" traders who want to do it "for the kids" is while they will apply the duck theory to most things in everyday life they want to throw out the window that theory while buying pins from ebay/other questionable areas for the sake of saving money.

It's frustrating because I have warned personal friends against buying ebay pins so cheap but was "ignored". I really think I was ignored because they didn't want to hear it and/or spend the money to buy legitimate pins. Hence when these types of buyers go to the parks they are just contributing to a problem (which hopefully Disney will get fixed asap).

I'm all for kids experiencing things but I think some people take it to far and actually think their child is entitled to experience the pin trading (but not at a legitimate cost) and why can't their kid have just as much fun pin trading as xx child.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Interesting discussion...I just wanted to add that I have thoroughly appreciated the attempt at those on this board to point out those that sell genuine Disney pins. I also appreciate the tips given here as to how to spot scrappers and such. I am very new at this...I have been able to pick up pins from ebay in order to complete collections...that were started from a Disney trip. Ebay has been very helpful in that aspect...I cannot as a consumer solve the scrapper pin issue. I can only be responsible for my collection and for what I might trade.

One point to mention...with only a little research...some ebay buying and scouting...it is very easy to find those sellers that sell scrappers. Disney could if they wanted to go after that aspect...I have even had sellers tell me not to buy from them because their pin did not meet the requirements that I inquired about...Can we say scrapper???

Another point to mention...with only a short amount of research and reading...one can easily figure out how to spot scrapper pins...why does Disney allow cast members to trade for scrappers? Not to say that they should be policing the pin trades and such...but that could totally straighten out this pin trading issue. Please don't get me wrong...I really do not want a child to be turned away from a pin trade because of a scrapper...but can't these scrapper trades be stopped at the adult level...especially those adults that give scrappers to get genuine?

Anyhow...this has been a great discussion...wonder if anyone is listening who could make a difference?

 

[Anjelica]

Interesting discussion...I just wanted to add that I have thoroughly appreciated the attempt at those on this board to point out those that sell genuine Disney pins. I also appreciate the tips given here as to how to spot scrappers and such. I am very new at this...I have been able to pick up pins from ebay in order to complete collections...that were started from a Disney trip. Ebay has been very helpful in that aspect...I cannot as a consumer solve the scrapper pin issue. I can only be responsible for my collection and for what I might trade.

One point to mention...with only a little research...some ebay buying and scouting...it is very easy to find those sellers that sell scrappers. Disney could if they wanted to go after that aspect...I have even had sellers tell me not to buy from them because their pin did not meet the requirements that I inquired about...Can we say scrapper???

Another point to mention...with only a short amount of research and reading...one can easily figure out how to spot scrapper pins...why does Disney allow cast members to trade for scrappers? Not to say that they should be policing the pin trades and such...but that could totally straighten out this pin trading issue. Please don't get me wrong...I really do not want a child to be turned away from a pin trade because of a scrapper...but can't these scrapper trades be stopped at the adult level...especially those adults that give scrappers to get genuine?

Anyhow...this has been a great discussion...wonder if anyone is listening who could make a difference?

Great post - I think you definetly made some very valid points - especially ones that some of us collectors have been dealing with for awhile. Why doesn't Disney take a stand against these scrapper sellers? Why don't the CM's get trained on how to spot a scrapper and immediately remove, etc.?

It's honestly gotten to a point with my collection and to an extent with our daughters collection that we buy more to keep than to trade. I'm a DVC member and an avid Disney cruiser so I enjoy getting those harder to get pins to add to my collection. I know my husband has a keen eye and has been able to get many of reduced priced pins on Disney's website but those deals are far and few these days.

 

[thelionqueen]

It appears that the most recent posts (previous 2 pages) have not read this thread fully. Granted it is a VERY long thread, but all the points you have been trying to post here as "something new" has been addressed over and over in many ways on this thread.

The way it was posted by some, could be taken in a way that is offensive to those of us who have been a part of this thread, and many others previous to this one.

What some could describe as belittling, some could describe as frustration. I personally have been fighting this "pin epidemic" for more than 2 years. Just recently (this year) I have had others "jump on the bandwagon" and create awareness to this subject. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people say "it's just for the kids" "it doesn't bother me" etc, etc, etc. These are the people we are trying to educate. These are the people we are trying to urge to do the right thing.

There ARE reputable pin sellers on ebay, although I wholeheartedly agree that MANY are scrapper sellers. To classify them all as unworthy or undesirable is simply unfair and untrue.

There are MANY MANY posts on this thread that indicate exactly what you are saying. But the way it is said can be interpreted as unintended. Every educated pin trader on this thread knows that a huge lot of pins for $1+ each are selling scrappers. It's the UNEDUCATED pin traders that are not aware. That is what this thread is for. It is also for those who are seeking to buy legitimate pins online. For those of us who have personal experiences to list them here to help EDUCATE others.

I can tell you that I consider myself an incredibly educated pin trader. I've been pin trading, literally since inception. In fact, when I bought my first pin, the CM's weren't exactly sure what the trading procedure was

I have seen the scrapper sellers in person, I have had personal contact with Meg Gage's office regarding this "epidemic" I was one of the VERY first ones to contact, and encourage others to contact, Disney Legal. I have seen first hand what these scrappers have done and continue to do, to the hobby I love. What I"m saying is, don't presume you know more or less than anyone else here. We're all here to STOP this horrible practice and EDUCATE those who might not know about these sellers. Let's do less finger pointing and assuming and more educating. Just my .02
Rant over

 

[pixiewings71]

Pixie - I didn't see their posts as necessarily belittling but rather with an undertone of frustration.

I think all of us know if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck its a duck. But one thing I have personally run into with some "casual" traders who want to do it "for the kids" is while they will apply the duck theory to most things in everyday life they want to throw out the window that theory while buying pins from ebay/other questionable areas for the sake of saving money.

It's frustrating because I have warned personal friends against buying ebay pins so cheap but was "ignored". I really think I was ignored because they didn't want to hear it and/or spend the money to buy legitimate pins. Hence when these types of buyers go to the parks they are just contributing to a problem (which hopefully Disney will get fixed asap).

I'm all for kids experiencing things but I think some people take it to far and actually think their child is entitled to experience the pin trading (but not at a legitimate cost) and why can't their kid have just as much fun pin trading as xx child.

I hear the frustration as well but I also interpret them with sarcasm and as a tad rude. As a very frequent poster to this thread and a person who has spent my own money on pins to try to help others I'm very frustrated by the tone of the past few posts. Yes, our thread is huge but please read all the pages before jumping to a conclusion about those of us who are posting on it. For the most part we are knowlegeable about scrappers and we are simply trying to help newbies. Honestly, if I was a newbie and I had popped over here on someone's suggestion I would be offended by those posts, hopefully others won't feel the same way I do.

Interesting discussion...I just wanted to add that I have thoroughly appreciated the attempt at those on this board to point out those that sell genuine Disney pins. I also appreciate the tips given here as to how to spot scrappers and such. I am very new at this...I have been able to pick up pins from ebay in order to complete collections...that were started from a Disney trip. Ebay has been very helpful in that aspect...I cannot as a consumer solve the scrapper pin issue. I can only be responsible for my collection and for what I might trade.

One point to mention...with only a little research...some ebay buying and scouting...it is very easy to find those sellers that sell scrappers. Disney could if they wanted to go after that aspect...I have even had sellers tell me not to buy from them because their pin did not meet the requirements that I inquired about...Can we say scrapper???

Another point to mention...with only a short amount of research and reading...one can easily figure out how to spot scrapper pins...why does Disney allow cast members to trade for scrappers? Not to say that they should be policing the pin trades and such...but that could totally straighten out this pin trading issue. Please don't get me wrong...I really do not want a child to be turned away from a pin trade because of a scrapper...but can't these scrapper trades be stopped at the adult level...especially those adults that give scrappers to get genuine?

Anyhow...this has been a great discussion...wonder if anyone is listening who could make a difference?

All great points!! I hope someone else is out there listening/reading and I hope something can be done. I would love to be able to trade without worrying about scrappers. And yes, I agree that CM's should know more about pins and I also agree that adults should not be allowed to trade them for geniune pins.

It appears that the most recent posts (previous 2 pages) have not read this thread fully. Granted it is a VERY long thread, but all the points you have been trying to post here as "something new" has been addressed over and over in many ways on this thread.

The way it was posted by some, could be taken in a way that is offensive to those of us who have been a part of this thread, and many others previous to this one.

What some could describe as belittling, some could describe as frustration. I personally have been fighting this "pin epidemic" for more than 2 years. Just recently (this year) I have had others "jump on the bandwagon" and create awareness to this subject. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people say "it's just for the kids" "it doesn't bother me" etc, etc, etc. These are the people we are trying to educate. These are the people we are trying to urge to do the right thing.

There ARE reputable pin sellers on ebay, although I wholeheartedly agree that MANY are scrapper sellers. To classify them all as unworthy or undesirable is simply unfair and untrue.

There are MANY MANY posts on this thread that indicate exactly what you are saying. But the way it is said can be interpreted as unintended. Every educated pin trader on this thread knows that a huge lot of pins for $1+ each are selling scrappers. It's the UNEDUCATED pin traders that are not aware. That is what this thread is for. It is also for those who are seeking to buy legitimate pins online. For those of us who have personal experiences to list them here to help EDUCATE others.

I can tell you that I consider myself an incredibly educated pin trader. I've been pin trading, literally since inception. In fact, when I bought my first pin, the CM's weren't exactly sure what the trading procedure was

I have seen the scrapper sellers in person, I have had personal contact with Meg Gage's office regarding this "epidemic" I was one of the VERY first ones to contact, and encourage others to contact, Disney Legal. I have seen first hand what these scrappers have done and continue to do, to the hobby I love. What I"m saying is, don't presume you know more or less than anyone else here. We're all here to STOP this horrible practice and EDUCATE those who might not know about these sellers. Let's do less finger pointing and assuming and more educating. Just my .02
Rant over

Thanks for your input LionQueen, as always your opinion is highly valued by us.

 

[asianway]

I'm not exactly sure what the highlighted sentence says, it's a bit confusing. And yes, it's the sellers who offer hundreds or thousands of the same pin for trade that knowledgeable buyers avoid

Pin # 1799 on pinpics is one of the rarest pins for a Haunted Mansion collector to obtain. Secondary market price is $500-600 if it comes up on ebay. I bought on on ebay once for $2, just as you obtained a bargain on the TInker Bell pins you mentioned.

On the topic of having CM's turn away scrappers, that would never work. The amount of time training a casual merchandise CM on the hundreds of scrapper pins out there would be cost prohibitive, lead to potentially good pins being turned away in trade, and ultimately discourage CMs from wearing the pin trading lanyard. If you have the opportunity to visit Disneyland, where wearing the lanyard is not encouraged so much as WDW, you will find that they are far and few between.

And again, do not interpret my posts as belittling, I am trying to educate as well. nannub has been singled out as converting scrappers to legit pins off of CMs and then "sharking" tourists at DTD. My point is, he is not the only one doing this. Most of the offenders are not quite as blatant about their actions, and they are not selling multiples of the same pin. Subsidizing these activities is damaging to the hobby as well. The outlet malls have great deals sometimes, I would encourage anyone visiting WDW to make a stop there on the way to the parks. As someone mentioned pages back, they got pins there for under $1. Disney Stores had a Snow White and the 7 dwarves 8 pin set for $14.50 2 years ago. Deals happen, you need to look for them.

 

[Anjelica]

We will be going to Disneyland a week from tomorrow. My daughter doesn't know yet but in the next couple of days we will get out her lanyard/collection and figure out which ones she wants to trade. Luckily my husband caught a great deal on Disney online and got a whole bunch of pins a few months ago for around $3.00 a pin so she can trade with those as well.

I will definetly report back on how it goes and what I see in terms of pins. We've never done pin trading at DL because 1) I haven't been there in decades and 2) the rest of my family has never been.

 

[pixiewings71]

Pin # 1799 on pinpics is one of the rarest pins for a Haunted Mansion collector to obtain. Secondary market price is $500-600 if it comes up on ebay. I bought on on ebay once for $2, just as you obtained a bargain on the TInker Bell pins you mentioned.

On the topic of having CM's turn away scrappers, that would never work. The amount of time training a casual merchandise CM on the hundreds of scrapper pins out there would be cost prohibitive, lead to potentially good pins being turned away in trade, and ultimately discourage CMs from wearing the pin trading lanyard. If you have the opportunity to visit Disneyland, where wearing the lanyard is not encouraged so much as WDW, you will find that they are far and few between.

And again, do not interpret my posts as belittling, I am trying to educate as well. nannub has been singled out as converting scrappers to legit pins off of CMs and then "sharking" tourists at DTD. My point is, he is not the only one doing this. Most of the offenders are not quite as blatant about their actions, and they are not selling multiples of the same pin. Subsidizing these activities is damaging to the hobby as well. The outlet malls have great deals sometimes, I would encourage anyone visiting WDW to make a stop there on the way to the parks. As someone mentioned pages back, they got pins there for under $1. Disney Stores had a Snow White and the 7 dwarves 8 pin set for $14.50 2 years ago. Deals happen, you need to look for them.

Ok, got it, Thanks for clarifying for me. I kept reading it and just couldn't understand what you were saying. LOL I'm really excited you got that pin for super cheap! Woo Hoo!!!!! That's what makes the hours of searching eBay worthwhile.
As for CM's knowing about scrappers, what I've seen is CM's taking pins and putting them in their pocket after doing the trade. I've asked a few times and the CM says they don't think it's authentic but they don't want to turn away a trade so they just put the pin aside and don't trade it to anyone else. Apparently at DLR they have a system for that, and yes before I knew about scrappers and bought huge lots from sellers like shells7pak I did have a CM or 2 do that with a pin I gave them. I honestly had no idea why they did it, I honestly thought they really liked the pin and wanted it for themselves! LOL I look back now and just cringe because I was *that* trader who had no clue scrappers even existed. So some CM's do know and do act on it, not every one of course, just the ones that are traders on their own time as well as while they are working.

We will be going to Disneyland a week from tomorrow. My daughter doesn't know yet but in the next couple of days we will get out her lanyard/collection and figure out which ones she wants to trade. Luckily my husband caught a great deal on Disney online and got a whole bunch of pins a few months ago for around $3.00 a pin so she can trade with those as well.

I will definetly report back on how it goes and what I see in terms of pins. We've never done pin trading at DL because 1) I haven't been there in decades and 2) the rest of my family has never been.

I really hope you guys have a great time, it looks like we will miss you by a few days. I'm off to check the Nov trip thread to see what your dates are, we might overlap.

To everyone......regarding my remark about comments being sarcastic and belitting. I made that remark because that's how I read the posts on the last few pages. As sarcastic and belitting, as in "how could you possibly think this persons pins are legit when they are offering them for a dollar, that's just stupid." Well there are a variety of reasons a person may be selling for that price, many sellers offer pins at a lower price and charge more for shipping, many are liquidating their collections, many are doing exactly as Nannub does and buying scrappers to trade for good pins to sell on eBay. A lot of the things mentioned in the past few posts/pages have been things that were discussed earlier in this thread, it didn't seem necessary to say them yet again. I simply said that because I really don't want any new pin traders to be scared away by the sarcasm I was reading in the past few pages. I apologize if I misread them, it was not my intention to start any arguments with anyone or to contribute to the downfall of this thread. I appreciate any and all input that everyone has and I do value everyone's thoughts and opinions. Again, if I misread that's on me and I apologize.

Asianway, I agree 100% that deals are out there and people have to look, but I still disagree that anyone selling on eBay is a red flag, I stand by my thoughts that buyers need to learn about scrappers and the red flags for auctions/listing on eBay. IME/IMO it's been the auctions/listings that send up the red flags, not just the fact that they are on there.

As for my purchase from Koolstuff2005, they ended up refunding half of my purchase price. I will trade the ones I think are good, the others will stay in our collection at home. I am still waiting on the refund as of today, but that what we decided to do. I'm pretty sure they know about scrappers and know that some of what they sent was scrap, as soon as I sent a message about possible scrappers they replied "I don't get my pins from China", but I hadn't mentioned China so that sent up a red flag for me. I do think that out of the 23 pins I received 7 are scrappers. They told me they got their pins by trading or by visiting the CM store to buy liquidated pins, which could be true for some but not for all of them. I would keep them on the yellow list, the be aware that you might get scrappers but you might get some good stuff too list.

 

[Anjelica]

I really hope you guys have a great time, it looks like we will miss you by a few days. I'm off to check the Nov trip thread to see what your dates are, we might overlap.

We are going Friday November 20th through Wednesday November 25th. I can't recall if I actually posted to the November threads....We are going to stay at GCV - thankfully they opened in time for us to use points there as we were going to have to do a trade in for GC and that would have cost us alot more points. We are VERY excited!!!

When are you guys going?

 

[pixiewings71]

We will be there Nov 25th thru 30th. We are driving down Wednesday night so you guys will be gone. Missed you by thatmuch.....

 

[pixiewings71]

I have recieved a 50% of my final purchase total from Koolstuff2005. Just thought I'd update.

 

[Tampa Mousekeeter]

And just an FYI, I do use the little plastic baggies to carry traders around and to store them, I will use the little plastic baggies when I start to sell off what we don't want to hold onto. Why? Because the little plastic baggies help protect the pins and they are convenient. I don't like my pins getting all scratched up so this helps to protect them.

Please do not tell us that the "newbies" think that the great Ebay sellers are actually selling them their "lots" of great pins for $1.67 plus stuffing their pins individually into those tiny plastic bags....first off I too once a long, long time ago actually bought from these Ebay professional sellers..and I broke open every one of those cheap bags to get the pins out...you must have the patience of a saint to manage to keep those bags to reuse.
Listen, I do not believe we are trying to start trouble but the people who are responding similar to myself know what is really going on with the counterfeit pins. I have seen the Ebay sellers at the parks handing out their Chinese pins with their whole family and kids in tow in order to have legitimate lots to sell on Ebay. I have seen these so called traders at DTD and Epcot leading the newbie pin traders into the stores to buy them pins to sell on Ebay...case in point our friends nannub and kittykat2bad on Ebay. I have seen lines at DTD when LE pins are brought out and almost everyone in front of me are these trader sharks who actually are making their entire living selling on Ebay.
It is a great hobby for most people, but please, please do not think the pins you guys are buying on Ebay for $1.67 each were purchased by a little old lady who is now selling her entire collection. Oh and one more thing, you guys must have much smarter CM's at DL, because our CM's at WDW will take any pin handed to them...

 

[pixiewings71]

Please do not tell us that the "newbies" think that the great Ebay sellers are actually selling them their "lots" of great pins for $1.67 plus stuffing their pins individually into those tiny plastic bags....first off I too once a long, long time ago actually bought from these Ebay professional sellers..and I broke open every one of those cheap bags to get the pins out...you must have the patience of a saint to manage to keep those bags to reuse.
Listen, I do not believe we are trying to start trouble but the people who are responding similar to myself know what is really going on with the counterfeit pins. I have seen the Ebay sellers at the parks handing out their Chinese pins with their whole family and kids in tow in order to have legitimate lots to sell on Ebay. I have seen these so called traders at DTD and Epcot leading the newbie pin traders into the stores to buy them pins to sell on Ebay...case in point our friends nannub and kittykat2bad on Ebay. I have seen lines at DTD when LE pins are brought out and almost everyone in front of me are these trader sharks who actually are making their entire living selling on Ebay.
It is a great hobby for most people, but please, please do not think the pins you guys are buying on Ebay for $1.67 each were purchased by a little old lady who is now selling her entire collection. Oh and one more thing, you guys must have much smarter CM's at DL, because our CM's at WDW will take any pin handed to them...

Excuse me but I was a newbie once upon a time and I did think those lots on eBay were legitimate. So yes I think I can tell you that some newbies are trusting the sellers on eBay. I see posts on the Budget Board and DLR boards all the time asking about cheap pins on eBay, I always suggest they visit THIS thread to learn about scrappers and eBay sellers. A lot of new traders simply do not know anything about scrappers, which is why we started threads on this board to talk about them.
Apparently my baggies are a better quality because mine don't need to be torn open, some yes but I have loads of them laying around. I actually bought some nicer ones from a jewelry store going out of business so I could keep MY pins IN plastic. And no I don't have the patience of a saint but I know the implied value of pins and I HATE it when a trader opens his little waist pouch and starts pulling out pin after pin that are just clanking around on each other, I know scratches and dings are normal but I like to try to keep mine as nice as possible so I protect them.
I have no doubt that sellers do that, buy scrappers to trade in the parks, I'm not arguing that point with anyone, and I've been posting on THIS thread for months now and the ONLY trader I've been told is actually doing this for sure is nannub, I've never heard anyone mention that kittykat2bad person. And you know what? There ARE pins out there for great prices, who's to say someone hasn't bought a whole bunch of those and is selling them now on eBay? We went to a character warehouse a couple years ago, they had pins for $1.50, we bought a ton of them....sooooooooooooo many of them.....now the chances that ALL the sellers on eBay have had that happen are slim but it does happen with the occasional seller, it also happens that the occasional seller will sell pins for less than what they should so they can get more watchers If we hadn't traded them all away I would have listed them on eBay to make some extra money. And I would have listed them for cheap. Of course once they are gone they are gone, but a lot of the buyers I've used on eBay aren't selling anymore.....the pins they had are gone now because it was their collection. I bought from one guy who was selling pins to fund his daughters trip somewhere, he was selling them $2 a pin plus $1 for shipping, as far as I could tell they were 100% legit. You know,

I feel like I keep repeating the same things over and over to different people. Honestly, it makes me want to stop coming here to post anything.....we are just trying to help/educate new traders, even experienced traders, that's all.....so why jump all over me lately?

I don't know that the CMs at DL/DCA are smarter, but there are quite a few who are pin traders/collectors, we know them by name and they will set aside a pin they think is a scrapper.

 

[ZenMouse]

Before I knew better (last week), I bought a lot of 50 pins from nannub. I knew nothing of scrappers until I posted in another section of this board and was directed here but by then it was too late as I had already purchased the pins.

They arrived today and honestly they look great. I have looked them up on pinpics and only a couple of them are listed as having known scrappers but if the description says the difference between the legits and the scrappers, these seem to be legit (for instance having sandy back instead of smooth).

Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase and will give them to my son to trade when we're in disneyland a few days from now.

Now that I know about the problem will I buy big lots of pins from ebay again? nope because I understand that nannub is trading scrappers to get the clp and that's not a good thing.

Many say that if you can't afford to buy real pins to trade, that you should not trade. At this point isn't it beyond that though? We can afford to purchase regularly priced pins, however after spending hours reading through this thread and other pin forums and sites, it seems that this is an epidemic problem where the chance is very high that if my son trades with a cast member, he will end up with a scrapper and to top it off, you can't tell the difference most of the time so there's really no way to keep it from happening. Am I going to go and spend $7 on a pin so that we can end up with a $1 pin and someone else takes the good pin and sells it on ebay for a profit? Sorry...no.

If I could do it over, I would check the character warehouse the day before we go to disneyland and use those pins for trading, but what if they don't have any because they were all bought out by ebay sellers?

The two choices seem to be that either we do not participate in trading or that we waste our money buying good pins to get crap in return. Neither of those choices seem very attractive to me.

 

[thelionqueen]

Please do not tell us that the "newbies" think that the great Ebay sellers are actually selling them their "lots" of great pins for $1.67 plus stuffing their pins individually into those tiny plastic bags....first off I too once a long, long time ago actually bought from these Ebay professional sellers..and I broke open every one of those cheap bags to get the pins out...you must have the patience of a saint to manage to keep those bags to reuse.
Listen, I do not believe we are trying to start trouble but the people who are responding similar to myself know what is really going on with the counterfeit pins. I have seen the Ebay sellers at the parks handing out their Chinese pins with their whole family and kids in tow in order to have legitimate lots to sell on Ebay. I have seen these so called traders at DTD and Epcot leading the newbie pin traders into the stores to buy them pins to sell on Ebay...case in point our friends nannub and kittykat2bad on Ebay. I have seen lines at DTD when LE pins are brought out and almost everyone in front of me are these trader sharks who actually are making their entire living selling on Ebay.
It is a great hobby for most people, but please, please do not think the pins you guys are buying on Ebay for $1.67 each were purchased by a little old soffense to. Especially when it is presented in a way that is "new news" but what we've been educating others to for years.

This post literally leaves me amazed. Seriously, please take time to read posts before accusing others of ignorance in regards to this issue.

I simply cannot, yet again, post a reply to something that was posted without thought or input.

Kudos to you pixie..you inspire me with your patience!

 

[asianway]

The only thing I can say is...seriously??
Honestly, you should really take the time to read posts before posting comments that are completely without merit.

I am not going to repeat YET AGAIN a response that has been repeated over and over and over in this thread to someone who hasn't bothered to read and/or educate themselves on this subject, or the purpose of this thread and it's posters.

Kudos to you Pixie, you inspire me with your patience

Ive read every post, and Tampa Mousketeer's comment is 100% true. It seems that what is at issue is whether one can purchase laundered pins with a clear conscience. Any seller that uses a stock photo for random lots of traders where the seller has a seemingly inexhausible supply, are either scrappers or were obtained through trading of scrappers.

But I am not saying no ebay sellers are to be trusted. Far from it, Ive purchased thousands of pins on ebay, and never received a scrapper.

Heres an auction Ive been watching: 370286346470. Totally legit pins and you can tell it was someone who actually bought most of them, they have original cards, nice mix of LE, CM, and open stock. Inclusion of their pin bag adds credibility. I would bid on this with confidence I was not undermining the hobby. BUT, we are already over $2 a pin.

Ill be real nice and post this one, great lot of legit pins, someone just selling their collection, and low price for a lot of decent stuff. Check out 110456521998

Heres another lot 250529636244 that is legit, but screams stolen goods. No feedback, totally random, no scrapper pins on original cards, all current editions. I would avoid on moral principles.

Nothing can substitute for personally knowing the folks selling you the pins, most of the people who visit the Dizpins boards are on the up and up, and many will give fellow collectors a deal if they decide to give up a portion of their collection or trader pins.