Good/Bad Internet and eBay Pin Sellers

[maciec]

I'm sorry. New here....So you bought from one of the recommended sellers or 'green' sellers from this board?

I am very wary of this board, I feel like it's sort of like the fox guarding the hen house. I have to wonder if the people behind this site are the very ones selling scrappers and trying to hurt the legitimate sellers with bad recommendations, and promote the crooks with 'green' ratings....

That's terrible!

No I did not buy from one of the any color buyers on this thread. I am experienced enough on how to investigate a seller to do it on my own. However, I did look to see if my seller was on any of the lists and they were not.

I see that you are new to the DIS. What you will find here are a lot of stand up caring people here. Honestly, you are the one that is suspect here and no one is going to fall for your posts because you are so new. There are no ulterior motives behind this thread or these boards. If you don't like it what you see, then move a long.

 

[Anjelica]

I see that you are new to the DIS. What you will find here are a lot of stand up caring people here. Honestly, you are the one that is suspect here and no one is going to fall for your posts because you are so new. There are no ulterior motives behind this thread or these boards. If you don't like it what you see, then move a long.

I tend to agree with you as well.

 

[FigmentChick]

Just to let you guys know, I reported this person.

 

[debranator]

Just to let you guys know, I reported this person.

Thank you..
but, the mods must be sleeping..
I troll reported with the first post..and 4 more times.
edit..they must not like me either...
it worked when you did it..lol

 

[maciec]

Whew, for a second there, I thought you were talking about me!

 

[debranator]

Whew, for a second there, I thought you were talking about me!

LOL!
No.not today at least.....
the troll has been removed.

 

[maciec]

Fantastic! That person had a lot of nerve coming on here and bashing us right off the bat.

 

[PurpleEars]

I am wondering if anyone here can help me with this. I bought a lot of 35 pins from ebay with the seller claiming them as authentic. Since the original posting included a picture of the pins (below), I didn't think it would be a problem!

The pins have arrived and 3 of them were missing (which is a problem but not as big as the other problem), so I took a picture of the lot:

Upon inspection, I was dismayed to notice the mismatch between the location and the castle on these two pins (also the font type was incorrect):

The back of the pins:

So I looked a little bit further, and just pulled out a few pins with the Mickey waffle back. Lo and behold, they have a border around the waffle back!
Front:

Back:

Another pair, front:

Back (notice the Mickey head imprint on the right pin is very very faint):

So I contacted the seller and the seller replied that I need to return the pins at my cost. However, since international shipping is involved, it would be cost prohibitive to ship them back. I decided to file a claim with PayPal and chuck the pins once this is resolved. PayPal got back to me with the following request:

Obtain a document from an unbiased third-party, such as a dealer,
appraiser, or an organization that is qualified in the area of the item in
question (other than you). This document should contain the following:
• Detailed description as to why the item is not authentic (i.e., how the
item differs from an authentic item, how the person evaluating the item
determined that it is not authentic, etc.).
• If possible, the document should include a serial number and must be on
letterhead that includes the name, address, and phone number of the
authenticating party so that we can contact them directly, if necessary.

So, I am wondering if any one of the knowledgeable traders can help me with this (unless, of course, you think they are legit and I am totally off base here). I am sick and tired of falling for bad pins on ebay and I don't want these pins to end up in circulation. I do appreciate the list being kept as I managed to get some good pins from one of the sellers on the list later.

Please feel free to offer your suggestions or comments. You may PM me if you wish.

Thanks!

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

PurpleEars to help you, perhaps someone on www.pintalk.com could help you or direct you who to contact regarding authentication. You will have to join the forum. It is linked with pinpics.com. Here is another link, I use to see if a scrapper pin exists http://www.dizpins.com/pinventory/scrappers.htm. When buying off of ebay, I check feedback as a buyer, too. It is not 100%, I've read sellers will buy lots of scrappers under one name and then resell them under a different name. Sometimes sellers don't go to that much trouble. So, check to see if a seller has purchased large lots of pins. To me this is a warning sign that they are reselling scrap pins. Also, if the location is Hong Kong, China stay away. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me. If you want my opinion on a seller you can ask me, too. I am not an expert, but I am on ebay almost daily.

 

[debranator]

I am wondering if anyone here can help me with this. I bought a lot of 35 pins from ebay with the seller claiming them as authentic. Since the original posting included a picture of the pins (below), I didn't think it would be a problem!

First of all..it probably will not be worth your time and effort to pursue this.
reason 1
...you will have to pay int. return shipping..
2. you will have to get your pin to an authenticator.
now, by reading it...
any high ranking power seller on ebay with a legal business should be able to do this for you..
but, will it be worth it?
3.although,
seeing these most likely are scrappers...
just by the fact that they are common in all the scrapper lots...
a strange thing has been happening at Disney world in the past few months...
I have bought packages of the vinylmation pins..
directly from Disney..
opened them while still in the park...
and...most of the pins..
now have the outline.
The same outline that used to mark a vinyl pin as a scrapper.
now, the only real way to tell...
is the weight of it..
as they are still light.
4.the best thing that you can do...
is to leave a negative feedback for the seller..
to help others....
and make sure...
when you get the chance to leave the DSR rating..[those stars]..leave em a 1 in all categories...
a bunch of those..and they are out of business...
but, even 1..will cost em in the pocket.

 

[PurpleEars]

PurpleEars to help you, perhaps someone on www.pintalk.com could help you or direct you who to contact regarding authentication. You will have to join the forum. It is linked with pinpics.com. Here is another link, I use to see if a scrapper pin exists http://www.dizpins.com/pinventory/scrappers.htm. When buying off of ebay, I check feedback as a buyer, too. It is not 100%, I've read sellers will buy lots of scrappers under one name and then resell them under a different name. Sometimes sellers don't go to that much trouble. So, check to see if a seller has purchased large lots of pins. To me this is a warning sign that they are reselling scrap pins. Also, if the location is Hong Kong, China stay away. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me. If you want my opinion on a seller you can ask me, too. I am not an expert, but I am on ebay almost daily.

First of all..it probably will not be worth your time and effort to pursue this.
reason 1
...you will have to pay int. return shipping..
2. you will have to get your pin to an authenticator.
now, by reading it...
any high ranking power seller on ebay with a legal business should be able to do this for you..
but, will it be worth it?
3.although,
seeing these most likely are scrappers...
just by the fact that they are common in all the scrapper lots...
a strange thing has been happening at Disney world in the past few months...
I have bought packages of the vinylmation pins..
directly from Disney..
opened them while still in the park...
and...most of the pins..
now have the outline.
The same outline that used to mark a vinyl pin as a scrapper.
now, the only real way to tell...
is the weight of it..
as they are still light.
4.the best thing that you can do...
is to leave a negative feedback for the seller..
to help others....
and make sure...
when you get the chance to leave the DSR rating..[those stars]..leave em a 1 in all categories...
a bunch of those..and they are out of business...
but, even 1..will cost em in the pocket.

Thank you to both of you for your quick responses to my question. I think it may be a case where I need to eat up the cost and call it a lesson (given the complexities involved). I suspected it would have too much cost and effort to provide proof to Paypal. Just wondering off hand, I wonder if I can do a charge back to my credit card (as the Paypal transaction was originally done on a credit card). I just hate begin taken, but I guess that's why this thread exists!

 

[debranator]

Thank you to both of you for your quick responses to my question. I think it may be a case where I need to eat up the cost and call it a lesson (given the complexities involved). I suspected it would have too much cost and effort to provide proof to Paypal. Just wondering off hand, I wonder if I can do a charge back to my credit card (as the Paypal transaction was originally done on a credit card). I just hate begin taken, but I guess that's why this thread exists!

YES, you CAN do a charge back...
and fight paypal tooth and nail..
but, remember once again..
is it worth it?
I am assuming that the pins cost you next to nothing...
so, it is worth a prolonged battle?
If it is...
do it.
But,I try not to play around with paypal..
as they can get nasty..suspend your account..ect.
I am not saying that they will...
but, they have.

 

[kritter]

I used to purchase pins from fummas but read that she had some bad pins.......

Can someone please recommend a good seller for me to purchase from for my upcoming trip??

 

[GrandMum]

I bought several small lots of pins a few yers ago to trade at the parks. I thought my grandchildren would be interested but that was not what happened. I also have pins that my Mother brought at Disneyland probably in late 1990's and some I was able to get that are still in plastic.

I don't know how to tell scrappers - I've read what people post and don't understand. Can someone give me some suggestions on how to tell if they are scrappers. I would like to sell them but want to be honest about what I have.

I don't feel comfortable selling on Ebay but would like to dispose of some of these pins. Are there other places to sell them?

Thanks

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

Can someone else check out troy24? What's your opinion? Thanks.

 

[PurpleEars]

YES, you CAN do a charge back...
and fight paypal tooth and nail..
but, remember once again..
is it worth it?
I am assuming that the pins cost you next to nothing...
so, it is worth a prolonged battle?
If it is...
do it.
But,I try not to play around with paypal..
as they can get nasty..suspend your account..ect.
I am not saying that they will...
but, they have.

I was just annoyed about being taken by this particular seller when I thought about the charge back thing. I guess this would be a case of "live and learn." Oh well, at least I have some trinkets that would look awfully nice in the trash!

 

[kritter]

Can someone give the name of someone reliable to purchase pins from? I just tried to contact the person who I usually purchase from and they are not selling anymore!!

 

[danimaroo]

For what it's worth, I purchased a lot of 25 pins off of eBay, prior to doing my research about scrappers. After a few exchanges with the seller (who has already been blacklisted on here), I waited for the pins to come in... and sure enough, majority of them are scrappers. Some of them are questionable, though seem okay. Anyway, I was unhappy so I told the seller I wanted a refund and also wanted them to stop selling them on eBay. After a spat back and forth, where the seller insisted I was just looking for trouble (even though these were clearly scrappers/they had some feedback in the past from others having issues), the seller actually blocked me from sending them a message. At this point, I escalated it to the resolution center, which the seller then finally decided to talk to me through. After another response from me, the seller escalated the case, and not even one minute later I got a response from eBay saying they were giving me a courtesy refund, and that they had "ruled in my favor."

It looks like I received a refund directly from the seller (vs. eBay), but am not required to return the pins. I've definitely learned my lesson, but also would suggest to others to fight back. AT LEAST get your money back and try to get these pins off of eBay.

I've been looking around for smaller lots from trusted sellers and have found a few. Sure it's a few bucks, but you can find good LEGIT pins from good sellers out there!

 

[MeganAnne]

Before I found this thread, I purchased four, five pin lots from gomf03. There are a number of pins in the lot that I believe to be scrappers; some have rough edges, dimpling, "bordered" waffling, etc.

I am waiting to hear back from them about my complaint. Just a heads up.

 

[danimaroo]

Just an update here on a good seller. After purchasing a lot of scrappers from one person (and getting a refund, thank God!), I was a bit more careful of what I looked for on eBay. I found AngieJuly, who had pins reasonably priced, and they were in their original packaging. After seeing someone mention they had a good experience with her here, I ended up winning 4 separate auctions from her. Just wanted to say that I received all of the pins very quickly and they are EXCELLENT. No fakes at all, clearly authentic pins, and I got an excellent deal on everything, spending around $1.90 per pin.

I was planning on using all the pins for trading on our January trip, but I really love some of the pins I ended up getting (oh and all the pins in the photos she takes are the actual pins you are getting), so it'll be hard to figure out which ones I'm going to trade away!

I'm now definitely knowledgeable about scrappers, so when I do trade I will be careful in making sure the pin is authentic.