Good/Bad Internet and eBay Pin Sellers

[princess sparkle p]

Does anyone have any experience with zoom_time ?

 

[pixiewings71]

I would not buy from Mikeandnancy1020, I ordered pins from them in mid september and still not have received them and am getting the run around from Mike on getting the pins or a credit to my account.

I find it interesting that you say this, I purchased from them about 2 weeks ago and have heard nothing from them....the auction did say shipments can take up to 2 weeks (which is unheard of really, but I didn't notice that until I won) so I was planning on following up this week. Did you pay via credit card? If so I would dispute the charge with paypal and if paypal doesn't resolve the issue file with your cc company.

 

[Broncobilly83]

I am looking at an auction from seller: TradePinsForYou "Official Disney Pin Trading Lot of 100 w/ Hidden Mickey". Am I looking at scrappers, or legit pins? Is this a trustworthy seller, as I looked him up on the thread and no one seems to have a comment about him?

 

[pixiewings71]

I am going to WDW in a few weeks and want to order pins for my 3 boys to trade. I am not looking to be a collector, just want them to be able to have a little extra adventure while we are at the parks. I found Disneypinqueen on ebay and the price is around 1.10 a pin in a grab bag format. My big question is, if the pin is a scrapper or not real, what does a CM do? I don't want to spend a lot more money than what I have found on ebay but I also don't want to be told that we can't trade.

The CMs will take your trade, most won't even know they are scrappers and they will put the scrapper on their lanyard and trade it to someone else. Even if they are educated about scrappers they will still take your trade and then pocket your pin. These have been experiences at DLR/DCA. They will absolutely NOT tell you you can't trade, even if you have Sedesma pins they will trade, I have about 5 Sedesmas in my collection that came from CM's....

I am looking at an auction from seller: TradePinsForYou "Official Disney Pin Trading Lot of 100 w/ Hidden Mickey". Am I looking at scrappers, or legit pins? Is this a trustworthy seller, as I looked him up on the thread and no one seems to have a comment about him?

In general people selling large lots are seller scrappers. I know I looked at their page a few times and ultimately decided they were probably scrappers and did not buy from them. But, I can't say for sure of course because I have had no direct experience with them.

 

[Broncobilly83]

In general people selling large lots are seller scrappers. I know I looked at their page a few times and ultimately decided they were probably scrappers and did not buy from them. But, I can't say for sure of course because I have had no direct experience with them.

That gets to the point about my confusion. If someone is selling pins like that in bulk, and if they are scrappers, how do they have such great ratings, including here on the board as some of the ones in green on the OP show the same time of auctions?

 

[thelionqueen]

I am going to WDW in a few weeks and want to order pins for my 3 boys to trade. I am not looking to be a collector, just want them to be able to have a little extra adventure while we are at the parks. I found Disneypinqueen on ebay and the price is around 1.10 a pin in a grab bag format. My big question is, if the pin is a scrapper or not real, what does a CM do? I don't want to spend a lot more money than what I have found on ebay but I also don't want to be told that we can't trade.

Although CM's may (and probably will) accept pins they know are scrappers, that is not what the point of this thread is.

I know you are "new" at pin trading, and buying for 3 kids is NOT cheap! The reality is this..pin trading is NOT CHEAP..period! Disney sells the pins for $8-20 EACH.

The reason the CM's lanyards are completely LOADED with scrappers is because of people (many fully unknowing) buying scrappers from ebay for $1 or so per pin.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't become part of the group that buys them from ebay and trades them @ WDW! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't be one of those that thinks..."it's just for the kids to have fun," "we're not serious collectors," "we don't care if they're scrappers" so it doesn't matter. IT MATTERS!!! By buying scrappers on ebay and trading them at the parks, you are becoming part of the problem that is absolutely RAMPANT in regards to pin trading.

The reality is that pin trading IS NOT CHEAP!! The reality is that you can get GREAT information from this thread about REPUTABLE ebay sellers to keep your costs as low as possible.

Please look at the entire situation and the impact it can have on every other pin trader at the park BEFORE you make an uninformed and harmful decision, just to save money.

Believe me, I am NOT rich..not even close! But I LOVE pin trading..and I absolutely DETEST having the hobby I ADORE infiltrated with all this scrapped mess, and I DETEST even more having to examine every pin that I trade.

For those who have not pin traded for very long, there used to be a time..not long ago (2 years or so) where EVERY SINGLE PIN on a CM's lanyard was AUTHENTIC!! These were CURRENT, AUTHENTIC and GENUINE Disney pins! It was TRULY a treasure hunt, and it was a BLAST!!

Fast forward to today..nothing but crummy pins, mass produced in an overseas company with absolutely no quality whatsoever. Every trade takes several minutes to determine if it's "legit" This is not the way pin trading was intended at all!

I don't mean to badger anyone in particular, it is just that I am SO passionate about ending this problem, that when new traders ask for advice I tend to be more direct than maybe I should

Bottom line is..THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!! and...What would Walt think?
Rant over

 

[pixiewings71]

That gets to the point about my confusion. If someone is selling pins like that in bulk, and if they are scrappers, how do they have such great ratings, including here on the board as some of the ones in green on the OP show the same time of auctions?

The sellers listed in green on the OP are sellers that people like me have made purchases from and reported on. I'm sure that some of the sellers have scrappers but most of the sellers listed in green do not sell in large lots. Some will sell in lots of 10-25 but most sell individual pins and most sell for slightly higher prices. That said none of us on this thread are experts, we are self educated traders who try to make sure the pins they trade are legit, so it's very possible that even the listed green sellers are selling scrappers. It's also possible that they don't even know what scrappers are. I know one of the yellow sellers sent me a small lot of pins and almost all of them were bad, after letting him know why I wasn't happy with my purchase he had me return them and he refunded me but he didn't know anything about scrappers, he just assumed that every pin was good. Pin buying on eBay is a crap shoot, you never know what you're going to get......also I've ordered from some green sellers and received scrappers, retiredreadingspecialist is highly recommended on this thread, I purchased 20 or 25 pins from her and there were some scrappers in my order.

 

[Malouff]

(dbeuley) I find it interesting that you say this, I purchased from them (mikeandnancy1020) about 2 weeks ago and have heard nothing from them....the auction did say shipments can take up to 2 weeks (which is unheard of really, but I didn't notice that until I won) so I was planning on following up this week. Did you pay via credit card? If so I would dispute the charge with paypal and if paypal doesn't resolve the issue file with your cc company.

Did you follow up with them?

I had two pin orders also with them
First order for 22 pins and eBay says
Estimated delivery: October 14 - October 19, 2009
Second order is for 50 pins with
Estimated delivery: October 16 - October 21, 2009

I did notice this reply left for someone else on their feedback
Reply by mikeandnancy1020 (Oct-10-09 18:51):
TO ALL OUR BUYERS -TRAGIC DEATH IN FAMILY THIS MONTH - YOU WILL RECEIVE ITEMS

But all of their recent negative feedback has me concerned but I may wait for the estimate then call them or also file a paypal dispute.

 

[Anjelica]

Although CM's may (and probably will) accept pins they know are scrappers, that is not what the point of this thread is.

I know you are "new" at pin trading, and buying for 3 kids is NOT cheap! The reality is this..pin trading is NOT CHEAP..period! Disney sells the pins for $8-20 EACH.

The reason the CM's lanyards are completely LOADED with scrappers is because of people (many fully unknowing) buying scrappers from ebay for $1 or so per pin.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't become part of the group that buys them from ebay and trades them @ WDW! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't be one of those that thinks..."it's just for the kids to have fun," "we're not serious collectors," "we don't care if they're scrappers" so it doesn't matter. IT MATTERS!!! By buying scrappers on ebay and trading them at the parks, you are becoming part of the problem that is absolutely RAMPANT in regards to pin trading.

The reality is that pin trading IS NOT CHEAP!! The reality is that you can get GREAT information from this thread about REPUTABLE ebay sellers to keep your costs as low as possible.

Please look at the entire situation and the impact it can have on every other pin trader at the park BEFORE you make an uninformed and harmful decision, just to save money.

Believe me, I am NOT rich..not even close! But I LOVE pin trading..and I absolutely DETEST having the hobby I ADORE infiltrated with all this scrapped mess, and I DETEST even more having to examine every pin that I trade.

For those who have not pin traded for very long, there used to be a time..not long ago (2 years or so) where EVERY SINGLE PIN on a CM's lanyard was AUTHENTIC!! These were CURRENT, AUTHENTIC and GENUINE Disney pins! It was TRULY a treasure hunt, and it was a BLAST!!

Fast forward to today..nothing but crummy pins, mass produced in an overseas company with absolutely no quality whatsoever. Every trade takes several minutes to determine if it's "legit" This is not the way pin trading was intended at all!

I don't mean to badger anyone in particular, it is just that I am SO passionate about ending this problem, that when new traders ask for advice I tend to be more direct than maybe I should

Bottom line is..THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!! and...What would Walt think?
Rant over

Great write up!!!! I think you hit the nail on the head. Pin collecting/trading is NOT a cheap hobby. If you can't afford to buy legitimate pins - even on ebay hence the reason for the list at the beginning of the thread - then don't take up the hobby.

My daughter uses her own allowance to buy legitimate pins and there is nothing more frustrating for me, as a parent, to see a hobby that she works hard to save up to afford to do simply cheapened by scrappers. It's gotten to a point where I don't even know if our next trip we will allow her to trade.

 

[Anjelica]

What has everyone seen lately on the CM's lanyards - more scrappers than not?

My daughter didn't do a ton of trading at Christmas this past year but it seemed we had pretty good luck with getting real pins - especially when we did the cruise portion and traded with the Ship's Officer's/Crew Members - one even told us if we were sure we wanted to trade a pin my daughter had - it was a authenticate LE pin my husband bought from Disney last year on a sale. He actually bought several packs of this same LE group - one for my collection, one for my daughters and one to trade with. I wonder if the DCL CM's know better which ones are good vs. bad because maybe they spend more time with the pins?

We are going to DL in a little over a month and I'm not sure we want her to trade as the more I read about whats out on the CM's lanyard the more nervous I get about her doing so. Instead she just may end up buying keepers for her collection (I do that for mine instead of trading).

 

[pixiewings71]

Did you follow up with them?

I had two pin orders also with them
First order for 22 pins and eBay says
Estimated delivery: October 14 - October 19, 2009
Second order is for 50 pins with
Estimated delivery: October 16 - October 21, 2009

I did notice this reply left for someone else on their feedback
Reply by mikeandnancy1020 (Oct-10-09 18:51):
TO ALL OUR BUYERS -TRAGIC DEATH IN FAMILY THIS MONTH - YOU WILL RECEIVE ITEMS

But all of their recent negative feedback has me concerned but I may wait for the estimate then call them or also file a paypal dispute.

I did contact them and have heard nothing back yet. I gave them 3 weeks, I've decided I will contact them again and if I hear nothing by Tuesday (4 weeks) I'm contacting Paypal. IIRC you have 45 days to file with Paypal, I'm not waiting longer then 30 days because I've had claims denied after filing past the 45 day period. I understand a tragic death, but really, let your buyers know ASAP and they will understand.

What has everyone seen lately on the CM's lanyards - more scrappers than not?

My daughter didn't do a ton of trading at Christmas this past year but it seemed we had pretty good luck with getting real pins - especially when we did the cruise portion and traded with the Ship's Officer's/Crew Members - one even told us if we were sure we wanted to trade a pin my daughter had - it was a authenticate LE pin my husband bought from Disney last year on a sale. He actually bought several packs of this same LE group - one for my collection, one for my daughters and one to trade with. I wonder if the DCL CM's know better which ones are good vs. bad because maybe they spend more time with the pins?

We are going to DL in a little over a month and I'm not sure we want her to trade as the more I read about whats out on the CM's lanyard the more nervous I get about her doing so. Instead she just may end up buying keepers for her collection (I do that for mine instead of trading).

In our experience at DLR last weekend there were a few less scrappers.

 

[webprinter]

I have purchased from flame*o*chist a number of times and he has always had genuine pins, great communication and good items. Also, his shipping is very quick.

 

[kleckner]

My daughter made an ebay purchase from mikeandmancy1020....never receveid her pins....called frequently....always promised that they were in the mail....gave her a story about sick dogs and family members.....just checked their ebay feedback and they have 58 negtive feedback entries in ebay with 28 of them in the week of October 10-18,2009....daughter filed a paypal claim.....ebay feedback show numerous paypal claims against them......most complaints were that items were never delivered....please move them to red.....

 

[kleckner]

I have gone back and read some of the feedback.....and the issue of a tragic death in the family was interesting....because she told my daughter that they had dogs and that he pupies were coming down with parvo.....so we just must be careful......it is sad because I did have one ery good purchase from them...but tis last issue is very troubling....

 

[Broncobilly83]

You know, the lists provided here have been invaluable about who to buy from and who to possibly steer clear from to avoid scrappers, but I am also going one further by only buying from people in the Orlando/California areas since to me, that seems like they actually have access to overstocks, exclusives pins, etc.; compared to someone in Kansas or South Dakota selling hundreds of lots of pins.

 

[pixiewings71]

Thank You Kleckner, your update is appreciated. If paypal does not resolve the issue for me I will file with my CC company. I did contact them yet again, no reply as yet, they have until tomorrow before I file.

Broncobilly, that is a good rule to follow.

 

[thelionqueen]

What has everyone seen lately on the CM's lanyards - more scrappers than not?

My daughter didn't do a ton of trading at Christmas this past year but it seemed we had pretty good luck with getting real pins - especially when we did the cruise portion and traded with the Ship's Officer's/Crew Members - one even told us if we were sure we wanted to trade a pin my daughter had - it was a authenticate LE pin my husband bought from Disney last year on a sale. He actually bought several packs of this same LE group - one for my collection, one for my daughters and one to trade with. I wonder if the DCL CM's know better which ones are good vs. bad because maybe they spend more time with the pins?

We are going to DL in a little over a month and I'm not sure we want her to trade as the more I read about whats out on the CM's lanyard the more nervous I get about her doing so. Instead she just may end up buying keepers for her collection (I do that for mine instead of trading).

I noticed FAR FAR less scrappers @ DLR than at WDW! In fact, trading at DLR was teh best I've seen in a very long time. This was last May, so I don't know what's changed since. I must also add that our last trip to WDW (May this year) we saw much less scrappers than the previous visit. There were a HUGE amount of "cuties" and "starter set" pins, but not near as many scrappers. I think things are looking "up" and the Disney "brass" may finally be addressing the problem the only way they can at this point; having CM's pocket the scrappers and replace them with starter pins..

That's my take!

 

[Malouff]

I did contact them (mikeandnancy1020) yet again, no reply as yet, they have until tomorrow before I file.

I have tried calling a few times.
First time I got the guy and he said he was on the freeway and if I would call back at 9:00 EST in the Morning.

I called back at 9:00 EST and if I remember it just rang until I got the voice mail where I assume Nancy is the one on the recording.

I then called at 12:00 EST and this time a girl answered and said she was out of the house and if I could call back at 5:00 EST as she would be home then.

I did call back at 5:00 EST and it goes straight to voice mail so this means they have the cell phone turned off.

What I do find funny is that the only shipping number I got on Sep 22 that is 9101150134711852897418 seems to indicate they only printed a label.

Another funny thing is who is Mike?

eBay says that it is shipping from

Carlos Nieto
2997 Kokomo Loop
Haines City, FL 33844

I will try calling some more and if I do not get an acceptable reply by tomorrow I will be also be filling claims.

 

[pixiewings71]

I have tried calling a few times.
First time I got the guy and he said he was on the freeway and if I would call back at 9:00 EST in the Morning.

I called back at 9:00 EST and if I remember it just rang until I got the voice mail where I assume Nancy is the one on the recording.

I then called at 12:00 EST and this time a girl answered and said she was out of the house and if I could call back at 5:00 EST as she would be home then.

I did call back at 5:00 EST and it goes straight to voice mail so this means they have the cell phone turned off.

What I do find funny is that the only shipping number I got on Sep 22 that is 9101150134711852897418 seems to indicate they only printed a label.

Another funny thing is who is Mike?

eBay says that it is shipping from

Carlos Nieto
2997 Kokomo Loop
Haines City, FL 33844

I will try calling some more and if I do not get an acceptable reply by tomorrow I will be also be filling claims.

Interesting, certainly sounds like they are giving the run around. Please come back and let us know what happens, I will do the same.

 

[Malouff]

pixiewings71

I called back at 7:56 EST and the Girl answered and said she was getting in her car and going home and if I could call back after about 20 min.

I called back at 8:20 EST and it again went straight to voice mail. I called a few times in a row so they must have had the phone turned off.

I then called at 8:41 EST and got a very disturbing voice mail message. It was the Guy and it said that it was forwarding calls and that if this call is regarding pins from eBay to go ahead and leave negative feedback as they don't care and already got your money.

I was going to call back and record that message but my brother was on my Computer so could not call back right away.

I did call back at 6:53 EST and the voice mail message was changed back to the girl again.