Need Pin Help

[KreativeKandy]

Hi -

We are making our 3rd trip to Disney in a few months. I bought some pins online. A lot of pins, all for trading. I bought them from a website I have seen on here before, not any kind of auction site. Anyhow, before ordering I asked the guy a lot of questions. He assured me time and time again that they were not scrappers and that all of them were Disney authentic pins and he gets them cheap because he has connections at both parks.

I received my pins and just at first glance I would think that about 1/3 of them are fakes. They either have small areas where there is no color (I see the silver), the color may be smeared into another color, on one pin the eyes are obviously missing, there are wobbly pin backs (the poke part), the coloring seems off (too bright or perhaps really dull), eyes are red or solid black instead of matching what I have seen online, etc. What is weird is that the backs of the pins all look authentic with the correct stamping and such. I thought the back was how we could tell they are scrappers?

Anyhow, Several questions.

• Is there a REPUTABLE site that I can purchase pins on for my kids to trade without paying an arm and leg? I don't want to purchase a bunch a $7 pins and trade them for cheaper pins from booster packs.
• How can I tell before buying if the pins are real?
• If the pins are real, how can these people sell them for so cheap?

 

[figment_jii]

What is weird is that the backs of the pins all look authentic with the correct stamping and such. I thought the back was how we could tell they are scrappers?

Unfortunately, it's not always easy/sure fire to tell what pin designs are fake/scrappers/counterfeits unless you know a lot about pins and what designs have been released. Sometimes you'll be able to tell a scrapper/counterfeit because the colors are weird/off or the back stamp (the copy right) is wrong/missing/damaged. Others say you can tell because they feel "rough" or the edges are sharp/pronounced. Sadly, there is no sure fire way to tell a scrapper/counterfeit/fake.

Is there a REPUTABLE site that I can purchase pins on for my kids to trade without paying an arm and leg? I don't want to purchase a bunch a $7 pins and trade them for cheaper pins from booster packs.

You're going to have to define what is your upper limit you want to spend per pin. I've seen a good number of listings for booster sets that come out to about $2 per pin. Any pins that are sold loose always have the potential to be fakes/scrappers/counterfeits.

How can I tell before buying if the pins are real?

Unless you can inspect the pins prior to purchasing them, there is really no way to know for sure that you're getting legitimate pins. My best advice is to stick to pins that are being sold new, with the backing, and still in the packaging.

If the pins are real, how can these people sell them for so cheap?

Well...that's largely the problem. The cheaper the pin, the more likely you're buying scrappers/counterfeits/fakes. The one way I can see the sellers getting cheap pins sets is that they are buying them from places like the outlet warehouses with a cast member discount. The items at the Character Outlets tend to be pretty deeply discounted and then if you add on the CM discount, it can get pretty cheap.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Hi -

We are making our 3rd trip to Disney in a few months. I bought some pins online. A lot of pins, all for trading. I bought them from a website I have seen on here before, not any kind of auction site. Anyhow, before ordering I asked the guy a lot of questions. He assured me time and time again that they were not scrappers and that all of them were Disney authentic pins and he gets them cheap because he has connections at both parks.

I received my pins and just at first glance I would think that about 1/3 of them are fakes. They either have small areas where there is no color (I see the silver), the color may be smeared into another color, on one pin the eyes are obviously missing, there are wobbly pin backs (the poke part), the coloring seems off (too bright or perhaps really dull), eyes are red or solid black instead of matching what I have seen online, etc. What is weird is that the backs of the pins all look authentic with the correct stamping and such. I thought the back was how we could tell they are scrappers?

Anyhow, Several questions.

• Is there a REPUTABLE site that I can purchase pins on for my kids to trade without paying an arm and leg? I don't want to purchase a bunch a $7 pins and trade them for cheaper pins from booster packs.
• How can I tell before buying if the pins are real?
• If the pins are real, how can these people sell them for so cheap?

I am curious who you purchased from? Figuring out scrappers is often tricky unless it has the kind of flaws you have described. As far as a good price for pins, there is a place in Orlando right outside of Disney called Theme Park Connection and the pins are nicely priced and they are authentic as far as I know. If they were not, Disney would have probably shut them down by now. I ordered from them once and these were not little Hidden Mickey or Cast Lanyard pins, but they were instead the bigger pins you see at the stores all over the parks.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

If you are on facebook, there is a group called disney pins 1.15 and up that you can buy pins from in groups - they guarantee they are scrapper free and I've ordered from them for years with no problems.
They are on Youtube as disney pins facebook - they have a lot of pin trading videos on youtube.

You could buy booster packs on ebay - I look for ones that have at least 6 pins per pack and usually they are cheaper than what you would find in the parks.

I don't buy lots on ebay - most of those seem to be full of scrapper pins as you found.

Good luck finding pins to trade!

 

[Raenstoirm]

I post this pic whenever this topic comes up. This is not great pic, but as you can see there are 2 blue and 2 purple. In real life the pins are the same quality (no color distortions, the font is raised the same height, no jagged edges, etc.) I traded for every one of them from a cast member. Which are the scrappers? I don't know so I keep all of them. What you describe seems like blatant scrappers, but most scrappers are "real" just not authentic and you can't tell the difference unless you know what you are looking for.
There are a few trusted sellers on eBay. There is a thread on here somewhere that names them. Pins have no actual value though, so as long as the pin you trade for looks authentic, it doesn't really matter if it is. All of my pennant pins might be scrappers, but the fun of it was hunting them down (this was before the pennants filled every lanyard) and the memory from that particular trip. No one is ever going to give me money for my pin collection.

 

[figment_jii]

I post this pic whenever this topic comes up. This is not great pic, but as you can see there are 2 blue and 2 purple. In real life the pins are the same quality (no color distortions, the font is raised the same height, no jagged edges, etc.)

Based on the coloring, I would guess that the darker purple and darker blue are the legitimate pins. The master list published by Disney for that year's Hidden Mickey pins seem to show colors that are closer to the darker ones.
http://www.disneyparksmerchandise.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/WDW_2010_HiddenMickeyPins.pdf

I traded for every one of them from a cast member. Which are the scrappers?

This is the crux of the issue...unless you go there right when a new Hidden Mickey set is being released or you purchased the completer pins yourself, there is really no way to know for sure you aren't getting scrappers or counterfeit pin.

This is what I often post when folks are looking to getting into trading regarding scrappers, counterfeits, and fakes.
Scrappers, Counterfeits, and Fakes: The second issue is scrappers, counterfeits, and fakes. For some folks this matters, for others it does not. You'll need to decide which camp you are in before you get heavily into pin trading. To the average pin trader, I don't think the difference between a scraper, fake, or counterfeit really matters (because none of these are legitimate pins), but there are slight differences.

Basically a scrapper is a pin that looks legitimate, but is not. It can be a factory overrun (i.e., the factory was contracted to make 1 million, but they made 2.0 million instead) or a pin that has some kind of error that should have been "scrapped". A counterfeit pin is a copy of legitimate pin made by someone that was not authorized by Disney. A fake is a pin design that was never authorized by Disney.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to tell what pin designs are fake unless you know a lot about pins and what designs have been released. These pins can often look like legitimate designs and may contain all of the markings (e.g., copy right) to look legitimate, but they are not. You'll often be able to tell a scrapper/counterfeit because the colors are weird/off or the back stamp (the copy right) is wrong/missing/damaged. Others say you can tell because they feel "rough" or the edges are sharp/pronounced. Sadly, there is no sure fire way to tell a scrapper/counterfeit.

It's worth noting that if you do end up trading with CM, the CM lanyards tend to be filled with scrappers, counterfeits, and (to a lesser extent) fakes. So if you really dislike scrappers/counterfeits, I would avoid trading with CMs.

That's the crux of the argument: those that dislike scrappers/counterfeits feel they cheapen the trading and make it not worthwhile. Those that don't care, tend to say that they like the pin, so it doesn't really matter if it's a scrapper/counterfeit or not (they also say that if you can't tell, does it really matter?). Both points are valid.

 

[kittyab]

I found this on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Offici...im_misc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=01G2H8RYD2N1TH15MWNV

you can have it shipped to your resort. There are other lots of trading pins too, plus lanyards.

 

[ljca79]

I found this on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Offici...im_misc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=01G2H8RYD2N1TH15MWNV

you can have it shipped to your resort. There are other lots of trading pins too, plus lanyards.

The reviews here are terrible.

 

[kittyab]

There are other sellers on Amazon.

But I read the reviews, some people thought they were getting the expensive pins you buy to keep. These are TRADING PINS. Most of the reviews are good.

I would use them instead of spending a fortune on trading pins so my dd can have fun trading pins with CMs.

 

[tweak89]

I'm on the "I just enjoy trading for new, interesting pins". I'm not a collector and the only value I place on them is sentimental. I ordered a lot from e-bay for our last trip a few years ago, we had no issues trading and it was a fun diversion for us.

I think the one major factor that drives the "scrapper/fake" trade is the, IMO, relatively high cost of official pins. While I have picked up specific official pins (which we turn into magnets for our fridge) I would be hesitant to grab 25 pins at "official" prices only to trade them away. But, that's just me.

 

[sharonabe]

Disneystore.com has several different mini pin sets for $30. That is what we usually get if we want to pin trade. We know they are legit, because they come from Disney. With seven in the set, it's a little over $4/pin. Here's a link to one of them:

http://www.disneystore.com/mickey-mouse-mini-pin-set-nerds/mp/1320236/1000286/

We bought our boys the mini Disney princess set because we knew they would trade every one of them just to get rid of the princesses.

 

[kittyab]

No, I wouldn't want the 25 pack. There are other lots. I just did a quick search.

 

[figment_jii]

But I read the reviews, some people thought they were getting the expensive pins you buy to keep. These are TRADING PINS. Most of the reviews are good.

I suppose it's a little bit of buyer beware...just by looking at the photo on their item listing on Amazon, I can see several scrapper/counterfeits because the colors are wrong. The most obvious is the Figment horns...it should not have a bright pink background. So, if their photo includes scrappers/counterfeits, if you purchase from them, it means you should expect to get scrappers/counterfeits. And sadly, at that price, it's likely that all of the pins they're selling are scrappers/counterfeits. So in that way, almost charging $1 per pin is over-priced because they're not dealing in legitimate merchandise.

 

[kittyab]

What happened to Character Wearhouse? I just tried their link - not working.

 

[steve04386]

I'm curious to know how you turned the pins into magnets? That sounds like a great idea!

 

[figment_jii]

I'm curious to know how you turned the pins into magnets? That sounds like a great idea!

They sell plain magnet at craft stores. I've just cut off the pin backing, filed it down if needed, and then glued the magnet to the pin.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Most of what you'll get from CMs in the parks are probably scrappers. Does your child care? Probably not. Do you care? Yes, if you spent $4 or $6 or $10 for a pin to trade away and got a 50 cent one in return.

So, yes, I'm one of those awful, rotten, terrible, selfish, ignorant--and any other names you can think of--people who does buy the eBay lots for trading! If my kids are just going to trade them away and I know that's what we're going to get in return, it just makes sense.

And 99% of people couldn't tell the difference, even many who claim they can. My guys are more about collecting pins they like, not about investing. They get so excited when they see another one that they've been looking for--they don't care if it's totally authentic or not.

Yes, we do buy some "real" pins in the stores while on our trips. But those are special ones that are for them to keep, not trade away.

 

[ktlm]

My 8 year old can a lot of times tell the difference between a scrapper/fake and a real pin. I think it is one of those things that when you first start trading, you do not really know the difference or what you are looking for, but the more you trade, it is easier to tell. Also, there is a wide range of scrapper/fakes. Some are awful quality, and some are really good fakes. Sometimes, you can't tell unless you have the real one in your hand next to the fake- and then it may be obvious- we've had that happen before when we get one that we already had.

The problem is, when you trade, there are some you can see are fake while on the CM's lanyard- others you can't tell until you have traded and have it in your hand. I have seen DD spot a pin on a CM's lanyard and go up to trade for it and then realize upon seeing it closer that it is a fake and politely tell the CM "No thank you" in regard to trading. I have also seen her trade a pin and then get disappointed when we walk away and she takes a close look at or gets the feel of it and can tell it is a scrapper/ fake. She is not happy if she trades a real one and gets a fake in return. I will admit that when we have received a fake from the CMs, we have on occasion traded it back. We probably should just get rid of it, but since we got it from a CM in the park I'm not as inclined not to give it back. There are a few she has gotten that she knows are scrapper/fakes, but they are pretty good fakes and she really likes them so she does not care.

If you keep a close eye on Ebay and Amazon, you can get real ones for between $1.50 and $2.00 a pin. You can also find the booster pin sets which have 6 or 7 pins that they sell at WDW for around $30 for significantly cheaper than that. I have also bought from Disney Pins $1.15 and up which a PP mentioned. She sells pin lots for $1.75 a pin and all the ones I have gotten from her are absolutely real. On Ebay and Amazon watch out for the word "tradable". A lot of sellers of scrappers and fakes like to point out that their pins are 100% tradable.

 

[kittyab]

Most of what you'll get from CMs in the parks are probably scrappers. Does your child care? Probably not. Do you care? Yes, if you spent $4 or $6 or $10 for a pin to trade away and got a 50 cent one in return.

So, yes, I'm one of those awful, rotten, terrible, selfish, ignorant--and any other names you can think of--people who does buy the eBay lots for trading! If my kids are just going to trade them away and I know that's what we're going to get in return, it just makes sense.

And 99% of people couldn't tell the difference, even many who claim they can. My guys are more about collecting pins they like, not about investing. They get so excited when they see another one that they've been looking for--they don't care if it's totally authentic or not.

Yes, we do buy some "real" pins in the stores while on our trips. But those are special ones that are for them to keep, not trade away.

I will be on that train too for buying cheap lots for my kid to trade pins. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[tweak89]

I'm curious to know how you turned the pins into magnets? That sounds like a great idea!

Cheap blank magnet sheets + 3M double stick tape= fridge magnets! We tend to only pick up magnets as souvenirs so this works well for many places aside from Disney Parks that don't have magnets or magnet designs we like. Almost every major them park has pins though.