so excited about disney pins from ebay!

[pixiewings71]

We traded pins for the first time on our last trip and my kids LOVED it! I bought two batches off of ebay. The first seller I could not find on the list of good/bad sellers - and the second I made sure was on the good list. The batch I got from the first seller I could not tell if they were scrappers or not - so I put them aside and we didn't take them. The second set were definitely ok so we took those to Disney to trade.

No matter what my kids had SO much fun trading pins and we have definitely started a tradition! We did buy the locking backs at Disney - they were a great to prevent my kids from trading the pins I really liked

Ashlander, if you would like to PM me the seller's name I will be happy to take a look and give you my initial impressions, further, if you'd like to email me a few photos from the first batch I'd be happy to take a look and give you my thoughts.

You can get locking backs at any of the Disney stores where pins are sold, which is pretty much every store! They are little metal cylinders that slide onto the pin stalk and you use a tiny Allen wrench to tighten the back onto the stalk. We use locking backs on all the pins on our lanyards that we don't want to trade, or that we consider 'keepers.'

Thanks for the info. I went on e-bay and purchased some that were in a disney package along with the allen wrench. I want to do exactly what you said put them on the pins we do not want to trade. I was glad to purchase them ahead of time.

I have some keepers on one of my main lanyards that I have attached with locking backs. They have worked great for me.

I think enough has been said about scrappers, but wanted to tell you instead of buying locking backs, we only keep a few pins on our lanyards and they are all traders. Once a pin is a keeper, it goes in the backpack (or whatever bag we are carrying that day) and is left in the hotel room for the rest of the vacation.

The majority of our keepers go into a pin book, however there are a few that I just love to display in the parks so those go on my lanyard with locking backs. I do have 1 lanyard that I keep full of traders.

 

[Anjelica]

Very Well written Pixie!
All I want to add is this..Disney Vacations and Pin Trading are not cheap..they are in fact, very expensive. If you're buying pins for a buck or less a piece in large lots, they are most likely (if not absolutely) scrappers.

I know the kids just enjoy the trade and LOVE to pin trade..I get it and completely understand it. But when your kids save their allowance for a year to buy Authentic pins and trade them with CM's for Authentic pins, THAT is the experience Pin Trading was created for. NOT to buy cheap pieces of tin and circulate them with every other pin trader that comes in contact with that pin.

So...with that said...everyone is entitled to do what they think is best for them and their situation. I believe the financial aspect really does influence those who want to do the right thing, but simply can't afford to.

I personally teach my kids the difference between right and wrong..and they know scrappers on sight (many many many years of pin trading and education) and it ruins the experience for them. So..while you may be perfectly ok trading scrappers and your kids enjoy the experience...think of the CM or the people like me who DO know scrappers..and then have the experience diminished when that pin gets traded. Just my .02

Well said. I don't understand the thought that people have that pin trading is a "right" children should have.

Disney pins are generally not a cheap hobby to pick up and I don't advise folks to do so unless they know that the expenses can be large when buying authentic pins.

 

[Jaime4004]

We received our eBay pin lots of 25 for each kid today, and now my kids cannot wait to go and trade! They already traded with each other! Disney magic!

We did that a few yrs ago and the kids absolutely loved it. Even my normally very shy 2 yr old would go up to CMs to trade. It was a great time!!

 

[nunzia]

Well said. I don't understand the thought that people have that pin trading is a "right" children should have.

Disney pins are generally not a cheap hobby to pick up and I don't advise folks to do so unless they know that the expenses can be large when buying authentic pins.

well, because Disney encourages it as a way to interact with CMs and add to the child's fun time at Disney. They are also well aware of the fakes and could certainly stop it from happening if they cared. That said, I know I've probably gotten scrappers and I know we've also purchased from Disney plenty of pins the kids just really wanted..some they kept and some they traded for, maybe, other scrappers. I don't know what Disney does with the CMs to pull these or if they keep circulating. IMO, if you are trading with CMs it is for fun and that is the value..the experience. If you want to trade as collectors then you trade with other collectors. The pins I buy from Disney I keep on cards and at my house.

 

[ZehnJahren]

well, because Disney encourages it as a way to interact with CMs and add to the child's fun time at Disney. They are also well aware of the fakes and could certainly stop it from happening if they cared. That said, I know I've probably gotten scrappers and I know we've also purchased from Disney plenty of pins the kids just really wanted..some they kept and some they traded for, maybe, other scrappers. I don't know what Disney does with the CMs to pull these or if they keep circulating. IMO, if you are trading with CMs it is for fun and that is the value..the experience. If you want to trade as collectors then you trade with other collectors. The pins I buy from Disney I keep on cards and at my house.

Exactly what would you like Disney to do? Scrappers are not some "whoops" that happen and then are sold - criminals take the molds and make more pins out of them that are not authorized by Disney BUT are using Disney property, and then sell them at a discount with substandard workmanship and materials. Disney requires the molds be broken and tells the company making the pins to break them; criminals keep the molds, use them, and then sell them to people who don't mind funding criminals or who don't know any better. Further, this crime is taking place in another country; should Disney send a task force?

I don't mean to be snarky, truly; I'm kind of up in the air about pin trading. I have a couple that I like but I never intended to trade them; I put them on a lanyard that hangs in my home and that's all. But it does irk me a bit when people say "Disney could stop this crime if they wanted to." It is NEVER that easy. If it was, there wouldn't be criminals; no one's house would be broken into, no one's car would be stolen, no one's jewelry would be taken... It's not that easy to stop a crime, and when multiple people feel they're justified and benefiting comfortably from it, then you get the attitude that they deserve the fruits of that crime. "Disney is expensive; I deserve to get my pins at half price." Really? I spent just as much and don't think that I deserve half-price pins. I don't think I deserve half price tickets either; I'm just like everyone else.

Long story short: someone is stealing and then selling stolen goods to you when you knowingly buy scrappers. If someone stole a car and then sold it to you and you KNEW it was stolen, you'd be in trouble. If someone stole a PURSE and sold it to you and you knew it was stolen, you'd be in trouble. If someone stole a keychain and then sold it to you.... well, you get the idea.

Now if you're the type of person to say "well, the company who made that keychain is big and has plenty of money, and I want a cheap keychain dangit!!!" then enjoy the scrappers. I buy pins as souvenirs that I keep; I won't be getting stolen goods from trading, so it doesn't affect me in that way.

 

[pixiewings71]

well, because Disney encourages it as a way to interact with CMs and add to the child's fun time at Disney. They are also well aware of the fakes and could certainly stop it from happening if they cared. That said, I know I've probably gotten scrappers and I know we've also purchased from Disney plenty of pins the kids just really wanted..some they kept and some they traded for, maybe, other scrappers. I don't know what Disney does with the CMs to pull these or if they keep circulating. IMO, if you are trading with CMs it is for fun and that is the value..the experience. If you want to trade as collectors then you trade with other collectors. The pins I buy from Disney I keep on cards and at my house.

Actually they do.......both care and stop it. They've prosecuted people living IN CA who were selling scrappers, they've shut down eBay sellers (I know because they were scrapper sellers I was watching), they do stop it but there are so many scrapper sellers and so many steps it takes to prove they are selling fakes that it takes a while and then others take their place.
I trade with CM's AND traders, I want my experiences with both to be good so I do my darndest to NOT trade scrappers, I have in the past without knowing it but since finding out about them I try really hard not to. I'm sure I've done it unknowingly since finding out about them, it can be very hard to tell and I'm not an expert. Again, I try not to because I don't feel it's fair for those who spend hundreds on pins to trade and I really don't appreciate spending my hard earned money on good pins only to trade them away for fakes. Scrapper pins are as wrong as counterfeit Coach purses IMO.

 

[kimsuenew]

well, because Disney encourages it as a way to interact with CMs and add to the child's fun time at Disney. They are also well aware of the fakes and could certainly stop it from happening if they cared. That said, I know I've probably gotten scrappers and I know we've also purchased from Disney plenty of pins the kids just really wanted..some they kept and some they traded for, maybe, other scrappers. I don't know what Disney does with the CMs to pull these or if they keep circulating. IMO, if you are trading with CMs it is for fun and that is the value..the experience. If you want to trade as collectors then you trade with other collectors. The pins I buy from Disney I keep on cards and at my house.

Disney encourages trading their pins!

I probably have $500.00 plus in trading pins... bought either at WDW or Disney Online sales. We should not even have to worry our $5.00 or $10.00 pin is being traded for a scrapper... people should be honest. Knowingly buying or trading scrappers is not any different from stealing. Someone made $ from copying a copyrighted item. Trading is expensive. If someone cannot afford to do it legally and properly it should not be done!

 

[Pesky]

Disney pins are generally not a cheap hobby to pick up and I don't advise folks to do so unless they know that the expenses can be large when buying authentic pins.

Amen. I picked up a few for the kids to trade at the DLR trip and -- okay -- some for me too because I just really liked some. I figured I wanted to do the pin trading as an easy way to encourage my kids to approach CMs and readily identify them so they know who to go to in case they get lost. But for the good ones, even on eBay, it's not a cheap hobby. And got my seller from the thread in pixiewings's post and yep, he was a good seller!

 

[nunzia]

Exactly what would you like Disney to do? Scrappers are not some "whoops" that happen and then are sold - criminals take the molds and make more pins out of them that are not authorized by Disney BUT are using Disney property, and then sell them at a discount with substandard workmanship and materials. Disney requires the molds be broken and tells the company making the pins to break them; criminals keep the molds, use them, and then sell them to people who don't mind funding criminals or who don't know any better. Further, this crime is taking place in another country; should Disney send a task force?
I don't mean to be snarky, truly; I'm kind of up in the air about pin trading. I have a couple that I like but I never intended to trade them; I put them on a lanyard that hangs in my home and that's all. But it does irk me a bit when people say "Disney could stop this crime if they wanted to." It is NEVER that easy. If it was, there wouldn't be criminals; no one's house would be broken into, no one's car would be stolen, no one's jewelry would be taken... It's not that easy to stop a crime, and when multiple people feel they're justified and benefiting comfortably from it, then you get the attitude that they deserve the fruits of that crime. "Disney is expensive; I deserve to get my pins at half price." Really? I spent just as much and don't think that I deserve half-price pins. I don't think I deserve half price tickets either; I'm just like everyone else.

Long story short: someone is stealing and then selling stolen goods to you when you knowingly buy scrappers. If someone stole a car and then sold it to you and you KNEW it was stolen, you'd be in trouble. If someone stole a PURSE and sold it to you and you knew it was stolen, you'd be in trouble. If someone stole a keychain and then sold it to you.... well, you get the idea.

Now if you're the type of person to say "well, the company who made that keychain is big and has plenty of money, and I want a cheap keychain dangit!!!" then enjoy the scrappers. I buy pins as souvenirs that I keep; I won't be getting stolen goods from trading, so it doesn't affect me in that way.

Exactly. They should enforce and protect their copyright, prosecute those who abuse it and change production companies who violate their laws.Here's a crazy thought, maybe since it's such a big problem they could produce the pins in the US and have more control.
How much going to Disney costs doesn't justify anything, and I'd never use that excuse.

I am not condoning buying stolen products..I researched this quite a bit as I didn't want to support the criminals and really discovered there is NO WAY to be SURE any pin is legit unless it is personally purchased from Disney. Sure, you can use educated guesses, but they are just that..so since scrappers are so widespread and unable to be positively identified trading should only be allowed if the pin is still on the card, right?
I think the whole pin thing (and Vinylmation for that matter) is nuts. I have a few special pins I bought for specific reasons and they sit home on their original cards. I buy pins for grandkids to trade from various places, Disney, Disney Store and even Ebay. They all go on the same lanyard and are traded only to CMs for the kids' Disney trips fun.

 

[nunzia]

Disney encourages trading their pins!

I probably have $500.00 plus in trading pins... bought either at WDW or Disney Online sales. We should not even have to worry our $5.00 or $10.00 pin is being traded for a scrapper... people should be honest. Knowingly buying or trading scrappers is not any different from stealing. Someone made $ from copying a copyrighted item. Trading is expensive. If someone cannot afford to do it legally and properly it should not be done!

Exactly..(how on earth did I get in the middle of this since I think pin trading is a bit nuts) but..YOU CAN'T TELL REAL FROM FAKE so how can you KNOW if what you are buying is real or fake...and since people can't tell, they can't KNOWINGLY trade fakes or KNOWINGLY buy fakes. This is a bit fdifferent than purses or sunglasses or watches or any other thing, since those items have quality differences and such. I wish Disney would close all the crooks down and protect their copyrights.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Exactly..(how on earth did I get in the middle of this since I think pin trading is a bit nuts) but..YOU CAN'T TELL REAL FROM FAKE so how can you KNOW if what you are buying is real or fake...and since people can't tell, they can't KNOWINGLY trade fakes or KNOWINGLY buy fakes. This is a bit fdifferent than purses or sunglasses or watches or any other thing, since those items have quality differences and such. I wish Disney would close all the crooks down and protect their copyrights.

I think it's pretty easy: buy from Disney and you know they're real. Buy from someone on Ebay selling 100 pins for $50 with their buyer feedback comments saying "this seller sells scrappers!", not real. If you're buying pins for pennies on the dollar, they aren't real. I think that's pretty simple.

But I wish they'd protect their copyrights too; I'd like to pin trade sometimes, but I won't.

 

[gillenkl]

I have been buying pins off ebay for several years from the same seller. Every day of our trip I give my kids 2-3 pins but they keep them and don't do any trading.

 

[nunzia]

I think it's pretty easy: buy from Disney and you know they're real. Buy from someone on Ebay selling 100 pins for $50 with their buyer feedback comments saying "this seller sells scrappers!", not real. If you're buying pins for pennies on the dollar, they aren't real. I think that's pretty simple.

But I wish they'd protect their copyrights too; I'd like to pin trade sometimes, but I won't.

sure..good point..so..then how how do you know that someone who is just selling one pin..for $8- $9 dollars isn't still selling a scrapper..scrappers don't have to be cheap..since they can't be identified, they could be cheap or expensive. Same with trading..you trade for a pin that looks great..maybe it's a scrapper, maybe not, then you trade it again..did you just trade stolen property? Price is not a determining factor..once that pin is off the card and in the system there is no longer proof it's authentic or not. When I go with my pin trading family members they do buy from Disney and they buy other places too. And those pins are all intermingled and they get traded freely. ONe grandson spent his whole trip trading out until his whole lanyard was filloed with Pluto..another worked on getting all the World Of Color ones..it's for FUN..not an investment for them. It's like a dollar bill..trace where it goes and it can really get around.
I will say that yes, if you are buying a mess of pins real cheap you can probably be fairly certain that most if not all are scrappers. But NOT buying in quantity somewhere outside of Disney, doesn't guarantee they are NOT. I'm glad Disney is doing something about it but it's not enough.
Still, 90% of people who trade just do it for fun and interaction with CMs so it's harmless. The hardcores have their own way of doing things and from what I see alot of them are doing it do re-sell..also on Ebay..so..Disney has let it get to this and Disney should be much more aggressive to stop it.

 

[ZehnJahren]

sure..good point..so..then how how do you know that someone who is just selling one pin..for $8- $9 dollars isn't still selling a scrapper..scrappers don't have to be cheap..since they can't be identified, they could be cheap or expensive. Same with trading..you trade for a pin that looks great..maybe it's a scrapper, maybe not, then you trade it again..did you just trade stolen property? Price is not a determining factor..once that pin is off the card and in the system there is no longer proof it's authentic or not. When I go with my pin trading family members they do buy from Disney and they buy other places too. And those pins are all intermingled and they get traded freely. ONe grandson spent his whole trip trading out until his whole lanyard was filloed with Pluto..another worked on getting all the World Of Color ones..it's for FUN..not an investment for them. It's like a dollar bill..trace where it goes and it can really get around.

I will say that yes, if you are buying a mess of pins real cheap you can probably be fairly certain that most if not all are scrappers. But NOT buying in quantity somewhere outside of Disney, doesn't guarantee they are NOT. I'm glad Disney is doing something about it but it's not enough.
Still, 90% of people who trade just do it for fun and interaction with CMs so it's harmless. The hardcores have their own way of doing things and from what I see alot of them are doing it do re-sell..also on Ebay..so..Disney has let it get to this and Disney should be much more aggressive to stop it.

Here is my last comment on this subject, because I think it's been whipped to death (not by you, just in general) and because I am pretty sure there will be no changes to Disney's protocol in dealing with these scrappers.

You don't know if you're getting a scrapper unless you know pins well - even then, sometimes you need to see them in person. If you'd like to keep from supporting international criminals who are helping drive your prices up, buy from Disney. If you don't give a damn about supporting crime, buy wherever you want. If you find a pin online by itself that would complete your collection and want to make sure it's authentic, you can buy it, use one of many websites online to verify, ask the fine people here, and then return it if it's counterfeit and give a blurb in the seller's feedback to warn others.

I find it to be morally lax when people come and say "oh well, it's just for fun anyway, we don't care if the pins are scrappers" - I cannot IMAGINE that these same people would buy stolen milk or meat from the grocery store that a local teen steals and then sells to them for money, or half-price Tide or fabric sheets that a stranger steals from Wal-mart and then sells for money. It's the same thing: stolen property from big businesses being sold at cheap prices for the furtherment of criminals. You are directly sending your money to criminals. That's what bugs me; I do not in any way want to support more American money flooding into a Chinese crime market where God knows what is being traded.

It's all interconnected. Everything you buy is global now. So either you stand up for something or fall for anything, but as far as I'm concerned I will continue to purchase the pins I truly want direct from Disney.

 

[thelionqueen]

Here is my last comment on this subject, because I think it's been whipped to death (not by you, just in general) and because I am pretty sure there will be no changes to Disney's protocol in dealing with these scrappers.

You don't know if you're getting a scrapper unless you know pins well - even then, sometimes you need to see them in person. If you'd like to keep from supporting international criminals who are helping drive your prices up, buy from Disney. If you don't give a damn about supporting crime, buy wherever you want. If you find a pin online by itself that would complete your collection and want to make sure it's authentic, you can buy it, use one of many websites online to verify, ask the fine people here, and then return it if it's counterfeit and give a blurb in the seller's feedback to warn others.

I find it to be morally lax when people come and say "oh well, it's just for fun anyway, we don't care if the pins are scrappers" - I cannot IMAGINE that these same people would buy stolen milk or meat from the grocery store that a local teen steals and then sells to them for money, or half-price Tide or fabric sheets that a stranger steals from Wal-mart and then sells for money. It's the same thing: stolen property from big businesses being sold at cheap prices for the furtherment of criminals. You are directly sending your money to criminals. That's what bugs me; I do not in any way want to support more American money flooding into a Chinese crime market where God knows what is being traded.

It's all interconnected. Everything you buy is global now. So either you stand up for something or fall for anything, but as far as I'm concerned I will continue to purchase the pins I truly want direct from Disney.

I agree this has been beat to death, but I am so passionate about this, I will continue to chime in!

Well written!!

 

[wed100105]

I came to this thread a little late. Can anyone identify if these are legit? I don't want to contribute to the problem. I bought several from this seller.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271018161153?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_636wt_922


I bought a starter set from this one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/27101376706...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1284wt_922

 

[PatMcDuck]

To the OP, I bought 2 lots off of Ebay as well and am soooo excited to trade on this trip. My kids can't wait either. I could care less if they're scrappers.

Don't assume they are scrappers. I have a pile of pins to sell on Ebay sometime in the future. My kids had some pins, but now as young adults, they don't care about them anymore. So they are "real" Disney pins, just 10 years old or so. I am sure I am not alone in selling pins for this reason.

PS I am not selling them now, this was not an attempt to sell them via this post.

 

[kimsuenew]

Exactly..(how on earth did I get in the middle of this since I think pin trading is a bit nuts) but..YOU CAN'T TELL REAL FROM FAKE so how can you KNOW if what you are buying is real or fake...and since people can't tell, they can't KNOWINGLY trade fakes or KNOWINGLY buy fakes. This is a bit fdifferent than purses or sunglasses or watches or any other thing, since those items have quality differences and such. I wish Disney would close all the crooks down and protect their copyrights.

Well the only way to tell is to ONLY buy from WDW/DL Parks or Disney online. Again, it is expensive... if a person (or their children) cannot afford to do it honestly and legally... don't!

 

[nunzia]

Well the only way to tell is to ONLY buy from WDW/DL Parks or Disney online. Again, it is expensive... if a person (or their children) cannot afford to do it honestly and legally... don't!

..and as I said..repeatedly..that is all fine and good and I DO buy from Disney, but when that first pin is traded there is no way of knowing what you traded FOR and then continue to trade WITH are legitimate pins or not.

 

[pixiewings71]

I came to this thread a little late. Can anyone identify if these are legit? I don't want to contribute to the problem. I bought several from this seller.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271018161153?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_636wt_922


I bought a starter set from this one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/27101376706...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1284wt_922

IMO (please note, I am no expert nor do I pretend to be ) these are legit.