hey there everyone. im scott and on my dads name that he made years ago but never uses, yeah i know i think the name is crazy too. haha. ok now for the on topic discussion. forgive me if this was already said but i got up to page 3 or so and stopped reading to reply, i guess my 21 year old mind can't stay focused for so long... haha. ok, so again im 21 and iv been trading for years. i understand what everyone is saying where you would want to ask for the pin backing and the reciept but what about the lanyard/hidden mickey pins? those don't come with pin backings, therefore no price and no number that i can't spell(hahaha). so how do you know if those are fake? my mom was telling me that she was reading on these boards that the lanyard feet(the ones that look like they are foot prints from a puddle or something) the tink teardrops, the villian crystal balls and the rear view mirrors are all fake. how does everyone know this? with this accusation, you mean to tell me that EVERY SINGLE ONE of those pins are fake? cause disney makes hundreds and hurdreds, if not thousands of those pins, so you mean to tell me that disney only makes like 20 of these and then the rest are fake? i find this hard to believe.
now as for the lots on ebay. i have bought about 5 lots on ebay in the past year or so(we go to WDW twice a year and me and my sister- 14 trade at least 100 each so we need alot of pins... but thats besides the point) these people that are selling lets say 5 lots for 100 pins may just be wanting to get rid of his/her pins as they might have 500. between me and my sister we have easily 400-600 pins. so just because we want to now sell them to make money means we are selling scrappers? also, the person may not even know that they are scrappers so thats another thing to think about too. i have never seen a lot of 100 for less than $140. idk, maybe im missing the point or i may just be young and stupid but i don't think everyone knows what they have and what they are selling.
so to finalize my points in simple sentences that don't take forever to say.... how do we ask for pin backings on lanyard/hidden mickey pins since they can't be bought? and how do we know if those are fake? and finally, just because someone sells a lot of 100 and has 5 of them doesn't mean they are scrappers, they could just want to get rid of their pins.
again, my apologies if this has been said before, im 21 and we all know 21 year olds don't have great attention spans.. hahaha
I'm going to keep in mind that you are 21 as I write this
#1, nobody said all of the hidden mickey lots you listed (that I also listed) are fake. There are very specific pins in each of those lots that are the most counterfeited. If you looked at my post (I realize you did not) you will see that I listed specific pins in those specific groups of pins that were the most commonly counterfeited. (Maleficent in Villains crystal balls, cinderella in rear view mirrors, mickey footprints, etc)
#2, you stated that you and your sister trade around 100 per day each, so are you buying these pins from Disney or from ebay? If you were buying actual Disney pins and trading that volume, that is easily around $1,000 worth of volume trading authentic Disney pins. If you bought them from ebay, and bought scrappers (which I'm assuming you did) then you are spending only around $200.
#3 As stated previously in this thread (I realize you did not read them all) the VAST majority of those selling pin lots on ebay are scrappers. In fact (and I didn't search all of ebay, but spent over an hour looking for "disney pin lot") EVERY SINGLE SELLER with any quantity over 25 had all the "markings" of a seller listing scrappers. The "markings" or "red flags" are that there is NO detailed description. The same picture is listed for every auction. It lists something like "cast lanyard pins, no sedesmas, etc". They sell many many lots of these pins WITHOUT detailed descriptions (indicating buying in bulk). They are sold in little plastic baggies (scrappers are), and the winner bidder will receive "a sampling, but not necessarily the pins pictured". I could go on and on, but you should read the entire thread to become better versed on these "red flags"
#4 I have not seen ANY lots of pins that are described in detail as to what you will get from a seller selling multiple lots of pins for cheap
#5 If you have been pin trading as long as you say, and you decided to sell your collection (I'm assuming you bought them from Disney around $8 per pin) WHY would you sell them all in bulk for under $2? And NOT list a picture, AND put them in little baggies? Maybe you have an answer for all this, which would make you the LONE exception to the rule. People who buy CHEAP, FAKE pins couldn't care less about selling them for $1.89. People who are pin traders, who bought and traded their pins, are LIKELY to list them separately OR in a lot for a MUCH higher price.
#6 If a seller is selling hundreds or in some cases THOUSANDS of pins cheap, THEY are COUNTEFEIT, PERIOD. If there were the very rare case of someone selling their personal collection, it is LIKELY they would put that in the title and show a picture of the pins they were selling, not a "stock" picture and description.
I'm not going to go on, as I don't want you to feel as if I'm picking on you, I am NOT! I just want you to know what was actually said and discussed on this thread as it pertains to your questions. You seem like a high volume trader (so am I) but I sincerely hope you are NOT trading scrappers. And if you are, and weren't aware of it, I hope you are aware now and don't do it anymore. Trading that volume, from just 2 people has a HUGE impact on all the other pin traders trading, and looking for authentic Disney pins.
My last thought for you is this, the VAST majority of sellers on ebay, selling Disney pins in lots for around $2 are fakes or "scrappers" period. I am not going to say absolutely everyone ever, but I have YET to find someone selling their own colletion of pins for this amount, and I look every single day (completed auctions too-NADA). I'm referring to lots of over 25 (I've found some lots of like 10 to be legit, but only about 10%, the rest, you guessed it..scrappers).
This thread is intended to open people's eyes that were not previously aware of what they were buying or trading, I hope it did that for you. Or at the very least, made you think. Hope it wasn't scathing, it was not meant to be
. I'm sorry you received fakes. I have learned a lot by reading this thread. I was watching some of the sellers that were mention as fake seller. I gueass I have to wait until we get to disney to get some pins.
