Trading Pins from Ebay

[pixiewings71]

My response was very different ! As I mentioned earlier in this thread, back in October '08 I bought a lot of 50 pins on Ebay- all scrappers except 1 of them. I emailed the seller and flat out told them.. the pins I got are not authentic, they are scrappers, i expect a refund. The seller replied very politely, saying the quality of pins they're getting at the parks is decreasing, etc etc.. and they told me to send them back and they'd give me a refund. No problem at all. In the note I sent back with the pins I requested a refund of ALL the costs (of the price I paid, the shipping amount and the cost for me to send them back) since the auction said they were authentic pins, and they were not. The seller emailed saying they don't normally refund the shopping costs, but they would in this case as a "good gesture". I'm sure they were being so nice to make me happy and keep their feedback at 100%. Seems they knew, fully well, that they were selling scrappers.


.

That is amazing. The times I've received pins I knew were scrappers (backstamp was totally incorrect) and notified the sellers I've received the response stated above. I've then filed with Paypal to get a refund and Paypal denied the refunds.

 

[LittleFlounder]

That is amazing. The times I've received pins I knew were scrappers (backstamp was totally incorrect) and notified the sellers I've received the response stated above. I've then filed with Paypal to get a refund and Paypal denied the refunds.

Oh, I didn't have to go through Paypal to get the refund. The seller refunded money.

 

[BigGreen73]

I have bought quite a few lots from E-bay for trading and never have had any problems. The big thing that I go for is that the lot needs to show the pins that you are getting and not "may" get etc etc. That has worked out okay for me..

There are so many reasons why folks may need to or have to sell pins for less than retail or what they bought them for etc so don't get scared off if the "deal is too good to be true". Just be careful and just research prior to buying if you suspect anything.

Most lots I have bought vary from $2-$4 dollars a pin if mostly hidden mickeys and $3-$6 a pin if mostly rack pins.

I buy pins to trade and for my enjoyment only. I do not buy because I hope they are worth something etc. If a time comes where I need to or want to get rid of them, I would either give them away or sell em for no more that $1-$2 a pop anyway.

 

[disneymotherof3]

I've tried reading all the info on here, but it's a bit overwhelming. I've ordered pins off of eBay a few times, most recently last night! How can I tell scrappers from real pins? How do I find out on pinpics what are scrappers?

 

[txloopnlil]

I emailed the seller that I appreciated the fast shipping, but that 30% of the pins (found another one) were scrappers and I thought that ratio was too high. I noted that we were leaving for WDW in less than a week so there would not be time to exchange them for good pins, and asked for a 25% refund (shipping was included so I didn't demand 30%). I got a very nice reply and immediate partial refund. I did leave positive feedback, but noted the scrapper percentage and that the seller gave a partial refund for them.

In the reply the seller indicated that it would OK to use the scrappers still - that I would have no problem trading them in the parks! I reply back that I would NOT be taking them to the parks, and that leaving them in circulation was bad for the trading community and depresses the market.

I wanted to send them a link to a famous essay in environmental sciences: "The tragedy of the commons"
from but my old bookmarked site was gone. Here is a synopsis from Wikipedia - I think scrappers et al are a perfect example of this in action.
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons
"The Tragedy of the Commons" is an influential article written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968.[1] The article describes a dilemma in which multiple individuals acting independently in their own self-interest can ultimately destroy a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long term interest for this to happen.

Central to Hardin's article is a metaphor of herders sharing a common parcel of land (the commons), on which they are all entitled to let their cows graze. In Hardin's view, it is in each herder's interest to put as many cows as possible onto the land, even if the commons are damaged as a result. The herder receives all of the benefits from the additional cows, while the damage to the commons is shared by the entire group. If all herders make this individually rational decision, however, the commons are destroyed and all herders suffer.

I'm one of those newbies who ordered pins for my kids off ebay - and then saw this thread. I just got the first batch and after spending several hours looking them up on pin pics I found 6 out of 20 with scrapper/counterfeit warnings (one seems to be legit though) -I have 5 bad pins out of 20. The bad pins do feel lighter, and/or low quality, in comparison to the good one. Lots of the good ones are from broken up sets.

I have one unknown pin - Mickey Mouse saluting with an uncle sam top hat - NO flag - the back has the mouse head "official pin trading" stamp 2007 and copyright Disney China. It feels heavy and looks sharp, no flaws etc., so I think it is legit, but why would it not be on pinpics?

I estimate I have 70-75% good pins - what sort of ratio would a bunch of new traders like us have after a few days of trading at WDW? I've already told my kids we have to leave the bad pins at home.

I paid about $1.70/ea, but if I throw out the bad ones I still only paid $2.28 ea - still a good deal in my opinion. What should I do? Should I ask them to exchange or refund the bad pins?

Here is what the listing said:

LOT OF 20 DISNEY TRADING PINS


Is your family getting ready to go to Disney and do you want some great Disney pins to trade with Disney Cast members, but don’t want to pay $6.95 to $12.95 per pin ?

With this auction you will receive 20 different Disney pins that are 100 % tradable in any of the parks at a fraction of the cost.

You will NOT get all the pins shown in the pictures, this auction is for 20 pins only.
Pictures are only a sample of the pins that I have had. I am constantly trading for new pins, and the 20 pins you receive may or may not be shown in this picture. *Winning multiple pin lots may result in receiving some duplicate pins.*

These are all-metal Disney pins with the official © Disney backstamp and rubber backs. Pins in this lot are in very good or like-new condition, but some may show signs of trading. There are NO Spanish Sedesma pins, NO German ProPins & NO Euro-Disney pins in this lot. I have put each pin in a plastic bag to protect them during shipping, however for optimum trading experiences, be sure to remove from bags and place on your lanyards before getting to the parks.
If you have any questions about this auction contact me through Ebay before bidding.

 

[pixiewings71]

I emailed the seller that I appreciated the fast shipping, but that 30% of the pins (found another one) were scrappers and I thought that ratio was too high. I noted that we were leaving for WDW in less than a week so there would not be time to exchange them for good pins, and asked for a 25% refund (shipping was included so I didn't demand 30%). I got a very nice reply and immediate partial refund. I did leave positive feedback, but noted the scrapper percentage and that the seller gave a partial refund for them.

In the reply the seller indicated that it would OK to use the scrappers still - that I would have no problem trading them in the parks! I reply back that I would NOT be taking them to the parks, and that leaving them in circulation was bad for the trading community and depresses the market.

I wanted to send them a link to a famous essay in environmental sciences: "The tragedy of the commons"
from but my old bookmarked site was gone. Here is a synopsis from Wikipedia - I think scrappers et al are a perfect example of this in action.
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons
"The Tragedy of the Commons" is an influential article written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968.[1] The article describes a dilemma in which multiple individuals acting independently in their own self-interest can ultimately destroy a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long term interest for this to happen.

Central to Hardin's article is a metaphor of herders sharing a common parcel of land (the commons), on which they are all entitled to let their cows graze. In Hardin's view, it is in each herder's interest to put as many cows as possible onto the land, even if the commons are damaged as a result. The herder receives all of the benefits from the additional cows, while the damage to the commons is shared by the entire group. If all herders make this individually rational decision, however, the commons are destroyed and all herders suffer.

I'm glad that you got a partial refund. It seems that there are more sellers willing to work with buyers for those positives. I also think it's great that you noted the partial refund and the scrapper %.

 

[MadHatter Pennies]

I've tried reading all the info on here, but it's a bit overwhelming. I've ordered pins off of eBay a few times, most recently last night! How can I tell scrappers from real pins? How do I find out on pinpics what are scrappers?

goto http://www.pinpics.com/mypins.htm
find a yellow help. Click it.
read the heading:
What is a bootleg pin?
at the end of that faq is a link called:
this link

 

[disneymotherof3]

goto http://www.pinpics.com/mypins.htm
find a yellow help. Click it.
read the heading:
What is a bootleg pin?
at the end of that faq is a link called:
this link

Thank you for posting that info. I'm still a little confused though. So the pictures of the pins that they have listed in the link, those are all scrappers? I know that Disney made legit ones of some of the pins they have shown, but how do we know what's legit and what's not? We have a few of the pins that are shown so I want to figure out what's good and what's not.

 

[Luv2Roam]

With this auction you will receive 20 different Disney pins that are 100 % tradeable in any of the parks at a fraction of the cost.

These are all-metal Disney pins with the official © Disney backstamp and rubber backs.

Well, they certainly are not guaranteeing they are not scrappers. Very few CMs in the parks probably even know what a scrapper is or cares. If I was a CM trading with guests I certainly would not look at pins with a jewelers loupe. CMs are there to provide guest satisfaction and service.
Even bootlegs have the Disney (c) stamped on the back. No biggie there either.

Really unless a pin is purchased direct from Disney does anyone truly know if they have a legit pin or not.

I do think some go scrapper crazy and think even flawed pins are scrappers. I was looking at a Pinpics description today on one of my pins and noticed someone is claiming there are scrappers of those around. However they did not state why they think that.
I usually don't give much credence to whether there are scrappers unless they state what the difference is.
The pin I read about today was one I purchased direct from Disney. I know mine is legit.

As someone mentioned Pinpics is a database where collectors, such as myself, add pins or provide details. I do both quite often.

I am Omega on Picpics.

 

[MadHatter Pennies]

So the pictures of the pins that they have listed in the link, those are all scrappers? I know that Disney made legit ones of some of the pins they have shown, but how do we know what's legit and what's not?

from pinpics help page
"Please be advised that there are unauthorized versions of these pins being sold from China directly to individuals not associated with Disney. No one can guarantee the authenticity of this pin unless it was purchased directly from Disney. What does this mean?
These pins are known as Scrappers. Scrappers are pins that were made in the factories in China over the allotment made by Disney. Are they a Disney pin? Yes they are, but they are pins over and above the allotment "ordered" by Disney. So in essence, they could be called illegally made Disney Pins. Sometimes when the "second illegal run" of the pin is done, there are differences noted, but it can only be known comparing two pins side by side. These pins can also be classified as counterfeits. For more information regarding which pins are considered scrappers please check out..."

from me
Like someone else stated earlier in this post... until Disney quits allowing child slavers in China to produce their products and brings manufacturing jobs to a country that can police its copyright laws, there will be illegal real Disney pins made by the manufacturer that makes the pin for Disney. PeRiOd
Sometimes there is a flaw; a color change, bumps, blurs, or missing wr ing or lines.
The only difference in some scrappers is that Disney doesn't make any profit. People buy these in bulk from China, sell in America and other countries 'at retail' for $1.25, and make a profit. That means that Disney selling them at $8.95+tax is making a profit of (approx) 800%
Also the Limited Editions that Disney certifies are real are not likely to be truly limited

 

[disneymotherof3]

from pinpics help page
"Please be advised that there are unauthorized versions of these pins being sold from China directly to individuals not associated with Disney. No one can guarantee the authenticity of this pin unless it was purchased directly from Disney. What does this mean?
These pins are known as Scrappers. Scrappers are pins that were made in the factories in China over the allotment made by Disney. Are they a Disney pin? Yes they are, but they are pins over and above the allotment "ordered" by Disney. So in essence, they could be called illegally made Disney Pins. Sometimes when the "second illegal run" of the pin is done, there are differences noted, but it can only be known comparing two pins side by side. These pins can also be classified as counterfeits. For more information regarding which pins are considered scrappers please check out..."

from me
Like someone else stated earlier in this post... until Disney quits allowing child slavers in China to produce their products and brings manufacturing jobs to a country that can police its copyright laws, there will be illegal real Disney pins made by the manufacturer that makes the pin for Disney. PeRiOd
Sometimes there is a flaw; a color change, bumps, blurs, or missing wiring or lines.
The only difference in some scrappers is that Disney doesn't make any profit. People buy these in bulk from China, sell in America and other countries 'at retail' for $1.25, and make a profit. That means that Disney selling them at $8.95+tax is making a profit of (approx) 800%
Also the Limited Editions that Disney certifies are real are not likely to be truly limited

I saw that on there, but for me, it really didn't answer my question. I guess I would have to actually see the pins side by side to tell. I just didn't know if there was a different marking on something like that on the back of the pin.

 

[MadHatter Pennies]

No different markings on some. On some, esp. limited editions, the markings on the back may be different. Some of the scrappers will be so good, even if you have them side by side with a pin you personaly bought in Disneyland/World, you won't be able to tell the differance.
The only way to know you have a Disney authorized pin is to buy it from Disney. Period. Anyone could have a pin they traded that was not originaly bought from Disney. Even if you trade it with a CM it could be 'fake.' Becuase they have to trade, they could recieve a fake from anyone, and if they were to set it aside because they thought it was fake, they could lose thier job or even be prosecuted for theft.

 

[pixiewings71]

No different markings on some. On some, esp. limited editions, the markings on the back may be different. Some of the scrappers will be so good, even if you have them side by side with a pin you personaly bought in Disneyland/World, you won't be able to tell the differance.
The only way to know you have a Disney authorized pin is to buy it from Disney. Period. Anyone could have a pin they traded that was not originaly bought from Disney. Even if you trade it with a CM it could be 'fake.' Becuase they have to trade, they could recieve a fake from anyone, and if they were to set it aside because they thought it was fake, they could lose thier job or even be prosecuted for theft.

Not correct, I've seen many a CM put a pin in their pocket or in the drawer in their "area". When I've asked about it they have told me they think it may be a scrapper. A few times I've been allowed to see the pin and they were all scrappers.

 

[MadHatter Pennies]

That's good to know. On one pin thread I read about one family's experience. Thier son saw a cast member trade a pin. He wanted the pin the CM got. The CM put the pin in a drawer. The family reported the cast member. A supervisor said that was considered theft, and thanked the family for the report. I considered at the time I read the post that the CM might have spotted a fake.
I didn't even know about 'scrappers' then, I think.

 

[thelionqueen]

In my daily ebay trolling I DID find, what looks like a legit, ebay seller! YES, believe it or not, I'm not bashing a fake seller (which out rank the authentic pin sellers 100 to 1). The ebay seller is hppydiztrader, and here is one of his/her auctions. Nice pins, no fakes, good deal for those wanted pins to trade that aren't fakes. Just wanted to share!
http://cgi.ebay.com/DISNEY-PIN-LOT-...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

 

[sanibelsettler]

I think I've purchased from them. The name sounds familiar.

 

[pixiewings71]

I've got them in my favorites on eBay. They have sent me good stuff in the past but I don't recall buying quite such a large lot from them! WOW!!

 

[CO Lacrosse Mom]

Does anyone know where to buy authentic pins for a fair price?

Has anyone had any issues with trading on Disney cruises?

 

[thelionqueen]

Does anyone know where to buy authentic pins for a fair price?

Has anyone had any issues with trading on Disney cruises?

Hello from a fellow Coloradoan!
There are a few ebay sellers listed on this thread,
dopeys__emporium (not sure on this one, could be grumpy..lol)
hppydiztrader
that have auctions for authentic pins on the resale market.
We have not specifically discussed pin trading on cruises, but I'm fairly certain you will have the same issues on the cruise as in the parks. Many people are like you, looking for pins at a fair price, and buying scrappers (many probably unknowingly) on ebay. They will trade them at whichever location they end up at, including cruises. I would say keep an eye out on the cruise as well for fakes.
That said, you can find pins on sale all the time at disneyshopping.com, and on the cruise itself. They have "starter" packs that are $35.00 for 7 pins ($5 a piece). Yes it's more than some, but less than the rack pins. And most importantly you won't have to worry if they're authentic or if they can be traded. Buying them from Disney insures they are authentic.
Hope that helps and enjoy your cruise!!

 

[pixiewings71]

FYI, it's sleepys_emporium. Also I believe that the seller gitanoman is legit. I've purchased in the past and am in the process of bidding. I'll update after I get the pins from her.