Well you all know about it by now but can you believe that....

[Raulandpinboy]

Yes the Donald Mystery pin is out, and my sources say that there are pin people asking guests to borrow their bodies or children so they can get extra pins.

The scam is simple Walk up to a large family and ask them to stand in line with you, then you in turn will either.

A) Buy the kids each a pin.
B) Buy the family a soda.
C) For the true big spender offer the kids a really neat rack pin from K-Mart those Mickey heads go a long way.

Well this will do one of couple of things.

1) it gets the family thinking that these little pin things are worth something, so they turn down the pin persons request and they go get the pins themselves. That's 8 pins for a family of 4 that will end up in a box or a lanyard somewhere.

2) It scares the living daylights out of the tourists, and they think we are all mad (more so then usual that is) nutty people out for pins.

3) It actually drives pin prices up, and makes the impression that we need more mystery pins say 1 a week on Tuesday at noon like they did I California, and made mystery pins a joke.

4) you have a lot of kids trading mystery pins for lanyards pins and being waited for by the sharks that will trade a pretty blue Tinkerbell pin for the nasty ole Donald mystery pin.

This is my own personal opinion but one day I'm just gonna sit there and take pictures of these con artist trying to convince a family to stand in line with them, then I'll post the pictures. The Caption Pin Traders gone bad.

It may get so bad Disney will have to hand out cards to tourist with the following warning. In the event of a mystery pin release, please do not talk to the pin traders or offer the use of a family member, be it child or adult, for the use of getting extra pins.

Let us not forget what happened to pin trading in Japan kids.

You cant miss these people they are the same ones that buy the pins and ½ hour later they are on EBay listed as Rare Donald Mystery pin. Think I'm joking go look at EBay they're there already.

Again this is my opinion and not everybody that sell pins on eBay is wrong I sell pins all the time, I'm mad at those that will put pins above morals.

So lets try to make pin trading fun again, and not a corporate venture. Sorry for my venting.

 

[mickey2001]

They are already listed on the Sale Dizpins board at $45 each.

 

[wdw4us2]

I have no trouble picturing that scenario. One of the sharks asked to borrow my kids THAT WERE ALREADY IN LINE WITH ME!

It was one of those rare times we weren't wearing our lanyards. Guess they thought we had just fallen off the tourist bus into WDW.

Lisa

 

[Luv2Roam]

And this surprises you?

 

[shoes99]

This is the number one reason why I have quit pin collecting. Sunday I tore my pin bag apart and gave DH all pins except for my Chip & Dale collection, my cruise line collection and my fantasy pin page. I quit. I have about 50 rack/disney store/disney catalog pins that I kept so I can trade with cast members. I have heard my last "you have nothing that I want"......
The other reason is financial, one super pin trader in the family is enough, so if you see me next week, just say HI Michele, are you having fun yet?
Michele

 

[Buzz2001]

Michelle - all I could think of is the scene from the "JERK" with Steve Martin...

All I need is this Chip & Dale pin, and these fantasy pins, oh and some of these rack pins, that's all I need.

Ed - your fortunate enough to live within driving distance to the park so you can buy/trade for any/all pins you want. It's not like trading pins on pinpics is any easier. Sometimes its just cheaper to buy it than deal with the constant rejection from traders thinking they have the next Jail Scene pin, if they reply at all. Granted $45.00 is too much but if you wait long enough, most prices come down.

 

[perndwler]

Ed, You Go Guy!!!!

 

[NHMickey]

The only mystery about these pins is why Disney thinks they are worth @12.50 each??? And how anyone could think $45 is a fair deal... JMO but I see a Christopher Robin pin here....

 

[SueEllen]

I can't even count the number of times for a LE pin release that I have seen people "borrow" another family to get pins.

I am guilty of doing it once, I asked a fellow Conventionear to help me out. I needed a couple more of the TB&D pins than I was able to purchase (for fellow DIS board members) So I asked her if she was going to purchase the LE pin. When she said no, I asked if I gave her the $$ for the pins, would she please pick up a couple for me. She did, and I made several DIS board members very happy.

HOWEVER--that is an exception to what I have seen happen. What I have seen is exactly what Ed has described. It's almost sickening. (insert pukey smile here)
Anyway, it would almost seem beneficial to have guests warned about this practice, but you don't want to scare them off either. Too bad there isn't anything that can be done about it.

Sue Ellen

 

[buggin']

WoW Ed...tell us what you really think...LoL!!!

BtW...you go!!!

Buggin'
Amber

 

[Mickey527]

Sue Ellen,
There is a big difference between bringing in a group of friends or even asking the person in front of you to pick you up a pin for your friends nd grabbing all you can to make money on e-bay.
I also have asked people in line to pick me up one if they only wanted one for themself, but I have 2 other Caballeros.....and Dom to buy for. And I sell them to my Caballaros for cost, not an additional $30 or more.
I don't know what Disney can do about it, and I doubt they really can do anything. the only thing we can do is stop buying from these people.
I figure if I really want the pin it will come my way eventually in a trade and so far I have been lucky. No pin is worth an extra $30 or more to me. Peggie

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

SueEllen, you shark you. just kidding

Someone getting someone else to get extra pins for friends is one thing. Someone circumventing WDW selling guidelines by getting an entire family to get pins so they can sell them on eBay is another.

I'm not knocking eBay or people who sell on eBay. Unfortunately, there are some who are ruining this hobby for the rest of us with certain practices and behavior. There's already one person on this thread who said they've quit pin collecting. What, I wonder, will be the ultimate straw to break the camel's back and drive even more people away?

I agree with what Ed said about putting pins above morals.

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26

 

[KathiWithAnI]

So um Matthew.. that quote was from you at 4:26pm??

Sorry I couldn't resist!

 

[Engr-Chas]

First of all,

Ed, we all "Bend the Rules" when it is suits us. And no matter what the end result is (ebaY, friends, etc) breaking the rules is BREAKING THE RULES!

When I am at the Parks, I ask who ever is with me to stand in line so that I can get more pins. And if I see a friend wondering around, I grab them too. I trade most and sell some and I have no guilt about it (being Hades helps ).

The days that I am not at the Parks and a pin comes out that I want, I make a few phone calls or have to trade for it later, NO BIG DEAL. Its part of the game and the fun!

People will always go overboard, but that's overboard for me, not for them.

The whole Japanese situation was a whole different story and had more to do with trading and interupting other guests rather than purchasing more than their fair share. But then again, what's fair? 5 LE's, 2 LE's???

Oh, and our Mystery Pin thing was going well until a CM wore a Mystery pin before it was to be released. So Disney decided to end the game as soon as possible and let us know the day, but not the time or the place, but that was only for the last few pins. So STOP bashing our Mystery Pin releases (or that LBE that I sent you will be coming back).

You probably get 98% of all of the special pins released at WDW, so relax dude and roll with the waves, surfs up!

Engr-Chas
Lord of the Just My Honorable Opinion

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

pPpPpPpPp Kathi!! Jeff has been a bad influence on you.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by Mickey527
There is a big difference between bringing in a group of friends or even asking the person in front of you to pick you up a pin for your friends nd grabbing all you can to make money on e-bay. I also have asked people in line to pick me up one if they only wanted one for themself ... I figure if I really want the pin it will come my way eventually in a trade and so far I have been lucky. No pin is worth an extra $30 or more to me.

Peggie, well said ... I had similar thoughts when I read the original post.

Raul, the "Pin Traders gone bad" have to look themselves in the mirror.

 

[olbear]

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26


__________________

Matthew,
Wow! Right to the point and heart. How true! I live almost two hours from WDW and don't get everything. I do have alife outside of Disney and pins. Can you believe it??

Anyway,
I get what I like, and even though Fred is with me, we usually only get 2-3 of most pins. Sometimes only 1. Many reasons, Cost is a big factor, plus, I do not want to be greedy and try to consider those in line behind me. There has only been one time I was in line and got the very last pin, and I only got one. I actually felt guilty abouth the people behind me hoping to get that pin. Of course if some were sharks, then, NA NA NA NA NA NA!!!!


No DOnald or Daisy for me. Couldn't get there. But I sure do hope I can still get the boxed POOH set, for obvious reasons of course!!

Blessings,
Winnie

 

[BedKnobbery2]

We are new to pin-trading, and I have decided to focus on the ducks (especially angry donald, because he reminds me of my dad when he was mad! LOL) Since the Mystery pins aren't showing on the 'what's available at WDW' for today, I'm guessing they are sold out already. <sigh> What a bummer! I'm not willing to pay above and beyond the original price of a pin, so I guess we are SOL, so to speak. It really disappoints me that this is probably the case because of re-sellers.....not that I knock buying an extra pin to trade or sell, but this mass-buying scheme just feels.....icky.