Where to buy authentic pins

[Gracomom]

Any idea where I can buy authentic (not just fake "tradeable") pins in bulk, like 50ish, in Canada or ships reasonably to Canada? Planning to split among 3 kids and myself before our trip to be able to do some pinntrading in Disneyland in January. On Amazon.ca I see some, but reviews state they are fakes, which I don't feel right aboit, as do many of the eBay ones. Checked Kijiji, didn't see anything. Any idea where to pick up authntic Disney pins at $1-2 a piece, or is that just not realistic? TIA!

 

[bababear_50]

Hi
I used to collect Disney Pins bought at Disney World.
I stopped trading as the fake pins are everywhere and I don't always know how to tell them apart.
The average cost for a Disney Pin in 2018 is $8.99--$9.99 each,, so now I just buy one or two as a souvenir.

Here is an article that talks about Pin trading
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/pin-trading/

https://disneypinsblog.com/disney-pin-color-pricing/

 

[bankr63]

The fact is, unless you buy pins direct from a Disney store, there is absolutely no way to tell if they are scrappers. DW is a heavy trader, and I dabble a fair bit. We buy pins online and many from Disney. We have been told that pins we bought at Disney Pin Traders in the park, or at DS, were fakes or scrappers - just points out that once a pin goes into circulation it is becomes suspect, but the assessment is highly subjective. There are some really bad fakes out that that are pretty easy to identify, but for the most part you can't really tell. I have received pins in trade with CM's that were pretty bad scrappers, but they still circulate.

All this worry about scrappers doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Pin trading is all about the fun. If you get a scrapper from another trader, so what? It was the fun of the search, the great conversations with other traders, and the "thrill of the kill". If we realize a pin is a really bad scrapper, we'll toss it in the garbage, but if it is only "questionable" we'll put it back on the lanyard and see if we can find a better condition pin. The link above from @bababear_50 explains it pretty well.

My advice is to buy a good sized lot from a seller with decent feedback. When you get the lot, toss out the 2 or 3 that you are convinced are really scrappers; your price per pin is still exceptional. Keep the 5-10 that you think are really good and will set the basis for sets you are going to collect, and put the rest on your lanyards (we usually bring 2 each to the parks each day) and get trading! Pulling a metaphor from the "dark side" it's kind of like Bertie Bot's Beans; alas, every now and then you're gonna get earwax, or even vomit, but it's worth the risk.

One additional tip if you are a really uncomfortable about the idea of scrappers. Stop at Disney Character Warehouse at either of Premium Outlets and grab an handful of "last season's" mystery pin packs. These are guaranteed to be fresh stock pins from Disney at the best per pin price you'll find anywhere in Orlando.