Help for New Pin Traders

[PinCrazed]

A couple of the threads were getting a bit too long so in an attempt to answer questions directly from new pin traders about the hobby we started this post.

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about pins, pin trading/collecting, where to buy inexpensive, yet authentic, disney pins and any other general question about the hobby/addiction.

 

[Mike2023]

ok. I would like to get started. Point me in the right direction. I would like to buy like 25 to 50 pins so I can have things to trade when we go away in april. There is lots of info out there. But its all over the place. What should I be looking for? what should I be staying away from? it would be cool if there was a sticky about getting started or something. lol

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

ok. I would like to get started. Point me in the right direction. I would like to buy like 25 to 50 pins so I can have things to trade when we go away in april. There is lots of info out there. But its all over the place. What should I be looking for? what should I be staying away from? it would be cool if there was a sticky about getting started or something. lol

You should be looking for authentic Disney pins. If you want to be certain your pins are authentic it would be wise to buy from the Disney Store or www.disneyshopping.com or from the Disney Outlet if you have one close to you.

If you want to attempt to buy pins from eBay you might want to stay away from "cast lanyard" and "Hidden Mickey" pins because there are many counterfeits and it is hard to determine authenticity. Look to see how many of the same pins the seller has, and look at their completed auctions. If they are selling the same 10 pins over and over again I would NOT buy from them. Sellers buy the counterfeit pins from China by the hundreds, then break them up into sets of 10 or 20 for eBay auctions. PinPics has some good info on avoiding scrappers and counterfeits, and also has tips on spotting a fake AFTER you receive your pins. Never buy from a seller who won't take the pins back. Remember that feedback is NOT an accurate indication of whether or not a seller has authentic pins. There are more buyers who can't spot a fake than can, and they will post positive feedback. Once feedback is posted it is permanent. I bought a lot of 80 pins from one seller and a lot of 40 from another and the majority of both lots were fakes. By the time I realized they were fake I had already posted positive feedback because the pins were shipped quickly and were the same pins pictured in the auction. Now I know better.

Places that sell pins online for super-cheap prices may be doing something questionable, like selling factory rejects. Sedesma pins are lower quality pins that some people have said they have had trouble trading. ProPins and Euro Disney pins are sort of in that same camp - they are probably TECHNICALLY allowed to be traded but some cast members may frown on them.

 

[PinCrazed]

You should be looking for authentic Disney pins. If you want to be certain your pins are authentic it would be wise to buy from the Disney Store or www.disneyshopping.com or from the Disney Outlet if you have one close to you.

If you want to attempt to buy pins from eBay you might want to stay away from "cast lanyard" and "Hidden Mickey" pins because there are many counterfeits and it is hard to determine authenticity. Look to see how many of the same pins the seller has, and look at their completed auctions. If they are selling the same 10 pins over and over again I would NOT buy from them. Sellers buy the counterfeit pins from China by the hundreds, then break them up into sets of 10 or 20 for eBay auctions. PinPics has some good info on avoiding scrappers and counterfeits, and also has tips on spotting a fake AFTER you receive your pins. Never buy from a seller who won't take the pins back. Remember that feedback is NOT an accurate indication of whether or not a seller has authentic pins. There are more buyers who can't spot a fake than can, and they will post positive feedback. Once feedback is posted it is permanent. I bought a lot of 80 pins from one seller and a lot of 40 from another and the majority of both lots were fakes. By the time I realized they were fake I had already posted positive feedback because the pins were shipped quickly and were the same pins pictured in the auction. Now I know better.

Places that sell pins online for super-cheap prices may be doing something questionable, like selling factory rejects. Sedesma pins are lower quality pins that some people have said they have had trouble trading. ProPins and Euro Disney pins are sort of in that same camp - they are probably TECHNICALLY allowed to be traded but some cast members may frown on them.

It is my understanding that Sedesma, Eurodisney and Pro-pins are completely tradeable within WDW and DL. However, personally I feel they are an inferior quality and shouldbe avoided if possible.

 

[meandtheguys2]

If they are selling the same 10 pins over and over again I would NOT buy from them.

Or they are selling the pins collected in a frenzy by 20 other family members... I just love the CM that told my husband that the "rabbit" pins were really special. Dear sweetie came home with 19. that was a fun trip. everyone loved the treasure hunt feel for the pins, but didn't have a great need for them once we got home.

I do agree that a seller should be willing to take them back. I would be worried that someone would send me back trash pins, though.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Or they are selling the pins collected in a frenzy by 20 other family members... I just love the CM that told my husband that the "rabbit" pins were really special. Dear sweetie came home with 19. that was a fun trip. everyone loved the treasure hunt feel for the pins, but didn't have a great need for them once we got home.

I do agree that a seller should be willing to take them back. I would be worried that someone would send me back trash pins, though.

Sounds like you have a jump on traders for your next trip!

 

[actionvaughn]

Just wanted to add that it helps avoiding scrappers if the seller posts a picture of the exact pins you'll be receiving. (Not just "an example of what you might receive.") It's better to avoid sellers that don't promise a 100% refund if you're not happy with your pins.

 

[ss9498]

I'm just wondering if the pins that I get from the Disney Movie club are tradeable. If not it's no big deal because DD still likes to have those pins.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I'm just wondering if the pins that I get from the Disney Movie club are tradeable. If not it's no big deal because DD still likes to have those pins.

I am pretty sure they are. As long as it is stamped "Disney" on the back it can be traded.

 

[PinCrazed]

There are several people now selling the same pins over and over on Ebay. What wassaid earlier was correct. If the seller is showing the exact pins you are going to get then you know where you stand.

Another feature you can look at is the completed listings for an individual seller. It will show you how many times and what items a seller has sold. You can pretty much guarantee if they have sold the same set of pins mutiple times they are selling scrappers.

 

[princessmom29]

I am brand new to pin trading and just purchaseda lot of pins via ebay. I have seen a lot of posts about propind and sodensta (Sp)? pins. How can I tell if I have these? Are they stamped somewhere? All of my pins have the disney copyright on them and seem to be fairly heavy and solid.

 

[PinCrazed]

I am brand new to pin trading and just purchaseda lot of pins via ebay. I have seen a lot of posts about propind and sodensta (Sp)? pins. How can I tell if I have these? Are they stamped somewhere? All of my pins have the disney copyright on them and seem to be fairly heavy and solid.

Unfortunately it is getting very tough to be able to distinguish between real pins and scrappers. Eurodisney and sedesma are easy to pick out because of the look of them and the backstamp.

A lot of pins coming from china look just like a real pin. The only way to tell the difference in a lot of cases is to look at an original pin, you know to be legitimate, side by side to tell the difference.

I just bought a pin lot of CL's and most ofthe pins were good, but the chip and dale pin I recieved was a duplicate of a pin I had in my collection so I put them next to each other and was able to tell the one I bought was a fake bacause of the color differences.

Look at sellers on ebay who show you exactly what you are going to get, as the previous post said, and compare the pins to the counterfeits and scrapper section on Pin Pic and Diz Pins.

I have been trading a long time and it is getting more difficult to tell the difference between real and counterfeit pins.

 

[Charleyann]

Are they not authentic? Are they knockoffs? Even if they have Disney on the back?

Thanks

Charleyann

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Are they not authentic? Are they knockoffs? Even if they have Disney on the back?

Thanks

Charleyann

I think ALL Disney pins are made in China. I know the fakes come from China, but the real ones say "China" too. The Chinese have quite a booming trade in knock off pins, so it is hard to know what's what anymore.

 

[BrierRose]

I'm just wondering if the pins that I get from the Disney Movie club are tradeable. If not it's no big deal because DD still likes to have those pins.

How do you get pins from the movie club? We just became members. Thanks!

 

[AlyssinWonderland]

Do you ever buy your pins in a lot from Ebay? Are there any sellers you recommend? I'm thinking about buying a large lot for myself sometime this year to trade in our upcomming 2009 trip. (Early planners! ) Any suggestions you have would be great! Thanks!

 

[BKMETV]

I have been reading pin trading threads for over an hour now and I'm feeling overwhelmed to say the least. I want to get 20 pin before our trip in December so my kids can trade. I'm not really caring what kind etc. as long as they're tradeable. Disney websites are out because they are not very cross-border friendly (shipping runs around $40!!) So I guess that leave ebay...so I guess like AlyssinWonderland I looking for some suggests on a reputatable dealer.

Ev

 

[olydizknee]

Can framed pin sets, like those on DisneyShopping, be dismantled and traded? I'm traveling with a 12 and 13 year old in August and they want to start pin trading. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

TIA!

 

[Donald is #1]

Can framed pin sets, like those on DisneyShopping, be dismantled and traded? I'm traveling with a 12 and 13 year old in August and they want to start pin trading. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

TIA!

I'm not sure, but I would think that the price of the framed sets would be higher than unframed. I have been able to find some multi-pin sets on disney shopping that were reasonably priced.

 

[PinCrazed]

Can framed pin sets, like those on DisneyShopping, be dismantled and traded? I'm traveling with a 12 and 13 year old in August and they want to start pin trading. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

TIA!

Please do not dismantle any framed pin sets to trade pins with. I would rather buy the framed set from you or trade you pins for your set. You are throwing money away doing that. Usually Framed sets fetch a higher purchase price because of the framing.