Trading Pins from Ebay

[We_love_WDW]

wow..I just ordered 3 pins from ebay -a 2007 mickey in front of the castle and 2 2008 Halloween 3d pumpkin ones. Now after reading this thread I am worried they might be scrappers..I had no idea. Well I guess I will wait and see.

 

[thelionqueen]

Hey Donald, welcome to the wonderful, addictive and fabulous world of Disney Pin Trading!! BTW, my husband LIVES for Donald Duck (just had to tell you that)!
Unfortunately, scrappers are rampant in WDW & DL and there are many "tells" to look for, but honestly, they are VERY hard to detect. The pins are made in the same molds as authentic Disney pins, but much less quality and weight. I can offer you the most common things to look for, but ultimately, it will have to be found out "in person". What I mean is this. Do your pin trading as you normally would. Trade for pins that interest you. Then, at the end of the day, look at the pins and compare them (color, weight and overall quality) to authentic Disney pins. I can almost assure you, if you get a scrapper and compare it to a non-scrapper you will be able to detect them easier in your future tradings.
First thing is that MOST (not all) scrappers are "cast lanyards" i.e. hidden mickey pins. You can tell these pins by a very small mickey head somewhere on the front and it will say "cast lanyard" on the back. I have yet to find a "rack pin" (pins that can be bought @ Disney pin traders and other places) that is a scrapper although I've read that some have seen rack pins made as scrappers (that has not been my experience).

Secondly educate yourself here on the DIS as to who on ebay sells scrappers (listed here and other threads) then look at the pictures of the pins they are selling to get an idea of ones to stay away from. I can tell you personally the ones I've seen "scrapped" the most are:
Tinkerbell teardrops
Mickey footprints
Villain snowglobes
Fastpasses
etc...there are MANY MANY more, these are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head (rearead this thread for more info)

Most of all, HAVE FUN!! Don't let the worry of getting a scrapper ruin the pin trading experience for you. It is so wonderful so enjoy it. Just educate yourself as best as possible then report back here as to how you did. If I can answer any questions for you, feel free to drop me an IM.

 

[jessrose18]

starting to research pin lots for our trip. Are there any sellers on ebay that are good that are selling these cl bags/assorted bags for 1.35-1.50 a pin??????

 

[pixiewings71]

starting to research pin lots for our trip. Are there any sellers on ebay that are good that are selling these cl bags/assorted bags for 1.35-1.50 a pin??????

In my experiences generally not. I have received some lots that were very cheap and had good pins but there was at least one scrapper in the lot, maybe 2. It's hard to say really. Check with Sleepy and see what they have listed, sometimes they have small lots up for auction, they usually go for a bit over $2 a pin tho.

 

[PinGirl]

Thanks to everyone who has posted here!

I wanted to share what my DH and I do when we trade:
1) we try check this board, dizpins, disney shopping, and official disney pin trading to see what is available while we are planning to be at the parks.
2) we talk to the cast members and ask them what's new what to watch for.
3) We always walk the store's before we trade so we have an idea of what is currently in the parks we are in - as we live in CA but have annual passes to WDW - go figure!

For our upcoming Trip in a few weeks we have gone to the CA outlets and purchased pins to take with us. So if you are trading in 2 weeks at WDW and you see a lot of the same pins from CA that are: Rabbit pirates, pin on pin pirates, mickey wearing donalds hat, (just to mention a few) and we got some Villan LE's from disney shopping last christmas that are very cheap looking but legit - that's us trading those. Some pins we got 4 or 5 of some 10depending on what they had. Cost wise most started at $3-$6.95.

I am just mentioning this as there will be a lot of Disneyland pins floating around and Disney shopping that are legit and will be on cast members Lanyards.

We have been traders since it first started but some of the scrappers are really good and it has taken us having 2 pins side by side to tell the difference.

Our advice is trade for pins you like and have fun. We know we have scrappers in our collection and if we liked the pin have just kept them. If we trade for something weird in the park we find a cast member and say we think this is not good can we have any other pin in trade. We also give lots of pins away to kids for free to make their day.

We have decided to be aware of the scrappers but still enjoy the hobby. we stilllove the interaction with people and the hobby. We refuse to let the bad people ruin it for us.

Our advice is educate yourself as much as possible have fun and be as aware as you can be.

Ultimately have fun as that's what it's all about.

 

[hbkfan637]

I just got back from Disneyland tonight and even though I'm exhausted, I read through the whole thread because I caught the pin trading bug. I had a question about the comments for "hidden mickey" pins.. it was mentioned on this thread that they weren't sold in stores.. I'm confused about this comment because I bought two "mystery hidden mickey" (that's what the CM called it and she said this month was Peter Pan theme) packets at the park last weekend. It was $10 for each packet (each packet comes with two). Are these different from the "hidden mickeys" you guys are talking about?

I was hoping to buy some pins on eBay because I wanted to get some Monsters Inc pins (I couldn't find any at the park). Based on what I read, if I buy them from a seller who's selling them individually I should be good right?

Also, I just wanted to say that finding this thread has given me mixed feelings. I'm a little discouraged about pin trading because I'm scared to get fakes but I'm also grateful for all the information so I know what to lookout for! I think I'm going to keep the pins I buy from Disney and pins I receive from trades separate though.

 

[pixiewings71]

I just got back from Disneyland tonight and even though I'm exhausted, I read through the whole thread because I caught the pin trading bug. I had a question about the comments for "hidden mickey" pins.. it was mentioned on this thread that they weren't sold in stores.. I'm confused about this comment because I bought two "mystery hidden mickey" (that's what the CM called it and she said this month was Peter Pan theme) packets at the park last weekend. It was $10 for each packet (each packet comes with two). Are these different from the "hidden mickeys" you guys are talking about?

I was hoping to buy some pins on eBay because I wanted to get some Monsters Inc pins (I couldn't find any at the park). Based on what I read, if I buy them from a seller who's selling them individually I should be good right?

Also, I just wanted to say that finding this thread has given me mixed feelings. I'm a little discouraged about pin trading because I'm scared to get fakes but I'm also grateful for all the information so I know what to lookout for! I think I'm going to keep the pins I buy from Disney and pins I receive from trades separate though.

You can buy Hidden Mickey pin the mystery pouches now, but they change what you're getting as they change the months at DL. What I mean is, DL releases a new HM pin set every month so after the month is over they will package a certain # for purchase in the mystery pouches. Once they are gone they are gone and you cannot purchase them again, also the older the set the more unlikely it is you will ever find them in a mystery pouch.

Your chances of getting good pins are higher if you find a seller with singles up but that won't guarantee it, your only way to ensure the authenticity is to purchase them yourself from Disney stores or online at Disney Shopping. Check Disney Shopping for pins, I got some yesterday that I really like!! And they are usually very very limited editions.

The point of this thread is not to discourage but to educate. I know how you feel, I felt the same way when I learned about scrappers but I still trade. I just always keep in my mind the knowledge that I might get a scrapper when trading and try not to let it bother me.

 

[hbkfan637]

Thanks for the info pixiewings71. I just recently became a big fan of pins and everything Disney and have a lot to learn still! The more I read and learn, the more confused I get.

 

[pixiewings71]

Hang in there hbk, it gets easier as you figure things out. I got very discouraged early on and almost quit but I'm glad we didn't.

 

[poohaddict]

Well after reading this thread I went onto pinpics.com and found out that a lot I bought from EBAY were mostly scrappers. I had no idea that there are FAKE pins. I traded most of them will we were at the World the beggining of May. We did keep a few of them and I compared the pins I know I bought from Disney and the ones from ebay. The weight was the big difference. ALso some of them were rusted looking that should have been my 1st clue something was wrong. I will defintley be more careful from now on.

 

[thelionqueen]

We are currently in the midst of our Summer trip and I wanted to report on my pin trading observations.

On a positive note, I have seen VERY few scrappers on CM's lanyards. Honestly, our last trip there were several on every lanyard. This trip I can count on 2 hands the ones I've noticed.

Unfortunately, they are being replaced with starter set pins, and there are a bunch of them! However, I was pleasantly surprised with the lack of scrappers and wanted to let you all know what I saw.

Apparently CM's are not accepting and/or taking the scrappers out of circulation and noticeably so. I'm hopeful some new rules are in place to take the scrappers out of the mix

 

[CarolinaGirlTiss]

Okay first off I am new to disboards. Have been reading for a long time but just made my first post earlier this afternoon.

My DH and I went to Disney World in April on my spring break. I took a few pins that I had from a previous trip (this was DH's first trip) with me just to wear. I wanted to get some pins from ebay before we went to trade but it just didn't work out. In fact a good portion of the time I was there I was in contact the seller bibiddi_bobiddi_boo (not sure if this is the correct spelling) trying to get some delivered to my hotel. Fortunately this did not work for me. So everything I traded was something I actually bought from DW.

Now my observation. DH is a huge Goofy fan and we were looking for a Goofy pin to trade for. We found one on a CM lanyard and asked him to trade. He told us unfortunately he couldn't trade that one, I wouldn't want it anyway because it was not a real Disney pin. He then explained to me why. I don't remember his explanation exactly except he said something about the back of it not having a date and disney ears (I was really tired). So that castmember at least knew a fake from a real one and didn't pass it on.

The good now the bad that comes with my question. I think I traded with a different CM for a fake (scrapper). I haven't been to any website to verify this but just from what I have read on the boards I think it might not be real. First my question, Do any Disney pins have black backs? This one does and none of my others do. This one is also trimmed in black where all the others are trimmed in gold. The back looks legit (except for the fact that it is black and all the others are gold) but I just don't know. It is a Tigger pin. The weight seems to be comparable with the other pins I have. What do ya'll think?

We are going back in July (with the kids this time, last time was just for us) and I want to order some legit trading pins from ebay or somewhere for my teenagers and I to trade so I have been writing down these names of good sellers and will check them out this weekend when I have more time.

Thanks for this thread, it has really helped me out!

 

[thelionqueen]

First my question, Do any Disney pins have black backs? This one does and none of my others do. This one is also trimmed in black where all the others are trimmed in gold. The back looks legit (except for the fact that it is black and all the others are gold) but I just don't know. It is a Tigger pin. The weight seems to be comparable with the other pins I have. What do ya'll think?

We are going back in July (with the kids this time, last time was just for us) and I want to order some legit trading pins from ebay or somewhere for my teenagers and I to trade so I have been writing down these names of good sellers and will check them out this weekend when I have more time.

Thanks for this thread, it has really helped me out!

On my trip this month, I noticed a difference in Disney pins. MANY (if not all) of them had the "mickey head" stamped back. I know they are authentic because I bought them @ Epcot & other locations and all of the 2009 pins had this stamping I've never seen before. And YES I did receive a pin with a "black" stamped back that was bought @ Disney therefore legit.

My assumption (not fact of course) is that they started doing this with the 2009 pins because of all the problems with scrappers (just speculation). I noticed it right away on my first purchase. NOW, keep in mind, I only noticed this on 2009 pins. There are several "open edition" pins from 2008 (and sometimes earlier) that do NOT have this stamping and ARE legit.

Without seeing your pin, I would guess that it is authentic. The weight is a big indicator, and if you think it feels comparable to other pins, I would say it's OK. As long as you like it, enjoy it!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

CarolinaGirlTiss - I bought TONS of pins from the Disney Store last year before they closed and many of those pins have black backs as opposed to gold or silver. There are many variations in authentic pins. Makes it nearly impossible to sort out the fakes!

 

[mum24grlz]

OK, strictly based on the annoying music alone I would not buy from her!
Seriously though, I did look at the auction and all others she is listing and you can be sure they are fake. Although the picture she shows on ALL listings (HUGE red flag) is small and hard to see, the ones I could make out were not fake. Until you get the lot and see what you get, you can't be sure. But if you were to ask me my "professional" opinion prior to getting them, my thought would be yes, they are fakes. And mostly for the main reasons posted on this thread as well as pinpics, etc. Large lots of pins, non-descript and cheap = fake.
Once you receive them, let us know what you got and we will be able to tell you for sure. I'm SO SORRY people who didn't know about scrappers are finding out the hard way.
There used to be a day (not too long ago actually-maybe a little over a year is all) that you could trade pins without a care in the world and that is how it is MEANT to be. I will do my part to bring that day back, and it sounds like there are many (from the posts on this thread alone) just like me.
That said, if you buy your pins from Disney and educate yourself (like this thread) pin trading can be extremely enjoyable.

I just don't see how some people can knowingly buy fake pins and justify trading them knowing the harm it does to everyone and pin trading in general. I KNOW it is NOT cheap to pin trade (the right and intended way) and I KNOW kids likely don't care what they have to trade or what they get (they just like the act of the trade) I get all that. So you turn a blind eye, or claim "I didn't know" or my kids don't care and go on with your trip without a care. I DO NOT get that. I consider myself a person of high morals and esteem and teach my children by example. What would I be telling my kids by buying fake pins and trading them to others looking for the same joy? Simple, I wouldn't. What I am teaching my kids is that doing the right thing is NOT easy, it takes time, effort and diligence. Maybe one day, when fakes are not traded I can look at them and say, "look what I helped do" and that is worth a heck of a lot more than $2 a pin.

At the end of the day, you are in Walt's Kingdom and dream and how many people really ask themselves.."What would Walt do"

Thank you and others for fighting the fakes. I had no idea that there were fake pins. My mother who is now a retired CM has tons and tons of pins that she purchased when pin trading first debuted. I would HATE to see her trade her legit pins and get trash.

I sell on ebay and I am a firm believer in not buying anything fake or counterfeit - be it Coach purses or Disney pins. Yes its cheaper to buy fakes but seriously its illegal to purchase or sell counterfeits! It undermines the integrity of the industry and is just plain WRONG! (yes i feel quite strongly about this)

Again my thanks to you and I will start to spread the word to my friends and associates that there are fake pins out there.

I also urge those who have purchased fake pins on ebay - even if you do return for refunds - to LEAVE APPROPRIATE FEEDBACK!! That's why ebay has the feedback system - to advise other potential buyers about the sellers product and practices. Sellers cannot neg you back anymore - its totally a buyers market -so i encourage you to leave appropriate feedback - even if you do get a refund

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thank you and others for fighting the fakes. I had no idea that there were fake pins. My mother who is now a retired CM has tons and tons of pins that she purchased when pin trading first debuted. I would HATE to see her trade her legit pins and get trash.

I sell on ebay and I am a firm believer in not buying anything fake or counterfeit - be it Coach purses or Disney pins. Yes its cheaper to buy fakes but seriously its illegal to purchase or sell counterfeits! It undermines the integrity of the industry and is just plain WRONG! (yes i feel quite strongly about this)

Again my thanks to you and I will start to spread the word to my friends and associates that there are fake pins out there.

I also urge those who have purchased fake pins on ebay - even if you do return for refunds - to LEAVE APPROPRIATE FEEDBACK!! That's why ebay has the feedback system - to advise other potential buyers about the sellers product and practices. Sellers cannot neg you back anymore - its totally a buyers market -so i encourage you to leave appropriate feedback - even if you do get a refund

The other thing about feedback is this:
People who do not KNOW anything about fake pins will post positive feedback for sellers with counterfeits. I know I was posting positive feedback for people before I knew about fakes, scrappers, counterfeits, etc. If I got my pins in a timely fashion I would post positive feedback. After I realized I bought a BUNCH of fakes there was no way to go back and edit the feedback. We do not purchase on eBay now. DO NOT rely on positive feedback as an indicator that someone is selling genuine pins!!!

 

[MountNittany]

I just purchased a lot of 40 pins on ebay for 1.15 each. I am worried that they may be scrappers. Is there any way to check for scrappers besides looking up the pins on Pin Pics and looking for bad coloring/extra metal in the pins? The seller had 99.9% positive feedback also, so I felt confident buying from them.

 

[thelionqueen]

I just purchased a lot of 40 pins on ebay for 1.15 each. I am worried that they may be scrappers. Is there any way to check for scrappers besides looking up the pins on Pin Pics and looking for bad coloring/extra metal in the pins? The seller had 99.9% positive feedback also, so I felt confident buying from them.

Without seeing them I cannot say 100% for sure that they are fakes, but, knowing ebay and the cost of scrappers, and more (listed on this thread) I would say that I am 99.99999% sure they are scrappers.

Bottom line is this, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Why would someone buy a pin for $7-$18 EACH and then turn around and sell a "lot" of them for $1+ each?

Even if the seller has positive feedback, that means absolutely nothing. Look at the sellers other auctions; are they selling many lots of pins with the same description for around the same price? Are many of them "cast lanyard" or hidden mickey pins?

Ask yourself this..how did one person manage to buy SOOOO many pins and sell them for so cheap? There is really only one answer, they are scrappers. There are MANY ebay sellers listed on this thread that sell scrappers. If you list who you bought them from, one of us can tell you if they are fake.

I can tell you right now, even without seeing them, I would bet my left arm and leg they are fake

 

[MountNittany]

If you list who you bought them from, one of us can tell you if they are fake.

I bought them from bibbidi_bobbidi_boo_colectibles.

 

[thelionqueen]

I bought them from bibbidi_bobbidi_boo_colectibles.

This seller has been mentioned many times on this thread, and many different DIS'ers have had dealings with her. All of the replies and those who received pins from this person reported receiving scrappers. There were some who had one or two "authentic" pins in their lot, but approx 95% were scrappers.

In fact, one person on this thread attempted to question the seller regarding the authenticity and this seller replied very rudely and other nasty things happened.

I went back and looked at her auctions again, looked at feedback (since some posters said they left it) and can confidently state that you bought scrappers. This person really is a piece of work. I looked at the negative comments, all indicating fake pins, and she tries to ruin their credibility by posting replies. I also had to laugh out loud when reading the descriptions indicating that she doesn't sell scrappers because hers are not in a little plastic bag. I'm fairly certain this seller is reading this and/or other threads on the DIS to post this information on his/her listings.

Basically, you get what you pay for; it's true in all areas of life and is true in this case. I would love to see you inquire about the authenticity of the pins with the seller and see the response. It's up to you to decide how you handle the situation from here. But I would urge you to "do the right thing" and not trade them @ Disney. As stated in this thread many, many times, it hurts everyone and the entire practice of pin trading is diminished.

Thanks for taking the time to ask questions!