Any good eBay stories out there?

[DISDebi]

I'm running low on my traders, and I was thinking of buying a lot of pins from eBay before my trip to WDW in August. However, I've heard so many horror stories of buying scrappers, etc. on eBay that I'm nervous about doing this. Do I have a reason to worry, or am I being paranoid? Has anyone had a good pin buying experience on eBay?

 

[kyuubee]

If you're just looking for traders I've seen a few sellers here with good deals on pinlots specifically for trading

I did purchase a 100 pin lot a long time ago on ebay,was pretty much 99% scrappers,kept a few of the more horrid ones for our laughs collection and dumped the rest.

To be honest,it's really hard to gauge if a seller on ebay who sells huge pin lots is selling scrappers,since they get tons of sales from people who don't know about scrappers and people who don't care. You're best bet if you want to get some off ebay is to find a seller who you feel has decent feedback,and buy a small lot,like a 10 or 20 pin lot.When they come see if they are scrappers or legitimate pins.If they're legit then you can order a larger lot from them.This way you won't lose out alot of cash on a large lot.

 

[lunarbasket]

I've purchased many good pins through eBay - both from sellers in the US and overseas. Stay away from Hidden Mickeys and just generally cheap lots. I personally try to steer clear of auctions that use pinpics for their photos, I like to see exactly what I'm getting. As long as you pay attention to feedback and steer clear of HMs and lots, you should be fine!

As many here have said - If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

 

[swim2sea]

I would never purchase a bulk buy from eBay. 99% of them are scrappers and junk and not worth anything. Find folks on these boards who are willing to sell you pins at a reasonable price. You are better off and you don't perpetuate the scrapper problem.

 

[miss.mouse]

i have purchased a lot of pins through eBay some fakes and some not.
best thing to do if you recive a fake is to contact the member and get a refund.
you just have to be carfull and check the sellers ratings!

 

[DISDebi]

Thanks, everyone! I'll look on the sale board here for traders.

 

[niknaxx]

I have mad quite a few fabulous purchases off of ebay. I have received pins in fabulous condition and just as described. Some even better than expected. Was QUITE pleased with those purchases and have saved the sellers names so I can be a return customer.
I have purchased the following from ebay:
-- my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE purchases off of ebay

- Funny story about this one... The lady who was selling this frame lives in the next town so we made arrangements to meet rather than her ship the frame 6 miles down the freeway. And come to find out I had gone to elementary school and high school with her 2 daughters!!! They were different ages than I so we never met, but SMALL WORLD!!!



I also have made some poor purchases without even purchasing a cheap lot. In those cases, I just contacted the seller and told them I would like to send them back. Before bidding on ebay I have always made sure that there is a returns accepted clause in their auctions, as many of those who are selling junk pins do not have a return policy.

Another trick that I figured out was to check feedback of sellers and see if they have purchased any the junk lots. You can sort their feedback "as a buyer" and you and see the auctions they have purchased. This has saved me from making even more bad purchases.

 

[imatronaholic]

I am currently purchasing eBay pins specifically to trade at DLR and DCA with CMs. Of course, I have made the mistake of buying a pin lot in the past, sometimes we just gotta learn this lesson on our own. If you don't want to make this mistake, here is another approach to getting pins to trade with CMs at a reasonable price.

Here is what I am doing. Search on eBay for "disney pins", then on the left side of your window there are some filtering options, select: Condition = Used; Price range from $1.00 to $2.00, select "Buy It Now" and "US Only". Note: this filtering does not include shipping fees. Next, select Sort By "Price + Shipping: Lowest First. Now, when I do this, I get a list of less than 500 pins.

Here is the key, most sellers offer combined shipping and some sellers have a maximum shipping fee for multiple "wins".

As you look through this list of pins, you will notice that many of them have photos of the actual pin you are purchasing. And we all know that this is no guarantee that the pin is authentic, but it's a step in the right direction. Select a few of these pins, one at a time, and see if the seller offers combined shipping. Sometimes this is provided on the pin listing and sometimes you have to contact the seller. Once you've picked a seller, look at the "other items" they are selling on eBay. Select and buy all the pins you want from this seller and MAKE SURE that you pay for all of the items at one time. Sometimes you have to "Request total from seller" to get the combined shipping to show up on the payment window. I send them a message saying that I just "won" x number of items and that I would like to get the new total including combined shipping. Once you get the total that includes combined shipping, go ahead and pay. Then, before you know it you will get your trader pins.

Here's an example: Let's say you are going to buy 20 pins using this method. If each pin costs $1.99 with shipping costs of $2.95 each - but the seller offers combined shipping for multiple purchases that is $0.50 for each additional item. The total cost for these 20 pins is now $52.25. So the cost for each trader pin is ~$2.60.

I have seen a seller on eBay that has a maximum shipping fee of $2.85. So if you buy 20 trader pins at $1.99 from this seller the total would be $42.64 and the cost for each trader pin is now ~$2.13.

A really cool thing about using this method is that sometimes a seller will have a pin or pins that you want or just like for a very reasonable price and you can go ahead and get that pin(s) along with your traders with combined shipping. Very cool or is this hot?

Happy trading with CMs is when you know that you are putting authentic Disney pins back in the mix.

 

[Whitney]

One word: Boosters!

I 'roll' with booster sets on eBay - I check feedback and while I won't mention names, there are trustworthy sellers selling booster sets brand new in the package for $2.25/pin. I wouldn't touch a "grab bag/lot" with a ten foot lanyard.

I feel better knowing they're real, new/perfect and knowing what I'm getting for sure...just my two cents.

 

[Jacqui8374]

Personally I w2ould not buy pin lots on the bay I do buy pins from tme to time - new ones that is but lots are inevitably scrappers. I sell here and do have some lots I caN MAKE UP AT £2 EACH IF YOU WANT PM ME

jACQUI