• Guest, Help The DPF Community Thrive - Join Our Donation Drive Today!

    We're launching a special DPF Donation Drive to ensure our beloved forum continues to flourish. Your support is vital in helping us cover essential server costs and keep our community running smoothly — This is more than just a donation; it's an investment in the future of our community.

    Join us in this crucial drive and let's ensure our forum remains a vibrant and dynamic place for everyone.

    Please visit the DPF Donation Drive Thread for details and instructions on how you can make your donation today!

Pin trading newbie and I am confused by it all

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pin trading newbie and I am confused by it all
P

pnjjrose

New DPF Member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Messages
25
Hi everyone. I always thought pin trading sounded like fun but I never got into or understood it until last year. I got into it sort of by accident. I have always bought one or two pins per trip as a memento of each trip. Last year my husband spotted the mystery packs of the Nested doll pins and since I have collected nested dolls for years he urged me to buy. Of course I had to buy several to try to get a complete set. At the time they had a lanyard with pins as a purchase with so much spent so I decided to get it and try pin trading. Only traded for 3 and then when I got home I started researching about trading and found out about scrappers and counterfeits. Sure enough 2 of my trades were definitely not the real deal and I am not sure about the 3rd. I bought several booster packs at Disney.com for my next trip and then while in Orlando went to the Disney outlet store and bought several more booster packs for trading. On that trip my three grandsons - ages 3, 5 and 7 - and I made numerous trades and sure enough when I got home and researched almost all were scrappers or counterfeits. I was not happy at all. My grandsons were thrilled because as far as they were concerned they were getting nice free pins. Even at the outlet stores the pins are not cheap so I was less than thrilled. Thought I would give ebay a try and bought sealed booster packs and sealed mystery packs figuring that was safe. After opening 6 sealed Mickey Icon mystery packs I am convinced those were fake - all 6 bags had the same exact pins in them - what are the chances?! Now I read here on the boards they have even counterfeited the booster packs. I had also bought several lots from an ebay seller that lists them as authentic, no fakes, no scrappers. Since when I got the lots they were almost all from booster packs or mystery pouches I thought they were probably real. The backs have no borders, they look like pin pics pictures but not so sure anymore. We are going to Disney World again in Dec and my grandsons are looking forward to pin trading again. As I mentioned they won't care if they get fakes I just don't want to be putting more fakes out there. So far with my experiences I am afraid to get into more advanced trading such as limited editions. Any advice?
 
We have been getting flooded with fakes. eBay is notorious for scrappers, but some sellers are still good. I would suggest trying to trade on this site, PinPics, or Pin Trading Database. When you go to the parks, have fun with your grandchildren trading.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum, sorry you have such trouble with scrappers and counterfeit pins. They are everywhere and it is so easy to fall victim to them but please don't let that deter you as it is a wonderful hobby, though rather addicting!
 
Welcome to the DPF family.

I too, am sorry to hear about your initial trading experiences. I also agree with what the two members above wrote in response to your Thread.

This is a learn-curve, as is all hobby's. You've come to the right place for some education, and trading.

Don't lose heart. This is a great hobby...so much fun to share with others, especially children.

Happy Disney Pin Collecting and Trading.
 
Thanks for the welcomes and replies. Much appreciated. Scrappers and counterfeits aside my grandsons and I had so much fun trading on our last visit and I do look forward to the next visit. I have a lot of duplicates I got in the lots I bought on ebay but since I have no "real" pins to compare to I am not sure if they are real or not but since nothing is screaming counterfeit to me should I feel ok with trading with them at the park? I did not buy the lots that go for about 50 cents per pin but rather these lots went for about $1.50 - $2.00 per pin. The seller has a lot of positive feedback and only 1 person's feedback said scrapper and the seller replied that they do not knowingly sell scrappers or counterfeits. On another forum the seller was mentioned 3 or 4 times as selling authentic pins in a thread. To complicate matters I have one pin I know I would think was a scrapper and probably most of you would too. It is a Hidden Mickey which I have read are famous for being scrapped. It has a wobbly post and one rough edge. Yet I know with absolute certainty that I bought it at the park in a mystery pouch of 2 hidden Mickeys. I have not even decided yet what I want to concentrated on collecting but did notice when going through my pin purchases from previous visits where I only bought 1 or 2 pins as mementos almost all were Mickey icon so that should tell me something :). Also kicking around the idea of collecting Alien or Little green men, Grumpy - because that is me, Dumbo - he is too cute, eeyore - again because attitude, and Holidays because I just love all holidays. How to even start?! Do people just buy up extra limited edition or rack pins that they don't really even want in hopes of trading later? I only bought multiples of 1 limited edition pin because I found it at the outlet store and figured maybe I could trade later. By the way I am Nancy and live in the Rochester, NY area. Thanks again for the warm welcome. Happy trading.
 
Aloha Nancy and Welcome! :wavey:

Fakes and counterfeits are a big problem for all pin traders, new and experienced alike. I'm sorry you had such a negative experience with them so early on, but I wouldn't let them deter you from pin collecting/trading, which really can be a fun and enjoyable habit ... er ... hobby. My best suggestions are:

1. Select a theme/character (or maybe a few, depending upon what you choose) to collect. If you collect everything that's shiny with a pointy back attached, before you know it, you'll end up with six rooms full of pins and a second mortgage on your home. It's much easier to keep your collection under control by being selective early on.

2. Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is the best way to educate yourself and learn about the pins you both want and want to avoid.

3. Don't forget to have fun at all times.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top