A Guide to Pin Buying on DPF
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- California
These are my thoughts only about buying pins on DPF (and anywhere else, other than ebay). Remember, past performance is NOT a guarantee of future results.
Paying with a credit card (US sellers & buyers)
If you are in the US and the seller is in the US, pay as goods with a credit card. That way you have PayPal buyer protection and, if they don't side with you, you have protection with your credit card company. Make sure you have a CONFIRMED shipping address. And add extra money for the fee (people say gifts so no fee but if you're already paying with a credit card, you would click the "sender pays fee" already so just go and pay as goods!)
Paying with a credit card (one person is not in the US)
If either party is out of the country, then you will need to determine whether you want to pay for trackable shipping (the only way the seller will take PayPal as goods). Trackable shipping is pricey (can be $10-20) so think long and hard as to whether the pin is worth it (if you pay as goods). Otherwise, if it’s a small amount that you can "afford" to lose if the pin doesn't show up, then gift should be okay.
Paying as a gift
If the seller insists on getting payment as a gift to avoid the fee and you are okay with it (again, I wouldn't recommend it), pay with a credit card and click the portion that says "sender pays fee." That way, you still have your credit card company to fall back upon.
International shipping
This is very pricey: $3 for the first ounce and $1 for each additional ounce from the US to Europe. I believe it is pricier to ship to Australia and other countries. A customs tag is used and a value has to be declared. This value is subjective when trading (original retail price versus what it is selling for on ebay) but when selling, it is usually the price sold for. There are customs duties (to the recipient) that is associated with obtaining the item so this needs to be taken into account as well. There is a customs tag/receipt that we are provided with a trackable number that is ONLY trackable within the US. This trackable number is not meant to be used as a substitute for actual trackable shipping (trackable outside the US.)
Check Feedback as a Seller
Check feedback and his or her posts on DPF (use the search feature). A lot of people have no qualms about complaining about their treatment by other DPF members so this is a good tool to use.
You can check feedback left for a specific individual as a seller and as a buyer. The cumulative feedback score is for sales, purchases, and trades! Also, check to see how recently the feedback was left from buyers.
Again, remember, past performance is NOT a guarantee of future results. It is better to be safe (pay as goods with a credit card) than sorry.
Communication is the key
Be communicative and before agreeing to send payment, make sure you get a timeline for when the pin(s) will be shipped. Always ask for a delivery confirmation or signature confirmation number. If the seller wants to charge you extra for either option, look at the overall price and if you're okay with it for the pin, great; don't penny pinch for these added costs.
Delivery Confirmation (DC) or Signature Confirmation (SC)
If one is going to the post office and getting the green DC label, it costs 75 to 95-cents, depending on method of shipment (first class versus priority mail.) The pink SC label is $2.60. For high valued items, it may be a good idea to obtain SC.
For the seller, there is the option of using a pre-paid label (you can do this through PayPal Shipping Assistant and possibly stamps.com) and then DC is FREE! Plus, for some odd reason, shipping costs using one of these methods is cheaper than going to the post office.
The seller can also use Click 'n Ship for Business (a downloadable program from the USPS), formerly known as USPS Shipping Assistant, and get free DC as well (but pay for postage in person). If the seller uses PayPal Shipping Assistant and/or stamps.com, I recommend the seller take the package to the post office and get a scanned receipt (for acceptance). With Click 'n Ship for Business, you get a receipt which the post office can stamp with its postmark. I don't know about the other two since I use Click 'n Ship for Business. But, the seller should still be able to get a printed receipt which shows the items were scanned for acceptance.
I like to color my label to correspond with what the post office uses. For example, for the DC label, I use a green highlighter. For the SC label, I use a pink highlighter. Those are the two colors that the post office labels are. I don’t know if it causes the post office to remember to scan them, but that’s why I do it.
Pre-sales
There have been a lot of people asking for pre-sales and pre-trades on the forum. This is a great idea to help others who aren’t close to the parks to get new pins. However, it is a good idea to have everything in writing so that there are no disappointments.
For sales: Does the “seller†want the money up-front? If so, how many days in advance?
Types of Pins – Mystery Boxes
For example, mystery pins/boxes are non-refundable and non-returnable. If the buyer wants to try to get the whole set of mystery pins, does the buyer want them unopened? Does the buyer want the box intact? Does the buyer want the seller to open the boxes and try to trade for the missing pins at the park?
Piece of Disney Movies
Another example is the Piece of Disney Movies pins. For a long while, we at DLR have heard that the ratio between the two parks is 1500 at WDW and 500 at DLR. But it appears to have shifted with the Steamboat Willie release so that the pins are equally distributed (1000 per park). Is the seller offering you a specific scene for the price? Or is it just random? If random, the buyer should determine whether he or she will be happy with whatever scene he or she obtains for the agreed upon price. If random and the seller has multiple sales, perhaps the seller can just “blind box†them. That is, each is wrapped up and sealed in their own individual bubble envelopes, jumble the envelopes together and randomly select an envelope for a label.
As mentioned above, communication is the key.
For those who aren’t charter members, we are limited in the number of PMs we can keep in our boxes. So, it might be a good idea to exchange email addresses.
Pre-trades
If pre-trading for mystery boxes or any other pin that is non-refundable/non-returnable, what do you do? Is this a pin that you could “live with†if the trade doesn’t go through?
If pre-trading for PODMS, make sure you communicate well as to whether the recipient of the PODM will get to choose the PODM amongst the scenes the other gets or whether it is random. And, make it very clear so that neither party is upset at the end.
What I do
I rarely pre-trade because my collection is limited and I don’t like to be stuck with a pin that I don’t want if it is a non-returnable pin or is too late to return. I will sometimes pre-trade with pins that I can get at the parks that may be good traders, but again, I don’t like to be stuck with a pin I don’t want, so that is rare.
I have no problem buying someone a pin at the park as long as they pay the cost of the pin, tax & shipping to them. I expect payment at least one business day prior to the release, by a set time (because I stop checking email, PMs, and PayPal after a certain time and there’s no guarantee that I’ll have time to check the day of the release). I typically only do this for US residents only.
For payment, I prefer PayPal gift but will also take PayPal goods and charge an amount to cover the fee that PayPal charges (I usually round up to the nearest whole $). Payment as goods requires a confirmed shipping address in the US. For payment as goods, if I am unable to deliver, I refund the money promptly. However, I have since learned that even for refunded payments as goods, PayPal will still charge the 30-35 cents transaction fee and only reverse the 3% added fee. So, the buyer is informed of this information and is willing to risk the 30-35 cents, then I provide my information for PayPal payment.
Shipping
I ship promptly (Mondays thru Thursdays). If for some odd reason, I cannot ship during these times (meetings or something), I communicate to the person immediately to tell them that something came up and let them know when it will be shipped. I use the USPS Shipping Assistant aka Click ‘n Ship for Business so I can provide them the DC # as soon as it is generated.
I think my feedback speaks for itself But, if it's a high dollar amount and you're buying from someone that's not local to you and may have had issues in the past here on DPF, it's better to be safe than sorry and pay as goods!
Those are my thoughts. Feel free to add any more that I haven't thought of.
P.S. For the most part, I will send as goods because I always pay with my credit card. Always! A separate guide might be done for selling. I haven't thought of one yet.
Paying with a credit card (US sellers & buyers)
If you are in the US and the seller is in the US, pay as goods with a credit card. That way you have PayPal buyer protection and, if they don't side with you, you have protection with your credit card company. Make sure you have a CONFIRMED shipping address. And add extra money for the fee (people say gifts so no fee but if you're already paying with a credit card, you would click the "sender pays fee" already so just go and pay as goods!)
Paying with a credit card (one person is not in the US)
If either party is out of the country, then you will need to determine whether you want to pay for trackable shipping (the only way the seller will take PayPal as goods). Trackable shipping is pricey (can be $10-20) so think long and hard as to whether the pin is worth it (if you pay as goods). Otherwise, if it’s a small amount that you can "afford" to lose if the pin doesn't show up, then gift should be okay.
Paying as a gift
If the seller insists on getting payment as a gift to avoid the fee and you are okay with it (again, I wouldn't recommend it), pay with a credit card and click the portion that says "sender pays fee." That way, you still have your credit card company to fall back upon.
International shipping
This is very pricey: $3 for the first ounce and $1 for each additional ounce from the US to Europe. I believe it is pricier to ship to Australia and other countries. A customs tag is used and a value has to be declared. This value is subjective when trading (original retail price versus what it is selling for on ebay) but when selling, it is usually the price sold for. There are customs duties (to the recipient) that is associated with obtaining the item so this needs to be taken into account as well. There is a customs tag/receipt that we are provided with a trackable number that is ONLY trackable within the US. This trackable number is not meant to be used as a substitute for actual trackable shipping (trackable outside the US.)
Check Feedback as a Seller
Check feedback and his or her posts on DPF (use the search feature). A lot of people have no qualms about complaining about their treatment by other DPF members so this is a good tool to use.
You can check feedback left for a specific individual as a seller and as a buyer. The cumulative feedback score is for sales, purchases, and trades! Also, check to see how recently the feedback was left from buyers.
Again, remember, past performance is NOT a guarantee of future results. It is better to be safe (pay as goods with a credit card) than sorry.
Communication is the key
Be communicative and before agreeing to send payment, make sure you get a timeline for when the pin(s) will be shipped. Always ask for a delivery confirmation or signature confirmation number. If the seller wants to charge you extra for either option, look at the overall price and if you're okay with it for the pin, great; don't penny pinch for these added costs.
Delivery Confirmation (DC) or Signature Confirmation (SC)
If one is going to the post office and getting the green DC label, it costs 75 to 95-cents, depending on method of shipment (first class versus priority mail.) The pink SC label is $2.60. For high valued items, it may be a good idea to obtain SC.
For the seller, there is the option of using a pre-paid label (you can do this through PayPal Shipping Assistant and possibly stamps.com) and then DC is FREE! Plus, for some odd reason, shipping costs using one of these methods is cheaper than going to the post office.
The seller can also use Click 'n Ship for Business (a downloadable program from the USPS), formerly known as USPS Shipping Assistant, and get free DC as well (but pay for postage in person). If the seller uses PayPal Shipping Assistant and/or stamps.com, I recommend the seller take the package to the post office and get a scanned receipt (for acceptance). With Click 'n Ship for Business, you get a receipt which the post office can stamp with its postmark. I don't know about the other two since I use Click 'n Ship for Business. But, the seller should still be able to get a printed receipt which shows the items were scanned for acceptance.
I like to color my label to correspond with what the post office uses. For example, for the DC label, I use a green highlighter. For the SC label, I use a pink highlighter. Those are the two colors that the post office labels are. I don’t know if it causes the post office to remember to scan them, but that’s why I do it.
Pre-sales
There have been a lot of people asking for pre-sales and pre-trades on the forum. This is a great idea to help others who aren’t close to the parks to get new pins. However, it is a good idea to have everything in writing so that there are no disappointments.
For sales: Does the “seller†want the money up-front? If so, how many days in advance?
Types of Pins – Mystery Boxes
For example, mystery pins/boxes are non-refundable and non-returnable. If the buyer wants to try to get the whole set of mystery pins, does the buyer want them unopened? Does the buyer want the box intact? Does the buyer want the seller to open the boxes and try to trade for the missing pins at the park?
Piece of Disney Movies
Another example is the Piece of Disney Movies pins. For a long while, we at DLR have heard that the ratio between the two parks is 1500 at WDW and 500 at DLR. But it appears to have shifted with the Steamboat Willie release so that the pins are equally distributed (1000 per park). Is the seller offering you a specific scene for the price? Or is it just random? If random, the buyer should determine whether he or she will be happy with whatever scene he or she obtains for the agreed upon price. If random and the seller has multiple sales, perhaps the seller can just “blind box†them. That is, each is wrapped up and sealed in their own individual bubble envelopes, jumble the envelopes together and randomly select an envelope for a label.
As mentioned above, communication is the key.
For those who aren’t charter members, we are limited in the number of PMs we can keep in our boxes. So, it might be a good idea to exchange email addresses.
Pre-trades
If pre-trading for mystery boxes or any other pin that is non-refundable/non-returnable, what do you do? Is this a pin that you could “live with†if the trade doesn’t go through?
If pre-trading for PODMS, make sure you communicate well as to whether the recipient of the PODM will get to choose the PODM amongst the scenes the other gets or whether it is random. And, make it very clear so that neither party is upset at the end.
What I do
I rarely pre-trade because my collection is limited and I don’t like to be stuck with a pin that I don’t want if it is a non-returnable pin or is too late to return. I will sometimes pre-trade with pins that I can get at the parks that may be good traders, but again, I don’t like to be stuck with a pin I don’t want, so that is rare.
I have no problem buying someone a pin at the park as long as they pay the cost of the pin, tax & shipping to them. I expect payment at least one business day prior to the release, by a set time (because I stop checking email, PMs, and PayPal after a certain time and there’s no guarantee that I’ll have time to check the day of the release). I typically only do this for US residents only.
For payment, I prefer PayPal gift but will also take PayPal goods and charge an amount to cover the fee that PayPal charges (I usually round up to the nearest whole $). Payment as goods requires a confirmed shipping address in the US. For payment as goods, if I am unable to deliver, I refund the money promptly. However, I have since learned that even for refunded payments as goods, PayPal will still charge the 30-35 cents transaction fee and only reverse the 3% added fee. So, the buyer is informed of this information and is willing to risk the 30-35 cents, then I provide my information for PayPal payment.
Shipping
I ship promptly (Mondays thru Thursdays). If for some odd reason, I cannot ship during these times (meetings or something), I communicate to the person immediately to tell them that something came up and let them know when it will be shipped. I use the USPS Shipping Assistant aka Click ‘n Ship for Business so I can provide them the DC # as soon as it is generated.
I think my feedback speaks for itself But, if it's a high dollar amount and you're buying from someone that's not local to you and may have had issues in the past here on DPF, it's better to be safe than sorry and pay as goods!
Those are my thoughts. Feel free to add any more that I haven't thought of.
P.S. For the most part, I will send as goods because I always pay with my credit card. Always! A separate guide might be done for selling. I haven't thought of one yet.
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