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Collection Building vs. Competition

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Collection Building vs. Competition
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reimanthapins

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I'm curious as to how veteran and new pin traders feel about pin trading these days. Do you feel it went from building collections and helping others build collections to competing with who has the better pins value/rarity wise?

I feel like everyone is more focused on having heavy hitter traders/books now rather than having an amazing collection. When I started pin trading, I collected Alice in Wonderland. Anytime I saw an AIW pin I don't have in my collection, I trade whatever it takes to get that pin. Now I catch people only aiming for higher end pins rather than what fits in their collection. Granted I do the same now too.

I feel it has taken the fun and purpose of trading away. Back then, everyone helped everyone and socialized with everyone. It was more of a community. Now I feel people have their own little groups to trade with, like hierarchy based on pin value/rarity. When you approach another group, its a whole different level of trading. As in everyone either has open edition pins in that group, mid range traders, or upper end traders. With that being said, it seems when some people have very valuable pins in their trader books, it intimidates new traders and people that feel they wont be able to make a trade so they all end up not even trying. Which is sad because it makes it harder for people to build their collections.

Overall I feel like traders now care more about who has better traders than who has an amazing collection. Has it become a competition? What is your take on this?
 
I tottaly agree with you there is some groups on here who are very clicky with each other I also struggle to trade now I've sent loads of trade requests out and zero response and same goes for on here no one wants to help when I put a trade request up I don't even get an other or even to look at my traders it does make you want to give up trading and other people put a trade request and as soon as it goes up they have a offer of help but I do notice it's the clicky people that seem to get all the help just my thoughts of the all the years I've been on here
 
I would argue that after ZapaPalooza and all that contributed to make that a success, that there are still a healthy bunch who see the value in actually helping others build their own collections. I know I get a kick out of finding someone elses grail pin ... That said, I do like to add pins to our collections (I collect with my daughter) and if she is happy then I am a happy dad :)

There is another post about someone getting scammed in the parks the other day with a fake pin ... or several and those people just suck ... build their own collections at the expense of others is icky business karma wise and I would sooo rather be on the side of good karma :)
 
I don't know too much about park traders, but I see some of them on Instagram and it just seems like they trade the same "grails" back and forth and brag to make others jealous.
Pin values are in the toilet these days anyway, so people who think they're better than others for owning a so called "grail" are just kidding themselves.

I personally, trade and buy for my collections and I'm picky about it. I don't have a bunch of trader pins left so I'm mainly buying these days but I would over-trade or trade multiples to get a pin for my collection.
It's tough for me, being an international trader because not a lot of people want to ship internationally any more, but I'm grateful for the traders who do :)
 
Personally, I'm all about collecting, but I see the difference as traders vs collectors. I think a lot of people got into the hobby mainly to trade without caring a lot about what they trade (character or event or whatnot). Then there are the collectors who are the bigger fans of things usually and they just want to collect those things.

It's a bit irritating because, as you said, it's hard to collect with traders. People won't trade me pins because they're not "worthwhile" for what I have, even though they're very similar in edition size, etc. A group of folks started an analog trading thread specifically to thwart this kind of behavior, but it's slow to catch on.
 
Yes I agree a lot of pins end up staying within the same circle of friends which causes others looking for that "grail" to feel intimidated and as if it will never leave the circle and end up in their hands.
 
I just recently got into pin trading - at the end of October, actually.

It was very intimidating. It still is very intimidating to me. It's difficult to build up "good" traders, and what I have never seems to interest anybody, because they aren't good enough. Everyone seems more interested in the older, rarer, harder to find pins that I cannot easily get a hold of myself.
 
I have a philosophy that if it's a small trade, I'll trade for whatever they feel is appropriate, if it means something to them. Otherwise, I am looking for things for my collection, because I view myself as a collector first and a trader second. I don't buy myself very many high end traders, so that's why I have that policy.
 
At least from what I've observed on Instagram, there does seem to be quite a high level of competition among some traders. I don't have the budget or the proximity to DSSH/Disney parks to load up my trading book with a lot of high-end pins, which is fine -- it just means that I tend not to trade with those people because they're usually looking for higher-end, expensive pins I can't give them. I've been lucky, both on Instagram and in this forum, to find quite a few traders who are more interested in growing their collections and helping others grow theirs, so I try to look out for pins they might like (and vice versa).
 
Good thoughts so far guys! ^_^

I usually try to build my own collection, and help other's collections when I can. I don't usually have interest in trading for anything else unless I know someone who wants it, or unless the other person wants something from me.
 
I'm in the newbie camp. I don't think I've been around the right places to see much of the pin-trading-as-winning approach, but then again it's not too hard for me to add to my collection since I'm still collecting common pins. The couple times I've encountered an ambitious collector were on my first trip to WDW and I just wished them well and went on my way. Maybe it'll change for me as I start hunting for serious grails, but for now I'm happy to paddle around in the shallow end of the pool and enjoy trading with fun people who just enjoy the hobby for the joy of shiny things.
 
I still think that people get into the hobby collecting what they want, but like in virtually any hobby or community you will have people who try to take advantage of others. For many of us, that has happened and it can leave you disheartened and hesitant during your next trade. But all in all, there are still many people in the community who treat pin trading like it's meant to be - you have something I like, I have something you like, let's swap and everyone leaves happy.

So to answer your question: Yes, in my mind pin trading has become a competition - but that's not all it's become. With a hobby so popular you're bound to have people trying to show each other up, but it became so popular in the first place because of it's good-hearted nature and the kind people that make pin collecting worthwhile. So my advice to the people who feel disheartened is to not give up. Even after a bad trade or encounter, get back up again and instead of letting that bad experience limit you, use it to push yourself harder to be kind and to bring some magic to someone else's day. Pin karma has strange ways of coming back to you. (And don't be intimidated by people with big books. They all started out the same way you did. But if you don't ask, the answer is bound to be no anyways.)
 
I don't know about building up super-massive traders, but I did notice a year and a half ago at the big pin trading event there were several people wearing super-duper lanyards with DA100 and DSF grails that were spectacular. I must say that to me it felt like they were "bragging" about how many grail pins they had and trying to make "the rest of us" feel inferior. Thankfully, I didn't see as many of those at the Pixar event last September. I can't explain it, but some people can wear these grail lanyards and it feels like a celebration; others wear them and it feels like intimidation...

Regarding trade books, I've been trading long enough that I've gone through a few phases myself. When I first started, I bought store pins and trading (probably too much) to the pin traders out front of the pin store at Downtown Disney. Then I went to eBay and had a pin-buying frenzy! Spent way too much and wasn't too focused. Then I found DizPins and PinPics, and got a little more focus. Tried making trade offers at PinPics, but ended up offering Hidden Mickeys or OE for DA PINS or DA100. I feel embarrassed about those, and I did get "yelled at" by a pin trader. It hurt, but I needed it, and I started making more realistic offers. PinPics has never worked well for me, but I did finally start making trades. I learned how to buy from DisneyShopping and started buying traders off of eBay, and both my keeps and trades grew. Somewhere along the lines, I went from thousands of wants and few trades to thousands of trades and few wants. Now I am the person who ignores HM for DA100 trades from PinPics, but I have never had the nerve to "yell at" these traders, even though it did me a world of good.

Wow, that's long. So what am I saying? I am definitely a pin collector and my focus has always been building my collection. But I guess I've always been more of a buyer than a trader. Even now, I find that the only times I really trade pins are at the big pin trading events each fall in Epcot. But I'm still scoping out eBay every day...
 
I am pretty new to trading and I can definitely see both sides to this. I don't agree but I can see both sides. Yes one would think that an LE 300 is comparable to another LE 300 but that's really not the case. Some LE's are more desirable and therefore make them harder to obtain because fewer people are trading them. When you are trying to add to your collection and aquire these harder to find pins you have to hold on to your quality traders in hopes to get your most wanted pins. So if someone offers you a comparable LE but it is highly traded for your LE that isn't highly traded it doesn't help you get any closer to getting your most wanted pins so it's not a desirable trade. You may like the pin and want to trade but you know you may be able to get another pin that you like more. It truly is like a game and you just have to learn how to play the game. You have to do research and learn to strategize your trades and help you build your collection. There are lot of good options here like the pin games to help you get pins to trade. There are also great sales posts at times if you actively browse them that you can find great traders. You can't go into them looking for your collection only, you have to also look for pins that you don't want but know will have a great trade value. I definitely disagree that it seems most people here are looking to take advantage and only interested in bettering their collection! Look at how many people here sacrifice their personal time to do park pick ups for everyone at cost! There is a lot of work and stress involved with this that they take on to help others in the community to grow their collection. Look at all of the zaps that go around where people find a pin someone likes and they gift it to them! Even if you have a small collection you have to be an active part of the community to put yourself out there and open you up for better trading opportunities. You have to remember this is the internet and there are unfortunately crooks in this world so you also have to be active to help build and establish trust. People will learn your character and know you so it will be easier for them to trade with you or find a pin they know you will like to zap you! So another part of learning to play the pin trading game is to remember you get what you put in! Such is the case with anything in life! Also grails are not established by the community as grail pins, grails are established by each person. They are just that persons most wanted pins!
 
All amazing answers and view points so far!!

Just wanna throw a tip out there for some newer traders viewing this thread. When you go to a release or even get your hands on newer pins, don't feel down on the fact its harder to trade. Think of it this way, when it comes to new pins, 9348059836 other people will have the same exact pin ready to move, the same time you want to get rid of yours.

So the best way to build your traders, if you get new pins, sell them right away if they don't belong in your collection. The money you get from selling that pin, use it to buy older pins people would want or what you feel will move better than the newer pin. It is also good to attend trading events outside of Disney where you will encounter veteran traders who do not go out to releases, or have connections in order to get newer pins. These traders usually love to trade auctions, shoppings, or retired pins for newer inventory.

Don't make it a competition on who can trade what first, be one step ahead, get rid of the new pins fast and get your hands on older pins before you start seeing duplicates online and at the parks. Just a tip for a few of you who feel you cant make trades with what you have. If its new, it wont move easy when other people have the same idea as you.
 
People DEFINITELY care about having better traders than others nowadays. I find myself doing the same but I wish I didn't.

In all honesty, I think people feel the need for that to be more relevant if they're a consistent park trader. Maybe to feel like they are more respected? But I think we could all take a step back from that mentality...It creates tension in the pin trading community. If someone is intimidated by your pins, they are more likely to form a bad impression of you as a trader. (I don't think that's right on their part either)

Anyways, pins SHOULD be about trading for fun(if not collecting) but it shouldn't be motivated by outshining others. It's about the good company you make and I admit that being a somewhat consistent park trader, I'm trying to take myself out of that competitive mode and take it easier as of recently. I'm learning it's more fun for yourself and the people around you the less you care about who has better traders than the others. Traders don't define how good of person you are in this community. It doesn't make anyone happier, but rather more stressed. Here's to getting back to the good times!!
 
I agree ^^^ we do need to take a step back from who has better traders, but at the same time I feel like once you've got almost everything you want, and youre working on getting those last VHTF stuff, you would need strong traders in your book. But that's all that those traders should be used for. Not for flaunting and overpowering over others. And I feel that's what a lot of traders have recently fallen to. "If someone has high end pins in their book, stay away from them because theyre sharks and you wont be able to make a trade anyway." I mean, at times we actually look for lower stuff because we find those easier to move. I just wish people didn't see "traders" especially traders at the parks, in a hierarchy perspective. We all have equal chances, just takes courage and kindness to make you who you are. not pins. 10000000% agree with Girugapinzzies.
 
I live in the middle of the country, so I can't speak to in-person trading. But after doing this since the start of official pin trading, I can say that there has always been the "peacocks." People's whose posts consist of pages of sought after pins that they would be willing to part with for one of about a dozen pins. People would drool, and post something that no doubt propped up the ego of the peacock. It was really bad around here a couple of years ago when Rapunzel was on the rise. It seemed like every trade post was people looking for very specific things (R/C Disney Girls, Marquees, BT's PODMs). All the Trade Auctions were people looking for those things, all the release threads were Rapunzel, Tangled, Rapunzel. From my perspective, the last year or so has been a return to sanity. I see people collecting all kinds of varied themes, which in itself I think lends itself to more cooperation. The person in the next post isn't after the same thing you are, so they aren't as much of a threat. And I've seen more people appreciating other people's collections. That is different than before when people would post about receiving a grail and get few replies because it wasn't one of a handful of themes.

If you break people into two categories 1. The peacocks, 2. Everyone Else, I don't think group 1 has really changed in terms of size, but other things have changed the size of group 2, and if there is less of Group 2, Group 1 looks bigger in comparison. My biggest fear when it comes to trading is counterfeits/scrappers/unauthorized pins and when I see them in people's books or pictures of their trades online, I find myself walking away. The parks have been not always friendly to in-park traders with removing tables or telling people they can't use a space anymore. And prices just continue to rise, so people have to focus on buying for their collections not extras, and tighter focus within their collection. If you can only afford to add DSSH pins to your collection and not DSSH plus park releases, you need traders that will get you DSSH pins. That's not competition but the supply and demand laws that have always been in effect. Look at the advice we give new people, don't buy traders. All add up to fewer regular folks having the trade books that are less intimidating and bothering to bring them to the park.

Like with most things, "Be the change you desire." This year's trendy grails will be shoulder shrugging eh's a few years down the road; replaced with new and better options. But if you have established a good reputation and found some trading friends your collection will grow into something that has real meaning, and won't be discarded in a fire sale because it's not cool anymore.
 
Wow. Some long reads, so I will try to keep it short. Yes at times it has seemed like TCKC has gotten a little out of control. That is "the cool kids club" for those not around long enough to remember. You will find that like with any hobby, we have a fair share of people that are only into making money or showing of money. I think the first is easy to understand. The second can be done in a number of ways. You could wear or own all the most expensive pins, you could even give lots of pins away. There is no better way and faster to build a friendship, or what seems to be a friendship than just to buy it. I was around in the earlier days before the DSF line ups and resell madness. It was clear back than that it would be best for your collection if you could team up with others on your mission. The only problem is not just anyone was or is welcome to the group. I would never give names, but let's say my favorite quote is " sorry I can't help with your pins, I have lots of regulars to keep happy, you know I have a reputation to protect."

needless to to say I think that gal is gone. But yes it's sad some are out for there ego or pocket book. True Disney fans will pass the test of time and in the long run the others will show true colors at some point.

Sorry for the rent. Heads up. It's not all bad and up to each of us to be good collectors/traders. Put fun and family first and than the pins will just become part of the fun. See you all at the parks soon.

WWWDD
 
This is another good spot for a repeat picture. Lol
pinshark.jpg
 
Yeah, the cool kids club, there has been variations on that theme since as far back as I can remember. It may not have been named, but you knew if you were in or out.
 
Personally I'm all about building my collections and helping out others. Pin trading is a hobby and I want it to be fun. I collect all types of pins, I have a lot of OE in my collection, and my main criteria is that I must simply love the pin. I also really like helping people out whenever I can. I have done a few trades where I didn't necessarily want the pins I got, but I knew the other person had been looking for my pins so I was happy to trade and help them out.

That said, I do see a lot of traders on Instagram that have a different way of trading. However it's easy to notice when someone you're talking to has a different mindset, so I just try to trade only with likeminded traders and keep it fun.
 
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