• 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!

Counterfeit Disney pins seized by US Customs

Counterfeit Disney pins seized by US Customs

hopemax

DPF Super Moderator
Staff member
DPF Super Moderator
Rating - 100%
201   0   0
Messages
3,949
Location
Colorado
Crazy…

had to remember that Indiana would border ‘another county’ via the Great Lakes..
 
In this case, two of pictures shown are pins being sold individually when authentic were sold in sets. A booster for for the DLP Stitch cupcake, sold a decade ago. A deluxe starter lanyard, sold 14 years ago for the Minnie WDW. It should be apparent to a number of pin people in a second, that something hinky was going on. But if the original reporting is only Chicago CBP Twitter, explaining that would take too many characters better saved for reports and lawyers. “Inferior” gets the point across for people that casually follow that account.
 
I'm glad they caught them and hope folks are punished and maybe it cuts down activity a lot. And $30K is not a small number, but it's not a particularly big one either. I am sure there are shipments of many multiples of that happening. I hope they catch some of those and really start cracking down. I wonder if maybe this is an indicator of the start of activity? Or is it more of a one off? Thoughts?
 
I really want to know how they figured out they are fake. The average non-pin collector wouldn't really know the difference so aside from a large volume of pins how would they honestly know. I'm glad they caught them but my curiosity is peaked. Maybe there is a pin collector on their staff ;)

I just think back to even when I first got into pin collecting. I had no idea how to tell what was fake and what was not.
 
I'm glad they caught them and hope folks are punished and maybe it cuts down activity a lot. And $30K is not a small number, but it's not a particularly big one either. I am sure there are shipments of many multiples of that happening. I hope they catch some of those and really start cracking down. I wonder if maybe this is an indicator of the start of activity? Or is it more of a one off? Thoughts?
Given how few times this has happened (someone getting caught) vs the volume of fakes we seen get sold on Ebay on a daily basis, I would guess one off. Someone got unlucky with with what agent looked in their suitcase or crate that day. I think the last time, they basically used $10 as an average price, so this probably only about 3000 pins or less.

Not that agents might not know about the fake Disney pin market. It’s the type of thing that might make someone’s radar if it intersects with their profession. Like the stories of drug dealers dealing in LEGO theft rings. The crazy stories people share about the weirdest smuggling they’ve seen. But it’s the kind of thing you stumble into and hopefully recognize the situation for what it is. Not something they would actively go looking for.
 
Back
Top