• 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!

Disneyland suspending APs of personal shoppers and flippers

Status
Not open for further replies.
Disneyland suspending APs of personal shoppers and flippers
I can understand why Disney are doing this from their perspective but it just makes me sad the people here who do picks up for us are going to be punished as well for the actions of resellers. I just want to say that I appreciate everyone who has been doing or has done pickups for us here. You all are incredibly kind and super awesome.
 
Yes, my sentiments exactly.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Always a few bad apples that mess it up fir the rest of us. But I'm pretty sure you can still buy pins and even more than one. They are not going to yell at everyone that gets two pins. We all know the problem is people that run around and push others and than buy large amounts of pins. It becomes clear who is running a biz and who just st wants a pin or two for themselves or maybe a gift. Lots of people shop for friends. They like that. It's the resale sharky stuff they are sick off. And frankly most of us regular Disney fans are tired of it also.
 
I don’t know that trading over the mail outside of trusted groups (like here or small Facebook groups where a rapport has been developed) will ever come back. People have been getting hardcore scammed and lots of folks are now gun shy. I’d venture this is why so many newbies are saying “I’ll buy it and PayPal it as good and services.”

All this is going to do for the pin community is cause the non-local folks to either give up or pay through the nose because the flippers aren’t going to stop. They’ll just pay full price in cash and continue to resell. The folks here who do pickups aren’t the issue, but as far as Disney sees it, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. So either the pick ups end or there is a larger convenience fee associated with them since the discount wouldn’t be used.

Folks in the D&B community have been floating the theory that this started (or got worse) when someone reported a shopper out of spite and that gal got her pass revoked.

All this makes me wonder, think Disney will drop the hammer on fantasy pins? Not an AP issue but trying to cut down on folks making money on their products or IP, that might be the future. Winter is coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
xdattax said:
.

All this makes me wonder, think Disney will drop the hammer on fantasy pins? Not an AP issue but trying to cut down on folks making money on their products or IP, that might be the future. Winter is coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
After the initial panic, this was my thought too.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 
I've been lucky I guess in dealing with purchases and trades here on DPF, on Pinpics, and FB, because I've never been scammed that I know of. I've overpaid a few times, but that was of my own doing. I hope people here and on FB will continue to be able to do pickups, otherwise I'll be left with pins I find on line at shopdisney, or at Hot Topic and Boxlunch.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
I wish Shop Disney would put out more LE pins. I've have pins that came from mystery sets they released with pins in varying LE sizes. Some of my favorite PatF pins are from those sets.

I'd prefer Disney to crack down on the manufacturers who sell scrapers and fakes before they went after fantasy makers. I don't buy fantasy pins but to me that is my choice. Fakes of pins Disney produces that flood the market make trading harder. Is the Angus WDI steed I receive the "real" pin or is it a fake? I realize that both are cases of IP theft but scrapers/fakes are a bigger issue to me.
 
Last edited:
This for sure. At least there's a miiiiild Grey area for Fantasy pins with the "fan art" angle of things (though obviously to to the extent some have priced them). But out and out counterfeits of your own product, from your own manufacturers. That's a serious issue.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 
This makes me worry so much as someone in the UK! The pins we get on our shop Disney site are limited and not that great! Pins will be pretty much in accessible for me if this causes individuals to stop doing pick ups
 

Makes me wonder how they could crack down on the manufacturers and keep them from selling the scrappers or doing extra runs. Have a Disney rep there all the time? Go after them legally? All in all the horse is out of the barn on this problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
First... this is concerning for pick-up'ers (is that a word?) I will add my thanks to them also, but perhaps need to confirm they will not lose their passes for what they do for everyone here.

Second: if a cast member from Disney viewed this forum... I believe they would see a great pin community who are experiencing the pin trading hobby how it was meant to be experienced. Technically (and I know this is a very fine line) it is not reselling, it is helping others by picking up their pin for them. I think this is in line with the Disney way (making people happy/helping others). I may be naïve, but cannot see Disney cracking down on 'pick-ups' at this level. That would just be mean.

Third: I hope they are chasing down... those that buy all they are able to buy (bragging that they gained 20 of xyz pin... or whatever) and jack up the price in the extreme.
Example: At Pinsgiving I was in line with one such pin reseller who bragged about his 20+ Maleficent PTDs (pin # 127022.) He expressed how disappointed he has been in the going prices for the Maleficents PTDs and that he still has a ton left. He was looking for sympathy (from a me... a pin trader) for the inventory he is unable to unload at an extreme mark-up! I smiled my response and nodded my head, but really wanted to slap him hard (figuratively speaking).

Example of my experience on the edge of the pin and potentially reselling madness:
When I happen to be lucky enough to be in Anaheim area for a Thursday release, I will hit up the hotels to buy any LE pin I would like for my collection (they open earlier and allow me to get on to work.) During one of these purchases the cast member ringing up my pin purchase was very verbal in her dislike/disgust for the pin traders in line around me. She was derisive about them (which was also very un-Disney like coming from a cast member.) She stated she sees the same traders in line around me line up outside their store every Thursday. Is there a pattern to the pin buying/selling at DLR? Maybe that is what Disney is cracking down on?

Anyway, just a couple observations...
 
@TheMickeyMouseRules Re: DPF pickups

I have always had this mentality. That, yes, it's technically against the rules, but it's this sort of "Robin Hood" vibe: breaking the rules to help people? I've always thought that, if I was "caught" I could explain what I was doing to demonstrate that it really is in the spirit of the hobby and genuinely trying to help others.

But, it is still against the rules XD

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 
The other thing we can do, is spread out the pick-ups between more people.
For example: When I go to Disney (once a year) I could do a couple of pick-ups while I am there.
I am not a pass holder, and I wouldn't be buying gobs of pins, or selling them for a profit.

Sure, it means relying on more people and at unknown times (just depends on when someone is going to a park), but it might work better and not really break the rules.
 
I've been advised same as what Merlin mentioned, as long as you're reimbursed $$, even at cost.

In my head, I'm doing a favor, I'm not making profit, but as long as you're getting money the theory is you're reselling.

As for the hotels, I've heard the same animosity towards traders in line for releasees. I'm thinking mainly it's due to guests aren't the ones in line, and buy out the limited quantity, but it could be the attitude they have as well.

This will be a test to see how we weather this storm......I'm also wondering isn't this a coincidence before Star Warsland opening at the parks. It's countdown for DLR with it opening within 7 months, I'm thinking Disney is concerned how they'll predict merchandise inventory for once it opens knowing demand on anything will be high. Just a thought, this is an advance warning to all those wanting/planning on buying out everything and reselling?
 
Does all of this apply to DSF/DSSH? I mean, you don't use your AP to get in to the store. But do you get a discount from DSF for your AP? Just wondering...

What about WDI? (I know almost nothing about how that process works!)
 
unibear said:
Does all of this apply to DSF/DSSH? I mean, you don't use your AP to get in to the store. But do you get a discount from DSF for your AP? Just wondering...

What about WDI? (I know almost nothing about how that process works!)
Click to expand...

No discount at DSF or WDI.

For the AP holders, you could get two of the LE pins with your AP for yourself and then pay full price (with cash, no credit or gift cards or any other means that they can use to trace you) and sell those to DPF'ers. That's what I did when I did pick-ups years ago. And if I didn't want the LE pin that was releasing, I just did pick-ups and didn't use the AP so it couldn't be traced....although I did use a credit card so it could be traced that way
 
Cast members get a discount with some products at DSF/DSSH, but nothing with an AP, I've tried. APs only get discounts within the park /resort the passport is bought for.
 
I am currently at WDW. Saw something new in the Pop Century shop. Red lock type tags on the pins. You can access a certain amount of pins, and then the ones at the back of the peg are locked on with these red tags. Do you think this is the start of limiting how many pins someone can take off the rack before they have to ask a cast member for more? Interesting!
 
They've been doing this for a while for the LE pins in MK (Frontier), but I have noticed it happening in regular pins as well. For the OEs, I just kind of assumed it was more for theft control. It's super easy to slide a peg rack empty into a bag :/

But, it could certainly be for quantity control as well. Hadn't thought of that.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 
Oh, yes, of course for stealing control too, didn't think of that. These were on all the OE pins. I also notices that there were no LE pins (that I could see). They used to be locked in with the booze. Lol

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
So I was at Hollywood Studios the other day and apparently it was the first day that they introduced “personal shoppers”. They go around the park(s?) and buy Merch on your behalf while you go do the attractions. It’s a complimentary service (for now) but I wonder if it is just a coincidence given the timing of the rollout cracking down on non-cast member personal shoppers albeit in DLR.
 
Interesting.............

After some (very cursory) research, this looks like a complementary service they're are testing out at Studios. The fact that it's popping up at the same time DLR is cracking down on "unofficial" personal shoppers is certainly suspect.

Heck fire, they need to hire me! I don't even need training! I already know where everything is! XD

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
 
I'm curious if this will ever spread to Hong Kong. They do the 40% off sale for Magic Access members twice a year and it's somewhat common for people to roll in to the hotels with a suitcase, clear out an entire shelf of merchandise and ask CMs to grab more from the back. Outside the park at night, there's people with vacuum bags sucking the air out of stuffed animals that they're planning to ship off.

It's an even bigger problem in Shanghai where there are people who try to resell in the park to guests as they wait for shows or out in DisneyTown.

If I haven't said it before, I greatly appreciate everyone who has helped out with pickups and hope nothing bad happens because of it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Menu
Log in
Register