Little help for a Newbie

i apoligize if this isnt the right stop to post this but

i have two questions i need answers to how do you go about getting good pins to trade all ive gotten is lots of pins off ebay to trade while at the parks where they cant say no lol and question two is how are pin trading nights at disney i was thinking of going to one on march 2 at disney world but i know none of my pins are good enough or are basics pins like you would get in ebay lots ok at trading events like this

Unfortunately, you probably have received scrappers/counterfeits from the lots that you've bought on ebay.

And no, it is not okay to trade those kinds of pins at Pin Trading Nights. In fact, you should not be trading them to cast members either.

i know that much but i also know the pins i have purchased on ebay are not fake or counterfits ive been told how to tell the differense from disney cast members and all the ones i have recieved and traded are real

TRY THIS LINK FOR BASICS ON ptnS, you can purchase pins at the event<like the special PTN pin le 500 > that almost any trader in the room would love<be careful as some of the sharks will ask to trade that one first no matter what you want from them, some even do the shark park bit and ASK you to go buy it for the trade!!<unless the pin you want is a low le or uber rare not usually worth it>

but for starter pins and the like you should be able to get some, just dont expect to get an LE 100 for a 3yr old HM~~




http://disneypinforum.com/showthread.php?3031-Beginner-Guidlines-for-Pin-Trading-Events-A-Suggestion-or-Two


look for me that night, big orange hat, and I hope this helps!

I've learned there are very few current LE pins that a veteran trader at a PTN would trade an older pin for. I hate to say it but it seems most of the community is only out for a better deal or a more valuable pin. And in their minds what value means is old and hard to get. Also, if it's old, it's limited because you can't buy another one. Now, there are very friendly members that realize you're new and you don't have many valuable pins, they may be willing to trade an older HTF pin for one of your pins they are interested in. But I was at the PTN for 2 hours and only traded with 2 people. I had lots of DSF LE300's and extra Star Tours LE1000 to LE2500's and no one was interested except 1 person. The other person was on this site and we decided to trade beforehand.

I dont' even ask to trade hidden mickey's a these events. The traders act like their random 2009 or 2010 is worth either a brand new 2012 (that passes their magnifying glass inspection) or they want some old rare 2005 one that is impossible to find elsewhere.

It is always difficult starting out. Lessons need to be learned, as well as the veterans have to be reminded what it is like to START the process. Offending a baby trader can result in them giving up and quitting -which in the long run hurts the entire community in losing one more.

For me...I always try and take the time with a newbie to explain why what they brought doesn't work well for trading. I also try and do a decent trade, even if they don't have enough for it. I want them to leave PTN with a happy, pleasant experience so they come back.

It creates good pin trading karma, and usually results in future years of good trading when the newbie starts to bring their traders up to par. Consider the first trade as an investment in their trading future. :wiggle:

As for the newbie - just ask questions. Find a friendly face and ask a couple of questions as to why a certain pin is hard to get. Find out how quickly it sold out, or what was required to get it. Also..if your gut says the trade feels unfair -then don't do it. You were given those instincts for a reason!

Just don't give up. The good traders find one another eventually. And..Ebay isn't all bad. I have had 10 successful years buying and selling pins...and I typically avoid HM & lanyard pins.

Diana

As a fairly new person myself I can tell ya you've come to the right place. It is difficult to find pins that people will trade for, discovering what people WANT is such a pain in the butt, everyone wants something different. I think its a good idea to try and get pins that a lot of people collect / that are popular at the moment (stitch, jessica, UP, tangled) but is is just generally difficult to get pins that everyone wants you really just have to hope you have something that other traders want. I have personally started to just buy what I want but its quite difficult if the pins don't show up on selling sites. I was quite lucky, getting traders, I got a load of pins from a couple who were getting rid of all of their pins on a second hand site called gumtree (its like craigs list but in the UK). Good luck building up your collection and I hope you have super fun at the PTN, I am very jealous!

TiggerNut said:

It is always difficult starting out. Lessons need to be learned, as well as the veterans have to be reminded what it is like to START the process. Offending a baby trader can result in them giving up and quitting -which in the long run hurts the entire community in losing one more.

For me...I always try and take the time with a newbie to explain why what they brought doesn't work well for trading. I also try and do a decent trade, even if they don't have enough for it. I want them to leave PTN with a happy, pleasant experience so they come back.

It creates good pin trading karma, and usually results in future years of good trading when the newbie starts to bring their traders up to par. Consider the first trade as an investment in their trading future. :wiggle:

As for the newbie - just ask questions. Find a friendly face and ask a couple of questions as to why a certain pin is hard to get. Find out how quickly it sold out, or what was required to get it. Also..if your gut says the trade feels unfair -then don't do it. You were given those instincts for a reason!

Just don't give up. The good traders find one another eventually. And..Ebay isn't all bad. I have had 10 successful years buying and selling pins...and I typically avoid HM & lanyard pins.

Diana

Click to expand...

+1

My recommendation is to try and not get caught up into buying pins because they are cheap or just low LE. Why? Because #1: if they are cheap, they are cheap for a reason. Either they could be fake or nobody really wants them. Granted, every once in a while you can find a really great deal, but that won't be the norm. And #2: While LE is important, it isn't everything. Just because a pin is an LE 100 or 300 doesn't mean people are going to want it. If it is a horrible design or a theme that very few people actually collect, you probably won't do very well with it.

Jumping into trading right away is very difficult to when you are new unless you are willing to throw down some cash. People will say that pin trading is about the people, friendships, etc. etc....and it is. But that doesn't change the fact that it costs money. To get the "good stuff" you'll have to pay for it one way or another. You can either pay for it literally and just go buy it. Or you can put work into by carefully choosing what you buy when it in released in hopes that it grows in demand and then trading and trading until you finally get what you are after. Option 1 gives you instant gratification but my cost you more money. Option 2 can be cheaper (if you aren't spending a ton in postage), fun, and frustrating all at the same time. Trading takes patience. It sometimes takes people years to acquire the pin they want most.

In the end, I think it is wise to start off buying for yourself. Buy what you like for your collection. And be choosy. Get nice stuff for yourself. In my opinion, one really nice pin is better than ten so-so pins. Then, as your collection grows, in time you will find that some pins that you really liked before just don't mean that much to you anymore. That is when you move them to your traders and all of a sudden, you have nice stuff to trade.

I just started pin trading on Jan 16 of this year and went to my 1st PTN this month at Disneyland. I was super nervous! And of course it was SUPER packed! Basically you need to realize what you have (if its old, new, how wanted it is, or if its LE) and understand you will probably either trade for something similar or have to trade more than one of your pins. Always make sure you are okay with the trade before you accept. I go into trades with pins I really want with a "I know its a long shot" state of mind because every trade is a long shot! You never know what the person collects or is interested in unless you stalk peoples profiles on here and can remember what they like when they tell you their profile/pin pics username! And my number one rule:NEVER TAKE A "NO" PERSONALLY!