Pin trading frustration. Time to vent.

[Aquata]

I agree! It's not that there are pins going for a lot of money...that will happen, especially with new releases- we understand that. It's that people are giving pins a FALSE since of inflation (BIN prices that will likely never sell). It creates a gridlock/pin hostage situation that's frustrating.

And it's also true that once a pin sells for something extreme, some traders never want to adjust their future valuation of that pin. If a pin starts selling for $100, but used to sell for $300 during those wild peak times (2005-2008ish), you can't expect people to consider it a fair price any longer. I mean, you can ask anything you want for it, but it's probably not going to trade, and if it doesn't sell for that anymore, you probably won't get that price for it anymore if you sell it. It sucks, if you put a lot of money into it, but that's the way it is.

And not having all the different places not to get the pins is disheartening, too- not only does it suck for people no where near a park, but it just reduces our variety overall. Nice, big pins are so hard to come by, nowdays.

I mostly feel bad for the new pin traders- it's hard to get any nice pins to trade away when DA and ds.com are gone...

+1000 You hit the nail on the head.
Just my recent experience as a new trader... I've been collecting pins since as early as 2003. I've recently gotten really hardcore about it in the last two years. Earlier this year, I decided that I would like to try pin trading. My experience with it has not been horrible but it has been tougher. I've met some really awesome people through pin trading. However, I quickly began to see a pattern that related to much of what Abyssian said about new traders and that was that it was hard to get GOOD trader pins that could match up in value to some of the pins I wanted.
I found that I was spending money on Ebay to acquire hard to find pins so I could trade them for some of my HTF wants (as recent LE pin releases aside from PODMs don't seem to measure up to DA pins or DS.com pins). I did that once, maybe twice and realized that I might as well just be plopping down the money to get a pin that I want than to get one that I may not even be able to trade properly. I had one pin in my traders previously (that I had bought off Ebay) that apparently was a DA pin, rare and had some number in the vicinity of 200 wants on PinPics. I purchased it excited that I could trade for one of my harder to get pin wants. I made reasonable trade offers for pins of similar value (DA pins with the same LE number as my pin or higher LE number than my pin and general same Ebay value as my pin). I rarely ever got any response despite this being an apparently "wanted" pin. One response that I did get, the person offered me a pin of significantly lesser value that was pretty easy to obtain and in the past had went for fairly cheap on Ebay. I didn't need to "trade up" but I'd have liked to keep the value fairly even.

Basically, I got the impression that people weren't much interested in trading evenly. It seemed to me that most wanted to trade their HTF pins (DA pins, DisneyStore.com...) for bigger, better, higher valued pins. I don't have any sour grapes or bitterness over it or anything. People are completely entitled to do what they want with their pins. This happened a few times with different pins and it wasn't just one incident unfortunately.

I wound up giving that pin to my grandmother because she saw it and fell completely in love with it. So the pin still turned out to be a good purchase in the end thankfully.

I cannot brave many a camp out that is almost required now to obtain the DSF pins. The best I can do is try and show up Saturday morning/early afternoon and hope that they have some left. So, I have pretty much given up on trading almost entirely. I still trade some basic OE pins that I can skip on over to DLR and pick up for some of my easier wants but overall I'm pretty much done trading. I find trading LE/HTF pins to be tough waters to navigate and that it is way easier and less stressful to just buy my LE/HTF pins that I want. I don't mean to sound bitter at all (on the contrary, I am okay buying my wanted pins) or throw a pity party for myself, it's just how it is.

Now about re-selling and those that hoard and sit on their pins... I don't get it either. I'm in the "their your pins, do what you want" category on this forum but to me (and I've said this before) it just seem silly, nay ludicrous, to sit on a pin hoping that it will sell for the high value that it did a year and half ago. In the mean time, you are stuck paying Ebay fees to continually re-list the same pin over and over again. I don't get it...

The fact of the matter is, is that about 85% of pins drop in value pretty quickly after their release. Why? Because new pins are always coming out and so excitement about current pins dies off. I've seen a trend like this with many of the recent DSF pins (aside from Beloved Tales series). Some pins, I really believe, will never decrease too much in value (Sleeping Beauty Gomes pin, R/C Rapunzel...) because they are already popular and are the pins that catch many newcomers' eyes. Plus, they were already extremely limited to begin with and are the pins that, as they pop up now and then and sell, collectors will snatch them up and probably never trade/part with them. The fact that some of these pins rarely ever go up for sale helps maintain their popularity as well. They are the pins that are pretty much always going to be "Drool Worthy". However, pins like these are rare and not the common trend. Point in being, if you are going to solely re-sell pins, sell fast otherwise lower your price expectations as time goes on I say.

All righty, I'm done now

 

[YoSoyAhPuch]

First off, I'm glad I didn't offend anyone or make it look like I hate new pin traders. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one frustrated with the current state of Disney pins. Before moving down to Southern Ca., I had never had any of these issues with trading, and it was kind of nice! I'm at the point where I am not very interested in the newest pins (honestly, the art has not been very good. Look at the past years' Haunted Mansion Holiday pins. Much nicer and intricate artwork, and these past few years its been very Meh. Also, why is Jack Skellington's head getting lumpier as the years go on!?) except to have them as traders to get older pins. You guys can have your piece of movie history pins (I honestly don't see the appeal of them), and I'll take all the old and quirkier pins like the Disneyland sign series, or the 2004 Haunted Mansion Holiday Doom Buggies. You guys make some good points when it comes to supply and demand. It'll be interesting to see which pins gain value and which drop value over the next few years.

 

[Story]

We need to get you more traders!

I know, right?? It was pathetic even before I put all my attraction posters on the auction block and now... Well don't look at it... It's embarrassed :|

 

[Psycho Pixie]

Aquata said, among lots of other stuff. ((haha))

it was hard to get GOOD trader pins that could match up in value to some of the pins I wanted.

This is a problem I am running into. So my solution is to sell off the majority of my smaller traders and buy decent higher end pins to trade for the pins I want. Yes, I can also buy some of the pins I want of course. ((need the fund for it though)) But having higher end traders is kind of required if I am ever going to get all those WDI Mickey dragon icons and the Fantasia Centaurettes. My other problem is that I simply love the dpf auction house. I want to own some decent pins to keep putting up auctions in fun inventive ways.

 

[YoSoyAhPuch]

I know, right?? It was pathetic even before I put all my attraction posters on the auction block and now... Well don't look at it... It's embarrassed :|

Do what I do. Look for good deals on eBay. That is how I get most of my traders. That and pushing kids over at the trading tables and escaping into Star Tours with their pin bags.

 

[AgentOfAnarchy]

The trouble I am having, like others is I can't get the harder pins to my collection. I have kinda hit a wall

 

[Abyssinian28]

I found that I was spending money on Ebay to acquire hard to find pins so I could trade them for some of my HTF wants (as recent LE pin releases aside from PODMs don't seem to measure up to DA pins or DS.com pins). I did that once, maybe twice and realized that I might as well just be plopping down the money to get a pin that I want than to get one that I may not even be able to trade properly.

Exactly. It's a bit of a bind, buying pins to trade (especially high-end pins). Because out of the thousands and thousands of pins out there, which pin will be the one that will loosen the hand of the trader that has the pin you want? It's all very needle in the haystack...

I didn't need to "trade up" but I'd have liked to keep the value fairly even.

A-Yep. That's a problem. There's basically no way getting around those traders that have nice, older pins, but want a profit (in trade value, that is). They basically prey on how much you want the pin.

Sometimes, I think they have an attachment to their traders as well as their collection, or maybe they're scared of the opportunity lost once they trade that pin away ("what if I could get better for it later?"). I confess having feelings like this once or twice for my traders, but these people take it to extremes. For the most part, I just want an equal trade/my money back, so I'm not bleeding my investment.

The fact of the matter is, is that about 85% of pins drop in value pretty quickly after their release.

Well, yes and no. Like you said, some of them (like the DSF pins), will jump, then drop. Others will jump, then drop from that craze, then climb steadily (LE 100s and popular series, like PoH). The vast majority of pins, though, just hold steady, especially park pins.

Trading just isn't what it used to be in general, though. With Disney not putting the effort in anymore, it's hard to keep that level going...sometimes, I miss the days when I needed every pin and could trade cost for cost. That way of trading is so much easier. It's nice when park pins come out I need, 'cause I get to do that level of trading again.

 

[Psycho Pixie]

Abyssinian mentions people being attached to traders.

I think there is more to it than that. I know for sure that there are traders out there who are playing "show and tell" more than "trading." You aaaalllll know what I mean; the trader at a park table who first tells you a pin is an "easy trade" if we like it, but then spends a half hour telling you all about the pins history, and then rejects the trade offer even though you are offering something better. And they do it over and over, often wondering later why they got no trades that day.

There is also the "hoarding" aspect of pin traders/collectors. I am a bit of a pack rat, I fight this problem regularly. Sometimes a trader wont even realize they are starting to reject perfectly good trades because of their hoarding needs.

 

[Story]

Do what I do. Look for good deals on eBay. That is how I get most of my traders.

I really want to try and do that. My pin budget usually gets tied up with trying to catch up on new releases, but I'd like to see if I can set aside a little to keep for eBay deal searching.

That and pushing kids over at the trading tables and escaping into Star Tours with their pin bags.

*jots down in notes for next trip*

 

[Jacqui8374]

This thread really doe resonate with me. I have been in this since 1999 and up till about 2 years ago was trading about 500 pins a year on line. Those who know me know I am easy going most of the time. In the last year I could almost count the number of pins I have traded on line. Face to face yes and more but I am across the pond and only get to florida once a year usually although 2013 means I am back in CA as well in april likewise dlrp. I still get many trade requests and most of the time I remembr to laugh and move on I have stopped replying rude I know but what I am being offered is so unequal I dont know how to respond any more LE2000 for LE400 or OE for WDI are some examples I dont mind newbies and help when I can and a lot of the time gien my collection is so big I help and just pick up traders but this is money not just pins!!
I collect DSF because I like them not because of value and loved the days when it wasnt insane and they were easy to come by, now its almost impossible regardless of what they are.
Ah well I have vented too and off to dlrp tomorrow for the event there so face to face time again
Jacqui

 

[Whitney]

So many good points!

Someone said, a ways back, something about 'trading third person,' meaning selling your traders for what you think they're worth (and sometimes learning you were a bit off in your price point ) and buying what you want. They summed it up so well with that. When I'm too busy to trade, or can't swing a trade for what we're looking for, I just buy it. A pin is only worth what someone will pay for it, so I watch until I find one at the price I'm willing to pay. So while we've gotten hot on a new character, I shed off some of the 'old' to bring in the new. There's more than one way to skin/fill a lanyard.