Questions about trading...

I often get Pin Pics trade requests for some of my older cast lanyard and HM pins. These pins were all highly scrappered, and I always get leary about trading them because of this. I always let the person know that I would never intentionally trade a scrapper and that I have checked all my pins through pin pics carefully and will trade back if they aren't satisfied. I also always let them know that unless I purchased a pin(which you can't do with CL's and HM's)you can never be sure of a pins authenticity. It just seems like a lot of postage money wasted if this happens and what if the trader puts up negative feedback if they aren't happy with the pin... So my question to all of you is, do you keep them on your trades list or take them off to avoid all of this?

Hi Kat
I usually leave them on my trade list until I get a request..then I check PP for possible scrapper info and check Dizpins site where ALL or some scrapper pins are known to be listed with pics there
that helps me alot BTW!!It has NOT been updated lately.but they do list older pins there...then I will mention to the other trader,that it could be a scrapper and ask if they want somethingelse on my list for their pin they are offering..it works out Ok in the end...Judy

Hi Katpogo!

I dwell over the same issue myself. For a couple of reasons.

First, I have many pins that I have bought from Disney directly that have divets in them. Specifically it seems like some of the mystery pins that come in tins or packs have a lower quality control standards. I am sure this has to do with the different manufacturing facilities that make the pins. Most are not really bad, maybe one or two areas that have a divet at the most, and they all have a nice shiny finish (not matte). But divets have been so closely associated with scrappers, I do not want anyone to mistake them for scrappers. So I do not trade those.

Second, as you mentioned, of the HMs that have been scrapped, how many "real" ones are even out there? What are the chances of getting a scrapper in a trade? For example, I specifically need Pin 72109: DLR - 2009 Hidden Mickey Series - Haunted Mansion Tombstones (Old Fly Bait- Frog). There are 93 people "Trading" that pin on PinPics right now. But when I think of how many times I have seen that pin for sale on ebay, I guess that the majority of those being offered are probably scrappers.

Now that is a total guess on my part. And I do not think the worst of people- I do assume that even if someone is offering a scrapper for trade, they are doing it out of ignorance. But if you do get one in trade, it just becomes more of a hassle to try to educate the other trader, pay extra in postage to swap back, etc. So I do not really actively seek out those trades.

However, sometimes I will trade for a scrapper off a cast lanyard if I really want a particular pin and do not have it yet, and have no hopes of getting a legit one. I will trade away a good pin for it. This is how I have gotten the other aforementioned Haunted Mansion pins- I traded off cast lanyards for 4 of them, and now I need the other two. I do not have any hope of making 6 separate trades via the mail for good pins when there are so, so many scrappers of this series out there. So I decided that I would rather just give in and have the scrappers until I can do something about getting the real ones (maybe trade for them at a pin meet in person). For some reason, when you make the voluntary decision to accept a scrapper ahead of time, it does not seem so bad as when it is an unpleasant surprise in the mail, especially after you have paid postage on top of loosing a good pin.

Well, I do not seem to have any answers here, just more rambling!

Thanks for your responses! I was thinking of taking them off and only trading them at PTN's where the other trader can look the pin over right there. The only problem is I still need a few Pluto and Snow White HM's and CL's, and I find I am able to make trades for them through Pin Pics with the HM's and CL's that I have. I guess this is why so many traders don't collect them. Such dilemma's!

I brought this up because I have a pending Pin Pics trade right now where the person requested three of my HM's. I've looked through the scrapper alerts and checked all three. I've also told her they have been Scrapped. She still seemed to want to go through with it. I just hope she's happy with my pin, so I don't have to go through all of the above!