Rare and LE Pin Valuation

Hiya guys,

How are rare or limited-edition pins rated for value? I see price variation all over the board on places like eBay, and I was wondering how to determine a "fair" value for a LE pin. Of course people are more likely to price by emotion (as in, I'd pay far more for a pin I loved than an LE pin I didn't really like) but in one day I've seen two of the same pin going on eBay for under $5.00, and $299.99, respectively. Usually this is an early indicator of someone selling a pin of questionable origin, but I shot a quick email to the seller of the less-expensive pin, who was very forthcoming about when and how they acquired it, gave proof of its legitimacy, and suggested that it would likely sell for about $40-$50 in the end, because it was simply a less sought-after pin.

Is the price totally up to the seller? Or, is there a system to determine the fair market value of a pin based on its edition size/age/subject popularity? I am genuinely curious.

Thanks in advance for any input or advice, and I wish you all a gorgeous weekend. Happy trading! :-D

-Snowy

It's all subjective. A pin's value is based on a lot of factors, how many are selling, the trade ratio, how hard to get it is and what do they think they get for it. I don't know that anyone has a true way of "valuing" a pin. If someone does, I hope they post because I have several pins that I simply cannot put a value on so they sit in my pin bag.

Snowy717 said:

I've seen two of the same pin going on eBay for under $5.00, and $299.99

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It's probably more telling to look at the completed sales. A seller can list the pin for a million dollars, but that won't tell you what people are actually willing to pay for it. Hope that helps!

Yeah, with us being in the era of eBay, true market value is determined by what people actually pay for it. So eBay *completed* listings are generally the way most of us determine a secondary value. Of course, that's if the pin has been sold within the last year or so. And even using true sales as the gauge, it can still fluctuate, depending on how many people happen to be looking at the time, what people's finances are like, whether there's collector competition or not, etc.

As for the big differences in listings...well, some sellers are off their rockers. I've seen LE 100 pins that have sold auction-style for around $100 suddenly listed for buy-it-now prices at $450! Insane! I always think to myself..."Wow...apparently, you just want to waste your time and hang on to a pin that will never sell rather than moving your merchandise..." Very few pins breach the $300, much less the $400 one.

That's why I almost never buy pins under the BIN feature unless I *know* it's a fair price.

But, just like with any collectible hobby/market, we all have to make up our own prices taking into account previous sales, rarity, etc.