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Shocked and Surprised

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Shocked and Surprised
markheardjr said:
. I see the Up BT maybe going as low as $100 in a few months, but then it will just climb and climb and climb after that as months and years go by.
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Maybe, maybe not. I happen to think that when these pins come out too hot, a lot of people put them out of their mind as "unattainable." They stop looking for them, and the value stagnates. After, getting back into online trading/ebay after a 7 year break I was SHOCKED by how little some hot, hot, HOT pins were going for. But today's pin people have no idea with the frenzy surrounding them, and ignore them for the latest and greatest. Up is popular now, but compared to whatever Pixar's 2017 release is? Stitch and Tinker Bell pins especially come to mind of themes that have cooled down farther than I ever expected. Certainly there are individual pin exceptions, but there is no guarantee that today's popular themes will remain so. Especially, when people are getting turned off from them every day because of "unattainable" pins.
 

I would be careful making that statement. Many of the people asking $250-$350 for their DA LE 100 pin actually PAID $250-$300 just to acquire it and have now decided to let it go and just want back what they put into it. If it isn't those types of people it is often the exact same sellers gouging people on the new releases.

My main problem with this whole thing is that the market is being controlled/dictated by those who are getting the pins. They are setting the prices ridiculously high and waiting for the most desperate/panic stricken people to cave. Eventually they run out of those people and have to lower the price to get a few more to cave. People can spew their "economic mumbo-jumbo" all they want but that is NOT a fair market value. The way Disney Auctions did their Dutch auctions was the fairest way. The BUYERS - NOT THE SELLER - set the price and everyone paid the lowest amount the collective group was willing to pay. On an LE 100, bids may have ranged from $25 to $300 but if the 100th highest bid was $150 then the top 100 bidders all paid $150. That as fair, not what is happening today.

The other thing that bothers me is that people say they are against scalpers and that they are collectors but they are using the scalping price to justify what they want in a trade. Those two tactics are the same in my book.
 

I completely agree with you.

I think what this is really doing is just driving a rift between the community.
 
I have several collections in addition to Disney pins (brides baskets, ABC Glass, Fenton, Art work) and the Disney pins are the only area where I see this type of behavior. I guess that's why it distresses me so much. I realize that pins used to sell on the Bay for a small fortune, but it was a general overall economic thing rather than a pin only thing. If you look across the board, the only thing selling for Bubble value are Disney Pins. Everything else flows with the economic conditions. And I do think it's more the new collectors driving this market. They are mainly young people who came up in the "instant" generation. See it, get it and move on to the next thing I want kind of mentality that I don't have. I'm a thinker and planner and well, let's face it, old. Now all the young people can take my head off - at least I'm keeping up with technology.
 
I know how you are feeling Margaret . I contacted two ebay sellers and asked if they would do an ole woman a favor and sell the pin for $75.00 to me, which that is even high to me considering I bought the DA LE 100 Beast Transformation pin for $75.00 . One answered I can't do it for that measley amount . Another offered me both UP pins at $250.00 told me to sell one for $160.00 and I'd only be paying $90.00 for mine . Although I thanked him for the idea and his consideration , that if I had that money to begin with, I'd buy one straight out .
My friend that gets my DSF pins was on vacation and she missed out too . I asked several members that were going to help me out . Well, lets just say I don't have the pins, so you know the answer I got . You know whom you are without publicly humiliating you . One was even sarcastic and said, why don't you get your friend to get them . Well trust me, if she'd been here, I would have had my pins . We have already been in contact and I know I will get my Cinderella pins and any others i may want . One day, there will be a time, that I might just get a pin to have in my traders and it may be a character/movie that you collect . Well what goes around, comes around . I'll remind you of the Carl & Remy in chair that I wanted and it was too much trouble to help a fellow pin trader . Pin Karma, my friend, Pin Karma !
Margaret as sad as it is I have found out that most of our Cali friends are hurray for me and the heck with you . I did say most, not all and as I said you know whom you are as we spoke in the chat room . Shameful, Absolutely, Shameful !
 

Okay, not to be mean, but...

This post reminds me exactly of how a little child acts when they are upset. You are mad because you did not get the four pins you wanted, so now you are blaming others and threatening to pack up all your toys and go home.

My question is: why do you feel entitled to these pins? You didnt' camp out overnight to get them and unfortunately, it sounds like you are not willing to pay the, albeit extremely high, going prices for them. Just because you have been collecting the Beloved Tales series for a long time and are a long time pin trader and "good person" does not earn you these pins. A lot of people want them. Unfortunately not everyone can get them. That's how life works. But creating a post to chastise others because you didn't get your way is not a proper way to handle the situation.
 
AMEN to that. If i missed out on this release..i would NEVER post anything like this. It is what it is. You make it or you dont..its as simple as that. and like ive said before..if we didnt make it..we wouldnt blame peopple for selling them to us..for a marked up price. thats how it works now, which sucks for most..but is generally accepted.

 
She is just frustrated. All of this started happening with the UP set in February. Before that, we could stroll into DSF at 10AM and get all of the pins we wanted. Now, every event is an overnight camp out. It should not be blamed on disneystore.com because they stopped selling LE pins long before February. Also before the February event pins from DSF were not selling for more than double their purchase price. People saw huge profit from the UP set and are now doing it with every DSF release. It is frustrating for those of us that have been in the hobby for a longer period of time as this is a very recent change at DSF. So give her a break.

Don't get defensive please as I am not blaming or accusing anyone here for getting the pins purely for profit. There are lots and lots of lurkers on this forum reading up and taking advantage of all of us and the situation.
 
Vixy said:
Not all the new collectors are young people who grew up in the instant generation.
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Thank you! While not OLD, I am not a kid, and some of these comments are just a tad offensive. You can all blame new traders all you want, but I see PLENTY of "veterans" looking for what these are going for on ebay in trade.
 
If I may...?

I think a lot of the *current* frustration is the monopoly-like situation Disney has put us in. With Southern California having pretty much all the desirable releases coming up on over a year now (I'd start it at around the D23 Designer Princess pins and Reveal/Conceal Girls release), it's been particularly hard to trade or to counter with anything.

Forget ds.com, even the people at WDW can't counter with anything (and no, the event doesn't count...there have been very, very few "desirable" pins out of the events...especially in the last few years). Paris is the only entity that can compete, and they're just as tight- fisted with their pins.

It's hard to have a good trading environment when one area of the world is getting feed when the others aren't. And thus, it becomes a seller's dreamland.

I'm not saying selling is wrong- but you have to expect some frustration from the rest of the hobby when they're constantly bleeding money and resources just to keep up.
 
To Tinker- I actually got three pins to trade. Ask me how? I had a very kind friend text me as soon as they knew that the surprise pin was UP. Yes it was at 5am. I got up and went down there, it is an hours drive for us. Then the guy in back of me had an extra he didn't want. He offered to me, so I said yes, but guess what I gave it to the friend that let me know about the pins. So not all of us will have bad pin karma, she had great pin karma. Sure I could have taken the pin, sold it for the ebay prices and walked away with money in my pocket. And she is on the forum and she will read this and you 100 percent deserve it still. I am very grateful. Also to add to the chat room comment, they do go in the chat room and you have slammed them in there many times so them fighting back was justified. No one is entitled, if you want all the pins then move out here and get them I'm so over all the posts of the people that don't live here saying they are entitled and have friends here but are gone.
 


+1
 
Abyssinian28 said:
I'm not saying selling is wrong- but you have to expect some frustration from the rest of the hobby when they're constantly bleeding money and resources just to keep up.
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+1 and the key here is "constantly" and also with a very very high mark up. It is almost imossible to get the low LE pins at a reasonable price. But then again, nothing other than our own desire is forcing us to get these pins
 
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This is very true karkura . They see $$$ signs . It's not just UP, its Rapunzel and now Brave as well . I was just upset over the wisenheimer answer I got, why don't you ask your friend that normally gets them for you ! Well, Duhhhh, she'd had gotten them but deserves a vacation as well . So I tried reaching out to other fellow pin traders and more or less was told, I can't do that .
Now not everyone,because if Karin's son ( Chicken Little) hadn't had a play, she'd had been willing to get them for me . Thats why I said most, not all . They did limit the surprise release to one a person, but those that had husbands, friends, children, siblings, etc still got 2 . Some are sitting on them . Others are selling them chi jime $$$ .
 
1+, I Agree .
 
Whoa, wait a minute . I have slammed no one in the chat room . All I said was I didn't think someone would get a Rapunzel Designer pin for the UP . I was proved wrong, but I was the one jumped on or slammed as you said . I've been to sick to talk to anyone accept to ask, if I paypal you money and a bit extra, will you ? So this is why, I didn't get them ! Nice to know as I asked for 2 lousy pins Carl & Remy in chairs , Thank You for your 2 cents worth .
I'm very glad you got the pin for your friend and I don't ever remember asking you to get one for me, so I don't see why you feel the need to get all huffy . Again, you out in Cali are lucky, very lucky, you have DSF, D23, WDI . What does WDW have ? Ooooo, we get a 2 day pin event with crap pins .
My friend will return from vacation and I will not need to ask anyone to get them for me . She's just as excited about the Cinderella release . And when there is a Rapunzel release for BT, she will make sure she has 3 other people besides herself there .
 
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I typed up 10 different things and just decided to bite my tongue. Too new here to give an honest opinion without people blackballing me haha
 
Shannon said:
I typed up 10 different things and just decided to bite my tongue. Too new here to give an honest opinion without people blackballing me haha
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:lol:

Anyways, let's keep focus on the topic at hand, guys. We've had a good discussion so far (at least nothing warranting immediate thread closure) - let's just avoid any of that he said-she said-chat room-whatever out of the thread. Any further posts that I feel are created to simply attack other members are subject to immediate deletion and a pie to the face - and trust me...I have pie.

Moving right along!
 
All I know is that when I went to WDW and on the DCL Fantasy, I posted if anyone wanted anything, to PM me and let me know . The same with the WDW pin event I will be attending in September , I have offered to get pins and have others pins added to my RSP . I just don't see why we can just not help one another . I had a friend here at home that came out to Cali and she said, never again, just a different class of people . I think I'm getting her drift .
 
tinkerbellfan117 said:
Wasn't this supposed to be a fun hobby to make new friends?
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I will try to make a long story in as short a note as possible.
A few years ago, Greg and I were looking for a hobby to give us something to do together. Disney pin collecting "found us" while on a trip to WDW. Since then, it has been am amazing journey. We have met so many wonderful friends and acquaintances in this hobby. We like to think it is more about the friends that we have made than just the pins we have gotten, which may come and go, depending on our ever changing collection. Early on , a CM told us about the concept of trading not just with cast members while in the park, but talking to other guests to bring the "Small World" concept to life. Some of our most wonderful times in the park are sharing lanyards and pins with other people or introducing people to this hobby of pin collecting. It really is about the people. We have expanded that to our at home hobby too.
But, since pins are the common interest in people trading/collecting, it always comes back to the pins really. We have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time for some pin releases and we have had friends get pins for many times for cost or equal trade. We are very appreciative to those people. Other times, we have been unable to get a pin(s) without paying or trading a lot for them, as we were not present in any way for the release. Worst case scenario is when we really want a pin or pins and can't get them at all. It happens. But, the bottom line is with any pin that we want, we have to decide what we are willing to give up for it. No one is ever twisting our arm to make us trade or buy. It is always our choice.
I hear from people and read on this Forum all the time about someone so very happy that they have gotten this pin or that pin (that may be a grail for many) in a very easy trade. Then the next post is about how they can't get a pin they really want and are angry. I am not trying to be mean in any way...but, it really does all work out.
If people are selling or trading their pins for more that you want to spend. Don't do it..But, alway remember that it is really not just about a pin. Both sides need to remember, behind every transaction, there is a person. Do we want to help one another or just make a profit? Do we want to help out and possibly build a friendship that will endure longer than a hobby or think of taking advantage of a "customer"?
I will climb off my soapbox now. I thank each and every one of my friends on this Forum. You know who you are. You are more valuable than any pin will ever be. <3 Debby
 
Bottom line is...the people that waited in line and purchased these pins can frankly do whatever they want with them. They can sell their pins, hoard their pins for a few years to see if the prices skyrocket, decide to trade them only for grails, or let their dog chew on them.

When the Designer Doll craze was in full swing and I waited in line for hours to try and purchase the dolls, only to find out that the first 30 or so people in line would get them (and many of the people in the front of the line were obviously scalpers or people that brought friends to purchase extras) it was upsetting, but they waited longer than I did, so I have no one to blame but myself...I can not get worked up over something that is out of my control.

I also live in Florida, and wish we had something comparable to DSF in terms of nice, lower LE pins...but we should also consider ourselves lucky that we have the opportunity to go to Disney World easily...and we get a larger supply of PODM's than California gets. It's all relative...because I'm sure the people that don't live near a park at all would love the opportunity to get some of these pins without going through eBay, or hoping that someone on here will be nice enough to purchase pins for them.

I am also sure many people would kill for the Alice in Wonderland collection you have acquired over the years, and will never in their lifetime see some of the pins you have in your possession...and I'm sure you had to pay a lot or trade a lot to get some of those pins.

I'd be willing to bet many of the people that wait in line at DSF to get these sought-after pins do it so they can compete with the "big-time" traders like yourself, by purchasing traders worthy of competing with the older pins that came out before they started trading. So can I fault them for trying to sell or trade them for something valuable? Not really.

Someone is always going to have something you want, you are always going to have something they want. Yes...it is upsetting that Cali gets most of the sought-after pins these days, but if you want them you either have to:

-Give in to the current eBay prices
-Wait a while and see if the prices drop, although this is a gamble...I waited for the $100 Rapunzel reveal/conceal to drop in price...boy did that backfire on me! LOL
-Find someone that is willing to trade you this pin for a "fair" value
-Find someone REALLY nice that will sell you one at cost

Unfortunately, there is really nothing more you can do.
 
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