Pin Trading Etiquette

[AndyS2992]

Wow, you examined my pins and deemed them as fakes? I didn't even hear the front door open. You're good....

You stated you buy them in cheap lots on eBay, having just scrolled though the current ebay listings, every single one of these cheap lots are fake. '20 pins for $10' is obviously not genuine. A lot of 20 genuine pins will set you back somewhere around $100 and up more or less and since you are getting so worked up about my 'cheap lots on eBay' comment you obviously didn't pay for an expensive genuine set otherwise you wouldn't be getting so defensive and argumentative over it. Hell, you even state in your initial post you and your family don't even pin trade any more so not sure why this is still an issue you personally want to fight about.

I'm not going to stop people like you doing what you do since it would be impossible and pointless at this point with so many fakes in circulation but bare in mind such people are ruining pin trading for genuine traders. Once fakes become such a huge problem that it can no longer be tackled, Disney will have no other choice but to discontinue it, ruining it for everyone.

You can make up as many excuses as you want to justify it, I don't care, you are in the wrong so deal with it.

I thought CMs were only supposed to trade genuine pins. Is this not the case or does sometimes the odd fake slip through?

A question I've always wondered is who is responsible for stocking the CMs lanyards? Is it something theyre expected todo themselves or does somebody have a job each day restocking them etc?

Well Disney are doing stuff behind the scenes such as shutting down factories in China that produce the fake pins but since Chinese law doesn't really care about copyright infringement and fake products bring in a lot of money to the country that the government doesn't care so those people get away freely and then set up a new company and continue to make fake pins. An endless and expensive cycle. And as a former CM stated, there are precautions in place for CMs not to accept fake pins or face penalties. When fakes are handed over they get destroyed by Disney.

 

[mousehockey37]

So what I'm getting from some of the parents here on this forum is that it's ok to buy fake pins, knowing they are fake, and letting their kids trade them. Nice life lesson. When your kids grow up and someday look back to see how much those pins might be worth and they get told that they're fakes, yeah...

To do any hobby correctly, it takes time and a little investment. If, when I have kids, they want to pin trade, I'm going to show them the right way to do it, how to look for fakes, and what to do with the fakes when the find them...

 

[bjlc57]

let me say this.. its guys who sell or trade fakes, make me Not want to trade pins.. I am going to Disney for a good time.. and not to be taken advantage of by some other guest.. and trust me.. I was really really looking forward to doing this on my next trip.. but it doesn't seem to be worth it or to later realize that I have been or my kid, or someone in our group , has been taken advantage of, and now they are having a less fun time.. NO WAY.. its called ruining it FOR EVERYONE... just so a very FEW, can GET MORE... and use deceptive ways to do so..

 

[mousehockey37]

let me say this.. its guys who sell or trade fakes, make me Not want to trade pins.. I am going to Disney for a good time.. and not to be taken advantage of by some other guest.. and trust me.. I was really really looking forward to doing this on my next trip.. but it doesn't seem to be worth it or to later realize that I have been or my kid, or someone in our group , has been taken advantage of, and now they are having a less fun time.. NO WAY.. its called ruining it FOR EVERYONE... just so a very FEW, can GET MORE... and use deceptive ways to do so..

Apparently it's not a few....

 

[NormC]

Disney could start to fix this by ordering in batches and when the number requested is finished take possession of the molds and destroy them. Instead what happens is Disney orders 10,000 and the manufacturer makes 30,000 from the same molds and same paint etc. They always make extra for quality control purposes but not double or triple the order. This is why a lot of the "fakes" cannot be distinguished from the real ones because they are "real" ones made by same company from same molds. If Disney finds one of their manufacturers doing this they should cease all relations with them. You know however that Disney is probably paying 20 cents for the same pin you pay 6 bucks for so there is little incentive on their part to crack down on the rogue manufacturers because if Disney has to start paying more for the pins so will we and at some point they become too expensive to collect.

The bad copies with rough edges and poor paint colors are usually from another manufacturer that takes a pin from the first factory and creates a mold from it and produces obvious scrappers. It is a tough situation for all. My kids probably have some fakes in their collections but they do not seem to mind. I may have some in my collection. Although my favorites are the ones I hand picked under the BAH or other pin shop. I like the ones with dates and anniversary years. Unfortunately it is not always easy to tell what should be thrown away and which are keepers. If a CM politely told me I had a fake I would not argue and I would toss it. Benefit of doubt must be given here. Most of us are not out to scam the system. I enjoy collecting the ones I want more than trading but my kids enjoy trading for what they want.

 

[draybook]

You stated you buy them in cheap lots on eBay, having just scrolled though the current ebay listings, every single one of these cheap lots are fake. '20 pins for $10' is obviously not genuine. A lot of 20 genuine pins will set you back somewhere around $100 and up more or less and since you are getting so worked up about my 'cheap lots on eBay' comment you obviously didn't pay for an expensive genuine set otherwise you wouldn't be getting so defensive and argumentative over it. Hell, you even state in your initial post you and your family don't even pin trade any more so not sure why this is still an issue you personally want to fight about.

I'm not going to stop people like you doing what you do since it would be impossible and pointless at this point with so many fakes in circulation but bare in mind such people are ruining pin trading for genuine traders. Once fakes become such a huge problem that it can no longer be tackled, Disney will have no other choice but to discontinue it, ruining it for everyone.

You can make up as many excuses as you want to justify it, I don't care, you are in the wrong so deal with it.


Well Disney are doing stuff behind the scenes such as shutting down factories in China that produce the fake pins but since Chinese law doesn't really care about copyright infringement and fake products bring in a lot of money to the country that the government doesn't care so those people get away freely and then set up a new company and continue to make fake pins. An endless and expensive cycle. And as a former CM stated, there are precautions in place for CMs not to accept fake pins or face penalties. When fakes are handed over they get destroyed by Disney.

Actually, the sellers are in the wrong, if in fact the items are fake. And since you're one of the crybabies that are getting my "scrap metal" pins, it looks like you will be the one to deal with it.

 

[AndyS2992]

Actually, the sellers are in the wrong, if in fact the items are fake. And since you're one of the crybabies that are getting my "scrap metal" pins, it looks like you will be the one to deal with it.

No because I don't personally trade for this exact reason.

Grow up.

 

[draybook]

Grow up? You question my moral codes, insults my ethics and you say grow up? If you can't take the heat then get out of the kitchen my friend.

 

[mousehockey37]

No because I don't personally trade for this exact reason.

Grow up.

Remember... this is coming from a guy that doesn't even have a parking ticket to his name... He's never done anything illegal... Yet, still gets selected for private meet and greets before he can board...

 

[Chernaboggles]

let me say this.. its guys who sell or trade fakes, make me Not want to trade pins.. I am going to Disney for a good time.. and not to be taken advantage of by some other guest.. and trust me.. I was really really looking forward to doing this on my next trip.. but it doesn't seem to be worth it or to later realize that I have been or my kid, or someone in our group , has been taken advantage of, and now they are having a less fun time.. NO WAY.. its called ruining it FOR EVERYONE... just so a very FEW, can GET MORE... and use deceptive ways to do so..

Skipping something you were looking forward to because of internet forum comments is no way to go through life. Don't be discouraged! Like a lot of other things at Disney, the value of the pins is mostly emotional, based on the memories you created when you bought or traded for them. You can't really be "taken advantage of" in this situation, not unless you're trying to create a rare pin collection as some kind of financial investment. If you like the way the pin looks, had fun trading for it and will smile when you see it when you get home after your trip, that's pretty much all you need to get out of the transaction.

There's a huge difference between "fun" collecting and "serious" collecting. Do it for fun and you'll have fun doing it, and won't need to worry about fakes.

 

[AndyS2992]

If anyone is still worried about fakes, this video by a former Disneyland CM is very informative.

@bjlc57 As @Chernaboggles says above, don't let fakes put you off, just educate yourself on how to avoid fake pins and that way you can still have fun and still have all genuine pins at the end of it

 

[BigRedDad]

I am sure the question was properly answered through 3 pages of posts.

You do not have to trade with ANYONE. You are more than welcome to look at all CMs lanyards and decide no. As far as ettiquette goes, be polite and engaging with CMs. Most enjoy interacting with visitors. You can also get tips from them as well.

There are 3 types of pin traders that I can think of: collectors, traders, and sharks. Collectors are people that are looking for rare pins, limited editions, etc. Traders are people like my daughter who trade to trade. They just enjoy doing it and try to finish and find sets. Sharks are people (many at DTD) who pretty much stalk others watching what they trade to swoop in and steal a good pin that was traded with a CM. They prey on the lack of knowledge some people have.

Trading with CMs is going to be questionable. Many pins they have may turn out to be what collectors call "scrappers". These are seconds, scratched, dinged, or some other type of blemish. For kids, they don't care. They are just happy because they found a pin they wanted. We usually get about 100 pins off eBay for our daughter each trip. These are the type of pins you will see CMs have and in most cases the same quality you will get from eBay lots.

 

[BigRedDad]

To chime in on what people do or shouldn't do, whose responsibility is it to manage if a pin is "real" or "fake"? The answer to the question is Walt Disney Corporation. CMs have and trade these so called "fake" pins. If WDW Corporation wanted to stop it, they would educate ALL CMs that have lanyards or have pins to trade. They would be educated in knowing what a "fake" pin is, what they look like, and how to identify them. This would cover all 100,000+ different pins world wide WDW Corporation have created. On top of that, they would be able to educate visitors on how/why the pin they are trading is fake.

Because WDW is not doing this, then the responsibilty lies on their end. WDW also allows scammers to camp at their big pin trading stations. These are the people at Epcot between the Fountain and SSE (many other places too). They have big books of $1-$3 pins. They tell you to go buy a $15 pin and they are more than happy to take it and give you their $1-$3 pin. They are there every day.

If you are pin trading with CMs, you are trading for something you like. My duaghter who is 9 does it. I am not spending $1,000 for pins only to get the exact same pins in trade that you can get for $25 lots on eBay. If Disney wants to fix this, bring production back to the US, take ownership of authentication, and control it. Since they are not doing that, and they cannot guarantee to my daughter she is getting an authentic pin, why should she be handcuffed doing the same?

 

[BigRedDad]

You seem to be ignorant to the fact that having possession of ANY counterfeit item whether it be currency, pirate DVDs, Disney pins etc is a crime.

I fdound this hilarious. You do realize it is not a crime to purchase an item that is identified as "authentic"?

You'd be surprised at how much crime you are committing every day. You do realize that everyone in the US can be considered a drug dealer? On every piece of paper currency, there is a trace of illegal narcotics. Everytime you hold or make a transaction, you are committing a crime using US currency. On top of that, you support politicians that commit Federal crimes every single day. You support and vote for politicians that are smoking cigars from Cuba with is a Federal offense and felony. No one seems to care about that. They are worried about little Johnny or Susie getting bent over on whether a Disney trading pin is real or fake.

If anything is stamped "Made in China" or anything to that effect, there is a far better than 50% chance that it is fake, not matter what the product is.

 

[AndyS2992]

I fdound this hilarious. You do realize it is not a crime to purchase an item that is identified as "authentic"?

You'd be surprised at how much crime you are committing every day. You do realize that everyone in the US can be considered a drug dealer? On every piece of paper currency, there is a trace of illegal narcotics. Everytime you hold or make a transaction, you are committing a crime using US currency. On top of that, you support politicians that commit Federal crimes every single day. You support and vote for politicians that are smoking cigars from Cuba with is a Federal offense and felony. No one seems to care about that. They are worried about little Johnny or Susie getting bent over on whether a Disney trading pin is real or fake.

If anything is stamped "Made in China" or anything to that effect, there is a far better than 50% chance that it is fake, not matter what the product is.

So you are saying I can create a pirate DVD and just because I put the words 'authentic' on the eBay listing it suddenly makes it legal? No. It's called conning people which would put both me and yourself in trouble. Just like fake pin sellers do. Yes a lot of innocent buyers are being duped since they don't know about scrappers but a lot of others know exactly what they are buying and should take a little responsibility. If people want a full collection of cheap scrappers then keep them and don't trade them or if you are, trade fake for fake since that is only fair. Fake pins are extremely easy to identify 99% of the time.

The other examples you give are not really comparable.

 

[bjlc57]

you can wear all the less then real clothing you want.. you AREN"T SELLING IT.. but you are implying that you have REAL PINS TO TRADE.. this is DECEPTION.. meaning FRAUD.. LYING.. and you are taking ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS who believe YOU HAVE THE REAL PINS.. Sorry but you have convinced me NOT TO TRADE PINS at WDW.. oh and you are training your KIDS ..that lying FOR PROFIT IS OKAY.. and FRAUD FOR PROFIT IS GOOD and acceptable. wow.. what great life lessons being taught here..

 

[bjlc57]

let me ask you this one question.. some one gets your credit card info.. and uses it .. that's Fraud.. is that okay as well? because its the same thing,, and that's what you are teaching your kids.. so don't complain should you lose your cc ..just enjoy the day.. because fraud is GOOD..

 

[thomas998]

A few other suggestions...

For the lanyards, get the locking pin backings. They aren't terribly expensive, and the plastic mickeys wear down and pins can go missing quite easily.

For my kiddo (who has a rather large collection of pins, several hundred), I look for pin sets that are on sale (like, a "princess" collection) and pick those up. I carry those around in a ziplock in my daypack, and those are generally the ones she "trades" with if she doesn't want to give up one on her lanyard.

I also assemble one lanyard for both of us per trip that is a custom momento. For example, when she was tall enough to ride Rockin Roller Coaster, we got a pin from there, etc. When we did the Disney Cruise, we got pins from there. When we went to Universal, we got some pins from there. They are not for trading, simply keepsakes.

You can also look on ebay and sometimes pick up some genuine disney pins cheap and if you only goal is to have something to trade its a good way to do it because as long as they are really disney pins who cares if what they are.

 

[thomas998]

Watch out for "scrappers" as well. On the "board that shall not be named" there's a thread where someone was asking about pin trading and one person had the nerve to respond with something to the effect of "we just buy big lots of pins on eBay and let the kids have at it". But yet, the same person also said that they then let their kids get a "real" pin from the shops and it's a "keeper" and isn't for trading.

So just be wary of the cheap knock offs that are out there, especially if you're trading with all "real" pins.

Not all pins on ebay are knock offs. It is usually pretty easy to tell which are and which aren't... Some of those pins that seem to cheap to be good were just overstocks that got marked way down in the Disney outlet and someone bought them up to resell, at a price much lower than the price in a Disney park but still at a price that allows the ebay seller a profit... Frankly that is the only way to let your kids trade pins because you never know what one they are going to want and the thought of them trading some expensive limited edition pin for a low end pin would make me cringe.

 

[thomas998]

Be VERY careful trading with other guests since a large amount of people go around with counterfeit pins they have bought in cheap lots on eBay. Always make sure the pin you have chosen is genuine before trading

Nothing more disappointing than trading one you bought for $10 and have been tricked in to accepting a worthless fake one that the person paid hardly anything for.

There are a few posters on this forum that encourage this and I think it is disgusting, you know who you are.

http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20140526/18214/7-ways-tell-if-disney-pin-genuine

So yeah, only buy pins from Disney itself and always double check authenticity before completing a trade.

I wouldn't put a lot of faith in the information on that link. A lot of the information only applies to the newer pins. If you used that guide and look at most any of the older pins they would fail a lot of those tests. The article describes the newest pins that have thing on the back that Disney started putting to make it easier to spot a fake, but as long as the older pins are still in circulation the list is going to cause some problems.